Copper Mountain mine contains a porphyry copper-gold system located in British Columbia, 180 km east of Vancouver. The mine initiated production in August 2011 and uses truck and shovel open pit mining methods.
A majority of the copper-gold mineralization at Copper Mountain occurs in veins, fracture fillings and disseminations within volcanic rocks of the Nicola Group. Mineralization remains open for expansion in many areas, particularly at depth.
The mineral processing facility was initially designed to process 35,000 tpd, however with the addition of a secondary crusher production capacity is now estimated up to 40,000 tpd. A December 2020 technical report was filed proposing a mill expansion that would be capable of processing 65,000 tpd. The process recoveries will range from 80% for copper, 65% for gold, and 70% for silver.
As of January 1, 2024, the Copper Mountain Proven & Probable Reserves (100% basis) are 367.0 Mt grading 0.25% copper and 0.12 g/t gold containing 900,000 tonnes of copper and 1.4 Moz gold (NSR cut-off value of $5.67 per tonne). Based on a December 2023 technical report, the current Mineral Reserves at Copper Mountain are estimated to support a 21-year mine life.
Sandstorm’s royalty covers a portion of the Copper Mountain claims, including the Alabama and Virginia deposits.
June 2023
Hudbay completes the acquisition of Copper Mountain.
