The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has now issued the Florence Copper Project a draft Aquifer Protection Permit, one of two key permits required to advance the Project to commercial production.

This is an exciting and important milestone.

The draft permit will now undergo a public comment period including a virtual public hearing.

The main purpose of building and operating the Production Test Facility (PTF) was to prove that the in situ process is environmentally sound. It has operated continuously now for over 18 months and the results have been an unqualified success.The ADEQ’s draft permit reflects this achievement.

Under the careful watch of the ADEQ and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the copper extraction process has met production and environmental protection expectations.

• There has been no negative impact on drinking water
• The process is proven to be environmentally sound
• Mining solutions have been continually controlled

The science, the engineering and the modelling predictions have all proven to be accurate

Moving to commercial production is where the full collective value and benefit will be realized.

We are excited to share the video below with you, which highlights the successes, benefits and environmental attributes of the Project.