Charged EVs | Taseko harvests first copper cathodes at Florence Copper in Arizona
Taseko Mines says it has harvested the first copper cathodes from the newly completed commercial production facility at its Florence Copper operation in Arizona, marking what the company calls the first new US greenfield copper production since 2008.
The company had announced startup of Florence Copper’s electrowinning plant in late February. Now it says the first cathodes have been harvested, an early milestone in ramping the site toward its nameplate capacity of 85 million pounds per year of LME Grade A copper. Over a 22-year mine life, Taseko expects Florence to produce at least 1.5 billion pounds of copper.
Taseko also says Florence Copper is the first greenfield site globally to use its ISCR process, which it describes as a low-cost copper production method with environmental advantages over conventional mining. If the site reaches planned output, Taseko says it will become the third-largest copper cathode producer in the US.
“Producing LME Grade A copper cathode for America’s manufacturing sector, including automotive, semiconductor, defense/aerospace and AI data centers, will meaningfully strengthen US manufacturing and supply chain security,” said President and CEO Stuart McDonald. He added that all copper produced at Florence will remain in the US.
Source: Taseko Mines
