First Quantum expects to recover around 275,000mt of copper within the first 10 years of operating the Taca Taca mine in Argentina.
The Canadian miner has not begun operations at this mine, which is in the Salta province in northwestern Argentina. It noted in a media statement on Monday, however, that construction is expected to begin in 2023-24 and that the design of the processing plants here would be like the existing ones at its Cobre Panama mine.
First Quantum’s latest report on the mineral reserves at Taca Taca—a copper, gold, and molybdenum project—indicates 2.23bn mt worth of mineable ore, which includes around 9.4mn mt of contained copper grading at 0.43pc. These estimates have increased First Quantum’s consolidated copper reserves to 29mn mt, making the miner’s resources for the red metal the fifth largest globally, the company noted.
Through its open pit mine design, the company plans to process around 60mn mt of ore per year over the 32-years life of the mine.