Taseko Mines is close to getting approvals from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) on its In-Situ recovery (ISR) copper project in Florence, Arizona.
The British Columbia-based copper miner has been developing its well field operations in Florence since January 2019 and reportedly reached commercial grade levels by June of last year. Upon pending approvals from the ADEQ in October, the company will commence production of about 38,555mt of copper per year, across the project’s 21-year life.
ISR is a form of mining wherein the miner uses groundwater pumped into the ore deposit to dissolve the metal into a solution, which can then be extracted in liquid form for processing. This concept is considered environmentally sound as it foregoes excavation, milling, and tailings dams related to underground mines. Instead the metal content, in this case, copper, is extracted from the liquid solution pulled out from the ground.