662 Florence Copper’s use of ISCR brings significant benefits, including low production cost, limited land disturbance, and water and energy conservation. Ultimately, this presentation will explore Florence Copper’s path to commercial operations, the benefits of the ISCR process, the project’s socioeconomic impact, and the role of the project in redefining the meaning of sustainable copper production. 2. HISTORY & DEVELOPMENT OF FLORENCE COPPER The Florence Copper project has a rich history. The copper deposit was discovered in 1969 by a geologist from American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASARCO), who was doing exploration in the area and saw evidence of copper mineralization on a nearby mountain. In the 1970s, Continental Oil Company looked at mining the property using traditional mining methods but quickly discovered that the hydrogeologic conditions of the deposit did not lend themselves well to traditional mining methods, and this method of development did not move forward. In the 1990s, there was exploration of the potential of using ISCR to mine the deposit. BHP Copper acquired the site in the late 1990s and performed a successful pilot test of ISCR, with 67 injection, production, and monitoring wells. While the effectiveness and environmental responsibility of the ISCR process was demonstrated by this pilot test, BHP Copper deferred further development and sold the land to a real estate developer, Merrill Ranch Investments LLC, after the price of copper declined in the early 2000s. During the Great Recession and housing market crash, Curis Resources (Curis) acquired the Florence Copper property in the wake of Merrill Ranch Investments’ financial insolvency. Curis then began advancing the development of an ISCR project once again. In 2014, the company was acquired by Vancouver-based copper mining company Taseko Mines Limited (Taseko), the current parent company of Florence Copper. Under Taseko’s leadership, Florence Copper developed in two phases, with phase one being a successful Production Test Facility (PTF). Beginning in 2019, the PTF produced over one million pounds of copper using ISCR, proving once again the safety, effectiveness, and environmental responsibility of the ISCR process. In Fall 2023, Florence Copper received its final major federal permit to expand into commercial operations, which initiated its commercial construction program. In Fall 2025, the construction program was finalized, and commercial wellfield operations commenced. The first copper cathode harvest from Florence Copper’s commercial facilities was announced at the beginning of March 2026, marking the first new copper production from a greenfield facility in the U.S. since 2008. Under full commercial operations, Florence Copper has an annual production capacity of 85 million pounds of copper over a 22-year mine life (Rotzinger, Tremblay, & Weymark, 2023). This positions Taseko as the third-largest copper cathode producer in the United States (McDonald, 2025). 3. ISCR PROCESS AND BENEFITS As part of the ISCR process, an injection well is drilled into Florence Copper’s copper oxide zone, which is found approximately 122 to 366 meters below surface and boasts an average grade of .36% copper. A lightly acidic solution (similar in acidity to common household vinegar) is traveled into the copper oxide zone via the injection well, and this solution dissolves the copper minerals in the orebody, which then become a part of the solution. This resulting copper-rich solution is then pumped above ground in the wellfield via a series of recovery wells before being sent to an on-site solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) plant for plating into LME Grade A copper cathode sheets. In the wellfield, a 106% pumping rate is maintained to create an inward hydraulic gradient, drawing in water from the surrounding area into the wellfield operating area. This establishes hydraulic control of wellfield solutions. Observation wells, which encircle the ISCR production area, are continuously monitored in real time to ensure hydraulic control is always maintained. In addition, point of compliance (POC) wells ring the wellfield perimeter and are sampled on a quarterly basis, with that data reported to regulators, as an additional level of protection. Florence Copper’s wellfield operations are regulated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).
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