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). The ISCR process is feasible at Florence Copper due to the deposit’s hydrogeologic conditions. In particular, the deposit is composed of a highly fractured, saturated, and porous orebody made up of quartz monzonite, granodiorite, and associated dikes. These conditions align to allow the ISCR process to occur without the use of high pressure or other modifications or enhancements. Ultimately, Florence Copper’s innovative and proven ISCR process allows for the production of copper without the large-scale blasting, hauling, dumping, and crushing of mineralized materials typically associated with an open-pit or underground mining operation. As such, the project has a significantly smaller environmental footprint, as shown by Figure 1 below. Due to the unique characteristics of the ISCR process, Florence Copper boasts 75% fewer carbon emissions, 65% less energy used, and 78% less water consumed per pound of copper produced compared to a conventional open-pit copper mine in Arizona (Taseko Mines Limited, 2024). In general, Florence Copper recycles the majority of water it uses in the ISCR process, and the project will be the lowest greenhouse gas and energy intensive copper producer in North America under commercial operations. In addition to these significant environmental benefits, the ISCR process also brings efficiency and attractive cost savings, with Florence Copper’s average projected operating cost of $1.11 being in the lowest quartile globally (Rotzinger, Tremblay, & Weymark, 2023).
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