TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Curis Resources, which is developing the Florence in-situ copper recovery project near Florence, Arizona, has received a final amended aquifer protection permit (APP) from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), authorising the construction, operation and closure of the 24-well mine.

Curis on Monday said the permit applied to the design, operation and closure of Phase 1 operations, bringing the $208-million project one step closer to construction.

"After an exhaustive public consultation process, the receipt of our final Phase 1 operating permit from the ADEQ is a significant validation of the engineering and safety of the Florence copper project and another important milestone for the company. With our financing in place, detailed engineering complete and long lead time equipment ordered, this positive decision by ADEQ brings us one step closer to the start of construction and copper production,” president and CEO Michael McPhie said.

On September 28, 2012, the company received an APP for the Phase 1 development of the Florence project. As part of the APP process in Arizona, it is required that this permit undergo a review by the public and interested parties through a formal consultation process. This process included a public hearing held in Florence by ADEQ and subsequent receipt and consideration of comments from interested parties.

This public process had taken into account all these comments and an amended Phase 1 APP has now been issued, containing some minor modifications to the previously granted APP.

The APP is one of two significant operating permits required by the company to move the first phase of operations forward. The second is the underground injection control permit, which was in the final stages of review by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Phase 1 operations would consist of a production test facility (PTF) that included a well field, and a state-of-the-art solvent extraction and electrowinning facility that would produce copper cathode. The PTF would assist in the demonstration of the science and safety of in-situ technology and provide an opportunity for the public to fully engage and understand this modern copper extraction technology.

The Florence project would produce about 27 500 t/y of copper during the first five years of operation, rising to average production of 42 000 t/y during the remainder of the operation’s 25-year life.