The first copper harvest on April 24.
The Florence copper project of Taseko Mines have delivered a first harvest of 3 700 lb of copper cathode and assayed at more than 99.9% copper, the TSX-listed company reported on Thursday.
The first harvest of the US, Arizona-based project comprised 32 sheets at 117 lb each.
“Our test facility is performing very well and we are extremely pleased to have produced such high-quality copper this early in the process. These results have exceeded our expectations. There is no better proof to demonstrate the success of our highly engineered in situ leaching process test facility,” said president and CEO Russell Hallbauer in a media statement.
With the testing facility now at steady-state, the company would use the balance of the year to refine and improve operating procedures for the commercial facility.
Taseko is still negotiating financing for the construction of the commercial facility, with the company earlier this month saying it hoped to have a package in place in the next 12 months.
At full scale, Florence will produce an average of 85-million pounds a year of copper for 20 years at an average operating cost of $1.10/lb.