MANAGEMENT

Excelsior keeps busy at Gunnison during pandemic

While it is moving forward with caution, copper miner Excelsior Mining said it continues making preparations for the restart of its Gunnison mine in southern Arizona, US.

 The Gunnison copper project in southern Arizona, US

The Gunnison copper project in southern Arizona, US

On the heels of bringing on a new general manager for the project this week, the Phoenix, Arizona-based producer confirmed acid injection work has begun at a limited number of wells at the site, after which it is recovering solution from adjacent wells. Its current acid supply in on-site storage is expected to last for several months.

"The purpose of these activities is to test the modified (retro-fit) wells under small-scale operating conditions and to gain knowledge on the new ‘push-pull' operating procedures," the company said.

It first built three storage tanks with a 7,500-tonne combined sulphuric acid capacity last year.

As for the mine's other forthcoming work, Excelsior said it will be taking on small-scale activities during this time when health risks to its workforce is still a concern.

"Any significant interruption in the workforce could negatively impact larger operations," it noted.

Excelsior is targeting a sustained production rate of 25 million pounds of copper per year from Gunnison. It is currently calling the restart "eventual" and did not offer an updated timeline for it to come online.

Gunnison, located in Cochise County, went on a temporary work idle earlier this year to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

The operation is permitted for 125 million pounds per year of copper cathode production.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Magazine Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2023 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of current exploration rates, trending exploration technologies, a ranking of top drill intercepts and a catalog of 2022 Initial Resource Estimates and recent discovery successes.