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True North Copper: Copper Produced Responsibly
True North Copper (ASX:TNC)) is a responsible explorer, developer and producer of critical minerals focusing on copper and cobalt. The company's most significant projects Mt Oxide and Cloncurry are located within the Mt Isa Inlier region, home to several world-class critical minerals projects.
TNC has global measured, indicated and inferred resources containing 336,200 tonnes copper, 21,890 tonnes cobalt, 88,000 oz gold, 4.31 million ounces (Moz) silver. It is trading on the Australian Stock Exchange in mid-June 2023, following a reverse takeover merger with exploration company Duke Exploration in February 2023.
The Mt Oxide and Cloncurry Projects benefit from low capex, and low-cost production. Mt Oxide Project is a highly prospective and underexplored asset, featuring significantly sized, high-grade copper with cobalt and silver mineralisation.
Company Highlights
- Tier 1 jurisdiction, Queensland-based copper and cobalt exploration and development company with a global measured, indicated and inferred resource containing: 336.2 kt copper, 21.89 kt cobalt, 88 koz gold, 4.31 Moz silver. Key projects located within Australia's Mt Isa Inlier region, home to some of the country's most well-known mining projects.
- Mt Oxide and Cloncurry Projects benefit from low capex, low-cost production.
- Cloncurry Project - producing copper sulphate, with a projected production of 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes per annum over a 10-year mine life. Exclusive offtake agreement for all Cloncurry-produced copper sulphate with Kanins International. Prices set at LME rate plus a premium.
- Mining restart studies for the Great Australia Mine finalised - Q3 2023. Mining recommencement decision - Q4 2023.
- Great Australia Mine drilling and exploration program - extended structurally controlled, down-dip feeder to mineralisation located beneath the GAM Pit, with notable intersections of copper mineralisation. IP survey conducted over the Greater Australian Target identified four high-order IP chargeability anomalies, with compelling targets for future drill testing.
- Mt Oxide Project’s Vero Resource contains 15.98 Mt at 1.43 percent copper and 6.91 g/t silver combined measured, indicated and inferred resource, and a separate 9.15 Mt at .23 percent cobalt total combined measured, indicated and inferred resource.
- First hole of an initial diamond drilling program at Vero Resource intersected 66.5 meters at 4.95 percent copper. Assay results returning throughout Q3 2023.
- Strong ESG focus across all operational elements including:
- Hitachi Vantara partnership to improve transparency and data capture while realising business savings through artificial intelligence.
- Leveraging the Queensland government's Powerlink-led CopperString 2032 project, which is situated less than 5 kilometres from the Cloncurry project. Rehabilitated TNC mining landforms are being transformed into renewable solar energy sources and will feed into the CopperString network.
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True North Copper
Overview
True North Copper (ASX:TNC) is a responsible explorer, developer and producer of critical minerals.
Based in a tier-one mining jurisdiction (North Queensland, Australia), TNC is focused primarily on copper and cobalt, with its most significant projects – Mt Oxide and Cloncurry – located within the Mt Isa Inlier region, home to several world-class critical minerals projects.
The company’s global measured, indicated and inferred resources contain: 336,200 tonnes copper, 21,890 tonnes cobalt, 88,000 oz gold, 4.31 million ounces (Moz) silver.
TNC commenced trading on the Australian Stock Exchange mid-June 2023, following a reverse takeover merger with exploration company Duke Exploration in February 2023.
Company Highlights
- Tier 1 jurisdiction, Queensland-based copper and cobalt exploration and development company with a global measured, indicated and inferred resource containing: 336.2 kt copper, 21.89 kt cobalt, 88 koz gold, 4.31 Moz silver. Key projects located within Australia's Mt Isa Inlier region, home to some of the country's most well-known mining projects.
- Mt Oxide and Cloncurry Projects benefit from low capex, low-cost production.
- Cloncurry Project - producing copper sulphate, with a projected production of 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes per annum over a 10-year mine life. Exclusive offtake agreement for all Cloncurry-produced copper sulphate with Kanins International. Prices set at LME rate plus a premium.
- The company has signed a binding offtake agreement with Glencore for 100 percent of copper concentrate from the Cloncurry Copper Project.
- Mining restart studies for the Great Australia Mine finalised - Q3 2023. Mining recommencement decision - Q4 2023.
- Great Australia Mine drilling and exploration program - extended structurally controlled, down-dip feeder to mineralisation located beneath the GAM Pit, with notable intersections of copper mineralisation. IP survey conducted over the Greater Australian Target identified four high-order IP chargeability anomalies, with compelling targets for future drill testing.
- Mt Oxide Project’s Vero Resource contains 15.98 Mt at 1.43 percent copper and 6.91 g/t silver combined measured, indicated and inferred resource, and a separate 9.15 Mt at .23 percent cobalt total combined measured, indicated and inferred resource.
- First hole of an initial diamond drilling program at Vero Resource intersected 66.5 meters at 4.95 percent copper. Assay results returning throughout Q3 2023.
- Strong ESG focus across all operational elements including:
- Hitachi Vantara partnership to improve transparency and data capture while realising business savings through artificial intelligence.
- Leveraging the Queensland government's Powerlink-led CopperString 2032 project, which is situated less than 5 kilometres from the Cloncurry project. Rehabilitated TNC mining landforms are being transformed into renewable solar energy sources and will feed into the CopperString network.
Image 1: Visual representation of Mt Oxide Project and Cloncurry Project tenements and resources summary
Projects
Mt Oxide Project
Mt Oxide Project is a highly prospective and underexplored asset, featuring significantly sized, high-grade copper with cobalt and silver mineralisation.
Mt Oxide hosts extensive corridors, including the 11-kilometre copper-cobalt-lead-zinc Mt Oxide corridor and the 8-kilometre lead-zinc (copper-cobalt) Big Oxide corridor. Both corridors offer multiple targets for resource expansion. Additionally, the project has considerable development potential, with a long-strike in both directions and resources open-to-depth.
The Vero Resource forms part of the Mt Oxide Project. It is strongly analogous to 29 Metals' (ASX:29M) Capricorn Copper deposit, which comprises 62.2 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.8 percent copper and 9 grams per tonne (g/t) silver.
Mt Oxide Highlights:
- Significant Reserves: Mt Oxide's mineral reserves include 228,180 tonnes of copper, 21,200 tonnes of cobalt and 4.26 Moz of silver.
- Extensive Historical Drilling: The Vero Resource has undergone more than 110,000 metres of historical drilling which has helped TNC confirm its prospectivity and potential with a high degree of confidence.
- Promising High-grade Mineralisation: The Vero Resource is among the most promising targets within Mt Oxide, with 15.98 Mt at 1.43 percent copper, 6.91 g/t silver and 9.15 Mt at 0.23 percent cobalt. Over 75 percent of Vero is in JORC 2012 indicated status or better.
- Pre-existing Infrastructure: Mt Oxide benefits from the presence of an existing exploration camp as well as proximity to the Capricorn Copper Mine's processing plant and power grid.
- Vero Resource Drill Results (see Tables 1 & 2 and Image 2): The first drill hole of an initial diamond drilling program returned exceptional results, including:
- 66.50 metres at 4.95 percent copper, 32.7 g/t gold and 685 parts per million (ppm) cobalt from 234 metres, including:
- 20.60 metres at 10.51 percent copper, 63 g/t gold and 1,149 ppm cobalt from 234.60 metres.
- 8.55 metres at 6.03 percent copper, 51.6 g/t gold and 98 ppm cobalt from 290.15 metres
- 11 metres at 3.06 percent copper, 34.2 g/t gold and 682 ppm cobalt from 357.50 metres, including:
- 4 metres at 6 percent copper, 63.7 g/t gold and 544 ppm cobalt from 357.50 metres.
- 8.55 metres at 6.16 percent copper, 45.9 g/t gold and 140 ppm cobalt from 172.50 metres including:
- 2.80 metres at 14.74 percent copper, 102.5 g/t gold and 54 ppm cobalt from 178.25 metres.
- 66.50 metres at 4.95 percent copper, 32.7 g/t gold and 685 parts per million (ppm) cobalt from 234 metres, including:
Table 1: MOXD217 significant copper, silver and cobalt geological intercept.
Table 2: MOXD217 significant copper, silver and cobalt intercepts at a 3 percent copper cutoff with 2-metre internal dilution.
Image 2: Cross-section of MOXD217 (10 m clipping window) showing the location of geological and grade composites as well as the updated interpretation of copper grade domains based on the results from MOXD217
Cloncurry Project
Project Highlights:
- Fully Permitted: The Great Australia Mine is permitted for compliant, sustainable copper oxide and sulphide production (see Image 3).
- Extensive Mineral Reserves: Roughly 90 percent of the Cloncurry Project's 2012 JORC defined resources are situated on granted mining leases for which TNC has all necessary approvals in place. project's global JORC 2012 compliant resources include 79,040 tonnes of copper, 47,720 oz of gold and 1,860 tonnes of cobalt.
- Mining restart: Mining restart studies for the Great Australia Mine finalised - Q3 2023. Mining recommencement decision - Q4 2023.
- Great Australia Mine drilling and exploration: Great Australia Mine drilling and exploration program - extended structurally controlled, down-dip feeder to mineralisation located beneath the GAM Pit, with notable intersections of copper mineralisation. IP survey conducted over the Greater Australian Target identified four high-order IP chargeability anomalies, with compelling targets for future drill testing.
- Multiple Exploration Targets: High-quality exploration targets on granted mining leases within Cloncurry Project include:
- Wallace Complex: An undeveloped project within trucking distance to the Great Australia Mine, significant exploration potential and multiple high-grade intersections, including:
- 12.7 metres at 3.47 percent copper and 1.82 g/t gold from 37.3 metres.
- 15.9 metres at 2.45 percent copper and 1.98 g/t gold from 68.1 metres.
- 19 metres at 2.09 percent copper and 0.74 g/t gold from 29 metres.
- Notlor: An advanced exploration prospect with significant copper intersections along a 2-kilometre trend approximately 9 kilometres from the Great Australia Mine Complex.
- Mt Norma: A deposit located 40 kilometres by road from the Great Australia Mine Complex. Its total combined inferred and indicated resources are 158,000 tonnes at 1.89 percent copper comprising 91,000 tonnes at 1.76 percent copper and 15.46 g/t silver in situ material. There is also a separate resource of 67,000 tonnes at 2.08 percent copper for out-of-ground heap leach pad and stockpiled material.
- Wallace Complex: An undeveloped project within trucking distance to the Great Australia Mine, significant exploration potential and multiple high-grade intersections, including:
- Infrastructure and adjacent community: Cloncurry is located in close proximity to the Cloncurry township. It also benefits from rail connectivity, sealed roads and affordable grid power.
- Guaranteed Concentrate Sales: TNC signed a binding offtake and a toll-milling agreement with Glencore International for 100 percent of copper concentrate from CCP, and toll-milling services up to 1 million tons of ore per year for the CCP’s life of mine. TNC will be entitled to claim 20 percent Queensland State Royalty discount for all material processed through the Mt Isa Smelter.
Image 3: Visual representation of Great Australia Mine complex resources and processing facilities.
Image 4: Cross Sections X-X' through the 3D IP Chargeability Model showing the high-order chargeability anomaly associated with the Taipan Resource and new anomalies identified in the Greater Australian Target Area
Management Team
Marty Costello - Managing Director
Marty Costello is recognised as one of Australia’s leading project development and sustainability strategists across the resource sector, with more than 20 years of professional experience.
After working for several companies and government departments (domestic and international) managing, developing and implementing environment, sustainability and risk (ESR) programs and policies he established his own environmental consultancy – Northern Resource Consultants (NRC).
In the space of nine years, Costello developed NRC into an industry specialist with more than 25 employees focusing on environmental management and sustainability solutions for the resource sector. NRC delivered agile, best practice ESR strategies and multi-disciplinary environmental and sustainability services for clients like Evolution Mining, Futura, Sojitz, Adani, Red River Resources, CU River Mining, and others.
In 2018, NRC was acquired by SLR, a global leader in environmental and sustainability solutions. The acquisition facilitated considerable additional capability and geographic coverage to SLR’s existing mining and minerals in Asia Pacific business. During his consulting life, Costello was retained by Evolution Mining over an eight-year period to provide strategic project development, ESG advice to the board and executive management team.
Costello holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (environmental management) and Diploma of Applied Science.
Peter Brown - Chief Operating Officer
Peter Brown has held senior management roles in the resources sector, both domestically and internationally, including recent positions at Round Oak Minerals and Diatreme Resources where he oversaw project development and operations. Brown has diverse experience and an impressive track record that demonstrates his ability to successfully deliver projects and foster positive relationships with all project stakeholders.
He has managed discovery programs for gold, copper and chromite in South America, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia, including government and community relations. He also drove improvements and provided training in mine geology, resource evaluation and mine technical services at prominent mines such as Mt Muro Gold Mine, George Fisher Mine and Peak Gold Mines. Additionally, Brown played a significant role in reviving abandoned satellite projects at Peak Gold Mines.
Other achievements include successfully re-permitting and constructing of the 1-Moz Toka Tindung Gold Mine in Indonesia as director of Indonesian companies and general manager at Archipelago Resources; leading the permitting, engineering redesign and construction of the 0.8-Moz Mt Carlton Gold Mine in Queensland; the successful development of Mt Carlton and Pajingo projects, which contributed to the establishment of Evolution Mining; and recommissioning and developing a number of mining projects in the Mount Isa and Cloncurry region.
Rajesh Padmanabhan - Chief Financial Officer
Rajesh Padmanabhan is a highly skilled and experienced CPA-qualified accountant with expertise across a myriad of financial operations. He has many years of corporate governance experience as an executive team member across a variety of roles including as company secretary of an unlisted public company.
Throughout his career, Padmanabhan has held key finance management roles in mining and construction companies, including Constance Iron, Tablelands Mining Group, Barrick Australia (Porgera Operations) and Mastermyne Group (ASX:MYE).
Padmanabhan has more than 30 years’ experience managing company-wide financial operations, implementing streamlined financial processes, ensuring tax compliance and conducting financial analysis to support decision-making. His commitment to delivering results and his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes make him an integral part of the True North Copper team.
Padmanabhan is also an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and recently completed a certificate in governance and risk management from the Governance Institute of Australia.
Sven Sewell - Sustainability & Net Zero Manager
Sven Sewell has over 25 years’ experience working in a range of environmental fields, including environmental consulting, environmental regulation and within the industry.
For the 15 years prior to joining TNC, Sewell held senior environmental positions at several operating mines across northern Australia. At those operations, he was generally the most senior environment, responsible for all aspects of permitting, compliance, rehabilitation and general environmental management. Sewell's experience in northern Australian mines includes several new and established gold, uranium and bauxite operations.
Sewell holds a BSc (with honours) in environmental science.
Michelle Ellis — Cloncurry Projects Exploration Manager
Michelle Ellis retains over 15 years’ mineral exploration, resource and mining experience predominantly in iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits and terrains across South Australia and Northwest Queensland.
Over the past 11 years, she has actively explored a range of commodities and deposit styles throughout the Mount Isa Inlier.
Ellis has an MSc in economic geology, MSc in environmental management and BSc in applied science - geoscience, and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Rhonda Freeman - Group Manager (Human Resources)
Rhonda Freeman has more than 18 years’ experience attracting top talent, fostering employee development and helping organisations develop safe and supportive work environments. She has worked extensively across the resource sector, including for large national-wide drilling companies.
Freeman has worked for mining companies across a variety of geological settings including brown coal, black coal, uranium, mineral sands and oil & gas. She brings a diverse skill set specific to the resource sector, having worked across all commercial aspects of drilling operations including as an exploration manager.
Freeman has also developed a number of QA and HSE systems for different projects.
Lundin Mining Announces Updated Share Capital and Voting Rights
News Provided by Canada Newswire via QuoteMedia
Top 5 Copper Stocks on the TSX in 2024
The first quarter of 2024 began with copper prices remaining steadfast, staying within the US$8,000 to US$8,500 per metric ton (MT) range.
However, the end of the quarter saw the red metal gain momentum on the LME and surge to a quarterly high of US$8,973 on March 18 before moving to set a two-year high on the London Metal Exchange of US$9,869 on April 30.
The dramatic gains came on the back of tightening concentrate supply to Chinese smelters, who cut supply as competition between upgraders caused treatment charges to fall to their lowest point since 2010. While supply for refined copper was expected to shift into a deficit in 2025, the lowered output from smelters is looking to move that ahead to later this year.
With higher copper prices affecting consumers, the effects have started to be felt by copper producers. So which companies have seen the biggest share increases on the TSX? Here are the Top 5.
Data for this article was retrieved on April 24, 2024, using TradingView's stock screener, and only companies with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million are included.
1. Taseko Mines (TSX:TKO)
Year-to-date gain: 73.91 percent; market cap: C$944.77 million; current share price: C$3.20
Taseko Mines is a copper producer and development company and holds a portfolio of assets in British Columbia, Canada and Arizona, US.
Its primary asset is the Gibraltar mine located in Central BC. The mine is Canada’s second largest open-pit copper mine after Teck Resources' (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) Highland Valley mine. Gibraltar boasts an 85,000 MT per day processing capacity and in 2023 produced 123 million pounds of copper.
On March 25, Taseko acquired 100 percent ownership of the Gibraltar mine after it entered into an agreement with Dowa Metals and Mining (TSE:5714) and Furukawa (TSE:5715) to purchase the remaining 12.5 percent interest in the property. The company said the agreement was made as both Dowa and Furukawa are divesting themselves of their copper-mining investments.
In addition to Gibraltar, the company is also working to advance its Florence copper project located near Florence, Arizona. The mine is expected to enter commercial production in 2025, and when fully operational will produce approximately 85 million pounds of copper per year.
On January 16, the company provided an update for the project and announced it had secured an additional US$50 million in funding from Taurus Mining Royalty Fund in exchange for 1.95 percent of gross revenue from the sale of all copper from Florence. The company said the additional funds will allow it to accelerate construction at the site, with the build to begin in the second quarter.
Shares in Taseko reached a quarterly high of C$2.99 on March 27.
2. McEwen Mining (TSX:MUX)
Year-to-date gain: 57.81 percent; market cap: C$721.14 million; current share price: C$14.96
McEwen Mining is a mining company led by industry veteran Rob McEwen. It is working to advance its Los Azules copper project in San Juan, Argentina as well as the Fox Complex gold mines in Ontario, Canada, the Gold Bar mine in Nevada, United States and the San Jose gold mine in Argentina.
Shares of McEwen Mining saw their largest gains at the end of February and the beginning of March. This rising share price coincided with positive news from the company's Q4 and full-year 2023 report, which was released on February 29.
In the announcement, McEwen said it had 22 drills on site and was working toward delivering a feasibility study in Q1 2025. It also reported a 76 percent expected average copper recovery over a 27 year life-of-mine and projected after-tax net present value of US$262 million.
Owned by subsidiary McEwen Copper, the joint project is a partnership between McEwen Mining which holds 48 percent, Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) which holds 14.5 percent and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) which holds 19.4 percent.
Shares in McEwen Mining reached a quarterly high price of C$13.36 on March 28.
3. First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM)
Year-to-date gain: 47.32 percent; market cap: C$12.94 billion; current share price: C$15.94
First Quantum Minerals is a copper mining and development company with a global portfolio of Assets.
Its primary asset has been the Cobre Panama mine located west of Panama City, Panama. The mine boasts 3 billion MT of proven and probable reserves and represents 1 percent of the World’s copper supply. The mine was ordered to close down in November 2023 after the Panamanian Supreme Court invalidated an extension to the mine's license.
In a December 2023 release, the company said it was working on developing a closure plan for the mine that it expects to present in June 2024, but also noted it is pursuing all appropriate legal avenues to protect its investment and rights.
In the company’s Q1 2024 financial update, released on April 24, First Quantum said it was continuing to work on a preservation and safe management plan for Cobre Panama, and was also working to deliver the 121,000 MT of concentrates that remain on site.
Due to the ongoing situation in Panama, the company noted that it has undergone a refinancing program to improve its balance sheet and improve liquidity. This program has included working out a prepayment agreement with Jiangxi Copper for US$500 million, the completion of a US$1.6 billion senior secured second-lien at 9.38 percent due in 2029, and the issuance of 139.93 million common shares to raise proceeds of US$1.15 billion.
In addition to the updates on its mine in Panama, First Quantum reported the production of 100,605 MT of copper through Q1, a 59,595 MT decrease over Q4 of 2023, which were largely attributed to the closure of Cobre Panama. These declines were partially offset at its Sentinel mine in Zambia where a year-over-year increase of 25,993 MT limited the loss to 38,148 MT of copper from the same period a year ago.
However, First Quantum noted that production may be impacted in 2024 as drought conditions in Zambia have led to the government declaring a national emergency. Due to El Nino, there have been reduced water levels in the Kafue and Zambezi Rivers and power generation throughout the country has been impacted.
The company has been working to mitigate these challenges and has entered into offtake agreements with third-party traders for power sourced from the Southern African Power Pool for a total of 80 megawatts. The agreements are expected to cost US$25 million.
Shares of First Quantum reached a quarterly high of C$15.01 on March 15.
4. Hudbay Minerals (TSX:HBM)
Year-to-date gain: 46.01 percent; market cap: C$3.70 billion; current share price: C$10.60
Hudbay Minerals is a copper production and development company with assets in BC and Manitoba, Canada; Arizona, US; and Peru.
The company has four producing mines. According to its management discussion and analysis (MD&A) for 2023, Constancia and neighboring Pampacancha mines in Peru produced 100,486 MT of copper. Copper Mountain in BC saw 12,154 MT of copper and Snow Lake in Manitoba produced an additional 19,050 MT of copper. In total, this represented a 27,518 increase in copper production for 2022.
In addition to its mining assets, the company is also working to advance its Copper World project in Arizona. In the MD&A, the company indicated it is working on receiving the final state permits for the site and expects to receive them sometime in 2024. The company is also in the process of completing a three prerequisites plan that is required for sanctioning which it expects in 2025.
When complete, the mine is expected to have a 20 year life span, and according to a mineral resource estimate included in a March 28 annual reserve and resource update, Hudbay reported proven and probable average grades of 0.54 percent copper from 385 million MT.
The company is also working on its greenfield Mason project in Nevada. Hudbay says it is developing the project as a long-term future asset and expects it to have a 27 year lifespan. Resource estimates from the site show measured and indicated average grading of 0.29 percent from 2.22 billion MT of ore, with additional inferred grading of 0.24 percent from 237 million MT.
Shares of Hudbay reached a quarterly high of C$9.48 on March 28.
5. Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)
Year-to-date gain: 43.76 percent; market cap: C$23.03 billion; current share price: C$18.33
Ivanhoe Mines is a copper production and development company that operates the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine, one of the largest in the world.
Located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the mine is a joint venture between Ivanhoe, which holds a 39.6 percent stake, China’s Zijin Mining Group (OTC Pink:ZIJMF), which holds another 39.6 percent stake, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo with a 20 percent share and Crystal River Global, which holds the remaining 0.8 percent.
On April 3, Ivanhoe announced Q1 2024 production results for Kamoa-Kakula. In the report, Ivanhoe indicated that the mine had produced 86,203 MT of copper while achieving a quarterly mining record of 2.5 million MT of ore from Kakula and Kamoa 1 underground mines.
The company also said that ore was being stockpiled ahead of the anticipated early commissioning of the Phase 3 concentrator, which is now scheduled to come online in May of this year. In addition, Ivanhoe said it is working to upgrade power generation at the site from 58 megawatts to over 200 megawatts ahead of the completion of the phase 3 smelter in Q4 2024.
Once online, annual production at Kamoa-Kakula will increase to 650,000 MT of copper per year.
Shares in Ivanhoe reached a quarterly high of C$16.24 on March 15.
FAQs for investing in copper
Is copper a good investment in 2023?
Copper's price trended downward throughout 2023. Although many experts have a positive long-term outlook for the red metal based on supply concerns and its growing role in the energy transition, recession worries in countries across the globe are creating short-term headwinds for copper, which is heavily used in industry.
Investors who are interested in copper should make sure to perform their due diligence, as the volatility and unpredictability of markets and economies at the moment means that nothing is guaranteed.
What is copper used for?
Copper is used in many industries, from construction to electronics to medical equipment. In fact, in 2020, 32 percent of copper globally was used in equipment manufacturing and 28 percent in building construction.
Two other growing sectors for copper are the burgeoning electric vehicle and green energy industries. Electric vehicles require a significant amount of the red metal per vehicle.
How to invest in copper?
Investors can get exposure to copper in a variety of ways. Holding physical copper is possible, but plenty of storage would be required to hold any significant value of the metal.
For investors looking to invest in the metal without physically holding it, there are a few options. Copper stocks such as those on the TSX, TSXV and ASX are worth looking at. Additionally, there are copper exchange-traded funds and the copper options and futures markets on the London Metal Exchange.
How to invest in a copper ETF?
Copper exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can be a good way to diversify an investment portfolio, and they can be a more stable option compared to individual copper miners or explorers. There are multiple options available on the market, and they can usually be purchased in the same way one could purchase stocks through a broker or trading platform.
In May 2022, Horizons launched Canada’s first copper equities ETF, the Horizons Copper Producers Index ETF (TSX:COPP), which is focused solely on pure-play and diversified copper-mining companies.
There are two ETFs available on the US ARCA exchange as well. The Global X Copper Miners ETF (ARCA:COPX) tracks the Solactive Global Copper Miners Index, which includes copper miners, as well as copper explorers and developers. The other option is the United States Copper Index Fund (ARCA:CPER), which gives investors exposure to copper futures contracts by tracking the SummerHaven Copper Index Total Return (INDEXNYSEGIS:SCITR).
How much is copper worth?
The copper price is tracked in two ways: COMEX copper and London Metal Exchange (LME) copper. The COMEX and LME are both options and futures metal exchanges, with the former being headquartered in New York and the latter in London. COMEX copper is priced by the pound, while LME copper is priced per MT.
Where is copper mined and how is it processed?
Copper is mined throughout the world, with significant production found on every continent besides Antarctica. Chile was the top producer in 2022, putting out 5.2 million MT of the metal. Rounding out the top five are Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 2.2 million MT each, China with 1.9 million MT and the US with 1.3 million MT.
Once copper is mined, the ore goes through multiple steps to reach a market-ready state. First, the ore is ground to roughly separate the rock from the copper, as copper typically only makes up 1 percent of the mined rock.
The resultant copper is then slurried with water and chemical reagents, after which air is used to float the copper to the top of the mixture. After the copper is removed from this, it is typically at 24 to 40 percent purity.
Lastly, the copper is refined at a refining plant or smelter using one of two methods, pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. Pyrometallurgy is employed for copper ore that is sulfide rich, while hydrometallurgy is used when the ore is oxide rich. The Investing News Network's guide on copper refining goes into further detail about how those processes work. Once these processes are complete, the copper is concentrated to up to 99.99 percent purity.
Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Top 5 Junior Copper Stocks on the TSXV in 2024
Coming off a volatile 2023, copper started the new year trading in the US$8,000 to US$8,500 range in January and February.
However, the red metal saw significant gains starting at the end of February and through March as news of production cuts from Chinese smelters began to make headlines. The cuts came as supply for concentrates became tight, sending treatment charges to their lowest point since 2010.
The results of the cuts pushed the price of copper on the London Metal Exchange to a quarterly high of US$8,973 per metric ton (MT) on March 20. The price has continued to see gains and reached a two-year high of US$9,814 on April 24.
With the demand for copper set to soar within the next several years, has this elevated pricing helped small-cap explorers on the TSXV? These are the five biggest gaining stocks since the start of 2024. Data for this article was gathered on April 24, using TradingView's stock screener, and all companies had market caps of over C$10 million at that time. Read on to see what's been moving their share prices.
1. Sandfire Resources (TSXV:SFR)
Year-to-date gain: 211.11 percent; market cap: C$266.07 million; current share price: C$0.28
Sandfire Resources America is a copper development company focused on its Black Butte copper project located east of Helena, Montana, in the US. In 2021, a state district court revoked the company's mine operating permit for Black Butte, halting construction activities of the underground mine.
Sandfire describes the project as one of the highest grade undeveloped copper deposits in the world; a resource estimate for the project's Johnny Lee deposit completed in 2020 reported measured and indicated resources of 10.9 million MT grading 2.9 percent copper for a total of 311,000 MT contained copper.
Shares of Sandfire soared following a February 26 decision by the Montana Supreme Court to reinstate the company's mine operating permit. The win is a crucial step for Sandfire to continue the construction of its mine.
The company has not released any further updates about the project. Shares of Sandfire reached a quarterly high of C$0.29 on March 4.
2. American Eagle Gold (TSXV:AE)
Year-to-date gain: 171.7 percent; market cap: C$67.31 million; current share price: C$0.72
American Eagle Gold is a copper and precious metals exploration company working to advance its NAK property in Central BC, Canada.
Hosted within the Babine copper-gold district, the NAK property has seen historical exploration dating back to the 1960s. American Eagle completed the acquisition of the site in December 2021, and has drilled 17 holes for a total of 13,854 meters during 2022 and 2023 exploration programs.
On January 8, the company announced results from the final hole of its 2023 program, which returned the highest grading. It reported a 302 meter intersection containing 0.53 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 0.4 percent copper, 1.27 g/t silver and 431.4 parts per million molybdenum.
The company’s most recent update for the project came on March 15, when it announced it was fully funded to begin a 15,000 meter drill program that is scheduled to start in May. The program will focus on expanding and outlining near-surface potential and connecting the northern and southern targets at the property.
Shares of American Eagle reached a quarterly peak of C$0.71 on March 28.
3. Libero Copper (TSXV:LBC)
Year-to-date gain: 160 percent; market cap: C$24.24 million; current share price: C$0.52
Libero Copper is an exploration company focused on its flagship Mocoa project located in Putumayo, Colombia.
The site consists of six concession contracts that cover an 11,391 hectare land package. The deposit was first discovered as part of a 1973 geochemical survey backed by the United Nations and Colombian government. The site saw subsequent exploration between 1978 and 1983, then again by B2Gold (TSX:BTO,NYSE:BTG) from 2008 until 2012.
The project was acquired by Libero in 2018 from B2Gold (TSX:BTO,NYSE:BTG), but has seen limited exploration. However, a resource estimate from November 2021 reported inferred values of 4.6 billion pounds of copper and 510.5 million pounds of molybdenum from 636 million MT grading 0.33 and 0.036 percent, respectively.
In 2024, Libero has raised funds, announcing the closing of C$3 million private placement on February 15, followed by an additional C$2.86 million private placement on March 11.
Shares of Libero reached a quarterly high of C$0.80 on March 13.
4. Koryx Copper (TSXV:KRY)
Year-to-date gain: 155.56 percent; market cap: C$21.21 million; current share price: C$0.115
Formerly Deep-South Resources, the company announced in November 2023 that it would be changing its name to Koryx Copper to better represent its core values.
The company is focused on the advancement of copper exploration projects in Namibia and Zambia.
Its flagship asset is the Haib copper project located in Southern Namibia near the border with South Africa. In an amended preliminary economic assessment released on January 8, the company indicated 20 million MT per year of ore processing with 85 percent copper recovery for a yearly production of 38,337 MT of copper and an additional 51,081 MT of copper sulfate.
Since the start of 2024, Koryx has published a number of assay results from exploration at Haib, the most recent came on April 24. In the announcement, the company highlighted grades of 0.49 percent copper over 207 meters, including an intersection of 0.58 percent copper over 92 meters.
The company said it was pleased with the results and they are demonstrating the average grade could be higher than previous resource estimates indicate. Koryx also said there were nine holes from the drill program that have yet to be reported.
Shares of Koryx reached a quarterly high of C$0.80 on March 28.
5. Chakana Copper (TSXV:PERU)
Year-to-date gain: 133.33 percent; market cap: C$26.44 million; current share price: C$0.105
Chakana Copper is a copper exploration company focused on developing its Soledad project in the Ancash region of Peru.
The site hosts high-grade copper, silver and gold mineralization across 4,200 hectares. An initial inferred resource estimate released in February 2022 shows the site hosts 191,000 ounces of gold, 11.7 million ounces of silver and 59,200 MT of copper.
On January 15, the company announced the closing of C$3 million in upsized funding with an investment from Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) and former President and CEO of Sprott Holdings (TSX:SII,NYSE:SII) Rick Rule. At the time, the company said it would use the bulk of the proceeds to drill untested targets at the southern half of Soledad.
Chakana followed up on April 5, announcing that a 3,000-meter drill program had commenced at the Mega-Gold, La Joya and Estremadoyro targets at Soledad. The new program will mark more than 62,000 meters of drilling at the site since 2017.
Shares of Chakana reached a quarterly high of C$0.10 on March 28.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Far Northern Resources Quarterly Report 31 March 2024
During the March quarter 2024, Far Northern Resources Ltd (ASX: FNR) successfully raised $4.165 million and was accepted to admission to the official list of the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Shares in FNR started trading on 12 April 2024. The initial Public Offering (IPO) raised $4,165,000 through the issue of 20,825,000 shares at an issue price of $0.20. The total undiluted shares on issue at the date of listing was 70,961,135 with FNR having a Market Capitalisation of $14,192,227 and an Enterprise Value (EV) of $10,027,227.
- Far Northern Resources successfully raised $4.165M and satisfied the listing conditions to enable the quotation of its shares on ASX
- FNR acquired 100% of Premier Mining and Bridge Creek Mining post 31 March
- Director Conducted Site Visit to Bridge Creek in the NT
- Directors conducted Pre-Listing Road Shows Brisbane, Sydney, and Perth
- Rock Chip sampling over copper anomalies at Empire - see announcement 15 April 2024.
FNR has accumulated an exciting package of tenements in the Northern Territory and Queensland that are highly prospective for Gold and Copper. Exploration will commence shortly in the Northern Territory while a rock chip program has been conducted in North Queensland at the Empire project over the southern end of the Empire Mining Lease (see FNR’s announcement dated 15 April 2024).
This article includes content from Far Northern Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Mining Exploration Entity or Oil and Gas Exploration Entity Quarterly Cash Flow Report
True North Copper Limited (ASX:TNC) (True North Copper, TNC or the Company) is pleased to provide its mining exploration entity or oil and gas exploration entity quarterly cash flow report.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from True North Copper, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
True North Copper March 2024 Quarterly Report
True North Copper Limited (ASX:TNC) (True North Copper, TNC or the Company) is pleased to provide the following quarterly update and Appendix 5B for Q3 FY24.
HIGHLIGHTS
Funding and Strategic Partnerships
- A$42M (USD28M) USD-denominated senior secured loan facility (Loan Facility) with Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund II LP (Nebari)1. The Loan Facility is provided in two tranches. Drawdown of Tranche 1 – USD$18M (approximately A$27M) occurred 9 February 20242.
- Binding offtake and toll-milling agreements with Glencore International AG(Glencore) for 100% of copper concentrate from TNC’s Cloncurry Copper Project (CCP) and toll-milling services of up to 1Mt of ore per year for the CCP’s Life of Mine (LoM)5.
Cloncurry Copper Project Mining Preparedness
- Mining restart study confirms positive CCP project economics. Study reported anticipated mine revenue of A$367M with free cash flow of A$111M, and a pre-tax NPV10 of A$88M over a 4.6 year mine life, at USD$8,500/t Cu price and USD$1,850/oz Au price (0.7 A$:USD exchange rate)6.
- Wallace North Mine preparation and mobilisation progressed. Wallace North is scheduled as the first open pit (one of four – Wallace North, Great Australia Mine [GAM], Taipan and Orphan Shear) to be mined as part of the mining restart at the CCP6. Mining ramp-up will initially build ore stockpiles, with mining expected to start Q4 FY24. Oxide copper-gold ore will be transported by road train to the Cloncurry Operations heap leach. Sulphide ore will be transported to a nearby concentrator for toll treatment under TNC's toll-milling agreement with Glencore7.
Resources and Reserves
- Maiden Wallace North Ore Reserve. Mine designs produced a maiden Wallace North Ore Reserve totalling 0.7Mt (Probable) grading 1.01% Cu and 0.46g/t Au for 6.8kt Cu and 10.0koz Au8.
- CCP’s total Ore Reserves increased. Addition of the Wallace North Ore Reserve raises TNC’s Cloncurry Copper Project (CCP) total Reserves to 4.7Mt Probable Ore Reserves grading 0.80% Cu and 0.13g/t Au, containing 37.5kt of copper and 20.0koz of gold8, with MEC advancing a further GAM upgrade in Q4 FY24.
- Mt Oxide Project Resources: Vero Resource metallurgical studies completed on schedule allowing revised Vero Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) incorporating 2023 confirmation drilling to be reported in Q4 FY24.
Copper Sulphate Production
- Copper Sulphate Crystal sales totalled 164.9t (45.6t contained Cu) Q3 FY24. Operational costs were substantially reduced in line with depleting production from existing stockpiled ore. Operations were disrupted with frequent high intensity weather events.
Exploration
- 2024 Exploration Program announced. Aggressive exploration strategy targeting transformative discoveries across TNC’s more than 850 sq km of tenure package within the Mt Isa Inlier10.
- TNC awarded Queensland Government $300,000 Collaborative Exploration Initiative (CEI) Grant. The CEI grant will be used towards delivery of leading edge MIMDAS Induced Polarisation, Resistivity and Magnetotelluric geophysical surveysat the Mt Oxide. The exploration aims to identify massive and disseminated sulphide mineralisation at Mt Oxide11.
- Cloncurry Projects - prioritised targeting for geophysics on mining and exploration tenure completed. TNC will schedule geophysical contractors for commencement during Q4 FY24.
- Camp Gossans prospect (Mt Oxide) - strongly anomalous copper-cobalt zones. Anomalous Cu, Co & As zones identified from multiple gossanous breccia structures that are up to 16m wide with a combined strike length of over 500m12.
- Cloncurry and Flamingo Projects – surface exploration – confirms prospectivity of multiple underexplored Cu-Au mineral systems. Highly encouraging copper and gold assays returned from rock chip sampling confirms prospectivity of multiple underexplored Cu-Au mineral systems.
Corporate
- TNC’s cash balance and receivables totalled A$3.1M as at 31 March 2024. Trade Receivables - $A0.1M. ▪ Environmental Bonds required under the Company’s tenements secured by A$13.47m in restricted cash.
- Final tranche of share placement announcement 17 November 2023 was settled on 16 January 2024. Settlement occurred following the Company’s major shareholder Tembo Capital Holdings receiving FIRB approval for the transaction. The Company subsequently issued 54,166,667 fully paid ordinary shares at 12 cents per share of which 36,286,100 shares were issued to settle the short-term loan provided by Tembo Capital Holdings UK and the remaining 17,880,567 shares were issued for cash totalling $A2.15M.
- A$5M placement by Millinium Capital Managers Limited as trustee for MP Materials and Mining Group Fund - comprising the issue of 41,666,667 fully paid ordinary shares in the Company (Shares) at an issue price of A$0.12 per Share (Placement)3. Settlement of $1 million of this placement occurred on 26 April 2024 with the remainder to be settled no later than 31 May 20244.
COMMENT
True North Copper’s Managing Director, Marty Costello said:
The global demand for copper continues to rise against a backdrop of diminishing supply, creating exceptionally favourable market conditions as True North Copper prepares to become Australia’s next copper producer.
This quarter has marked a significant and rapid transformation. We have entered into strategic partnerships and created critical pathways for our future mining operations, including an off-take and toll-milling agreement with Glencore. In terms of financing, we secured a US$28M (~A$42M) of debt funding from Nebari and separately Millinium Capital Partners has agreed to make a substantial investment by subscribing for A$5M at $0.12 per share.
We have also executed significant project milestones this quarter. The completion of our CCP Mining Restart Study confirmed the CCP is a low-risk, low-cost operation with a short payback period. Additionally, we finalised the maiden Wallace North Reserve.
Thanks to the hard work of our Mining Operations Team, and following some cost cutting and improvements to management control and reporting processes, we are prepared and ready to deliver on our Cloncurry Copper Project Mining Restart Plan with mining expected to commence at Wallace North in Q4 FY24.
We are also committed to developing the Vero Resource at our Mt Oxide Project into our next mine. This quarter, we progressed the re-estimation of the Vero Resource and mine optimisation studies. We look forward to announcing these Q4 2024."
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from True North Copper, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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