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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin joined hundreds of community, government and industry leaders to celebrate the start of commercial production at Florence Copper — the world’s first commercial-scale in-situ copper recovery operation and the first new source of copper in the United States since 2008.
“When you think of how long it’s been, how much of a need exists, how much Americans rely on copper in our lives, this [is] a big deal — not just for the local community, for the state, this is a big deal for our country, and it’s really a big deal for the world,” said Zeldin.
From February through June 2026, Florence Copper produced nearly 7 million pounds of copper metal. At full capacity, the site will produce 85 million lb. of copper cathode annually, and 1.5 billion lb. over its 22-year lifetime. The miner has said all of the copper will remain in the United States to benefit American manufacturers.
The gap between copper supply and demand in the United States and worldwide is expected to reach unprecedented levels in the coming decade, with demand increasing 50% over current levels by 2040. Florence Copper will enhance U.S. domestic production of refined copper by 5% over 2025 levels.
As the world’s first commercial-scale in-situ copper recovery operation, Florence Copper sets a new standard for environmental protection and conservation. The operation utilizes an estimated 78% less water and 65% less energy per pound of copper produced than conventional open-pit copper mining in Arizona.
In-situ copper recovery is an innovative method that extracts copper in solution through a series of injection and recovery wells, then plates it into LME Grade A copper cathode sheets on site.
“We really have a unique, innovative operation here in Florence. It’s in-situ copper recovery, and we’re not digging a hole in the ground. There’s no waste rock. There’s very little surface disturbance,” said Trekor Metals President and CEO Stuart McDonald.
“We’re able to extract copper in solution and produce refined copper here right on site, and we’re able to do that in a way with significantly less greenhouse gas emissions, less energy consumption, and less water use.”
Florence Copper is Trekor’s second operating asset.
Source: Florence Copper
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