Faraday Copper released their technical report for the Copper Creek Mine Project
It is a large 22 MB 425 page PDF and it seemed a little unintuitive to download from there site, so a copy is located here at the link below.
https://www.coppercreekmine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Ausenco-NI-43-101-template.pdf
There is a lot of info in the report and I have highlighted some items that may directly impact the community good or bad. Those highlights are also listed below. Listed in order they are found in the report. Please make note of some of the bold items below regarding overseas concentrate treatment, refining and metal sales.
Page 12) The concentrator is designed to process material at a rate of 30,000 t/d. The plant is designed to be operated 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Page 17) The proposed logistics concept is to use containerized bulk handling to move the concentrates from the mine to the smelter destination or into a vessel hold. Concentrate will be trucked in containers to concentrate shed located in San Manuel, 16 km from the site. They will be loaded on to rail cars and transported, most likely, to the Port of Guaymas, Mexico. At the Port, the containers will be unloaded from the rail and stored until emptied into a shipping vessel hull which will subsequently be transported by sea to clients. Concentrates are expected to be sold to Asian smelters, however opportunities to distribute to the general market of North American and European refineries would also be considered.
Page 20) The Project would not require a camp facility as the location is easily accessible from the townsites of Mammoth, San Manuel and Oracle, as well as being approximately 80 road km northeast from the city of Tucson.
Page 23 ) Readers are cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature. It includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.
Page 57) The 2020 population census for both towns combined is approximately 5,200 people and although the local economy is currently characterized as depressed, both communities are within proximity of a highly skilled and experienced workforce. A camp facility is not planned as room and board are easily accessible from the nearby townsites of Mammoth, San Manuel, Oracle, and from the city of Tucson and neighbouring suburbs.
Page 274) A 138 kV transmission line will run along Bunker Hill Rd approximately 2 km then traverse 2.8 km of state-owned land (Section 16, Township 08S, Range 18E).
Page 274) The number of containers that are required will be a function of the distance travelled and the transportation modes. If concentrate is loaded onto ships, a full parcel of containers will be stored at the port at the time of loading. There must also be enough containers to hold the concentrate in transit. Containers would be loaded onto rail cars for transportation at a transload facility located in San Manuel, AZ and transported to the Port of Guaymas in the State of Sonora, Mexico. At the port, the containers will be unloaded from the rail and stored until emptied into a vessel hull for overseas shipping to smelter.
Page 276 ) Table of 21 Onsite Buildings
Page 308) Containers would be loaded onto rail cars for transportation at the concentrate shed in located in San Manuel, 15 km from the site and transported to the port of Guaymas, Mexico. From here, concentrate will be transported along the Copper Basin Railway south to connect to the Union Pacific Railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad connects to FerroMex at the border town of Nogales, Mexico, a rail network that connects Nogales, Mexico to the Port of Guaymas, Mexico.
Page 309) Capstone changed to trucking to deliver concentrate to the Port of Guaymas, Mexico. An inspection of the 22 wooden trestles along the track would be required before resuming operations, as well as making any repairs resulting from the inspection.
Page 309) At the Port of Guaymas, the containers will be unloaded from the rail and stored until emptied into a shipping vessel hull which will subsequently be transported by sea to clients.
Page 311) Since portions of the Project are located on lands managed by the BLM, a Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) will be required for development of the Project. Permits issued for the Project will generally need to meet specific design and monitoring requirements as outlined by the respective regulatory agencies including the BLM, Arizona Department of EnvironmentalmQuality (ADEQ), Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Page 312) San Pedro River immediately downstream of its confluence as impaired waterways, indicating that these waters do not meet established surface water quality criteria.
Page 312) Since the Project is located outside of an Active Management Areas (AMA) administered by the ADWR, groundwater use is not subject to certain state statutory and administrative regulations
Page 318) Given the location of the project area and the nature of the on-site habitat, two federally-listed species may have reasonable potential to occur on the project area and may require Section 7 consultation: yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus [western Distinct Population Segment]) and monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus). These species have not been observed in the proposed mining footprint to date.
Page 321) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – An EIS is an expanded EA, for projects in which a FONSI is not anticipated to be acquired. The EIS results in a Record of Decision (ROD) outlining the evaluated impacts of the Project, along with the mitigation responsibilities of the project proponent.
Page 321) Given the nature and size of the Project, it is assumed for the purposes of this analysis that an EIS will be required.
Page 324) For the development of the Copper Creek Project, consultation with USFWS would be required for either the CWA Section 404 permit or the Mine Plan of Operations for the BLM. It is anticipated that the BLM would act as the lead federal agency for the purpose of the Section 7 consultation.
Page 330) The Company is dedicated to continue transparent, inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, adhere to social and environmental standards, respect human rights and collaborate with community members to address concerns and prioritize sustainability development of the Project. The Company is committed to ensuring the community is not subjected to any negative impacts related to hazardous waste, or any other environmental justice concerns by adhering to strict environmental standards and regulations.
Page 331) The next round of communication public open houses are scheduled to occur in fall 2023.
Page 346) Approximately 150 staff are estimated for the process operations proposed, 113 for the process plant and 28 for the heap leaching operation. Annual labour costs total $12.2 million
Page 352) All metal sales would be delivered outside of the U.S.
Page 352) The Project would use a third party outside of the U.S. for concentrate treatment and refining.
Page 358) Copper Fox Metals operates an early-stage exploration project at Sombrero Butte
Page 373) it behooves the Project to engage in dialogue with these operations regarding the terms and condition of pursuing into a contract to smelt the Copper Creek concentrate locally.
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