Curis Resources (TSE:CUV) shares have risen more than 38% in the last month as the company works toward bringing its Florence copper project in Arizona to production.
Shares in the copper explorer were up more than 10% today to 95 cents, and have gained more than 38% in the last month from a level of 70 cents in mid-December.
Last week, the company took another step toward boosting the value of the project with another round of large scale metallurgical tests that topped prior work. Curis' stock is up more than 36% in the last five days since the news.
The latest in-situ recovery tests 17-22 were completed, with copper extraction ranging from 51 to 90 per cent, and averaging 69 per cent. When all the copper extraction results are incorporated with recent sweep efficiency modelling, Curis said that preliminary indications show overall copper recovery of about 70 percent from a typical mineralized block.
The September 2010 preliminary economic assessment on the project used an average total copper recovery rate of just 49 per cent, which means the property's economics stand to improve considerably.
"The results from this final set of metallurgical test work clearly demonstrate the potential for improved copper recovery rates at Florence Copper," said VP of technical services and environment for the company, Dan Johnson, earlier last week.
"Our objective now is to integrate these results into a new financial and engineering model for Florence Copper that is scheduled for release in Q1 2013 in the form of a pre-feasibility study (PFS)."
Metallurgical testing to improve copper recovery began in June 2011 at Florence. The laboratory scale tests were based on samples taken from a core drilling program in 2011.
The in-situ recovery process requires no movement of rock or overburden, and there is therefore a substantially smaller footprint, with much less of an environmental impact on the surrounding area than with more traditional open pit mining operations.
The technique also requires substantially less mechanical energy in the form of trucks and explosives, and therefore generates significantly lower operating and capital costs.
"Improved copper recoveries, combined with a revised mineral extraction plan and updated capital and operating cost estimates, are expected to further confirm Florence Copper as having the potential to be one the lowest cost near term copper producers in the world," said Johnson.
For every percentage increase of copper recovery, higher revenues stand to be generated from the project, which now has an estimated after-tax net present value of $360 million at a 7.5 per cent discount rate and a $2.50 per pound copper price.
The company in late September received the Aquifer Protection Permit from the State of Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), which applies to the design, operation and closure of its phase 1 operations at the site.
The permit received authorizes the construction, operation and closure of a 24-well in-situ copper recovery operation at the project - otherwise known as phase 1.
The recovery operation will be accompanied by an art solvent extraction/electrowinning facility that is designed to produce 99.999% pure copper cathode sheets.
According to the latest timeline, the company could begin full commercial production by early 2015, after which it expects to produce between 55 and 84 million pounds of copper per year.
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