“The issuance of this permit is a key milestone for ASCU in advancing the restart of operations at the Cactus mine and further derisking of the project,” Arizona Sonoran COO Ian McMullan said. “Our team worked closely with ADEQ to obtain the amended permit within expected timelines and to ensure that our anticipated future operation will meet environmental laws and regulations. As we advance our technical studies and near a construction decision, we are poised to benefit from this bullish copper cycle fueled by the global transition to a green economy.”

The ADEQ is Arizona’s lead agency for the regulation of groundwater quality. In granting the permit, the agency determined that ASCU’s plans to reactivate the mine (located 4 km west of Casa Grande) were in line with standards to protect the groundwater and met all applicable state and federal rules and regulations.

Arizona Sonora will apply for other key permits after completing final engineering and those will be closely followed by construction and industrial permits (following making a positive construction decision), which is anticipated within the next year.