Arizona Sonoran Cactus Project PFS Technical Report Reporting Post-Tax NPV8 of US$2.30 Billion and IRR of 22.8% is now Filed
Highlights include:
- Simple open‑pit / conventional SXEW operation producing approximately 103,000 tonnes (226 million lbs) of estimated average annual copper cathode production over the first 10 years of mining, which would make Cactus the third largest cathode producer in the
- Industry-leading capital intensity of
-
- Strong economics to support the continued development of Cactus with a focus on simplicity and executability of the open-pit copper cathode project, on private land in
- Cactus Project is well positioned over the 22-year operational mine life to generate value at a variety of copper prices:
Copper Price
|
Base Case
|
COMEX Assumed Spot Pricing
|
NPV |
|
|
IRR (after-tax) |
|
|
Payback (after-tax) |
5.3 years |
4.5 years |
Initial Capital Expenditures |
|
|
NPV:CAPEX Ratio |
2.4:1 |
3.4:1 |
LoM Gross Revenue |
|
|
LoM FCF (unlevered after-tax) |
|
|
- Conventional, Cost effective Mining and Processing: Open-pit, Heap Leach and SXEW Operation with Oxide and Enriched Materials from Cactus and
-
Cash costs (C1)2 of
/lb, All in Sustaining Costs (“AISC”) of$1.34 /lb and All in Costs (“AIC”)1 of$1.62 /lb$2.01
- Initial mineral reserves of 513 million tons at a grade of
-
65% conversion of leachable M&I mineral resources to mineral reserves - Increased grades reporting to the heap leach pads
- Significant benefits to the local community and economy of
- Future mine expansion opportunities outside of the current mineable copper reserves, including late mine life primary sulphides, Cactus East and other exploration targets
- Final investment decision as early as Q4 2026 with targeted first cathodes in 2029
- Next steps with anticipated completion in 2H 2026 include:
- Definitive Feasibility Study, including detailed engineering
- Project financing process is well-underway, with Hannam & Partners supporting the advancement of discussions to secure project debt from tier-1 banks, ECAs and private lenders
- Amend currently held permits to reflect the larger size and modification to the PFS plan
TABLES 1 and 2 below summarize the key metrics within the PFS and the sensitivities to the copper price, as it relates to revenue, Net Present Value (“NPV”) and Internal Rate of Return (“IRR”).
TABLE 1: Summary of Key Metrics At
Valuation Metrics |
Unit |
|
NPV |
$ millions |
3,244 |
NPV |
$ millions |
2,301 |
Internal Rate of Return (after-tax) |
% |
22.8 |
Payback Period (after-tax) |
# years |
5.3 |
LoM Revenues |
$ millions |
16,948 |
LoM EBITDA* |
$ millions |
11,805 |
LoM FCF* (unlevered) after tax |
$ millions |
7,162 |
Project Metrics (Imperial) Life of Mine |
|
|
Construction Period |
# months |
24 |
Life of Mine (“LoM”) |
# years |
20 |
Operational Life of Mine(1) |
# years |
22 |
Strip Ratio |
Waste:Feed |
3.3:1 |
Ore Mined |
ktons |
512,859 |
Copper Reserve Grade |
% CuT |
0.52 |
Annual Crusher Throughput |
million tons |
28 |
Recoveries |
% CuT |
75 |
Recovered Copper Cathode |
K lbs |
3,987,794 |
Annual Copper Production(1) |
000 tons millions lbs |
99 198 |
Project Years 1-10 (average annual) |
|
|
Copper Production
|
000 tons millions lbs |
113 226 |
Revenue |
$ million/yr |
962 |
FCF (unlevered) after-tax |
$ million/yr |
381 |
Costs |
|
|
Cash Cost (C1)* |
$/lb Cu |
1.34 |
All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC)* |
$/lb Cu |
1.62 |
All in Cost (AIC)* |
$/lb Cu |
2.01 |
Initial Capital (including contingency) |
$ millions |
977 |
Sustaining Capital |
$ millions |
1,327 |
Notes:
*Non-IFRS financial measure; see “Non-IFRS Financial Measures”. Project operating cost estimates include mine operating, process plant operating, and general and administrative costs (“G&A”). Estimated total production costs include royalty expense. AISC additionally includes initial Capex, sustaining Capex, reclamation & closure. AIC additionally includes taxes and initial capital.
(1) Life ‑of ‑mine excludes years 21 and 22, during which operations consist solely of SXEW processing
TABLE 2: PFS Sensitivities to the Copper Price
Revenue, NPV |
|||||
Metal
|
Copper
|
Revenue
|
Pre-tax NPV |
After-tax NPV |
After-tax IRR
|
Base Case(1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
No COMEX premium applied to the Base Case study |
|
(2) |
COMEX Spot pricing assumed at |
Pre‑feasibility Study Summary
The capital cost estimates for this PFS were developed with a -/+
The PFS mine plan establishes onsite copper cathode production from conventional heap leach and SXEW processing of the oxide and enriched material. Mine operations are expected to use conventional truck and shovel and two-stage crushing. Truck loading of the heap leach pad is planned in the first three years, then pivoting to conventional stacking. The tank house design starts with a 70,000 ton per year facility with the addition of a second facility of same size, ready for use between years three and four. Production from the heap is projected to reach 140,000 tons per year from year five. Average annual cathode production for the first 10 years is expected to be 113,000 tons. A total of 2,210 million tons is expected to be mined (waste + ore), including a total of 513 million tons processed, resulting in the recovery of 3,988 million pounds or 1,994,000 tons of copper cathodes over the operational life of mine.
Feed to the heap leach pad will be oxide and enriched ore from the
Quality Assurance and Quality Control Procedures
Skyline Labs is accredited in accordance with the recognized International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005. Their quality management system has been certified as conforming to the requirements defined in the International Standard ISO 9001:2015. The standard operating procedure (SOP) used while processing the ASCU samples was to process samples in groups of 20. Each tray consisted of 18 samples with samples No. 1 and No. 10 repeated as duplicates. The results from each tray were analyzed and any variance in the duplicates of more than
The results of these analyses, including the QA/QC checks, were transmitted to a qualified team of individuals at ASCU and the qualified persons.
Qualified Persons
Each of the persons listed below are authors of the PFS and have reviewed and verified the scientific and technical information contained in this press release and the PFS technical report as it relates to their respective specified areas of responsibility. By virtue of their education, experience and professional association membership, each of the below listed persons are considered “qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101.
Project Management, Roger Rivers, PE, M3 Engineering
Metallurgy, Laurie Tahija, QP-MMSA, M3 Engineering
Mineral Resources, Allan L. Schappert, CPG, SME-RM, ALS GeoResources LLC
Water and Environmental, R. Douglas Bartlett, CPG, PG. Clear Creek Associates, a subsidiary of Geo-Logic Associates
Mine Planning, Gordon Zurowski, P.Eng., AGP Mining Consultants Inc.
Nuton® Technology, Jim Sorensen, FAusIMM, Samuel Engineering
Links from the Press Release:
October 21, 2025 Webinar: https://youtu.be/z6aCg3EAtcU?t=2
October 20, 2025 Press Release: https://arizonasonoran.com/news-releases/arizona-sonoran-pre-feasibility-study-delivers-exceptional-results-for-the-cactus-project-outlining-long-life-low-cost-copper/
SEDAR+: https://www.sedarplus.ca
About Arizona Sonoran Copper Company (www.arizonasonoran.com | www.cactusmine.com)
ASCU’s objective is to become a mid-tier copper producer with low operating costs and to develop the Cactus and
Exhibit A: PFS Annual Production, Recovery and Cost Estimates
Years |
Production Tons (000’s) |
Recovered Copper |
Costs ($lb)1 |
||||||
Tons Mined |
|
Cactus
|
Total Tons
|
% TCu |
Tons |
klbs |
C1
|
AISC1 |
|
1 |
170,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.286 |
38,354 |
76,708 |
|
|
2 |
175,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.324 |
67,005 |
134,009 |
|
|
3 |
169,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.509 |
105,394 |
210,787 |
|
|
4 |
165,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.447 |
114,003 |
228,006 |
|
|
5 |
160,000 |
22,000 |
- |
22,000 |
0.884 |
140,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
6 |
165,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.450 |
125,332 |
250,663 |
|
|
7 |
155,000 |
23,000 |
- |
23,000 |
0.872 |
137,625 |
275,250 |
|
|
8 |
151,000 |
26,000 |
- |
26,000 |
0.654 |
140,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
9 |
145,000 |
20,000 |
- |
20,000 |
0.959 |
140,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
10 |
135,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.505 |
123,761 |
247,521 |
|
|
11 |
45,638 |
20,000 |
- |
20,000 |
0.958 |
135,954 |
271,907 |
|
|
12 |
30,000 |
18,000 |
- |
18,000 |
1.034 |
140,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
13 |
28,042 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.602 |
140,000 |
280,000 |
|
|
14 |
95,000 |
28,000 |
- |
28,000 |
0.316 |
96,301 |
192,601 |
|
|
15 |
95,200 |
11,456 |
16,544 |
28,000 |
0.286 |
61,428 |
122,855 |
|
|
16 |
65,063 |
9,299 |
18,701 |
28,000 |
0.443 |
68,857 |
137,714 |
|
|
17 |
75,566 |
- |
28,000 |
28,000 |
0.323 |
65,255 |
130,509 |
|
|
18 |
40,442 |
- |
28,000 |
28,000 |
0.287 |
48,567 |
97,134 |
|
|
19 |
32,777 |
- |
28,000 |
28,000 |
0.352 |
47,947 |
95,893 |
|
|
20 |
20,822 |
- |
19,859 |
19,859 |
0.408 |
41,350 |
82,700 |
|
|
21 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
14,995 |
29,989 |
|
|
22 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1,774 |
3,547 |
|
|
Exhibit B: PFS Annual Economic Estimates
Annual Economics ($k) |
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Year |
Revenue |
Operating
|
Operating
|
EBITDA1 |
Capital
|
FCF1 |
1 |
|
|
- |
- |
|
- |
2 |
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- |
3 |
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4 |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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8 |
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9 |
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10 |
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11 |
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12 |
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13 |
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14 |
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15 |
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16 |
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17 |
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18 |
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19 |
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20 |
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21 |
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22 |
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PFS - ASSUMPTIONS |
||
PRICE / RATE |
UNIT |
LONG TERM |
Copper |
$/lb |
4.25 |
Copper Cathode Premium |
$/lb |
Not Applied |
Weighted Average Recovery |
% CuT |
75 |
Sulfuric Acid |
$/ton |
160.00 |
Electricity |
$/kWh |
0.06 |
NSR Royalty |
% |
|
|
% |
|
|
% |
|
Effective Taxes |
% |
24.6 |
Non-IFRS Financial Measures
This press release contains certain non-IFRS financial measures, including Capex, sustaining capital/capex, sustaining costs, EBITDA, C1 cash costs, free cash flow, AISC and AIC. The Company believes that these measures, together with measures determined in accordance with IFRS, provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance or expected performance of the Company. Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.
Non-IFRS financial measures used in this press release and common to the copper mining industry are defined below.
C1 Cash Cost and Total Cash Operating Cost: C1 cash cost and Total Cash Operating Cost are reflective of the cash cost incurred at each processing stage, from mining through to recoverable copper delivered to the market, net of any by-product credits, including mine operating, process plant operating, and general and administrative costs.
All-in Sustaining Costs ("AISC"): AISC is reflective of all of the expenditures that are required to produce a pound of copper from operations. AISC reported in the PFS includes total cash costs, sustaining capital, expansion capital and closure costs, but excludes corporate general and administrative costs and salvage.
All-in Costs (“AIC”): is AISC including taxes and initial capital costs.
Free Cash Flow or FCF: Free cash flow is net cash flow provided from operating activities less attributable capital expenditures.
Capital expenditures are classified as either sustaining capital expenditures or non-sustaining capital expenditures, depending on the nature of the expenditure. Sustaining capital expenditures typically represent capital expenditures including ongoing replacement of mine equipment and other capital facilities and other capital expenditures and is calculated as total additions to property, plant and equipment (as reported on the interim condensed consolidated statements of cash flows), less non-sustaining capital expenditures. Non-sustaining capital expenditures represent capital expenditures for major projects, including development costs of the Cactus Project.
Cautionary Statements regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Other Matters
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained or incorporated by reference in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and
Mineral Resource Estimates
Until mineral deposits are actually mined and processed, copper and other mineral resources (which include mineral reserves) must be considered as estimates only. Mineral resource estimates that are not classified as mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimation of mineral resources (including mineral reserves) is inherently uncertain, involves subjective judgement about many relevant factors and may be materially affected by, among other things, environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors described in the foregoing Cautionary Statements on Forward-Looking Statements. The quantity and grade of reported “inferred” mineral resource estimates are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define “inferred” mineral resource estimates as an “indicated” or “measured” mineral resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in upgrading “inferred” mineral resource estimates to an “indicated” or “measured” mineral resource category. Inferred mineral resource estimates may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for preliminary economic assessments. The accuracy of any mineral resource estimate (including mineral reserves) is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, which may prove to be unreliable and depend, to a certain extent, upon the analysis of drilling results and statistical inferences that may ultimately prove to be inaccurate. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of a “inferred”, “indicated” or “measured” mineral resource estimate will ever be upgraded to a higher category including a mineral reserve. The mineral resource estimates (including mineral reserves) declared by the Company were estimated, categorized and reported using standards and definitions in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (the “CIM Standards”) in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators (“NI 43-101”), which governs the public disclosure of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects.
The terms “mineral reserve”, “proven mineral reserve”, “probable mineral reserve”, “mineral resource”, “measured mineral resource”, “indicated mineral resource”, and “inferred mineral resource”, as disclosed by the Company are Canadian mining terms defined in the CIM Standards (collectively, the “CIM Definitions”) in accordance with NI 43-101. NI 43-101 establishes standards for all public disclosure that a Canadian issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. These Canadian standards differ from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to
| _____________________________ | ||
1 |
.02/lb Copper - 5-day COMEX spot average from October 20, 2025 |
|
2 |
Non-IFRS Financial Measure. See “Non-IFRS Financial Measures” below. |
|
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118049406/en/
For more information
Alison Dwoskin, Director, Investor Relations
647-233-4348
adwoskin@arizonasonoran.com
George Ogilvie, President, CEO and Director
416-723-0458
gogilvie@arizonasonoran.com
Source: Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc.