Pinto Valley is currently the only operating mine located in the historic Globe-Miami mining district of Arizona, one of the oldest and most productive mining districts in the United States. Since its first recorded production in 1975, Pinto Valley has produced more than four billion pounds of copper, including 0.5 billion pounds of copper cathode. Capstone acquired Pinto Valley from BHP Billiton in October 2013 and is currently the second largest employer in the district and contributes over $270 million annually to Arizona’s economy.
Capstone is positioning Pinto Valley to be optimized in time for higher copper prices. PV3 Optimization focuses on innovation and a series of low-capital, quick payback projects to debottleneck operational performance, with the goal of higher throughput and higher recovery.
A PV4 Study is evaluating the mine’s long-term growth potential of Measured and Indicated Resources (inclusive of Reserves) of over 1.36 billion tonnes at 0.30% copper. Scenarios include increased mining rates, higher mill grades and increased leaching.
Innovation and Optimization
Jetti Resources: Pinto Valley has successfully demonstrated positive economics by applying a novel patented catalytic technology from Jetti Resources to existing dump leach. The plan is to increase copper cathode production to 300-350 million pounds from mineralized waste over the next two decades, generating strong cash flow from the mine’s underutilized SX-EW plant, which is currently operating at only 20% capacity. Read the full news release or view the presentation.
Coarse particle flotation: Pilot plant testing of a new coarse particle flotation technology by Eriez Flotation Division, the world leader in innovative flotation technology, commenced in December 2020. Positive pilot plant testing showed that a 6 to 8% increase to overall copper recovery is achievable. Other benefits could be lower grinding costs, lower water and energy consumption and increased tailings stability via coarser tailings. The project is in final stage review, read the January 19, 2021 news release for more details.
Time-Lapse of PV3 Optimization Work Completed in July 2020
Pinto Valley's Cultural Transformation