Highland Copper Announces Updated Process Plant Flow Sheet Demonstrating Increased Copper Recoveries of 87.6% and Reduced Processing Costs

Core Insights - Highland Copper Company announced positive results from its 2025 metallurgical test work program for the Copperwood Project, indicating significant improvements in copper recovery and process efficiency [1][2][7] Metallurgical Test Work Program - The metallurgical test program initiated in Q1 2025 aimed to enhance the process plant design, incorporating ultrafine flotation technology and optimizing operating costs [2][8] - The redesigned process plant is expected to achieve copper recoveries of 87.6% at lower capital and processing costs, with a smaller scale and reduced power consumption [2][28] - Glencore Technologies is set to provide a performance guarantee related to the improved copper recovery estimates, reinforcing confidence in the test program's robustness [2][61] Engineering and Design Updates - The metallurgical update is a crucial part of Phase 1 detailed engineering, which focuses on finalizing design criteria for the process plant, mine, tailings, and water management [3][5] - Phase 1 engineering is overseen by Dr. Wynand van Dyk, who has extensive experience in mine design and operations [5] Process Circuit Optimization - The new mill-float-mill-float (MF2) circuit design includes a de-sliming stage, which allows for the rejection of up to 25% of mass from primary rougher tailings, leading to energy savings of 10% to 13.7% [8][20][28] - The optimized reagent scheme is projected to reduce operating costs by up to $1.00 per tonne milled while improving environmental, health, and safety performance [8][29] Performance Improvements - Kinetic rougher copper recoveries reached up to 92.4% at a target rougher concentrate grade of 4.5% copper, surpassing the 2018 baseline of 89.7% [8][35] - Locked-cycle tests confirmed up to 85.8% recovery at a 25% copper concentrate grade, demonstrating the effectiveness of the enhanced reagent scheme and MF2 configuration [8][40] Ultrafine Flotation Technology - The introduction of ultrafine flotation technology is expected to enhance the grade-recovery curve, crucial for project economics, while also reducing the processing plant's footprint and environmental impact [48][49] - Pilot-scale tests using the Jameson Cell have shown improved kinetics and recovery potential, affirming the value of this technology in the Copperwood flowsheet [52][60] Next Steps - The next steps include completing lock-cycle variability testing and confirming final process design criteria ahead of initiating Phase 2 of the detailed engineering program [9][8]