Australian Mining

Cyprium Metals is on track to produce its first copper cathodes from the Nifty Copper Complex in Western Australia’s Paterson region during the September 2026 quarter, marking a major milestone in the company’s phased restart of the operation.

In its June quarterly activities report, the company said the Phase 1 Copper Cathode Restart had advanced rapidly, with construction work nearing practical completion and the focus now shifting to commissioning and operational readiness.

A key milestone for Cyprium Metals during the quarter was the commissioning of a new acid storage and distribution terminal, allowing sulphuric acid deliveries to resume for the first time since the operation was placed into care and maintenance in 2009.

The company also progressed leach solution recovery circuits, commenced hydro-testing of heap leach systems and received or dispatched all major capital equipment required for the restart.

“We have delivered significant progress on dual fronts over the June quarter,” Cyprium executive chairman Matt Fifield said.

“The Phase 1 Cathode Restart at Nifty has advanced significantly with key works materially advancing. We are nearing a pivotal inflection from construction and installation to delivery of the SXEW plant. Our team is proud of the progress made to date and we remain on track for first cathode production this quarter.”

In addition to the restart, Cyprium is progressing studies aimed at expanding cathode production beyond the initial targeted capacity of around 6,000 tonnes per annum.

The company is evaluating refurbishment of the SXEW plant’s A Train, construction of a new heap leach pad and the development of shallow oxide material from the Nifty open pit to support a potential expansion to around 20,000 tonnes per annum.

The company also reported encouraging drilling results from the Nifty waste dump, where recent reverse circulation drilling identified extensive near-surface copper oxide mineralisation that could provide a future low-cost feed source for the heap leach and SXEW operations. Better intercepts included nine metres at one per cent copper from surface and seven metres at 1.1 per cent copper from surface.

Cyprium appointed Richard Holmes as chief development officer and Chris Catania as chief technical officer during the quarter to support its growth.

The company finished June with $68.5 million in cash, positioning it to continue advancing both the Nifty restart and long-term growth initiatives.

Read the full article here.