Taseko wraps Florence build, nears first copper output

[Ben Graham]

Canada’s Taseko Mines (TSX: TKO) (NYSE: TGB) has completed construction at its Florence copper project in Arizona, US, and is moving into wellfield operations and commissioning of its solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) plant as it targets first copper production within weeks.

Wellfield acidification began in early November, with mining solutions circulating through all new production wells by early December. Injection flow rates have met or exceeded expectations, accelerating early-stage acidification, while copper grades in solution have continued to rise and now meet the threshold required for SX/EW operations.

Commissioning of the SX/EW plant has advanced without major issues and start-up is expected shortly.

Drilling at Florence has also resumed, with three rigs operating on site to expand the commercial wellfield, a step expected to support higher solution flows and increased copper production during this year’s ramp-up.

President and CEO Stuart McDonald said the transition from construction to operations has been smooth, adding that the company is encouraged by early copper recoveries and is focused on commissioning the SX/EW plant in the coming days, followed by first copper cathode production within a few weeks.

“2025 was a great year for Taseko,” McDonald told MINING.COM. “Major milestones achieved at Florence Copper in Arizona contributed significantly to Taseko’s share price appreciation over the past 12 months. First copper cathode production from Florence Copper is expected in early 2026, with ramp-up to full production over the following year.”

Production at home

In British Columbia, Taseko’s Gibraltar mine produced 98 million pounds of copper and 1.9 million pounds of molybdenum last year, with fourth-quarter output impacted by unanticipated mill downtime linked to unscheduled maintenance and a serious accident that triggered a temporary site-wide shutdown in November.

Fourth-quarter copper production totalled 31 million pounds, a sharp increase from earlier quarters, as head grades improved to 0.26% and recoveries averaged 81%. Molybdenum output reached 0.8 million pounds, about 50% higher than the third quarter and the strongest quarterly result in eight years. Gibraltar’s SX/EW plant produced 0.9 million pounds of copper cathode in the quarter and continues to operate.

Gibraltar is Canada’s second-largest open pit copper-molybdenum mine. (Image courtesy of Taseko Mines.)

Full-year sales came in at 99 million pounds of copper and 1.9 million pounds of molybdenum. In October, the company had forecast copper production of 120 to 130 million pounds for 2025.

McDonald said production in the second half of the year improved on higher grades and better-quality ore, adding that more consistent quarterly output is expected in 2026 as mining advances further into the Connector pit.

Beyond Gibraltar, Taseko also holds the Yellowhead copper project in British Columbia, now in the environmental permitting phase, and a 77.5% interest in the New Prosperity property near Williams Lake.