Mr. Michael McPhie reports
CURIS RESOURCES CORRECTS PUBLIC MISINFORMATION AND PROVIDES UPDATE ON FLORENCE COPPER
Curis Resources Ltd. has provided an update on the company's key
project milestones and progress toward development of its flagship
Florence copper project in central Arizona.
"We have become aware of misinformation circulating in the public domain
relating to the permitting and development of Florence copper. This
misinformation is leading to confusion about the company's plans to
advance its in situ copper recovery (ISCR) project in Florence," commented Michael McPhie, president and chief executive officer of Curis. "The development of Florence copper remains on track. With the closing
of a $40-million non-dilutive financing agreement with Red Kite, our
focus is now on completing necessary project permitting and preparing
for the start of construction for the first phase of project
operations."
"We have developed a strong working relationship with all of the
regulatory agencies responsible for reviewing Curis's amended permit
applications," said Dan Johnson, Curis's vice-president of environment and technical
services. "We have appreciated the professional approach and consideration shown
for Florence copper by both the State of Arizona and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), and look forward to completing the next phase
of project permitting in the weeks and months ahead."
Background and key permit developments
In 1997, previous Florence copper project owner BHP Copper received all
major operating permits necessary for commercial production of copper
by ISCR methods. Since acquiring Florence Copper in late 2009, Curis
has been working to amend and update these permits. A majority of the
key operating permits for the project are in place today, including
permits relating to air, water use and waste. Curis's focus is now on
amending the remaining operating permits. No formal environmental
impact assessment (EIA) of the project is required. Curis's 1,364-acre
landholding at Florence copper is either private patented lands or
state mineral leases.
Arizona State Land Department -- state land
Curis holds title to a mineral lease with the Arizona State Land
Department (ASLD) for 160 acres of state trust land within the Curis
property boundary. This 160-acre parcel contains the portion
of the estimated mineral resources in the attached table (1).
MINERAL RESOURCES ON STATE LAND ALL OXIDE IN BEDROCK
(0.05-per-cent TCu cut-off)
Classification Million tons Grade Million lb Cu
Measured 106 0.408 866
Indicated 51 0.357 362
M+I 157 0.392 1,228
Inferred 24 0.352 168
In a letter to the Town of Florence dated Dec. 19, 2011, state land
commissioner Maria Baier confirmed that Florence copper "has the potential to generate more revenue than any project that the
ASLD has been involved with during its almost one hundred years of
existence."
(1) Within overall resource of 429 million tonnes of measured and indicated
resources grading 0.331 per cent total copper at a 0.05-per-cent total copper cut-off,
for further details see Curis news release dated Nov. 25, 2010.
Curis intends to proceed with phase 1 development of Florence copper on
state trust land beginning in 2012, subject to the completion of
project permitting as discussed below. Curis is also in the process of
defining a detailed phase 2 development plan for state trust land,
which would allow the project to advance to commercial-scale
operations.
"There is a substantial copper resource on the 160-acre state trust land
area that is sufficient to support a commercial scale operation," said David Copeland, PEng, director of project development for
Hunter Dickinson Inc. (HDI) and director of Curis. "The advancement of the phase 1 production test facility in the near term
will allow us to optimize key engineering aspects of the project,
including enhancing copper recoveries, and will set the stage for the
advancement of the project to full-scale commercial operations."
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality -- aquifer protection permit
Curis is well advanced in discussions with the Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and expects to receive a phase 1
operating permit for the Florence copper project in the coming weeks.
Curis will also advance, in parallel with phase 1 operations, the
completion of the amended phase 2 commercial operating permit. Curis
anticipates having the phase 2 approvals in place well in advance of
the start of commercial development in late 2013.
Phase 1 production test facility (PTF) permit
On March 1, 2012, Curis submitted an application to the ADEQ for an APP
for its phase 1 production test. Meetings with ADEQ officials indicate
this application presents the best approach for facilitating the phase
1 permit for the PTF, while simultaneously advancing full-scale
commercial operating permits. Curis received comments back on this
application in a letter from ADEQ on May 2, 2012. Curis is in the
process of addressing all of the items listed in the ADEQ's May 2
letter and is intending to file a response with ADEQ shortly. Public
consultation on the phase 1 permit will then follow and the phase 1
permit will be eligible for issuance shortly after.
Once received, this APP will allow for the development of the phase 1
PTF consisting of a 24-well injection and recovery system and a state-of-the-art solvent extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) facility. The
phase 1 PTF is expected to last approximately 18 months.
Phase 2 commercial-scale operating permit
In parallel with the phase 1 development and operations program, Curis
will continue work with ADEQ to secure a commercial-scale APP for phase
2 operations at Florence Copper. ADEQ's questions in response to Curis's
application for a commercial-scale APP, as submitted in late January,
2011, were received in October, 2011. Curis is pleased with its progress
in resolving these questions, which represent standard practice during
the APP permitting process.
Environmental Protection Agency -- underground injection control permit
Curis submitted an application to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to amend and update its existing underground injection control
(UIC) permit for Florence copper on March 25, 2011. At that time, the
company was advised by federal agency officials that review of its
application would take 12 to 15 months to complete. Curis continues to
work toward completion of the UIC permit in a timely manner.
On Jan. 30, 2012, the company received a review letter from the EPA,
detailing all of the federal agency's comments and questions relating
to Florence copper. Company officials, with support from a highly
skilled consulting team, have provided answers to all of these
questions and are in regular communication with EPA officials with the
goal of completing the amendment process in the near term. As with the
ADEQ review, this is standard procedure.
"What we're experiencing is the normal back and forth of an agency
review of operating permits," confirmed Mr. Johnson. "We appreciate the constructive feedback provided by both EPA and ADEQ
and look forward to completing the required permitting for Florence
copper in the near term."
Arizona Department of Water Resources -- water rights
Curis currently holds water rights and groundwater rights relating to
its Florence copper property, which allow the company to utilize
groundwater for ISCR. These rights, administered by the Arizona
Department of Water Resources (ADWR) are fully owned by Curis, and
are sufficient to support commercial-scale ISCR operations.
Project development timeline
Based on current projections for the completion of the two primary
operating permits discussed above, Curis anticipates beginning
construction of the phase 1 ISCR well field and SX/EW plant in third quarter 2012.
Initial copper cathode production is slated for early 2013.
David Copeland, PEng, Hunter Dickinson Inc., who is a qualified person,
has reviewed this disclosure.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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