Lion Copper Gold Announced Monday that it has entered into a earn option agreement with Rio Tinto USA to advance research and exploration of Lion's copper assets in Mason Valley, Nevada.
Under the agreement, Rio is entitled to a 65 per cent interest in the asset, which comprises 34,494 acres of land including the historic Yerington mine, the Greenbelt MacArthur project, the Wassuk property, the Bear deposit, associated water rights and about 20 exploration targets spread across the company's parcel of land.
Rio će sada procijeniti potencijalnu komercijalnu primjenu svoje Naton tehnologije. Naton Technologies nudi tehnologiju ispiranja bakra iz hrpe, koja je razvijena za poboljšanje povrata bakra u iskopanim rudama i za pristup novim resursima bakra, kao što su resursi sulfida niskog stupnja, kao i za ponovnu obradu zaliha i mineraliziranog otpada.
Tvrtka kaže da ove tehnologije imaju potencijal za postizanje vodećih ekoloških učinaka kroz učinkovitiju upotrebu vode, niže emisije ugljika i mogućnost recikliranja rudarskih područja ponovnom obradom otpada.
"This agreement has the potential to both expand the scope and scale of our development and accelerate the pace of initial production," Travis Naugle, Lion Copper and Gold's chief executive, said in a media statement. As managers of Nevada's important copper resources and water rights, we recognize our role in a sustainable and circular economy. If Rio tinto exercises its profitability option, we believe it will improve its quality level and drive the development of its mining assets to become a strategic domestic copper producer with the highest ESG standards and performance. We look forward to continuing to advance the MacArthur project and our other assets at Mason Valley by building constructive relationships with Rio Tinto, the local community, Native American tribes, the state of Nevada and other valuable stakeholders."
In addition to moving forward with the MacArthur copper project based on the recently released mineral resource estimate, Lion Copper Gold intends to focus on resource growth through a comprehensive approach that evaluates the company's asset base and land package expansion.
Naton tehnologija ima potencijal za ekonomski razvoj -resursa sulfida niske kvalitete, otpada koji sadrži bakar- i jalovine, te postizanje viših stopa obnavljanja bakra u oksidima i prijelaznim materijalima, što rezultira značajno većom proizvodnjom bakra uz smanjenje odgovarajući ugljični otisak, rekla je tvrtka.
"This agreement will allow us to explore the potential commercial deployment of Naton copper leaching technology in a historic mining area with significant copper resources," said Bode Batar, Chief executive of Rio Tinto Copper Mines. These technologies not only offer Rio tinto the potential to develop more copper, but also provide low-carbon production with significant environmental benefits by reprocessing old stocks and tailings to reduce waste from new and ongoing operations."
Rio tinto će platiti do 4 milijuna u ekskluzivnim opcijama zarade i pristati da Lion Copper and Gold završi studiju i evaluacijski rad Mason Valley do 31. prosinca 2022.
Dionice Lion Copper Golda porasle su 18,75 posto na vijestima u poslijepodnevnom trgovanju na CVE-u. Tvrtka ima tržišnu vrijednost od 26,5 milijuna C.
