Mining companies advance copper projects in Chile and Arizona

Mining companies Xplora Minerals and Copper Fox Metals have announced new development strategies for their respective copper projects in Chile and the United States.

Xplora Minerals presented a plan at Fexmin 2026 to scale its Copper Phoenix project in Taltal, Antofagasta. The company intends to conduct a 5,000-meter drilling campaign with an initial investment of US$2.5 million. The project, an iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit, has already commercialized 700 tons of mineral with Enami. The strategy aims to validate priority targets and define inferred resources, with the potential to use early production cash flow to fund future exploration.

In the United States, Copper Fox Metals is progressing its Van Dyke in-situ copper recovery project in Arizona. The company is working on an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment that includes a two-phase underground development totaling approximately 4,900 meters. Phase I will target higher-grade mineralization to accelerate capital recovery, while Phase II will access lower-grade zones. Additionally, the company is finalizing the purchase of a permanent facility in Miami, Arizona.