Interview with George Ogilvie, President & CEO of Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/arizona-sonoran-tsxascu-more-copper-in-new-resource-update-pfs-coming-soon-4250

Arizona Sonoran is rapidly advancing the Cactus Mine project in Arizona to capitalize on forecast copper supply deficits within the next few years.

ASCU President George Ogilvie outlined plans to reach commercial production at the historic brownfield site in 3-4 years. A recently completed Pre-Feasibility Study models a 21-year mine life producing 55,000 tonnes of copper cathode annually. This doubles the outdated 2019 Preliminary Economic Assessment's 28,000 tonne per year plan, reflecting resource expansion.

The PFS generates robust economics at a $3.80/lb copper price, including a $665M NPV and 15.3% IRR with a 2.4 year payback. The $515M initial capex ranks at the low end globally, enhancing the project's advantage versus competing copper projects requiring intensive capital.

Beyond the base case, Arizona Sonoran is testing a proprietary leaching technology (called "Newton") to boost the recovery of copper sulfides. This could significantly increase production at a fractional capital cost uplift. Initial tests suggest Newton could achieve 70-85% recovery from sulfide minerals versus nil in the base case.

ASCU also has a partnership with Rio Tinto funding Newton's optimization. This provides $33M upfront to ASCU plus the option for Rio to earn a 40% project interest on favorable, non-dilutive terms. The structure drastically reduces ASCU's equity needs and facilitates debt financing.

With analysts widely forecasting large copper deficits emerging within 2-3 years as electrification drives demand higher, ASCU is positioned to capitalize on the pending supply-demand imbalance. As copper prices rise, the project's strong fundamentals and leverage to higher prices make it an attractive copper investment.

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View Arizona Sonoran's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/arizona-sonoran

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