Quadra Begins Production at Carlota


Quadra Mining’s Carlota heap leach operation in Arizona recently began producing copper, ramping up to
a projected annual capacity of 34,000 mt/y of copper cathode. Mining, shown here in the early stages,
will move an estimated 28 million mt/y of ore and waste. (Photo courtesy of Quadra Mining).
Quadra Mining announced in early November that it expected to begin copper cathode production at its Carlota heap leach project in Arizona’s Globe-Miami district before the end of 2008 and that ramp up activities would be completed over the next few quarters. The electrowinning plant design has a capacity of 34,000 mt/y of copper cathode. Mine life is projected at nine years plus two years of residual leach. Capital expenditures as of the end of third quarter totaled $214.3 million.

Mining is by conventional open-pit methods, using drilling, blasting, loading and truck haulage of ore and waste. LME grade copper cathode will be produced on site by the heap leach, SX-EW process.

Pit operations have reached near full capacity. Pit surveys and blasthole grades indicate that the metal content of the material mined so far is consistent with reserve estimates. Copper production projections are based on a yearly mining rate of 28 million short tons of total material moved, which is the maximum material that can be moved annually under the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Carlota Air Quality Permit. Life-ofmine waste removal is estimated at 183 million st for a project strip ratio of 2.14:1.

Quadra acquired the Carlota project from Cambior Inc. in late 2005. Following a project review that included infill drilling, engineering studies, detailed cost estimation and infrastructure development, Quadra produced an updated NI 43-101 technical report and received approval from the company’s board of directors to proceed with development in November 2006.

As featured in Womp 08 Vol 10 - www.womp-int.com