Arizona is at the heart of the U.S. race to produce more copper domestically, and a planned mine in Casa Grande is clearing hurdles to put it on track for construction to start sometime next year.
Ivanhoe Electric Inc. recently released a final engineering study for its planned Santa Cruz copper mine in Casa Grande. The underground mine will produce copper cathode, or copper metal created without the need for offsite smelting, “that will be ready for immediate sale to American industry from our mine gate,” according to a statement from the company.
It comes as domestic copper production is a key priority of the Trump administration. Copper is a critical component to developing everything from electric vehicles to data centers, and essential for major growing local industries like semiconductor and defense manufacturing.
