Copper miner Taseko Mines has completed construction at its Florence project in the US and is moving into commissioning and early operations, while reporting improved copper and molybdenum production from its Gibraltar mine in 2025.

In an update, the company said on Tuesday that activity at Florence Copper had shifted to wellfield operations and commissioning of the solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX/EW) plant. Wellfield acidification began in early November and, by early December, mining solutions were circulating in all new production wells within the commercial wellfield.

Injection flow rates have met, or exceeded, expectations to date, accelerating initial acidification. Copper grades in solution from the recovery wells have continued to rise, with average solution grades now at levels required for SX/EW operations. Commissioning of the SX/EW plant has progressed without significant issues, with plant operations expected to begin shortly.

Wellfield drilling has also resumed, with three drill rigs operating on site to support expansion of the commercial wellfield and higher solution flows as part of the 2026 ramp-up.

“The transition from construction to early-stage operations at Florence has gone smoothly, and we are very pleased with the initial copper recoveries and performance of the commercial wellfield. Our project team is focused on the successful startup of the SX/EW plant in the coming days, followed by first copper cathode production within a few weeks," stated president and CEO Stuart McDonald.

At the Gibraltar mine, copper production for 2025 totalled 98-million pounds, with molybdenum production of 1.9-million pounds. Copper sales for the year were 99-million pounds, alongside 1.9-million pounds of molybdenum.

Fourth-quarter copper production increased to 31-million pounds, reflecting higher grades and improved ore quality later in the year. Copper head grade for the quarter rose to 0.26%, in line with management expectations, with recoveries of 81%. Production during the quarter was affected by unanticipated mill downtime linked to unscheduled maintenance and a serious accident that led to a temporary, site-wide shutdown in November.

Molybdenum production in the fourth quarter reached 0.8-million pounds, about 50% higher than the third quarter and the strongest quarterly result in eight years. Gibraltar’s SX/EW plant produced 0.9-million pounds of copper cathode during the quarter and continues to operate.

“Gibraltar production in the second half of the year was a notable improvement over the first half of the year with higher grades and better quality ore. Looking ahead to 2026, we expect more consistent quarterly production, now that we are better situated in the Connector pit, and higher overall copper production,” McDonald said.