Restarting Leigh Creek Copper Mine
Cuprum Metals is a private Australian mining company advancing the Leigh Creek Copper Mine (LCCM) and a broader copper exploration position in the northern Flinders Ranges of South Australia.
Cuprum’s strategy is to restart and optimise the brownfield Leigh Creek Copper Mine operation with defined resources, existing permits, and infrastructure, while selectively building a regional exploration footprint in a historically copper‑rich district that has seen limited modern consolidation.
Leigh Creek Copper Mine (LCCM)
Brownfield copper project with prior production and extensive operating history
Multiple historically reported JORC‑compliant oxide copper resources
Existing mining licences and an approved PEPR
Legacy heap leach and copper recovery infrastructure
The LCCM site and processing facilities were recently inspected. While some refurbishment and optimisation are required, existing infrastructure provides a practical base from which operations may be re‑established, subject to funding, technical validation, and regulatory sequencing. Cuprum initially plans to produce 100 tonnes of cement copper per month, moving to a 300-tonne steady state.
within 12 months. The operation uses low-cost heap leaching and Kennecott cone reactors to produce cement copper. Offtake arrangements and market engagement are in place, supporting potential sales pathways, subject to final commercial terms.
LCCM benefits from established permitting, including an approved Program for Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR). In the context of South Australia, and particularly within the Flinders Ranges, projects at this stage of regulatory readiness are uncommon. This permitting framework materially reduces development risk and uncertainty, allowing technical work, operational planning,
and funding processes to progress in parallel rather than sequentially.
Cuprum’s development philosophy emphasises staged execution, capital discipline, and risk reduction. Initial focus is on validating operating assumptions, aligning processing routes with ore characteristics, and deploying capital progressively as uncertainty is reduced.
In the context
of South Australia,
and particularly within
the Flinders Ranges, projects at this stage of regulatory readiness are uncommon
More than a mine
While LCCM can be assessed on a standalone basis, its broader significance lies in the scale of the mineralised system and the surrounding exploration footprint. The project sits within a copper-rich district supported by multiple deposits, defined resources, and extensive historical data.
Cuprum’s strategy is to establish LCCM as the first step in a staged development pathway, using a disciplined restart to generate operating knowledge and cash flow that can support incremental expansion and regional exploration over time, subject to technical results, funding structures, and market conditions.
From Restart to Scalable Copper Production
Cuprum Metals is laser-focused on reviving and expanding copper production in South Australia's copper-rich Northern Flinders Ranges. Our immediate objective: swiftly acquire the Leigh Creek Copper Mine (LCCM), a brownfield asset with proven JORC oxide resources, and restart operations from full funding via low-capex heap leaching.
Cuprum plans to ramp up in the near term, then scale to nameplate capacity, leveraging the refurbished Mountain of Light plant — complete with filter presses, gensets, and labs — for efficient, low-cost recovery and an existing offtake agreement.