Next Round of Test Drilling Begins at White Pine

After some down time, plans to begin mining copper at White Pine are moving forward again.

Highland Copper has begun infill drilling at the site of the White Pine North project, which is adjacent to the heritage White Pine Mine, which closed in the 1990s.

Infill drilling is typically the final step in the process of estimating how much copper might be extracted from the mine. 

The company’s initial estimate is that more than five billion pounds of raw copper could be available.

Highland is also developing the Copperwood Project, at the south edge of the Porcupine Mountains. Company officials have indicated they hope to tie development and operations of the two projects together, and are developing a Preliminary Economic Assessment along that line. The goal would be to establish one processing center at White Pine for both mines.

That update is expected in late March.