Arizona Sonoran Copper Co., Inc.
Arizona Sonoran Copper — Investor Presentation (June 2022)
47 slides from Arizona Sonoran Copper's investor presentation, June 2022
Slide 1: Corporate Presentation – June 2022
ASCU:TSX ASCUF:OTCQX Corporate Presentation – June 2022 COPPER Invest in Sustainability
Slide 2: Cautionary Information
Cautionary Information This presentation (“Presentation”) is being furnished on a confidential basis in order to provide readers certain information with respect to the business and operations of Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc. (the “Company” or “ASCU”). This presentation contains forward-lookin
Slide 3: Management Team with Proven Track Record
Management Team with Proven Track Record STRONG SPONSOR SUPPORT George Ogilvie, P.Eng. Ian McMullan, P.Eng., MBA Nick Nikolakakis, BASc, MBA Rita Adiani, LLB Hons President, CEO & Director COO VP Finance and CFO SVP Strategy & Corporate Development • Private equity fund investing in +30 years of man
Slide 4: Experienced Board of Directors
Experienced Board of Directors David Laing, B.Sc. Eng Thomas Boehlert, ICD.D George Ogilvie, P.Eng. Chair of the Board of Directors Director President, CEO & Director +40 years experience in the mining industry with roles across +30 years in the agribusiness, mining & energy. Experienced finance ope
Slide 5: Pro Forma Capital Structure & Ownership
Pro Forma Capital Structure & Ownership OWNERSHIP NEW CAPITAL STRUCTURE Rio Tinto Retail 7% 19% Market Capitalization (M) C$177M (C$2.00/share) Management Shares Outstanding (M) 88.7 6% Tembo 35% Warrants (M) 6.6 Other Options (M) 2.9 6% RSU’s (M)(1) 0.3 Insitutional DSU’s (M) 0.4 27% Including: RCF
Slide 6: Why ASCU – Well-financed Development Asset with Low Capital Intensity
Why ASCU – Well-financed Development Asset with Low Capital Intensity Brownfield Exploration and Private Landownership = Development Project in Tier 1 Lower risk permitting process Jurisdiction • State-and-County Led Permitting Framework • 100% ownership of Arizona-based past producing mine (1974-19
Slide 7: The Cactus Project: A Low-Risk Growth Opportunity
The Cactus Project: A Low-Risk Growth Opportunity RECENTLY COMPLETED UPCOMING DE-RISKING 2022 • Drilling • ESG / Net Zero Path • Strategic Investor Cactus drilling (FS) • Permitting • No debt Parks/Salyer drilling (Expl.) material permits expected • Technical Studies: prior to construction decision
Slide 8: Our ESG Framework – Setting the Pace for Net Zero Carbon Emissions
Our ESG Framework – Setting the Pace for Net Zero Carbon Emissions ▪ ASCU is actively exploring use of renewable energy for its operations with the goal of becoming a “Net Zero Carbon Emissions” copper producer ▪ Ability to also reduce carbon footprint by Arizona Public Service’s transition to renew
Slide 9: Journey Towards Net Zero - Partnership with Minviro
Journey Towards Net Zero - Partnership with Minviro Production and Reporting • Establishing reporting KPIs PFS / FS Construction • Reporting to international • Design parameters used to scope impact standards (e.g. SASB, TCFD) • Investment in low carbon technologies and minimizing • GHG inventory as
Slide 10: Located At The Intersection Of Arizona’s Three Copper Porphyry Belts
Located At The Intersection Of Arizona’s Three Copper Porphyry Belts Arizona is the USA's leading copper-producing state which accounted for 71% of domestic output of copper in 2021(1) Cactus Project and Parks/ Salyer Deposit Arizona ranked No. 5 for the year 2021 in Fraser Institute’s Investment At
Slide 11: Local Support for the Cactus Mine
Local Support for the Cactus Mine Overwhelming support for the Cactus Mine in Casa Grande – economic survey shows $8.5 Billion of indirect and direct revenues to the local community. Probably Support GOP: 93.0% Support 82.6% Dem: 66.7% Support Don't Know, Refused Support PND: 84.4% Support Definitel
Slide 12: Cactus Site Overview – Infrastructure, permits and a significant resource
Cactus Site Overview – Infrastructure, permits and a significant resource GREENFIELD EXPLORATION PROGRAM +70,000 ft (21,330 m) FEASIBILITY DRILLING 60,000 ft (18,288 m) - infill drilling 12,000 ft (3,650 m) - planned expansion ASCU:TSX | ASCUF:OTCQX ARIZONASONORAN.COM 12
Slide 13: Cactus Site – Brownfield Advantage with Ready Access to Infrastructure
Cactus Site – Brownfield Advantage with Ready Access to Infrastructure Powerline and onsite substation connected to Arizona Public Service Electric Historic data, core shack, maps etc. Power substation Vent raise and u/g development to historic orebody Rail spur (to ship concentrate to refinery) Sha
Slide 14: Key Permits in Place – Streamlined Process with Definitive Timelines
Key Permits in Place – Streamlined Process with Definitive Timelines Permit Permit Office Status/Expected Completion Air Quality Permit Pinal County Complete (annual renewal) Arizona Pollution Discharge Elimination System (402) – Cactus ADEQ Complete Arizona Pollution Discharge Elimination System (4
Slide 15: Robust Returns from Lowest Capital Intensity vs Peer Group
Robust Returns from Lowest Capital Intensity vs Peer Group PEA CONSTRUCTION CAPEX BREAKDOWN (US$M) Direct & Indirect Leach Pads, SXEW Total Between the PEA and the upcoming Prefeasibility study, Cost Components Ponds & Pipelines Facility Capital Cost Directs Subtotal $18.4 $45.9 $64.3 ASCU has been
Slide 16: Cactus Production Schedule – Opportunity beyond 80 Mlbs Production
Cactus Production Schedule – Opportunity beyond 40 kstpa (80 Mlbs) Production CACTUS PRODUCTION SCHEDULE(1)(2) Heap Leach & SX/EW Processing 55,000,000 55,000 Organic Growth Opportunities: 50,000,000 In-Pit and Near-Pit Optimization 50,000 Parks/Salyer 45,000,000 NE Extension 45,000 40,000,000 40,00
Slide 17: Robust PEA Base Case Project Economics
Robust PEA Base Case Project Economics KEY PROJECT METRICS (1)(2) Over LOM Mine Life ~1B lbs of Cu over 18 years Average Production 28 ktpa (56Mlbs); Peaks at 40 ktpa (80Mlbs) Operating Costs • Avg OPEX over LOM (US$/t milled) • US$9.06/ton • Avg C1 Cost over LOM (US$/lb) • US$1.55/lb • Avg AISC ove
Slide 18: Leachable Material: Positive Ongoing Metallurgical Results
LEACHABLE MATERIAL: Positive Ongoing Metallurgical (Bottle Roll / Column Leach) AVERAGE METALLURGICAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA Simple heap-leach/SXEW process 01 considered for 1.3 billion pounds of leachable copper (LOM) Preliminary Column Tests (PEA) Updated Column Tests 2 years of met test work contin
Slide 19: Primary Material: Strategic Investment with Rio Tinto and Nuton
PRIMARY MATERIAL: Strategic Investment with Rio Tinto and NutonTM PARTNERSHIP The aim of the partnership is to unlock the value of primary, chalcopyrite-dominated, sulphide material via deployment of Rio Tinto’s NutonTM technologies and further add to the long-term, large-scale future profile of the
Slide 20: District-Scale Opportunity - Multi-Billion Pound Starter Mineral Resource
District-Scale Opportunity - Multi-Billion Pound Starter Mineral Resource MINERAL RESOURCES • Leachable Resource: Makes up the PEA and upcoming PFS mine plan • Primary Resource: Partnership with Rio Tinto’s CACTUS & STOCKPILE – TOTAL CONTAINED COPPER: Nuton Technology testing leachability of primary
Slide 21: Detailed Leachable-Only Mineral Resource Estimate
Detailed Leachable-Only Mineral Resource Estimate Grades Significantly Increase Underground LEACHABLE MINERAL RESOURCE • UG high-grade contributing to economics Indicated Resource: 1,065,900 Klbs Inferred Resource: 1,211,300 Klbs • Maiden Reserves expected with PFS in Open Pit & Stockpile Undergroun
Slide 22: Drilling to Increase Scale at Cactus Along Strike Length
Drilling to Increase Scale at Cactus 4 km Strike Length Parks/Salyer Cactus West Cactus East NE Extension Potential Tons Tsol Tsol_lb 1.6 billion pounds Indicated 47.8 ft @ 3.05% CuT 1.05% - Leachable 40M – 90M 1.30% 1.0-2.3 B 1.9 billion pounds Inferred 64.3 ft @ 1.37% CuT ECP-045 ECP-018 S-201 S-6
Slide 23: Organic Expansion Potential – Parks/Salyer – Drilling Results
Organic Expansion Potential – Parks/Salyer – Drilling Results B’ S-200 702.0 ft, 32.2 ft @ 0.78% Cu (Ox) 904.9 ft, 42.0 ft @ 1.25% Cu (Enr) 1034.1 ft, 220.0 ft @ 0.80% Cu (Enr) 1254.0 ft, 536.0 ft @ 0.71% Cu (Pri) S-201 934.0 ft, 27.6 ft @ 1.13% Cu (Enr) 1245.1 ft, 107.9ft @ 0.60% Cu (Enr) 1405.8 ft
Slide 24: Parks/Salyer Cross Section
A A’ Parks/Salyer ECP-045 ECP-018 S-201 (Assays Pending) ECP-057 ECP-065 Cross Section MINERALIZATION IS OPEN TO THE NORTH April 5, 2022 Conglomerate 199.4 ft @ 0.86% CuT, 0.81% Cu Tsol, 0.033% Mo Leached 28.0 ft @ 1.74% CuT, 28.7 ft @ 3.40% CuT, 1.30% Cu Tsol, 0.002% Mo 3.39% Cu Tsol, 0.081% Mo Oxi
Slide 25: Parks/Salyer Exploration Potential
Parks/Salyer Exploration Potential ▪ Potential for a scalable UG deposit for further expansion of Cactus ▪ Recent high grade continuous drill intercepts to date represent a small area of the total potential UG target area ▪ Target area represents an area the size of Cactus – approx. 1.2 km x 1.2 km
Slide 26: Parks/Salyer Planned Drill Program - 2 Drills | +70,000 ft
Parks/Salyer Planned Drill Program - 2 Drills | +70,000 ft (21,330 m) ASCU EXPLORATION PROPERTY c.500 ft drill spacings 2 rigs currently drilling on new land ASCU:TSX | ASCUF:OTCQX ARIZONASONORAN.COM 26
Slide 27: Rediscovering the World-Class Santa Cruz Copper Porphyry System
Rediscovering the World-Class Santa Cruz Copper Porphyry System Drilling the same porphyry copper system, starting at Santa Cruz and extending northeast B’ to Sacaton Northeast IVHE and ASCU land position connected at Parks/Salyer Arizona B Sonoran ASCU – drilling 3 drills IVNE – drilling 6 drills I
Slide 28: Copper Development Peers (P/NAV)
Copper Development Peers (P/NAV) 2024 2026 2027 2025 2025 2029 2026 n/a 1.00x 0.92x 0.90x 0.81x 0.80x 0.78x 0.70x Peer Average: 0.59x 0.60x 0.57x P/NAV 0.50x 0.47x 0.46x 0.40x 0.34x 0.30x 0.24x 0.20x 0.10x 0.00x FIL NGEX FOM MARI ASCU AMC TMQ FDY Source: Company Filings, Capital IQ, June 2, 2022 ASC
Slide 29: Junior Copper Producer Benchmarking (Enterprise Value and Production)
Junior Copper Producer Benchmarking (Enterprise Value and Production) $4,000 200 $3,560 180 $3,500 160 $3,000 140 Annual Production (Mlbs CuEq) $2,500 120 EV (US$M) $2,000 Company Goal: 100 Peak PEA Production: 80 $1,500 60 $1,000 $755 $737 40 $471 $500 $402 20 $251 $103 $0 0 Capstone Copper Copper
Slide 30: Key Investment Highlights
Key Investment Highlights • Our Core Values Are Supported by an ESG Framework • Copper Market Fundamentals Are Strong • Mature Capital Structure • Experienced Leadership Team and Board with a Proven Track Record • Brownfield, Scalable Development Project in Tier 1 Jurisdiction • Robust Project Econo
Slide 31: Alison Dwoskin, CPIR Director, Investor Relations
Alison Dwoskin, CPIR Director, Investor Relations adwoskin@arizonasonoran.com +1 (647) 233-4348 (cell) George Ogilvie, P.Eng President, CEO & Director gogilvie@arizonasonoran.com +1 (416) 723-0458 (cell) www.arizonasonoran.com | www.cactusmine.com
Slide 32: Appendix
Appendix ASCU:TSX | ASCUF:OTCQX ARIZONASONORAN.COM 32
Slide 33: The Cactus Mine Project’s Path to Restarting Operations
The Cactus Mine Project’s Path to Restarting Operations Sacaton Begins US$20M ASARCO Remediation ARIZONA SONORAN COPPER COMPANY Production Complete 2019/ Next 1964 1974 1984 2019 2021 2022 Steps 2020 Sacaton Production Suspends • Purchases • Declaration • Bolsters Board • PFS and FS Studies Discover
Slide 34: Benchmarking ASCU to Copper Developers
Benchmarking ASCU to Copper Developers Market Capitalization (US$M) $140 M $2.6 B $485 M $464 M $362 M $276 M $270 M $150 M $81 M $73 M n/a Cu Creek / Santa Cruz / Asset Name Cactus Filo del Sol McIlvenna Bay Kay Los Helados Casino Marimaca Arctic Copperwood Contact Cu Tintic Economic Study Level PE
Slide 35: Open Pit and Underground Mining
Open Pit and Underground Mining OPEN PIT LAYBACK UG PORTAL FROM OPEN PIT Year Pre-stripping and waste removal Year In-pit UG development starts (assumes 24 pit benches mined) 1 6 Open-pit stripping from years 1-4 with some material reporting Year 6 - Twin Decline, 10,000 ft (3,048 m) to leach pads (
Slide 36: Parks/Salyer – Ionic Leach Survey (2019)
Parks/Salyer – Ionic Leach Survey (2019) April 5, 2022 ECP-045 Previously Reported April 5 - Press Release ECP-057 Assays Pending ECP-018 ECP-019 ASCU Property Line ECP-065 Ionic Leach CuT (ppb) 0 to 1,000 ECP-042 1,000 to 2,000 2,000 to 3,000 3,000 to 4,000 4,000 to 6,000 > 6,000 S-201 S-200 36 ASC
Slide 37: General Site Arrangement
General Site Arrangement Sources/Notes: 3D rendering of Figure 16-10 of Integrated Cactus PEA ASCU:TSX | ASCUF:OTCQX ARIZONASONORAN.COM 37
Slide 38: Announced C$35M | US$27M Non-Brokered PP
Announced C$35M | US$27M Non-Brokered PP (upsized from C$30.5M) Cornerstone Strategic Investments by Rio Tinto and NutonTM and Tembo Capital (non-brokered) Intensify Exploration at Cactus and Parks/Salyer Increasing Drilling at Parks/Salyer, with target of a maiden mineral resource in Q4 22 Metallur
Slide 39: Strategic Investment with Rio Tinto and Nuton
Strategic Investment with Rio Tinto and NutonTM PARTNERSHIP The aim of the partnership is to unlock the value of primary, chalcopyrite-dominated, sulphide material via deployment of Rio Tinto’s NutonTM technologies and further add to the long-term, large-scale future profile of the Project. Rio Tint
Slide 40: Simple Heap Leach & SXEW Flowsheet
Simple Heap Leach & SXEW Flowsheet • Leach material mined from the Stockpile Project and new mining operations will be placed in 20 ft (6 m) lifts on lined heap leach pads • The initial oxide materials pad is 8.5 million ft2 (790 thousand m2) to hold approximately 40 Mt of leach material (2-3 years
Slide 41: Integrated Cactus PEA Summary
Integrated Cactus PEA Summary Assumption / Outcome Value / Results(1) Copper Price MARKET US$3.35/lb CAPITALIZATION Total Mineralized Material Moved 179 Mt (US$M) Annual Average Processing Rate Over LOM 10 Mtpa Stockpile Project: CuAS: 90%, CuCN: 40% Average Recovery Rates Over LOM OP / UG: CuAS: 90
Slide 42: Significant In-Pit Upside Potential
Significant In-Pit Upside Potential Mineral Resource Expansion and Process Optimization Included in PEA Economics 51% of Leachable material from PEA*: • Low-risk resource conversion 18 yr LOM & ~US$1 billion FCF drilling underway • Existing PEA pit shell run at OPTIMIZATION EVIDENCE OF US$2.27/lb Cu
Slide 43: PFS Drilling Complete - Upgrade Inferred to Indicated Resource
PFS Drilling Complete - Upgrade Inferred to Indicated Resource w/in Mine Plan Drilling below from May 2, 2022 PR OPEN Inferred Indicated Cactus East Cactus West ASCU:TSX | ASCUF:OTCQX ARIZONASONORAN.COM 43
Slide 44: Extending Mineralization Beyond the PEA Pit Outline
Extending Mineralization Beyond the PEA Pit Outline - Planned FS Drilling - ECW-023 - 60,000 ft (18,288 m) ECW-029 15.3m of 0.695% CuTsol 34.3m of 0.774% CuTsol - infill drilling - 12,000 ft (3,650 m) - planned expansion ECW-029 ECW-023 Source/Notes: As per news release issued on November 17, 2021 w
Slide 45: Expanding Underground Leachable Mineralization
Expanding Underground Leachable Mineralization Planned 2022 drilling • Hole ECE-021, extended mineralization 61 m (200 ft) east • Follow up will be conducted to confirm the continuity of of the current mineral resource shell the high-grade zone to the north and east adjacent to the East fault. • Lea
Slide 46: Potential to Expand Existing Mineral Resource Base
Potential to Expand Existing Mineral Resource Base Sources/Notes: 3D Rendering of Table 1-2 of Integrated Cactus PEA. The Integrated Cactus PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to
Slide 47: Strong Copper Market Fundamentals
Strong Copper Market Fundamentals Consistent Rising Demand from Key Sectors Supply Constraints To Meeting Primary Demand in Medium Term 50 Total Copper Consumption Forecast by Industry, 2000-2040 35 45 Base Case Production Capability 40 30 35 25 Primary Demand Copper (Mt) 30 Copper (Mt) 25 20 20 15
Arizona Sonoran Copper Company — Investor Presentation (June 2022) on 6ix