Canada-based Ero Copper has announced the commencement of commercial production at its Tucumã Operation in Pará State, Brazil, effective from 1 July 2025.
The company reported that in June, after completing commissioning of the third filter press and making modifications to the process plant. The operation consistently reached throughput levels exceeding 75% of its designed capacity.
According to Ero Copper, the Tucumã site produced approximately 6,400 tonnes of copper during the second quarter, with about 2,000 tonnes generated in the latter half of June.
Metallurgical recovery rates and copper concentrate grades are said to have met or surpassed their design targets. Ero Copper anticipates that the throughput volumes will continue to rise through the end of the year, aiding sequential growth in copper production in the second half
Ero Copper president and CEO Makko DeFilippo said: “The achievement of commercial production at Tucumã reflects the resilience of our organisation over the past several months.
“We have worked diligently to improve performance at Tucumã, completing necessary repairs and modifications to the process plant to achieve and maintain performance targets.
“As we move through the balance of 2025, we are focused on delivering safe, consistent production growth, generating strong free cash flows, and investing in the future growth potential we see in the Furnas Project.”
Located within southeastern Pará State’s Carajás Mineral Province, the Tucumã Operation includes both open-pit mining and milling activities. Construction was finalised in Q2 2024, and the first saleable copper concentrate was produced in July 2024.
The mill is designed to process 4.0 million tonnes of ore annually using a conventional three-stage crushing circuit and ball mill comminution process, followed by flotation.
In 2024, copper production at Tucumã reached 5,156 tonnes in concentrate. For 2025, Ero Copper has set a production guidance of between 37,500 and 42,500 tonnes of copper in concentrate.
Ero Copper, operates primarily in Brazil and holds a 99.6% interest in Mineração Caraíba, which is responsible for the Caraíba Operations in Bahia State and the Tucumã Operation.
Additionally, Ero Copper owns a 97.6% stake in NX Gold, which operates the Xavantina gold mine in Mato Grosso State. In July 2024, a definitive earn-in agreement was signed by Ero Copper with Vale Base Metals for a 60% interest in the Furnas Copper-Gold Project located in the Carajás Mineral Province.
