US Copper Releases Study on Economic Benefits for Plumas County of the Moonlight-Superior Copper Project
US Copper Releases Study on Economic Benefits for Plumas County of the
Moonlight-Superior Copper Project
Total economic benefit of 689 new annual jobs and $234.9 million in annual Gross
Regional Product in the first 10 years of operations.
Annual mining revenues of $568 m illion would support 465 direct annual jobs and an
additional 224 secondary jobs.
Annual tax revenues of $15.3 million for the County of Plumas a nd $9.8 million for the
State of California.
Total tax revenues over 15 years in excess of $225 million for the County of Plumas, $150
million for the State of California, and $375 million for the Federal Government.
Total capital investments are anticipated to be $1.3 billion in 2024 dollars.
TORONTO, CANADA, July 15, 2 025 – US Copper Corp., (“ US Copper” or the “ Company”)
(TSX-V: USCU, FSE: C73) today released the findings of a comprehensive study (the “Stud y”)
of the potential economic benefits of building and operating a mine at its Moonlight-Superior
Mining property, located in Plumas County, California.
The Study was prepared by Pinyon Environmental, Inc, based in Lakewood, Colorado, a provider
of environmental consulting services to private and public clie nts since 1993. Pinyon used the
capital and operating expenses des cribed and summarized in the Preliminary Economic
Assessment (“PEA”) prepared by Global Resource Engineering (“GRE”) in 2025 for U.S Copper,
along with the IMPLAN data and so ftware system, to estimate the economic impacts in terms of
economic output, employment and Gross Regional Product (“GRP”) in Plumas County for the
mine construction and mining of the Moonlight-Superior copper d eposits owned by US Copper.
Gross Regional Product is a measur e of economic value added thr ough the production of goods
and services in the local economy.
The economic benefits of the initial construction phase were first considered then followed by the
ongoing economic benefits of operating the mine and processing facilities. The entire project would
develop the copper resources wit hin the Moonlight, Superior, an d Engles deposits located within
the historic Lights Creek District. The Project will include th e mine as well as two recovery
methods (heap leach and conventional floatation) as well as oth er supporting infrastructure (e.g.,
access roads, buildings and facilities, labs, fuel and water storage, power supply and distribution).
Economic Benefits of Capital Investments
Capital investments would primarily occur during the construction phase but would also occur over
the 15-year life of the Project. In total, capital investments are anticipated to be $1.3 billion in 2024
dollars. Peak economic benefits from capital expenses would occ ur during the second year of
construction before operations commence. In this year, there would be a total of 1,661 annual jobs
and $172.7 million in GRP create d, supported from construction and development activities,
including mine equipment purchases, process facility construction, infrastructure construction, and
general and administrative expenses.
Economic Benefits from Operations of the Mine and Process Facilities
Once the mine and process facilities are operational, mine revenues of $568 million would support
465 direct annual jobs and $207.8 million in GRP annually in mining and processing industries in
Plumas County over the first 10 years of operations. There woul d be an additional 224 secondary
jobs and $27.1 million secondary GRP generated, for a total economic benefit of 689 annual jobs
and $234.9 million in annual GRP in the first 10 years when the Project is operational. These 689
annual jobs and $234.9 million in annual GRP during the operati ons period would result in a 7
percent increase in jobs in Plumas County and 21 percent increase in GRP compared to 2023 levels
(9,797 jobs and $1,101.6 million in GRP).
Tax Receipts from Operations of the Mine and Process Facilities
The development and operation of the Moonlight Mine Project wil l result in various tax receipts
for federal, state, and local government entities. These include but are not limited to property taxes,
sales and uses taxes, and income and payroll taxes. On average, tax revenues to the state of
California are estimated to exceed $9.8 million on an annual basis.
In addition to the taxes paid to the state of California, several county and sub-county entities would
also assess taxes on the operation of the Project. On average, the operation of the Project is expected
to generate $15.3 million per year in additional tax revenue to local jurisdictions. Most of these
revenues are associated with property taxes. In 2023, taxes on production and imports were $103.9
million in Plumas County, and a nnual tax receipts from the Proj ect of $15.3 million represent an
increase of 15 percent over 2023 levels.
Stephen Dunn, CEO of US Copper, commented, “The Moonlight-Superior Mining Project would
become a cornerstone of economic growth, prosperity, and community development in the Plumas
County region for more than two decades, pr oviding career opportunities and family-supporting
employment for years to come. It would transform the economy of the region by establishing a
stable source of economic activity that would support further development in areas such as power
generation, education, home development, the food industry and a myriad of other industries and
professions. Mining jobs in the United States are well paid; the average annual salary for the
Moonlight Project is estimated to be in excess of $75,000. Incomes like this strengthen the economy
of Plumas County and lead to decades of prospe rity. By employing new developments in mining
utilizing robotics and artificial intelligence, the area could also become a springboard for research
into new technologies.”
“Copper is a key element in a wide range of energy technologies and is designated as a Critical
Mineral by the government the United States. M oonlight would become an integral supplier of
copper metal to the U.S. domestic market with average annual production of 60 million pounds of
copper and 1.7 billion pounds over the life of mine. For example, that would be enough copper to
supply 12 million electric vehicles. Copper is a critical material for an extensive range of important
applications ranging from renewable power generation to electric vehicles. As such, it is vital that
the US has a strong and viable domestic source of copper supply.”
“Moonlight Superior will be an important direct contributor and catalyst for government revenues
at the local, provincial and national levels, supporting vital programs and services that benefit all
Americans. Total government revenues generated by the mine for all three levels of government
are forecasted to exceed $45 million annually and $570 million over the life of mine.”
The full report will be on the US Copper website; visit http://www.uscoppercorp.com and click on
the “Moonlight Mine Economic Benefit Study”.
About US Copper Corp.
US Copper controls approximately 10 square miles of patented an d unpatented federal mining
claims in the Light’s Creek Copper District in Plumas County, NE California; essentially, the entire
District. The District contains s ubstantial copper (silver) sul fide and copper oxide resources in
three deposits – Moonlight, Superior and Engels, as well as sev eral partially tested and untested
exploration targets.
The Superior and Engels Mines operated from about 1915 to 1930 producing over 161 million
pounds of copper from over 4 million tons of rock containing 2. 2% copper with silver and gold
credits.
The Moonlight deposit was discove red by Placer Amex during the 1960s and a resource was
calculated after the drilling of over 400 holes. A development decision was made but then put on
hold in 1972 when copper prices were weak. US Copper has owned the project since 2013 and has
advanced the project with three different drill programs and a number of engineering studies.
US Copper recently reported an after-tax NPV of US$1.075 billio n in a Preliminary Economic
Assessment (“PEA”) prepared by Global Resource Engineering Ltd (“GRE”) dated Dec 16, 2024
with a life of mine production of 1.8 billion pounds of copper (See news release dated Jan 6, 2025).
GRE calculated a new mineral resource for the purposes of this PEA that included all recent drill
programs on the property. This resource is summarized below:
Notes:
1. The effective date of the Mineral Resource is December 16, 2024.
2. The Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource Estimate is Terre Lane of GRE.
3. Mineral resources are reported at a 0.16% Cu cutoff for oxide a nd transition material and at a 10.45 NSR cutoff for sulfide
material. The oxide and transition cutoff is calculated based o n a long‐term copper price of US$4.00/lb; assumed combined
operating costs of US$7.50/ton (process and G&A); metallurgical recovery of 75% for copper. The sulfide cutoff is calculated
as the breakeven NSR, which is equal to the combined process and G&A costs for the sulfide material.
Further details of this Resource, and the Preliminary Economic Assessment NI43-101 Technical
Report on the Moonlight-Superior Project, Plumas County, California, USA with an effective date
of December 16, 2024 can be found on Sedar+ at sedarplus.ca or at the Company’s website at
www.uscoppercorp.com.
Mass
(million
tons)
Total 402.83 0.31 2,533,771 1.85 21,692,531 0.012 140,042
Total 64.59 0.31 394,199 0.77 1,448,154 0.005 9,440
Table 1: Moonlight Superior Mineral Resource Estimate
Ag Grade
(ppm)
Ag Content
(troy oz.)
Au Grade
(ppm)
Au
Content
(troy oz.)
Indicated
Inferred
Cu Grade
(%)
Cu
Content
('000 lb)
The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable
them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves under CIM Definition Standards. Readers are advised
that there is no certainty that the results projected in this preliminary economic assessment will be
realized.
For Further Information Contact:
Mr. Stephen Dunn, President, CEO and Director, US Copper Corp. (416) 361-2827 or email
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in
the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this press release.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian
and U.S. securities laws and regulations, including statements regarding the future activities of
the Company. Forward-looking statements refle ct the current beliefs and expectations of
management and are identified by the use of wo rds including “will”, “hopes”, “anticipates”,
“expected to”, “plans”, “planned” and other similar words. Actual results may differ
significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward-looking statements is subject to
a number of risks, including those described in the Company’s management discussion and
analysis as filed with the Canadi an securities regulatory author ities which are available at
www.sedarplus.ca. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking
statements.