Influx of capital
$900M plan to revive mining
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WHITE PINE -- A pre-feasibility study released by White Pine Copper LLC outlines a $905.5 million plan to revive underground mining operations in Ontonagon County, projecting a 26-year mine life at the historic mineral site, according to PR Newswire.
The project targets a steady-state production of 5.4 million ore tonnes annually, projecting a 26-year mine lifespan at the historic mineral site, according to the study [White Pine Copper Pre-Feasibility Study PR Newswire].
Planned as a brownfield restart under Kinterra Copper USA LLC, the project intends to reuse the historic mine’s pre-existing tailings basins to limit new surface environmental impacts and accelerate regulatory technical reviews currently underway by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
InvestUp Chief Executive Officer Marty Fittante told the Daily Mining Gazette that the project alters the baseline economic parameters of the western counties.
"From my perspective, it’s part of the broader opportunity that’s in front of us in this moment," Fittante said. "There’s this synergy going on with critical minerals right now between Copperwood, White Pine North, and the exploration that’s going on in Baraga County."
The localized economic impact of the project is detailed in independent research, Fittante said. A regional data analysis commissioned by InvestUp and conducted by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research indicates that the natural resource and extraction sectors provide the highest average baseline wages in the region.
Data from the Upjohn Institute indicates that mining industry positions in the Upper Peninsula command an average annual salary of $103,376. This baseline tracks approximately 59 percent above the broader Upper Peninsula regional wage average, and 45 percent higher than the overall State of Michigan average.
"The findings there were that we really need to lean into the natural resource economy," Fittante said.
"The reason for that is because of the outsized impact that it has on the regional domestic product and on wages, because those wages are so much more significant than what we traditionally see."
The undertaking proceeds toward an anticipated Final Investment Decision in late 2027, with commercial production tentatively projected for 2030.
The exploration in Baraga County Fittante referred to involves a $5.2 million federal defense allocation directed toward mineral exploration frameworks in the western Upper Peninsula, according to regional agency briefs.
Trans Superior Resources, a Michigan-based subsidiary of Bitterroot Resources Ltd., has been awarded the $5.2 million funding package through the U.S. Department of Defense under the Defense Production Act Title III program. The allocation is explicitly designated to advance high-grade nickel and copper exploration at the company’s LM Property in the Baraga Basin, a region spanning portions of Baraga and Marquette counties.
The grant reflects a broader federal push to secure domestic nickel and copper supplies for EV batteries and defense applications, an effort that is also fueling nearby projects at Talon Metal's Eagle Mine and the Copperwood Mine in Gogebic County, according to an October 1 report from Crain's of Grand Rapids.
According to a Sept. 15 press release from Bitterroot Resources, the non-dilutive federal capital will support continuous exploratory drilling, advanced geophysical and geochemical surveys, and environmental permitting initiatives through 2028. Corporate directors stated the work cycle will directly utilize regional geologists and localized contractors for drilling operations and infrastructure access road construction.
Fittante said that national and international supply chain requirements are contributing to the regional project timelines.
"Particularly when you look at what’s going on nationally and internationally with the need for critical minerals for national security, advanced manufacturing, energy, and supply chains, I think it speaks to the broader opportunity that’s in front of the region," Fittante said.
The baseline development timelines for both the Baraga Basin exploration and the Ontonagon expansion remain subject to ongoing environmental permitting, state regulatory approvals, and underground validation phases, according to the White Pine study.