The Cascabel copper-gold project in Ecuador. (Image courtesy of SolGold.)
SolGold Plc, an Ecuador-focused firm backed by some of the biggest names in mining, is working on options to start production at its flagship project three or four years ahead of previous plans.
The company’s Cascabel project has long been heralded for its potential of being a major copper-gold mine, drawing investments from BHP Group and Newmont Corp. SolGold’s newest chief executive officer, Dan Vujcic, said Cascabel could be in production as soon as 2028 by starting with open-pit operations instead of just underground.
The accelerated plan would allow the Brisbane-based company to tap into an expected tightening of the copper market as the shift to electrification spurs demand for the wiring metal, when new deposits are getting harder to find and develop. That could be an easier sell to investors at a time of market jitters spurred by US President Donald Trump’s efforts to redraw global supply chains using tariffs.
Vujcic, a former Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. investment banker who took the helm of SolGold in March, is touting the expedited production proposal as he looks to raise more money. He’s open to bringing in project partners and other types of deals after the London- and Toronto-listed company did a $750 million gold streaming deal last year.
The Australian executive met with another top SolGold investor, Jiangxi Copper Co., in China last week. Next week, he is off to Spain. It’s all part of the firm’s response to market underperformance, with shares down more than 20% in the past year.
As SolGold’s biggest shareholder, BHP has long been seen as a likely buyer for the company, although the relationship hasn’t always been smooth, with tensions arising over corporate governance and project delays and financing.
Despite having three large miners at the top of its share register when big copper projects are scarce, SolGold isn’t grooming itself for a takeover, Vujcic said in a Wednesday interview.
“Considering how undervalued we are as a company, saying we’re for sale just doesn’t make sense,” he said.
(By Stephan Kueffner and James Attwood)
