Arizona Sonoran Copper Co. and Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture, have mutually agreed to commence discussions in January regarding an amicable early termination of the option to joint venture on the Cactus copper project in Arizona.
“There is no certainty as to how long such negotiations will take or that any definitive outcome will result, or that any such or other outcome will be on terms mutually satisfactory to the parties,” said Arizona Sonoran.
The exploration and development company will continue to advance the brownfield project on a standalone basis. The completion of a definitive feasibility study is targeted for the second half of 2026.
The Cactus project, located on privately held land, contains a large-scale porphyry copper resource. A recent 2025 pre-feasibility study proposes a generational open-pit copper mine with robust economic returns.
Source: Arizona Sonoran Copper Co.