en.Wedoany.com Reported - Canadian junior mining company Lion Copper & Gold Corp. (CSE: LEO) (OTCQB: LCGMF) has completed the acquisition of approximately 183 acres of land associated with the Bear project area within the Yerington copper mine district in Nevada, USA, to expand its local land position. The company stated that this acquisition is part of its ongoing consolidation of strategic property interests in the Yerington copper district, aimed at supporting future exploration, engineering, permitting, and long-term project development.
Lion Copper & Gold stated that the newly acquired land strengthens its overall land position within the Bear project area and provides greater flexibility for future infrastructure planning, access development, environmental management, operational layout, and other development-related activities. The company emphasized that controlling strategically located land is an important component of responsible project development, helping to optimize future engineering and permitting decisions while reducing long-term development constraints.
The company's CEO, John Banning, stated that the company is strengthening its position in the Yerington copper district by acquiring strategic property interests with long-term value, which enhances its flexibility in advancing technical studies and evaluating district development opportunities. He believes that strategic land consolidation is a critical step in reducing long-term project risks and safeguarding optionality.
Public information shows that the Bear deposit is part of the mining assets covered by an option earn-in agreement between Lion Copper & Gold and Nuton LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto America Inc. The agreement was initially announced in March 2022, under which Nuton may earn a minimum 65% interest in the mining assets (including the historic Yerington mine, the MacArthur project, the Wassuk district, the Bear deposit, and related water rights) by funding a phased program of studies, engineering, exploration, and permitting activities.
Nuton has previously funded exploration and technical work at the Yerington copper project, including work specifically targeting the Bear deposit. In December 2025, the company signed a definitive earn-in agreement with Nuton. In January 2026, the company received a further installment payment from Nuton to advance the final feasibility study and related permitting activities for the Yerington copper project. Nuton's interest in the mining assets has not yet vested; upon completion of the final feasibility study, Nuton and the company expect to decide whether to establish an investment vehicle and transfer the mining assets to it, at which point Nuton would hold a 65% interest.
Lion Copper & Gold is a junior mining company advancing its Yerington, MacArthur, and Bear projects in Lyon County, Nevada, through the aforementioned earn-in agreement. The company is currently focused on accelerating production at this long-life, low-strip-ratio, brownfield-advantaged copper project using modern processing technologies. Nuton is an innovative company focused on copper leaching-related technologies and capabilities, with the goal of achieving economic leaching recovery of primary sulfide resources and driving increased copper production at deployment sites, along with positive impacts related to the five pillars of water, energy, land, materials, and society.
