ACG Metals produces first copper concentrate at Turkey's Gediktepe mine, targeting full capacity by end of 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 31, London-listed mining company ACG Metals produced its first copper concentrate at the Gediktepe mine in Turkey, marking the official start of the project's ramp-up phase, with the company targeting full production capacity by the end of 2026. Copper concentrate production was completed safely and within budget.

The Gediktepe mine, located in Balıkesir Province in western Turkey, is an open-pit polymetallic mine. ACG completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the mine in September 2024, and the sulfide expansion project commenced in November 2024 under a lump-sum turnkey EPC contract valued at approximately $146 million. The mine previously produced gold-silver doré bars primarily through oxide ore heap leaching. Following the sulfide expansion, the operation added copper concentrate and zinc concentrate production, while also recovering associated gold and silver. In August 2026, the mine also produced its first zinc concentrate.

According to the 2024 technical report, the processing plant is designed to treat 5,000 tonnes of ore per day, with an annual processing capacity of 1.825 million tonnes. In normal production years, annual copper concentrate output is expected to range between 33,000 and 50,000 dry metric tonnes, containing approximately 8,200 to 13,900 tonnes of copper. At full capacity, the target is 40,000 tonnes of copper per year, with an initial planned mine life of approximately 11 years. In July 2026, the company stated a target annual production of 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes of copper equivalent.

ACG stated that it will progressively increase ore throughput and metal recovery rates, stabilize concentrate quality, and advance toward the goal of full production capacity by the end of 2026.

Artem Volynets, Chairman and CEO of ACG Metals, said: "Producing our first copper concentrate marks ACG's formal transformation into a copper producer and represents a defining milestone for the company.". As global copper demand continues to grow driven by technologies such as artificial intelligence and electrification, the Gediktepe mine is transitioning from a gold-silver-zinc operation to copper production.