Pinto Valley copper mine sold for $650 million

Capstone Mining announced today that "it has entered into a definitive agreement with BHP Copper Inc., a subsidiary of BHP Billiton Ltd. to purchase BHP Billiton's wholly-owned Pinto Valley copper mining operation and the associated San Manuel Arizona Railroad Company ("SMARRCO") in Arizona, USA for US$650 million.  [Right, view of haul road at Pinto Valley mine. Credit, Arizona Experience]

The Pinto Valley Mine is located in the Globe-Miami mining district in Arizona, approximately 125 kilometres east of Phoenix. It is projected to produce 130 - 150 million pounds of copper in concentrate and approximately 10 million pounds of copper cathode annually, along with by-product molybdenum and silver, at an estimated cash cost of approximately $1.80 per pound, net of by-product credits, for the first five years of production."

The mine has a currently projected production life of 5 years and will employ 650.   Other highlights reported by Capstone are:

•  Immediately transforms Capstone into an intermediate copper producer.
• Annual production from Pinto Valley of 130 - 150 million pounds of copper provides immediate >160% increase in Capstone's copper production. 
• First five year estimated cash cost of $1.80 per pound (net of by-product credits).
• Further asset diversification into Arizona, USA, one of the world's most favorable mining jurisdictions and aligned with Capstone's existing assets.
• Work underway aimed at upgrading the 1 billion tonne Measured and Indicated ("M&I") Mineral Resource to extend operations beyond the current reserve life reported by BHP Billiton.
• Maintained and managed to BHP Billiton's world-class standards.
• All necessary established infrastructure, permits and skilled workforce in place.

The company is hosting a conference call and webcon today for investors and  analysts, followed by one for the news media:

Media

Date:	Monday, April 29, 2013
Time:	1:00 pm Eastern Time - 10:00 am Pacific Time
Dial in:	North America: 1-888-390-0605, International: 1-416-764-8609
Slides:	Link (the webcast includes the presentation slides)
Webcast:	Link
Replay:	North America: 1-888-390-0541, International: 1-416-764-8677
Replay Code:	291320

The conference call replays will be available until May 13, 2013. The investor conference call audio and transcript will be available on Capstone's website within approximately 24 hours of the call at http://capstonemining.com/s/Conference_Calls.asp.