Interview with Stephen Twyerould, President & CEO of Gunnison Copper
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/gunnison-copper-tsxmin-nears-copper-production-start-in-september-2025-7847
Recording date: 13th March 2026
Gunnison Copper has released an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment for its flagship Arizona copper project, demonstrating $2 billion in after-tax net present value and positioning the asset as a prime acquisition target in North America's critical minerals sector. The study shows a 22.7% internal rate of return with $1.5 billion in capital requirements, representing a $700 million improvement in NPV over the company's previous assessment completed just 12 months earlier.
The project is designed to produce 80,000 metric tons of copper cathode annually over a 21-year mine life, generating $6-7 billion in cumulative free cash flow. The substantial NPV improvement stems primarily from operational and technical enhancements rather than commodity price assumptions, including the strategic integration of the high-grade Strong & Harris satellite deposit and incorporation of innovative mineral sorting technology.
Strong & Harris, located 3 kilometers from the main Gunnison pit, grades 0.8% copper—nearly three times typical Arizona operating grades—and added $190 million to NPV by leveraging shared infrastructure rather than operating as a standalone development. The company has also incorporated an on-site acid plant to eliminate dependency on volatile Mexican imports, contributing an additional $200-250 million to project value while providing competitive advantage.
CEO Stephen Twyerould was direct about the company's strategic path forward, stating the firm is "unlikely to build this thing" independently. Instead, management is focused on delivering a fully-permitted Preliminary Feasibility Study with reserves within 18-24 months to maximize shareholder value through a potential transaction. The company benefits from a streamlined state-level permitting process without federal nexus, leveraging existing permits that require only amendment.
Currently trading at a $220 million market capitalization—approximately one-third the valuation multiples of comparable Arizona copper developers—Gunnison represents what Twyerould describes as exceptionally rare: a mid-tier scale project approaching fully-permitted status in a tier-one jurisdiction with proven management execution capability.
View Gunnison Copper's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/gunnison-copper
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