Written in the stars
Constellation boosting Australia’s copper production
As the world steps closer to digitalisation and decarbonisation, the copper industry is facing unprecedented demand.
Australia holds the second largest copper resource globally, according to the Australian Department of Industry Science and Resources. Despite this impressive accolade, the country produces a modest 4% of global copper production.
Uncovering new copper reserves and increasing industry operations is crucial to ensure supply remains apace with looming demand.
To support this shift, the Australian copper industry is realigning its goals. With mine closures and declining ore grades across regions in Australia impacting production, some well-established operations are ramping up operations to offset these declines.
Already backed by more than two decades of production, Aeris Resources’ (ASX: AIS) Tritton copper operation is set to fill these gaps.
The long-life copper mine, located in the Girilambone Basin in central NSW, forms the cornerstone of Aeris Resources copper production. More than 750,000t of copper has been discovered in the Tritton project area since exploration commenced in the 1980s — 450,000t of which was produced by Aeris.
Aeris’ began operations at Tritton underground in 2005, with an underground mining complex that feeds 1.8mtpa through the Tritton processing plant. In the decades since, Aeris has continued extensive exploration to unlock the true potential of the 2,330m2 tenement package, hoping to extend the mine life and improve ore grades by developing new ore sources at the project.
This led to the discovery of the highly prospective Constellation deposit — changing the future of operations at Tritton.
Constellation: securing the future of Tritton
The Constellation deposit represents an opportunity for Aeris to replace the production from its depleting mines. This will maintain a substantial feed source to the Tritton processing plant, with production potentially peaking at 1mtpa.
The most recent mineral resource estimate (MRE) indicates 7.6mt at 2.01% copper and .66g/t of gold equating to 153,000t of copper and 161,00oz of gold, with significant upgrade potential at Constellation.
Aeris Resources executive chairman Andre Labuschagne comments on the project’s significance.
“Constellation has been one of the biggest discoveries in the region for a very long time, and it clearly fits into a strategy of having a base load feed for Tritton over a substantial period of time,” he said.
The Constellation project is critical to replacing the declining output from the Tritton and Murrawombie copper mines. This new stable ore supply will sustain copper production at the Tritton processing plant and secure operational stability — extending the life of Tritton for a further 4-6 years.
“The exciting part for Tritton is that Constellation, by providing a good baseline feed from one source and underground development opportunities, can dramatically increase the mine life of the project,” Mr Labuschagne said.
“Typically, Tritton is supplied by multiple mines. Having one big consistent ore source with Constellation is going to bring stability to the operation.”
Aeris is targeting a 37% increase in copper production for FY26, with continued growth into FY27, which will be largely pushed by operations at Constellation.
Development
Operations at Constellation have advanced rapidly following the completion of a 70-drill hole program that confirmed high copper grades. Current estimates indicate that the deposit contains a 7.6mt resource with 2% copper and good gold grades.
Aeris is currently prioritising development at the project to maintain higher copper production for future years. Open pit mine development is expected to commence within the next year, following completion of Moroumbi open pit development
“We are now in the process of planning the start of the open pit mine at Constellation, which should begin within the next 12 months,” Mr Labuschagne said.
Stockpiled ore from Aeris’ Murrawombie pit is expected to allow the Tritton mill to run at 2mtpa, above its nameplate capacity of 1.8mtpa, while development at Constellation advances.
“The next step will be converting the indicated results to reserve as part of the startup plan for Constellation,” Mr Labuschagne said.
As the company enters FY26, it has a strong focus on mineral resource growth with a 76% increase in diamond drilling rates from H1 to H2 expected. With more than 80,000m of underground diamond drilling planned across multiple deposits, the resource at Constellation is expected to grow dramatically.
“With the resource already at 7mt, and open at depth, we expect it to increase significantly in size,” Mr Labuschagne said.
The potential long life mine at Constellation is anticipated to commence in FY27 following mining license approval expected in Q3 FY26. Mining studies are currently underway, reviewing a combination of open pit and underground options for the high-grade deposit.
Tritton finished Q4 FY25 with higher production of 6.2kt of copper at a lower than previous all in sustaining cost (AISC) of $4.22/lb. the operations concluded the quarterly with record milling rates of more than 2mtpa, producing 6.2kt — a 44% increase on the previous quarter
Constellation is expected to underpin a decreased AISC due to its initial open pit mining plan due to the minimal infrastructure required.
“Though it is a greenfields sight, the infrastructure development requirements are not as big as it is an open pit,” Mr Labuschagne said.
“The largest infrastructure developments will be the upgrades for the haulage roads.”
Backed by Aeris’ strong growth pipeline and aggressive exploration projects, Constellation provides a clear path to make Tritton a 30,000tpa producer.
