FireFly Metals (ASX:FFM) - High-Grade Copper Deposit Rescue Story Secures ~A$75M Funding

Interview with Darren Cooke, CEO, FireFly Metals

Recording date: 5 May 2025

FireFly Metals has emerged as a compelling turnaround opportunity in the Canadian mining sector following its strategic acquisition of the Green Bay copper-gold project in Newfoundland. The company acquired the asset from administration in August 2023, securing an unencumbered deposit after clearing all previous debt and unfavorable contracts that had plagued the former operator.

Under CEO Darren Cooke, a seasoned geologist with experience at Northern Star, Barrick, and Newmont, FireFly has transformed the project's prospects through aggressive resource expansion and strategic infrastructure planning. The company has grown the resource base by 50% from 40 million tons to 60 million tons through a comprehensive 90,000-meter drilling program, with recent results indicating the ore body extends at least 200 meters beyond current boundaries.

The previous operator's failure stemmed from a fundamental infrastructure mismatch—operating a 500,000 ton per annum processing plant against a 40+ million ton resource. Cooke illustrated the problem succinctly: "So it would take 80 years to actually process what they had when we bought it."

FireFly's solution involves building a right-sized 1.8 million ton per annum processing plant on-site, eliminating transport costs and reducing port access from 140 kilometers to just 6 kilometers.
The project's high-grade nature, averaging approximately 2% copper with gold credits, provides significant economic advantages over large-scale porphyry deposits that require decades and billions in capital for development. Recent market conditions further support the project's value proposition, with negative treatment charges reflecting strong demand for quality copper concentrate.

FireFly recently completed a ~A$75 million capital raise led by institutional investors from Canada, the US, and London, with BlackRock as the largest shareholder. This funding provides runway through feasibility studies and early construction phases, positioning the company for rapid production timeline in a jurisdiction known for favorable mining conditions and skilled workforce availability.

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