DRAGOON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A once-forgotten copper mine in southern Arizona is back in business because of the growing number of data centers across the country.
The Johnson Camp Mine in Cochise County has reopened through a partnership between British-Australian mining company Nuton Technology and Amazon Web Services. The mine is set to produce 25 million pounds of copper annually for the next 15 years, bringing over 100 jobs to the rural area.
Robert Winton, Chief Operating Officer of Gunnison Copper, said the company was ready to meet Amazon's needs quickly.
"We had the availability in order for them to do this and do it very quickly," Winton said.
The mine produces extremely pure copper cathodes that meet the high standards required for data center infrastructure.
"This is five nines, pure copper, meaning 99.999% pure copper cathode," Winton said.
Having copper mined domestically provides environmental benefits compared to importing the material from overseas, according to Winton.
"By bringing that supply chain closer to the US, you significantly reduce your carbon footprint so you don't need a ship to haul it to the smelter," Winton said. "You're able to control the environmental impacts of this, and here in the US, we do an incredible job with mining and our impact."
During my exclusive tour of the facility, Winton explained the production process takes 10 days to create 100 pounds of copper. Once they accumulate over 4,000 pounds, the copper is ready for shipment.
"They're driven to Laredo, Texas, and from there, they go on for further processing, ultimately making the wire and the copper materials utilized in the Amazon data centers," Winton said.
The economic impact extends beyond just the mining operation itself. The reopening has created employment opportunities in a part of Arizona that has limited industrial activity.
"The Newton Gunnison partnership has been an incredible boon for Cochise County by bringing these jobs closer to the communities in which we're able to operate," Winton said.
The partnership agreement runs until 2030, but the company has ambitious expansion plans. Gunnison Copper intends to open a second open pit mine nearby that would produce even more copper than the Johnson Camp operation.
"This will be an economic benefit for generations as we again expand our gunnison copper project in the future," Winton said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
RELATED CONTENT | Mine in Cochise County will provide copper for Amazon data centers
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
- Download our free app for Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, Alexa, and mobile devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
