VOL. 09 | ISSUE 3 | Fall 2026
Above and
Beyond
Years of Design, Innovation and Teamwork
Deliver North Lampbright’s First Results
- 10.0
- 9.0
- 8.0
No, that wasn’t a countdown. Those were some of the first solution grades reported from Chino’s North Lampbright leach stockpile – each number representing grams of dissolved copper per liter of solution. And it was high. Almost too high.
Designed to bring together decades of lessons learned and innovations into a single leaching project, Freeport had every reason to expect big things from North Lampbright. Even so, Hydromet Manager Marty Brueggemann said the initial results were so far beyond expectations that the team at Chino originally feared its sensors might be malfunctioning.
Later confirmed by lab testing, those strong early readings were more than a surprise – they were a turning point. One phase of construction was complete, pounds were placed and solution was flowing. Now, North Lampbright had entered its most important trial yet: Proving whether it really was the “Perfect Stockpile.”
“Every calculation and every lab test told us this was going to succeed,” Brueggemann said. “But there’s a big difference between seeing something modeled and seeing it actually work. We’re not changing any of our fundamental assumptions about copper recovery yet, but this has given us a lot more confidence.”
“Every calculation and every lab test told us this was going to succeed. But there’s a big difference between seeing something modeled and seeing it actually work.”
MARTY BRUEGGEMANN | HYDROMET MANAGER
Peak performance
Brueggemann was careful to point out that Freeport knew those numbers wouldn’t last. High-grade peaks are expected for new stockpiles, and already North Lampbright has begun settling around 1.5 grams per liter, he said.
That still represents a significant improvement for the site. The result is several times higher than Chino typically achieves and, despite lower flow rates, has increased the plant grade — a sitewide measure of copper concentration in solution — to about 0.7 grams per liter from just over 0.5.
Exactly how well those grades hold remains to be seen, with future performance influenced by factors such as operational decisions and ore availability as Chino’s mine plan advances.
Despite that uncertainty, the team remains encouraged, buoyed by readings from sensors that make North Lampbright one of the most advanced stockpiles in the company’s portfolio.
“I would say we’re cautiously optimistic,” said Raven Jackson, Senior Metallurgist-Chino. “We’re still getting to know this stockpile and there’s still a lot of variables to be determined. But thanks to all the sensors and new auto-samplers, we’re getting a granular look at what’s going on inside the stockpile. And from what we’re seeing so far, we’re trending in the right direction.”
One of those trends is stockpile temperature.
In hot pursuit
Jackson said sensors embedded throughout North Lampbright indicate it has yet to reach its optimal temperature of about 130 degrees Fahrenheit, suggesting additional upside as the site begins implementing a pulsing strategy designed to encourage airflow.
Heat is key to unlocking North Lampbright’s potential, with everything from air blowers to high-pyrite material calculated to raise and maintain the temperature needed to induce a chemical reaction.
While stockpile covers have long been known to improve heat retention, strong winds have limited their effectiveness at Chino. Rather than accept that limitation, Senior Engineering Specialist Jason Marin went looking for a solution.
What his team came up with was the “exoskeleton.”
“Thanks to all the sensors and new auto-samplers, we’re getting a granular look at what’s going on inside the stockpile. And from what we’re seeing so far, we’re trending in the right direction.”
RAVEN JACKSON | SENIOR METALLURGIST-CHINO
Using layflat hoses and high-density polyethylene pipeline to anchor covers embedded with drip emitters across the stockpile, the design has proven incredibly effective, making the covers far more resilient against winds that once rendered them impractical. The team has had a near perfect success rate with the new method, needing only minor repairs to covers even against some of the strongest gusts New Mexico has offered up so far.
For Brueggemann, moments like that are key. While the company may have developed the perfect recipe, he said sourcing the ingredients still takes innovation, collaboration and boots on the ground.
At North Lampbright, those boots hit the ground running and haven’t slowed down yet. And it is a pace that may result in some unexpected challenges.
Beyond the blueprint
What originally was expected to be a three-year development campaign now could be completed in a fraction of the time, with more material being diverted to North Lampbright each day. But success has raised a new question: What comes next?
Jose Carrasco, Chief Environmental Engineer-Chino, said the accelerated timeline has effectively moved the site’s planning horizon forward. A stockpile originally designed to help secure Chino’s future now is expected to unlock an additional 150 million tons of recoverable material beyond its long-term capacity, and conversations have begun regarding a potential successor to North Lampbright.
“We did this for the leadership at Chino. They’ve spent years fighting to keep this operation competitive and create a future for us with projects like this, and all they ask is that we do work we’d be proud to put our name on. Well, we put our name on this. We’re proud of this.”
JOSE CARRASCO | CHIEF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER-CHINO
While discussions about what comes next are underway, the existing stockpile already has left its mark on the people who helped build it. And they, in turn, have left their mark on it – on a stretch of pipe near a collection pond at the base of North Lampbright are signatures from some of the workers who helped get the project this far.
The intense sun and monsoon rains may not leave the signatures intact for long, but Carrasco explained that was never the point.
“We did this for the leadership at Chino,” Carrasco said. “They’ve spent years fighting to keep this operation competitive and create a future for us with projects like this, and all they ask is that we do work we’d be proud to put our name on. Well, we put our name on this. We’re proud of this.”
Towering Intellect
For as many problems as the Perfect Stockpile solved, there also were some created.
Natural and manmade topography surrounding the new stockpile meant that communications – and therefore safe production – could be compromised, said Christian Bautista, Manager-MIS. The solution? A new, 190-foot tower that now stands watch over the ever-progressing work at North Lampbright.
More than just an antenna, it’s the brains of two-way communications for the new stockpile and – like the stockpile itself – is built to a new standard, the culmination of years of learnings, with reliability and resiliency at its core, he said.
Illustrative of that, Bautista points to the redundancy built into almost every aspect.
This critical communications hub includes a 500-gallon propane tank and generator that can keep it running through an extended outage, temperature alarms and dual air conditioners to protect sensitive components from overheating and segregated two-way radio equipment racks that allow workers to independently take each array offline for maintenance without interrupting service. Every element was designed to ensure reliability under a wide range of operating conditions.
“This tower is a step forward for Chino,” Bautista said. “It’s a result of teams across the company working together to deliver reliable communications that support safe operations today while preparing us for the future.”