Nevada Copper Corp. started production at the Pumpkin Hollow copper processing plant in Nevada.

The company expects its first shipment of concentrate and initial revenue in the coming weeks and expects the underground mine to ramp up to full-scale commercial production through the first half of 2020. First production was achieved 16 months after construction started in August 2018.

Pumpkin Hollow is the first new copper project in the U.S. to start production in the last decade, according to a Dec. 16 news release,

The project is expected to produce 65 million pounds of copper equivalent annually for the first five years of its projected 13.5-year mine life, with further expansion potential.

An April, pre-feasibility study estimated a posttax net present value for the combined open pit and underground operations at US$1.06 billion.