Creating Value Through Discovery
PROJECT DIRECTED BY
Gary Smith
CAVU Mining
WRITTEN BY
Romana Moares
Creating Value Through Discovery With the development of the electric vehicle sector, demand for copper will rise substantially. This is a challenge being taken up by a number of exploration companies, including CAVU Mining Corp, which is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral projects containing metals used in green technologies and the renewable energy sector.
Dr Jaap Verbaas, CEO, CAVU Mining
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CAVU MIning drilling equipment
CAVU is a Canadian junior mining company engaged in exploration for copper in British Columbia and Yukon, currently focused on the exploration of its Hopper Copper-Gold Project in Yukon.
He explains that the Hopper Project in Yukon Territory is a large copper porphyry – skarn project in which the company has the right to earn a 70% interest, through a deal with Strategic Metals.
In addition to the Hopper Project, CAVU also has the Quesnel Copper Project in British Columbia, an early-stage project with discovery potential that was acquired through staking.
“The Hopper is a massive copper target. One of the areas we are drilling has copper mineralization at the surface over a length of more than 1.3 km. Over the past year we have also proven the existence of a porphyry system with our first drilling on the claim.
Dr Jaap Verbaas, CEO of CAVU, summarised the company’s core business: “We focus on finding copper projects to develop into proven copper resources that may be used to fill the coming copper supply deficit as the world transitions to green technologies.”
“Porphyry copper deposits are among the largest types of copper systems in the world, and we are very pleased with this discovery. CAVU is now planning a larger and more comprehensive drilling program, to start in the late spring of 2022.”
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CAVU Mining In support of the green revolution Dr Verbaas is an exploration geologist who came to Canada in 2012 to pursue a PhD after working in Australia’s gold fields. His strengths are regional targeting as well as combining novel technologies with traditional methods in order to further project-scale exploration strategies. He has worked in executive roles for Canadian public exploration companies since 2017, looking for both precious and base metals.
Resources Feature CAVU Mining drillcores from Copper Castle
“My business partners and myself founded CAVU in June 2020 to play into what we believe is an imminent, long-lasting supply and demand imbalance in copper that will drive prices higher as the world moves towards green technologies.
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The biggest tailwind for copper is the green revolution, in the form of a transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy.
“Exploration is essentially a research-driven or intellectual capital business. So, I try to bring the right intellectual capital to the right projects and potential mineral systems so that they can be efficiently explored. At the same time, I try to cultivate a process for this research together with our Vice President of Exploration Luke Bickerton, who also draws upon strong combined academic and industry experience.” Speaking about the market environment, he points out that in the last decade, copper has seen very little capital expenditure to maintain supply. As a result, there is a severe lack of developed and permitted projects that can fill the coming supply gap. This is where CAVU comes in.
“However, energy storage is useless without energy transport and energy is transported through copper wiring. Copper is one of the best and most affordable conductive elements, and is malleable, which allows it to be drawn into wires. Copper may have the best macro-fundamental outlook of any commodity,” Jaap Verbaas explains.
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“The biggest tailwind for copper is the green revolution, in the form of a transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy. Interestingly, investors in the sector focus mostly on what makes batteries such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium.
COMPLETE SITE PREPARATION UNDERGROUND UTILITIES CLEARING AND HAULING
TRUCKING
QUARRY - GRAVEL & TOPSOIL CONTAMINATED SOIL TREATMENT
C A S T L E R O C K E N T. C O M CASTLE ROCK ENTERPRISES LP, 20 LABERGE ROAD, WHITEHORSE, YUKON, Y1A 5Y8
Examining a drillcore from the Copper Castle site
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Resources Feature Given that the company was established only a few years ago, its progress is impressive, and Dr Verbaas affirms that it is all down to the human capital. “People are everything and great people combined with the right teamwork lead to great products whether the product is drill core, investor presentations or a copper resource.” “As I mentioned before, exploration is about bringing the right intellectual capital to the right rocks and both myself and my partner Dr Luke Bickerton have experience that is fitting for our current roles and our current projects.” For the exploration programs CAVU tries to hire locally so that the benefits of its activity help local communities. Dr Verbaas says: “One example of a local company is Castle Rock Enterprises, which is a Champagne and Aishihik First Nations-run company. They have been a tremendous help to our programme and have created all the roads on the Hopper Project since 2015. “We renamed the main high-grade copper skarn zone ‘Copper Castle’ to give them credit for their work. We also have Mr Allen Edzerza on our advisory board. He is of the Tahltan First Nation which is very used to mining and exploration on their traditional land. He advises CAVU on community matters and helps to think of ways in which CAVU can support local hiring.” As CAVU is an integral piece to the decarbonisation of the world, sustainability is in its very DNA. “We may be able to do without oil and gas as an energy source, but we will need to mine more and different metals to do so. Today, mining companies accurately monitor their environmental footprint so that mining and exploration occurs with minimal disturbance to flora and fauna,” Dr Verbaas points out. “We are happy to be part of this movement towards low-disturbance work where, if metals are not encountered in significant quantities, flora and fauna
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will move back in after exploration and there is no long-term ill environmental effect.”
Castle Rock Enterprises Castle Rock Enterprises looks forward to providing land clearing and road building services to CAVU Mining in support of exploration at their Copper Castle site. Based out of Whitehorse, Yukon Castle Rock Enterprises is fully owned by Dakwakada Capital Investments, the business arm of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation. With a modern fleet of heavy equipment, the company is well situated to support the exploration of remote areas throughout the territory. Northern construction projects face some unique challenges around inclement seasonal weather changes and rugged terrain. We have the experience and knowledge that comes with operating since 1997, and provide clients with insight and guidance for successful project completion.
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We renamed the main high-grade copper skarn zone ‘Copper Castle’ to give them credit for their work
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The greatest asset
CAVU Mining
Castle Rock has built a solid reputation for quality workmanship and onsite responsiveness. Our attention to detail and quality work have won the respect of clients of all sizes, and fostered our reputation as one of the most respected construction companies in the Yukon and Northern British Columbia. Our ability to design and build projects from beginning to end makes us your one-stop shop for construction services. Whether it is earthmoving, underground utilities, clearing and hauling, land remediation and reclamation, or any other type of site preparation, Castle Rock is committed to delivering every project on time and on budget. We also operate a gravel quarry just north of Whitehorse, providing a variety of gravel products for varying applications. Contact us today to inquire about how our team can be of service to you. www.castlerockent.com office@castlerockent.com 867-668-6188
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Resources Feature
CAVU Mining
World-class copper system Summarising the company’s current position, Dr Verbaas affirms that 2021 was an incredible year for CAVU. “We listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange in February, closed the deal on the Hopper in March and proceeded with our first drill programme which was incredibly successful. We drilled the longest high-grade copper intercept ever on the ‘Copper Castle’ area of the claim, in a hole which confirmed that this zone is open for expansion. The hole further indicates that the highest-grade portion of the claim may be undrilled.”
He points out that as a result of the recently closed private placement, the 2022 program is fully financed, so the company is able to retain contractors well in advance of the drilling season, which is necessary in a busy year for exploration. “All our data so far suggest we are only on the edge of what may be a world-class copper porphyry system. In an industry where the norm is to fail, we have proven that we know how to aim our drill holes on the project. We also expect to keep working towards a larger copper portfolio and are actively looking for additional projects. This of course is excellent news for our investors as well as for the future of the company.”
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In an industry where the norm is to fail, we have proven that we know how to aim our drill holes on the project
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“CAVU has started 2022 in a strong position,” he further states. “Applying for a new 10-year exploration permit for our flagship project was an important milestone during our winter season.”
www.cavumining.com
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CAVU Mining www.cavumining.com
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