Çayeli
One of Turkey’s largest underground base metals mine.
Key metrics
Operational
New exploration extends life of mine
Çayeli Bakır is on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey. Since 1994, it has produced copper and zinc concentrates from a volcanic hosted massive sulphide (“VHMS”) copper-zinc deposit.
The mine design uses underground bulk-mining methods. First Quantum’s expertise has seen Çayeli’s initial reserve capacity increase during the life of the mine.
Production will be challenging due to poor ground conditions, with stabilization critical to achieving expected production levels before reserve depletion in 2035.
The site is operated by Çayeli Bakir Isletmeleri A.S., a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Quantum.
“Hundreds of rural women have been able to help support their households through the work of Çayeli’s Women’s Cooperative.”
Fatma Yılmaz,
Çayeli’s Women’s Cooperative
“The Çayeli mine has been a huge part of the local economy for 30 years.”
Mustafa Çalışkan,
Çayeli, Madenli District Mayor
“The experienced FQM Exploration team has helped identify a new reserve mass, extending the life of the mine.”
Kadir Tolga Güngör,
Senior Geologist
Creating a positive impact in Turkey
Equality in education
Boost to beekeepers
Using copper to power the future
The copper extracted from Çayeli is vital to a number of industries. It is used to power homes, build electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure and is a key resource in the transition to green energy.
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Reserves, resources and production statistics
Find out the most recent Mineral Resource and Reserve estimate. These estimates involve risks and uncertainties, please read our Cautionary Disclosure.
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