The Hermosa mine approval has cleared a major federal hurdle, with the U.S. Forest Service formally approving South32 Hermosa’s Final Mine Plan of Operation at the project site in southern Arizona. The decision grants South32 Hermosa authorization to proceed with activities on federal acreage, ending what the company described as a decade-long federal permitting drought at its Arizona venture.
The approval followed the agency’s Final Record of Decision, which concluded that the project would feature the smallest possible disturbance area and reduce impacts on environmental resources.
South32 Receives Federal Approval for Hermosa Mine Plan
The Hermosa mine approval establishes the federal parameters under which South32 may build and operate supporting facilities on Forest Service land. These facilities are necessary for the project’s complete advancement beyond its private holdings and include the main access route, a secondary dry-stack tailings storage site, and additional auxiliary functions.
Arizona had previously granted its own permission for the mining operation, enabling work on company-owned land to advance to approximately the midpoint. Construction on private land is already about half done, according to the company.
Hermosa is the first mining initiative to be added to, included under, and completed within the federal FAST-41 permitting framework. That system is set aside for ventures that must satisfy specific standards to demonstrate their value to the nation amid the accelerating contest for critical minerals.
Federal Approval Covers Key Project Infrastructure
The federal sign-off covers structures that traverse public territory, including a high-voltage power line, another entry road, tailings containment, and water outflow locations on Forest Service land.
South32 Hermosa intends to launch preliminary earthmoving tasks and surveys to support exploration drilling and geotechnical studies within the next few weeks, marking the initial on-the-ground work made possible by the federal clearance.
South32 Hermosa’s president said the Hermosa mine approval transforms years of preparation, environmental review, consultation, and permitting into tangible progress. He thanked the workforce, government collaborators, and the Forest Service for their dedication to finishing the approval process thoroughly and on schedule. Securing the signed Mine Plan of Operations enables the company to start constructing the infrastructure required to complete the project, he added.
High-ranking federal officials, including delegates from the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, gathered with South32 staff and regional stakeholders at Hermosa to commemorate the achievement.
The USDA Deputy Secretary said the department and the Forest Service are dedicated to advancing permits according to corporate schedules rather than bureaucratic ones, noting that initiatives like Hermosa bolster national security by decreasing dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals.
Hermosa Advances Toward Zinc Production
Hermosa contains one of the world’s largest untapped zinc reserves, a manganese deposit suitable for batteries, and the newly identified Peak copper find. Collectively, these assets could sustain a potential 70-year lifespan yielding five minerals classified as critical by the federal government.
Underground zinc extraction is slated to start in late 2027, with initial zinc output from the mill expected in the first half of 2028. Arizona mining activity at the site is set to ramp up as South32 Hermosa advances construction across both private and Forest Service land following the federal mine-plan approval.