McEwen lines up copper partner as surging prices spur interest

McEwen Mining Inc. is in talks to sell a stake in a copper project in Argentina as the gold and silver producer looks to tap into booming prices of the metal used in wiring.

The company run by Canadian gold veteran Rob McEwen is holding conversations with another mining company as part of a proposal that could see a portion of the copper project sold privately and then taken public within 12 months, McEwen said Tuesday.

“The market seems to prefer a pure copper play as opposed to a large copper project in a smaller precious metals company,” he said in an interview. “With the increase in copper price, there’s more interest.”