Copper Giant boosts Mocoa resource, making it one of the world’s largest undeveloped molybdenum deposits

Copper Giant Resources updated the Mocoa project in Colombia to 1.12 billion inferred tonnes grading 0.31% Cu and 0.039% Mo, lifting contained metal to 7.6 billion lb of copper and 1.0 billion lb of molybdenum.

Copper Giant Resources has delivered a major resource upgrade at its Mocoa copper-molybdenum project in southwest Colombia, sharply increasing contained metal and elevating the asset into the top ranks of undeveloped molybdenum deposits worldwide. The update pushed Mocoa past the billion-pound mark for molybdenum and confirmed the project’s scale as a near-surface copper system exceeding one billion tonnes. 

A billion-tonne copper system with a step-change in contained metal

The new mineral resource estimate outlines 1.12 billion tonnes in the Inferred category, grading 0.31% copper and 0.039% molybdenum. On a contained-metal basis, that equals 7.6 billion pounds of copper and 1.0 billion pounds of molybdenum. 

Compared with the previous 2022 resource, Copper Giant said contained copper has risen by about 95%, while contained molybdenum is up roughly 65%, reflecting both new drilling and a broader geological interpretation. 

Company president and CEO Ian Harris described Mocoa as one of the rare global copper systems that surpasses a billion tonnes close to surface, noting that drilling continues to test the deposit’s edges. 

Mocoa becomes South America’s largest molybdenum deposit

The jump to more than 1 billion pounds of contained molybdenum places Mocoa among the largest undeveloped molybdenum deposits globally and makes it the largest in South America, according to the company and industry comparisons. Molybdenum is a critical alloying metal for specialty steels and has growing relevance in sectors such as aerospace, energy infrastructure, and defense. 1

The scale of the molybdenum endowment is especially notable because few new, large Mo-bearing porphyry systems have been delineated in recent years, giving Mocoa a strategic angle beyond copper alone. 

Drilling momentum continues

The updated resource incorporates 9,525 metres of drilling completed since the 2022 estimate, and Copper Giant said two rigs are still active as part of a broader 14,000-metre program aimed at expanding and upgrading the resource. 

Management reported long, continuous intercepts of mineralization—typically hundreds of metres, sometimes exceeding a kilometre—along with higher-grade breccia zones and newly defined porphyry phases. These features are consistent with a robust porphyry system and support the potential for further resource growth. 

Market reaction and corporate repositioning

Investors responded quickly to the scale revision, sending Copper Giant shares sharply higher in Toronto after the announcement. The share move reflects renewed attention on Mocoa’s combined copper-molybdenum profile and the implications for future development optionality. 

The company also recently rebranded from Libero Copper & Gold to Copper Giant Resources, a name change completed in May 2025 that aligns with its strategy of focusing on exceptionally large copper systems anchored by Mocoa.

Location and broader context

Mocoa lies about 10 km from the town of Mocoa in Colombia’s Putumayo department, roughly 350 km southwest of Bogotá, at the interface of the Andean copper belt and the Amazon foothills. Its location offers access to regional infrastructure, though the project also sits in a politically and environmentally sensitive area that will require careful permitting and community engagement as it advances. 

With this update, Copper Giant has strengthened the case for Mocoa as a long-life, district-scale copper project with a globally significant molybdenum credit. If ongoing drilling continues to expand high-grade zones and conversion toward higher confidence categories, Mocoa could emerge as one of the standout undeveloped porphyry assets in the Americas—relevant not only to copper supply for electrification, but also to molybdenum security for advanced manufacturing.