Brendan Moseley
CEO | Milford Mining
Under the leadership of Brendan Moseley, Milford Mining Company has successfully revitalized a dormant copper mine in Beaver County, implementing innovative technology to create a profitable, sustainable operation critical to America’s energy transition.
What do electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines and AI data centers all have in common? Aside from being part of the global energy transition, they rely on copper.
Thanks to the efforts of Brendan Moseley and the Milford Mining Company, there’s a higher chance that copper supply will come from Utah.
Moseley, CEO at Milford Mining, identified the previously dormant mine in Beaver County as an opportunity to “bring meaningful operational change” to the location.
Sulphuric acid used to dissolve the copper oxide minerals was the single biggest cost driver for previous operators. After completing a mining project in Africa, Moseley believed Milford had the technology to reduce that cost and make it a profitable process.
He names this change in process as the most critical decision that led to the mine’s success.
“It was not only the change in process flow to reduce acid consumption, but the introduction of technology around optical ore sorting to remove some of the high carbonate, high acid-consuming materials as well,” Moseley says.
The mine’s opening has provided a welcome boost to Beaver County’s economy, bringing more than 100 full-time positions and dozens of contractor positions. More positions are expected to open next year with the mine’s second new open pit.
From the outset, Moseley was determined to employ local workers. The company also teamed up with Utah-based professional agencies, government bodies and educational institutions to find workers and upskill them as needed. Today, 60 percent of Milford Mining’s workforce comes from Beaver and Iron counties.
“Another important statistic that we are certainly proud of is that over 25 percent of our workforce are female full-time employees,” adds Moseley. “They are spread across the whole site — management and operational roles in our mining, processing, laboratory and maintenance teams, as well as administrative positions.”
This local employment pays dividends to the area’s economy. Calculations estimate that salaries from the mine support roughly three times the number of employees, which is about 480 people.
Economic benefits go beyond employment, though.
“Another good windfall for the county is property taxes,” says Moseley. “Milford’s been paying millions of dollars in past dues from previous owners to Beaver County, … so this certainly assists the county to continue to provide quality services for all of its residents.”
The copper mine isn’t Moseley’s first time leading such an endeavor, but he learns something new with each venture. New mining technology used in Utah is already being implemented in the company’s other mines.
He emphasizes that this is just the beginning. Milford Mining plans to utilize technology and aerial surveys to expand copper production over the next two years through a $200 million investment, adding approximately 1,000 more jobs. Such plans will benefit both Utah and the entire United States as it tries to reduce dependency on overseas copper.
Approaching their second full year of operation, Moseley recognizes that this success isn’t solely thanks to him. “I’m extremely proud of the team we’ve assembled,” he says — and he’s committed to staying true to his original vision: a sustainable, long-life operation that all his employees are proud to say they’re a part of.
