The Hermosa project – the only advanced mine development project in the United States that could produce two federally designated critical minerals, manganese and zinc – launched today an opportunity for Southern Arizonans to vote on a name for Hermosa’s remote operating center before the final Santa Cruz County location and winning name is announced in Q1 2024.
The remote operating center is separate from ongoing community discussions about the manganese facility which will be in a separate location.
Hermosa is being designed with state-of-the-art technology, so that it is safer, more sustainable, and more advanced. Though there will always be people working at the Hermosa site, the operating center will be an office-like setting, not an industrial facility, where employees can extensively use sophisticated automation technology to monitor and partly run project operations remotely.
“By locating the operating center in Santa Cruz County, we can maximize economic benefits to the county, creating hundreds of inclusive, good-paying, local jobs and increasing the county’s tax revenue to help fund public schools and services and increase opportunities for local business,” said Hermosa project President Pat Risner.
The potential names for community members to vote on includes:
- Hermosa TECH: Technology, Engineering & Controls Hub
- Hermosa CENTRO: Campus for Engineering, iNtegration, Training & Regional Operations
- Hermosa CORE: Center for Operations & Resource Engineering
- Hermosa iROC: Integrated Remote Operating Center
You can learn more about our remote operating center and vote for its name here.
Voting will run through January 31, 2024.
About the South32 Hermosa project
Located in a historic mining district in the Patagonia Mountains of Southern Arizona, South32’s Hermosa project is currently the only advanced mine development project in the United States that could produce two federally designated critical minerals—manganese and zinc—both of which are essential minerals for powering the nation’s clean energy future. Learn more at www.south32hermosa.com
Media Relations
Lina Betancourt
T +1 514-210-1822
E Lina.Betancourt@south32.net