As demand for copper continues to rise alongside the growth of AI, electric vehicles, data centers, and energy infrastructure, exploration companies are racing to identify the next major discovery. NovaRed’s Wilmac copper-gold project in British Columbia is one of the emerging district-scale opportunities drawing attention for both its size and its use of AI-driven exploration technology.

We spoke with Gregory Fedun about the long-term potential of Wilmac, the role of copper in North America’s future, and how NovaRed is combining mining with advanced data modeling through its MetalCore platform.

Your project is three times the size of Manhattan. How does that massive scale change the long-term potential of this site?

Gregory Fedun: In porphyry copper-gold exploration, scale is everything. These systems are rarely isolated targets — they are often district-sized mineralized environments with multiple intrusive centers, structural corridors, and buried discoveries.

Wilmac is being advanced as a district-scale opportunity across North Lamont, West Lamont, Wilmac, and Plume. Recent historical 3DIP/AMT data at Lamont indicates two interpreted parent intrusive bodies with multiple pipe-like features extending toward surface, providing a much stronger technical framework for target development.

With 16,078 hectares (39,733 acres), the project has the scale to host a major copper-gold system — not just a single prospect.

How is your MetalCore AI platform revolutionizing how you find resources compared to traditional mining methods?

GF: MetalCore turns fragmented exploration data into ranked, high-priority targets. It combines geology, geophysics, geochemistry, historical data, structural trends, nearby deposits, and property information into one probabilistic prospectivity model.

For NovaRed, that matters because Wilmac spans 16,078 hectares (39,733 acres). On a project of that scale, success comes from identifying where multiple signals align across a district-scale copper-gold system.

MetalCore helps us move faster, focus exploration, and prioritize the targets with the greatest potential to create value.

You’re only 6 miles from the Copper Mountain Mine. How does that existing infrastructure fast-track your path to production?

GF: Located roughly 6 miles west of Hudbay’s producing Copper Mountain Mine, Wilmac sits in British Columbia’s proven Quesnel porphyry copper-gold belt — giving NovaRed a stronger foundation than most early-stage projects.

Copper Mountain hosts Proven and Probable Reserves of 345 million tonnes grading 0.26% copper and 0.12 g/t gold, establishing a significant operating benchmark for the district.

The region also benefits from established mining infrastructure, including roads, power, skilled labor, contractors, and permitting familiarity — supporting a more efficient exploration and development pathway over time.

Copper is the backbone of AI and EVs. How critical is NovaRed to securing North America’s tech future?

“AI, EVs, data centers, defense systems, and power grid upgrades all rely heavily on copper. The market talks about chips, but the infrastructure powering them is copper-intensive.

S&P Global projects copper demand growing from 28 million metric tons in 2025 to more than 42 million by 2040, with data center demand alone expected to more than double.

That is why new copper discoveries matter.

NovaRed is advancing Wilmac as a district-scale copper-gold exploration platform in British Columbia. Future North American supply starts with exploration — every mine begins as a target, then drilling, then a resource.”

In today’s geopolitical climate, how does this project help North America achieve mineral independence?

GF: Recent geopolitical disruptions exposed how fragile global supply chains are. Middle East tensions disrupted sulfur and diesel flows, while sulfur prices surged to their highest levels since 2013.

That matters because copper mining depends on fuel, power, chemicals, transportation, and stable logistics.

As NovaRed advisor and retired U.S. Navy Commander Phil Ehr noted in E&E News by POLITICO, major supply chain gaps remain even though copper is critical for defense systems, communications, power infrastructure, and data centers.

That is why North American copper projects are becoming strategically important. Canada offers political stability, strong critical-minerals support, and a power grid powered largely by hydropower.

Wilmac is positioned to help advance secure North American copper-gold supply closer to the industries that need it most.

With your new AI for private landowners, is NovaRed a mining company or a tech company disrupting the industry?

GF: NovaRed is a mineral exploration company focused on advancing the Wilmac copper-gold project in British Columbia through target ranking, geophysics, and future drilling.

MetalCore adds a second layer.

The platform is designed to identify high-potential mineral targets by combining geology, geochemistry, geophysics, historical reports, nearby deposits, claim data, and property information into one scoring model.

In the U.S. alone, roughly 77 million private landowners control about 1.3 billion acres, yet very few have tools to evaluate subsurface mineral potential.

NovaRed is building proprietary technology to create an information advantage — delivering better data, faster screening, smarter target ranking, and more efficient exploration spending.