07:42 AM EDT, 07/23/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Ero Copper ( ERO ) said Tuesday that it achieved first production of saleable copper concentrate from the Tucuma project in Brazil.

The company said the milestone was reached after the successful commissioning of the milling and flotation operations.

Ero Copper ( ERO ) said remaining work on site is focused on concluding non-critical path surface installations and ramping up to commercial production.

The company expects to reach commercial production levels by the end of the third quarter.

"We are rapidly progressing towards an important inflection point for our consolidated copper production and cash flows," CEO David Strang said. "It is an exciting time for the company and with copper prices performing well year-to-date, the timing of the completion and ramp-up of Tucuma could not be better."

Ero Copper's ( ERO ) share price rose 0.8% at last look to US$19.48 on NYSE pre-market trading after dropping 1.4% yesterday to $26.59 on the TSX.