Highlights:
· Conceptual study confirms the
technical and economic feasibility of the Mankayan
Project and the viability of potentially progressing to a pre-feasibility
study phase
· Financial analysis returned
an estimated pre-tax net present value (NPV) of US$459 million at a 7.75%
discount rate and a pre-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 12.71%, based
upon a copper price of US$3.00 per pound and a gold price of US$1,000 per
ounce
· Estimated pre-tax net cash
flow over the duration of the project of approximately US$5.1 billion
· At current metals prices
(US$4.30 per pound of copper and US$1,370 per ounce of gold) the project
returns an estimated:
o pre-tax NPV of approximately US$1.51 billion at a 7.75%
discount rate
o pre-tax net cashflow of
approximately US$10.56 billion
o pre-tax IRR of 21.63%
· Study modelled
a 12 million tonnes ("Mt") per annum,
block caving operation over an estimated 42 year mine life
· Total capital investment of
approximately US$1.2 billion over the duration of the project
· Low mining, milling and
processing costs of US$15.37 per ore tonne
· Total estimated costs of
US$21.01 per ore tonne, including all royalties,
capital costs, equipment ownership, operating and processing costs and
administrative and technical services costs
Bezant (AIM: BZT), the AIM listed gold and copper exploration and
development company operating in the Philippines, Argentina and Tanzania, is
pleased to announce the completion of the independent Conceptual Study (the
"Study") on its approximate 400Mt Mankayan
Copper/Gold Project (the "Mankayan
Project"), located approximately 260km north of Manila in the
Philippines.
1. Introduction
Bezant commissioned TWP Australia Pty. Limited ("TWP") and
Mining Plus Pty. Limited ("Mining Plus") to undertake a conceptual
(technical and economic) study on its Mankayan
Project in the Philippines. The Study specifically focused on
determining a conceptual mining, extraction and processing method.
The scope of the comprehensive Study included the following:
· Resource description & reserve
statement;
· Mining study / block cave design;
· Vertical shaft ore extraction
system study;
· Ventilation and refrigeration
study;
· Surface infrastructure study;
· Processing facility study;
· Geotechnical and hydrogeological assessments of the ore body against the
proposed mining method;
· Completion of a scoping level mine
design and an integrated mine schedule;
· Compilation of mine equipment and
manning schedules;
· Access strategies, capital and
operating cost estimates; and
· Economic viability and financial
evaluation of the project.
2. Overview of Study's Technical Results
The Company announced maiden JORC Ore Reserve and Mineable Inventory
statements, commissioned as part of the Study, on 17 December 2010,
comprising Probable Ore Reserves of 189 million tonnes
at 0.46% copper and 0.49g/t gold and resulting in total Recoverable Metal
Reserves of 811,000 tonnes of copper and 2,210,000
ounces of gold. The total Mining Inventory is approximately 400Mt
of ore at an average grade of 0.38% copper and 0.42g/t gold, equating to
approximately 1.4 million tonnes of copper and 3.9
million ounces of gold, the latter relating to all of the indicated, inferred
and unclassified material incorporated by the mine design.
The conceptual mine design completed for the Study utilised
a block caving mining method. Block caving is considered to be an
appropriate and common method to mine large deposits, such as that
encountered at Mankayan, provided the
characteristics of the rock mass lend the ore body to be suitable for
caving. The Study applied the general principles of block cave
mining to the Mankayan deposit and considered the
distinct characteristics of the ore body. It presented an
overall mine layout in accordance with the highest industry standards.
An annual mine production rate of 12 million tonnes
per annum ("Mtpa") was selected,
resulting in a mine life of 42 years, which was seen to be well within thecapabilities of the ore body. At a draw down
rate of 100 millimetres per day,
approximately 12 Mtpa per lift would be
produced. 12 Mtpa was identified by TWP as being
the maximum tonnage capable of being hoisted through a single shaft
hoisting configuration, derived from benchmarking shaft haulage at some of
the world's biggest underground mines, including those within Australia,
specifically those block caving mines that are mining up to 500 metre ore columns.
Due to the size and geometry of the Mankayan
deposit, the determination of the block cave lift was considered analogous to
that of Rio Tinto's North Parkes block cave
operations in Australia. The column height chosen for the Mankayan deposit was therefore 350 metres,
deemed to be the mostsuitable height for the ore
body. The block cave has been split into two lifts, whereby the Lift 1
extraction level has been placed at 769m below surface (811mRL) and the
Lift 2 extraction level at 1125m below surface (455mRL). Laterally, the
location of each lift was determined by firstly positioning Lift 2 at the
bottom of the ore body, whereby the footprint would cover the majority
of the ore without including any waste. Lift 1 was then positioned
approximately 350 metres above Lift 2, but also
positioned to ensure that the majority of the Lift 1 ore development would
also be caved by Lift 2, the level at which the
base of the lift would begin.
The conceptual mine comprises a ventilation shaft, a haulage shaft for
ore hoisting and a decline ramp used primarily to transport personnel to and
from the mine workings, as well as to haul waste to the surface
dumps. This allows for uninterrupted ore haulage through the shaft
without incurring delays for the transportation of personnel.
The major surface infrastructures are sited at least 300 metres away from the cave zone such that stresses
generated from the caving operation should have minimal impact. Due to
the size of the ore body, a crusher is required on the eastern and western
side of each lift. The conceptual mine is designed such that all water
underground will flow to sumps or drainage holes that link to a central
pumping station developed at the bottom of the decline. A workshop has
also been designed near Lift 1, close to the return airway.
The block cave layout was designed such that each mining lift will have
an undercut level, an extraction level, a fresh airway level, a return
airway level and a crushing/conveying level.
The concentrator design was based on Australian and international
experience of proven operations, with high-throughput copper-gold ore
treatment. The single processing line incorporates two-stage milling in
closed circuit with cyclones, flash flotation cells and dedicated flash
cleaner cells. A pebble crusher operates in closed circuit with the
primary mill.
Mill cyclone overflow gravitates to rougher and scavenger
flotation. Rougher concentrates are reground before cleaning.
Scavenger and cleaner scavenger tails are thickened before discharge to the
tailings storage facility. Copper and a portion of the gold are
recovered by froth flotation to a copper sulphide
concentrate, that is then sold to international or local smelters. The
remaining gold is recovered on site as bullion, by gravity concentration of
the flash flotation concentrate.
Concentrator operating costs were based on an estimate of consumables
such as mill liners, steel balls, flotation reagents, water and electrical
power. Flotation reagent cost estimates allow for the use of modern
high-technology selective copper/gold collectors. Cyanide is not used
in any part of the process.
3. Overview of Study's Financial Results
The Study returned an estimated pre-tax NPV of US$459,223,481 and a
post-tax NPV of US$199,331,693, at a 7.75% discount rate and based upon
long-term commodity prices of US$3.00 per pound (US$6,614 per tonne) for copper and US$1,000 per ounce of gold, along
with various cost assumptions. An assessment of the project's
economics estimated a pre-tax IRR of 12.71% and a post-tax IRR of 10.23%.
Using current metals prices of US$4.30 per pound of copper and US$1,370
per ounce of gold, the project would have a pre-tax NPV of approximately
US$1.51 billion and pre-tax IRR of 21.63% at a 7.75% discount rate with a net
cashflow before tax of approximately US$10.56
billion and post-tax of approximately US$7.13 billion.
A total cost of US$21.01 per ore tonne (including
royalties, capital costs, equipment ownership, operating and processing costs
and administrative and technical services costs) was determined from the
capital and operating cost estimates compiled, of which mining, milling and
processing costs represent US$15.37 per tonne. At
metals prices of US$3.00 per pound of copper and US$1,000 per ounce of gold,
the project is estimated to generate revenue of US$33.72 per tonne, resulting in a net cashflow
before tax of approximately US$5.08 billion and post-tax of approximately
US$3.38 billion.
4. Summary statistics
The key operational and economic parameters for the Mankayan
Project, as set out in the Study, are summarised
below:
Ore tonnes
|
400,054,062t
|
Average Cu grade
|
0.38%
|
Average Au grade
|
0.42g/t
|
Recovered Cu metal
|
1,432,696t
|
Recovered Au metal
|
4,015,179oz
|
Capital development
|
37,664m
|
Operating development
|
94,909m
|
Longhole drilling
|
2,566,150m
|
Annual mine production rate
|
12Mtpa
|
Estimated mine life
|
42 years
|
Total costs per tonne (including mining,
milling, processing, royalty, capital costs, equipment ownership,
administrative costs etc.)
|
US$21.01
|
Total mining, milling and processing costs per tonne
|
US$15.37
|
Total revenue per
tonne
|
US$33.72
|
Total capital infrastructure costs over project's life
|
US$1.2 billion
|
Net cashflow before tax
|
US$5.08 billion
|
Net cashflow after tax
|
US$3.38 billion
|
Pre-tax NPV at a 7.75% discount rate (inclusive of royalty)
|
US$459,223,481
|
Post-tax NPV at a 7.75% discount rate (inclusive of royalty)
|
US$199,331,693
|
Pre-tax IRR (inclusive of royalty)
|
12.71%
|
Post-tax IRR (inclusive of royalty)
|
10.23%
|
As in all aspects of mining evaluation, there are uncertainties inherent
in the interpretation of geological and technical data and economic
factors. All conclusions by TWP and Mining Plus represent only
their informed professional judgments.
Gerry Nealon, Executive Chairman, commented:
"We are extremely pleased with the positive results of the
independent conceptual/scoping study, which clearly validates the Company's
belief in the overall technical and economic feasibility of its flagship Mankayan Project.
The conceptual study designed and modelled a
world class mine incorporating a vertical shaft, a ventilation shaft and a
decline ramp, along with state of the art processing and refrigeration
plants. Although not strictly required and being somewhat capital intensive, multiple entry and exit points with
relatively high level ventilation and refrigeration structures were included
in the study in order to model and cost the project in accordance with the
highest prevailing international standards and practices.
Today's scoping study results, combined with our recently announced JORC
compliant maiden Probable Ore Reserve and Mineable Inventory statements,
reinforces the capability of the project hosting a world class copper/gold
mine."
Dr Bernard Olivier has reviewed and approved the technical information
contained within this announcement in his capacity as a qualified person, as
required under the AIM rules. Dr Olivier is Technical Director of
the Company and a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy.
For further information, please contact:
Gerry Nealon
Executive Chairman, Bezant Resources
Plc Tel:
+61 41 754 1873
Bernard Olivier
Technical Director, Bezant Resources
Plc
Tel: +61 40 894 8182
Evan Kirby
Non-Executive Director, Bezant Resources
Plc Tel:
+61 41 221 2827
James Harris / Matthew Chandler / David Altberg
Strand Hanson
Limited
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 3494
James Maxwell
Singer Capital Markets
Limited
Tel: +44 (0)20 3205 7500
Laurence Read / Beth Harris
Threadneedle Communications (UK)
Email: Laurence.Read@threadneedlepr.co.uk Tel:
+44 (0)20 7653 9855
Mob:
+44 (0)7979 955 923
or visit http://www.bezantresources.com
Notes to editors:
Bezant is currently focussed primarily on the
copper and gold mineral sector and its core flagship project remains its Mankayan copper/gold project situated in the Mankayan-Lepanto mining district of the Philippines, an
area of established copper and gold mining. The deposit is located
approximately 260km north of Manila and 6km east of the copper/gold mine
owned and operated by Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. Since its
discovery in the early 1970s, extensive drilling (more than 45,000 metres over 48 holes) and metallurgical work has been
undertaken by Goldfields Asia Ltd., Pacific Falkon
and others. Bezant currently has a JORC compliant mineral resource of
221.6 million tonnes Indicated and 36.2 million tonnes Inferred, grading at 0.49% for copper and 0.52g/t
for gold, at a 0.4% copper cut-off. This equates to an Indicated
Resource of 2.42 billion pounds (1.1 million tonnes)
of copper and 3.7 million ounces of gold, with a further Inferred Resource of
0.44 billion pounds (0.2 million tonnes) of copper
and 600,000 ounces of gold. The Company has recently upgraded this resource
to estimated Probable Ore Reserves of 189 million tonnes
at 0.46% copper and 0.49g/t gold resulting in total Recoverable Metal
Reserves of 811,000 tonnes of copper and 2,210,000
ounces of gold with a total Mining Inventory of approximately 400Mt of ore at
an average grade of 0.38% copper and 0.42g/t gold.
TWP
Founded in 1982, TWP has grown into a highly capable ISO 9001:2000
accredited multi-disciplinary resource and infrastructure focused project
design house providing a full range of mining, process, energy,
infrastructure and project management solutions. TWP commenced
operations in Australia during 2006 as a subsidiary of TWP Holdings Limited,
part of the Basil Read Group in South Africa. The company's project
portfolio has a capital value of more than US$10 billion with offices located
in Australia, South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Abu Dhabi and Peru
(www.twpaustralia.com.au).
Mining Plus
Mining Plus is an innovative and practical consultancy company located in
Perth, Melbourne and Kalgoorlie with affiliates
overseas. It provides technical consulting services to Australian and
International mining and exploration companies with experience of similar
conceptual mining studies for a range of clients and commodities throughout
the world (www.miningplus.com.au).
Glossary of technical terms:
"g/t"
|
grammes per tonne.
|
|
|
|
|
"Indicated Resource"
|
that part of a Mineral Resource for which tonnage, densities, shape,
physical characteristics, grade and mineral content can be estimated with a
reasonable level of confidence. It is based on exploration, sampling
and testing information gathered through appropriate techniques from
locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes.
The locations are too widely or inappropriately spaced to confirm
geological and/or grade continuity but are spaced closely enough for
continuity to be assumed.
|
|
"Inferred Resource"
|
that part of a Mineral Resource for
which tonnage, grade and mineral content can be estimated with a low level
of confidence. It is inferred from geological evidence and assumed
but not verified geological and/or grade continuity. It is based on
information gathered through appropriate techniques from locations such as
outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes which may be limited or
of uncertain quality and reliability.
|
|
"Ore
Reserve"
|
the economically mineable part of
Measured and/or Indicated resources, including diluting materials and
allowances for losses, which may occur when the material is mined.
|
|
"oz"
|
troy ounce (=31.103477 grammes).
|
|
|
|
|
"JORC"
|
the Joint Ore Reserves Committee: The
Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources
and Ore Reserves, as published by the Joint Ore Reserves Committee of The
Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Australian Institute of
Geoscientists and Minerals Council of Australia.
|
|
|
|
|
"t"
"m"
|
tonne (=1 million grammes).
metre
|
|
|