Positive Feasibility Study for the Hassai Mine: La Mancha Set to Boost Production by 2013
PARIS -- (Marketwire) -- 05/16/11 --
All amounts are in US dollars and for 100% of the project, unless otherwise
indicated.
FEASIBILITY STUDY HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
-- Hassaï's proven and probable reserves increase to 1.1M oz of gold (up
233%)
-- Average gold production of 161,647 oz of gold per year
-- Average cash cost of US $571/oz (excluding silver credits)
-- After- tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 36%
-- NPV at 5% is $116.3 M (quick 1.8 year payback)
-- Expected commissioning: Early 2013
-- Initial capital requirement: $187.0 M
-- The project is fully permitted
SIGNIFICANT UPSIDE REMAINS:
-- Metallurgical testwork recovered significant quantities of silver from
the heap leach tails
-- 1.2Mt of inferred resources in the heap leach tails remain to be
converted
La Mancha Resources Inc. (TSX: LMA) (hereinafter 'La Mancha' or the
'Company') is pleased to announce that it has received a positive
Definitive Feasibility Study ('DFS') for the proposed upgrade of its
present heap leach plant to Carbon-In-Leach ('CIL') technology at its
Hassaï gold mine in North-Eastern Sudan.
As shown in Table 1 below, the CIL plant should provide two major
advantages to the mine: A) it should allow the processing of ore that
cannot currently be economically processed with the heap leach method, thus
increasing the mine's reserves by 233% to 1,088,000 ounces of gold, and B)
the increased capacity (3.0 Mtpa vs. 0.8 Mtpa) should allow the mine's
average gold production to increase by 136% to 161,647 ounces of gold per
year while significantly reducing cash costs per ounce.
Table 1: Positive impact of upgrading the current plant to CIL technology
Current Operation
(as of December 31, CIL Upgrade (as of
2010) March. 31, 2011)
=================== ===================
Processing Plant
Process type Heap leaching CIL
Capacity per year (Mtpa) 0.8 - 1.0 3.0
Non-tailings: 70%, Non-tailings: 90%,
Design metallurgical recovery Tailings: < 30% Tailings: 63%
=================== ===================
Production
Gold reserves (oz) 327,000 1,088,000
Yearly production (oz)* 68,434 161,647
Mine life (years) Until 2014 2013-2018
Average cash cost ( US $/oz)** 731 571
=================== ===================
*Current operation: Realized 2010 production shown; CIL: Excludes low
production projected in last year of operation;
** Current operation: Realized 2010 cash cost shown, CIL: Cash cost
excludes capitalized mining costs associated to acidic ore stockpiles
Dominique Delorme, President and CEO of La Mancha, noted that: 'This
positive feasibility study reconfirms the robust economics outlined in the
September 2010 Preliminary Economic Assessment and forms a good basis for
the mine's successful long-term commercial viability. It is important to
highlight the low mining risk associated with this project, as 75% of the
intended feed for the plant is already stockpiled in proximity to the
planned plant location. We remain confident that construction will start in
the fall, once an agreement on project financing and ownership is finalized
with our Sudanese partner. This would allow the plant to start operating in
the fall of 2012, with full commissioning planned for early 2013. The
Hassaï CIL project is instrumental to La Mancha's objective of increasing
its consolidated gold production to 200,000 ounces per year by 2013.'
The DFS was compiled by Sedgman Ltd. with the collaboration of CSA Global
Pty Ltd., Golder Associates, Arethuse Geology and Wardell Armstrong. The
key consultants involved in the studies and their respective areas of
responsibility are described at the end of this press release, in the
'Qualified Persons and Data Verification' section. Table 2 below provides
the highlights of Sedgman's financial model for the CIL project based on
all the available operating assumptions.
Table 2: Highlights of the DFS include:
Definitive Feasibility Study Highlights
Economic assumptions*
2013: $ 1,200/oz
2014: $ 1,100/oz
Gold price Greater than /
Equal to 2015:
$ 1,000/oz
Gold royalty fee 5%
Corporate tax rate 10%
===================
Production:
Commissioning 2013
Yearly mill run rate, Mtpa 3.0
Gold recovered, '000 oz 698
Metallurgical recovery 72%
Yearly production**, oz 161,647
Mine life, years 4.7
===================
Financials:
Initial capital cost $ 187.0 M
Total sustaining capital $ 4.2 M
Average cash costs per year*** $ 571/oz
Internal rate of return 36%
NPV @ 0% discount $ 148.8 M
NPV @ 5% discount $ 116.3 M
Payback**** , years 1.8
===================
*Applicable corporate tax rate and gold royalty fee are currently 15% and
7% respectively; **Excludes low production projected in last year of
operation; ***CIL cash cost excludes capitalized mining costs associated to
acidic ore stockpiles; ****Calculated from the commencement of production
MINERAL RESERVES
Today's positive DFS has allowed for the conversion of 761,000 ounces to
mineral reserves, representing an increase of 233% over reserves published
as of December 31, 2010.
Table 3 below compares the new upgraded reserve estimate dated March 31,
2011, to the estimate dated December 31, 2010.
Table 3: Hassai Property Gold Resource (excluding VMS deposits)
As at Dec. 31, 2010
================================
Tonnes g/t Au Ounces
========== ========== ==========
Proven Reserves - - -
Probable Reserves 2,895,000 3.51 327,000
Subtotal 2,895,000 3.51 327,000
Measured Resource 2,374,000 2.16 165,000
Indicated Resource 10,840,000 3.34 1,163,000
Total M&I 13,214,000 3.12 1,327,000
Inferred Resource 6,244,000 2.32 466,000
========== ========== ==========
As per feasibility study
(March 31, 2011)
================================
Tonnes g/t Au Ounces
========== ========== ==========
Proven Reserves 2,456,000 2.15 169,700
Probable Reserves 11,640,000 2.45 918,300
Subtotal 14,096,000 2.40 1,088,000
Measured Resource 2,456,000 2.15 170,000
Indicated Resource 13,611,000 2.88 1,262,000
Total M&I 16,067,000 2.77 1,432,000
Inferred Resource 4,329,000 2.77 385,000
========== ========== ==========
It is important to highlight that an extra 1.2Mt of heap leach residue
grading 2.06 g/t Au (for 79,475 oz of gold contained) remained in the
inferred category as of March 31, 2011, as the access required to conduct
the necessary drilling was impeded by the active heaps and the tonnage,
grades and recoveries were therefore not supported by sufficient testwork
to meet the requirements of a feasibility study according to the NI 43-101
standard. In the DFS, however, Sedgman outlines this potential as an
'Improvement Opportunity' with sufficient data to make an estimate of the
scope of its possible improvement benefit. Sedgman's preliminary economic
assessment of this 1.2Mt inferred resource establishes that processing this
additional tailings material through the plant to extend the project's life
could increase the NPV of the project by $15.9 million to $132.2 million
using a gold price of US $1,000 per ounce and a 5% discount rate.
PROCESSING, METALLURGY AND PRODUCTION
The CIL mill throughput schedule, as outlined in the DFS, is based on the
expected mineral reserve estimate as at commissioning of the mill in early
2013. As such, it is based on the expected December 31, 2012, mineral
reserve estimate, which takes into account planned mine production for the
period between March 31, 2011, and December 31, 2012.
Hassaï's gold reserve is composed of three different ore types: traditional
gold ore, acidic gold ore and heap leach residue accumulated since the
mine's start-up. Table 4 below provides a breakdown of the ore types
comprised in the DFS reserve base for the CIL mill throughput.
Table 4: CIL throughput as per DFS
As of December 31, 2012 Tonnes g/t Au Ounces
========== ========== ==========
Traditional Ore* 1,940,000 3.87 241,000
Heap leach residue (tailings) 11,629,000 1.67 626,000
Acidic Ore 530,000 6.06 103,000
Total 14,099,000 2.14 971,000
========== ========== ==========
*Traditional ore is composed of silica-barite rock ('SBR') and Quartz ore
The CIL processing facility has been designed to process 3.0 Mtpa using
conventional processes. As shown in Figure 1 of the appendix, the plant is
set to be strategically located in proximity to the heap leach residue
stockpiles.
Metallurgical testing indicated that gold recovery rates would differ
according to Hassaï's various ore types, as described above. As such, the
gold recovery rate over the life of the CIL phase is expected to average
72%, with rates varying over time depending on ore throughput composition.
Metallurgical gold recovery rates for the traditional ore, heap leach
residue and acidic ore are 85%, 63% and 95% respectively.
Moreover, metallurgical testwork carried out on a total of 23 composite
samples taken from the tailings during the preparation of the DFS showed
recoveries of significant quantities of silver (on average 4.4 ounces of
silver per ounce of gold recovered). It is important to note that the
tailings have never before been tested for silver content and silver
recoverability. Further analysis is required to quantify the silver as a
resource since tonnage, grades and recoveries are not supported by
sufficient testwork to meet the requirements of the NI 43-101 standard. In
the DFS, Sedgman outlined this potential as another 'Improvement
Opportunity', and the carbon circuit of the plant has been scaled to allow
the recovery of silver and gold by increasing its carbon loading.
Table 5 below shows the gold production expected over the life of CIL
phase, with the corresponding cash cost per ounce.
Table 5: CIL-Phase Production Schedule
2013 2014 2015
========== ========== ==========
Tonnage Milled (t) 3,000,000 3,000,000 3,000,000
Gold Grade (g/t) 2.58 2.61 2.28
Recovery (%) 75.2% 73.8% 73.5%
Gold Production (oz) 187,198 185,691 161,464
Cash Cost (US $/oz) 498 509 565
========== ========== ==========
2016 2017 Tot /Avg
========== ========== ==========
Tonnage Milled (t) 3,000,000 1,982,152 13,982,152
Gold Grade (g/t) 1.75 1.28 2.16
Recovery (%) 66.5% 63.0% 71.9%
Gold Production (oz) 112,235 51,513 698,099
Cash Cost (US $/oz) 681 839 571
========== ========== ==========
Since the mine is already in production and water pipeline permits were
granted on April 5, 2010, no additional permits are necessary.
CAPITAL COSTS
The total capital development budget is $191.2 million, which includes
Sedgman's estimates of $187.0 million for the upgrade of the plant and
infrastructure, and $4.2 million for replacement of mining equipment. The
main capital items are presented in Table 6 below.
Table 6: Capital Cost Estimate
Capital Cost Estimate
Plant $ 83.8 M
Nile pipeline $ 44.5 M
Power $ 18.7 M
Indirect costs $ 26.4 M
Contingencies $ 13.9 M
Subtotal $ 187.0 M
Mining equipment $ 4.2 M
TOTAL $ 191.2 M
=========
Estimated to /-15% accuracy
As shown above, one of the main capital investments addresses the need for
water. As the mine is located in the Red Sea Desert, nearby water sources
are limited. Strict management of the underground water sources found
around the mine have met the water requirements of the existing heap
leaching operation but would not be sufficient for a CIL plant. In order to
meet the water requirements of the upgraded plant, a 160 km pipeline is
planned. With a projected capacity of 7.7 million cubic metres of water per
year, the pipeline is designed to provide sufficient water for an eventual
addition of the 5 Mtpa flotation plant required to process Hassaï's VMS
deposits, which would consume 4.1 million cubic metres of water per year.
The construction of a single, final pipeline (rather than two smaller lines
over time) is planned to reduce overall capital requirements.
The DFS is based on power supply from the construction of a fixed 16 MW
Heavy Fuel Oil on-site power station. As a result, capital costs for power
supply are $6.7 million lower than for the connection to the National Power
Grid provided for in the September 2010 Preliminary Economic Assessment.
The planned power station is designed to generate 11 kV and should consist
of 12 generators in a 10-operating/2-spare configuration, each rated at 1.6
MW (continuous).
PROJECT ECONOMICS
Sedgman built a financial model for the project, using the financial
parameters and available operating assumptions provided by La Mancha. The
results shown are based on conservative gold price assumptions ranging from
$1,200 to $1,000 per ounce of gold.
The net present value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) are presented
for the after-tax scenario. Table 7 below presents the financial highlights
associated with the plant upgrade.
Table 7: Financial Highlights
DFS Financial
Highlights
===================
Main assumptions
2013: $ 1,200/oz
2014: $ 1,100/oz
Gold price Greater than /
Equal to 2015:
$ 1,000/oz
Royalties: Gold 5%
Corporate tax rate 10%
===================
Financials:
Revenues $ 753.5 M
Operating income $ 146.1 M
Net earnings $ 131.2 M
Cash flow from operations $ 339.9 M
Free cash flow to equity $ 148.8 M
Investment analysis:
Initial capital cost $ 187.0 M
Total sustaining capital $ 4.2 M
After-tax internal rate of return 36%
Payback*, years 1.8
After-tax NPV @ 0% discount rate $ 148.8 M
After-tax NPV @ 5% discount rate $ 116.3 M
===================
*Calculated from the commencement of production
Although the corporate tax rate and gold royalty fee are currently 15% and
7% respectively, assumptions of 10% and 5% respectively were used in the
DFS, based on La Mancha management's best estimates of future rates. Should
the rates remain at current levels, the NPV discounted at 5% would be $98.0
million and the IRR would be 31%.
The sensitivity of the project's NPV/IRR to changes in the gold price was
tested and is presented in Table 8 below.
Table 8: Gold Sensitivity
Gold price forecast (US $/ oz)
Change in Greater than
Gold Price 2013 2014 Equal to 2015 NPV @ 5% IRR
========== ========== ============= ========= ========
-10% 1,080 990 900 $ 58.1 M 21%
0% 1,200 1,100 1,000 $ 116.3 M 36%
10% 1,320 1,210 1,100 $ 173.8 M 49%
20% 1,440 1,320 1,200 $ 231.1 M 62%
30% 1,560 1,430 1,300 $ 288.4 M 75%
40% 1,680 1,540 1,400 $ 345.7 M 87%
========== ========== ============= ========= ========
UPDATE ON CURRENT OPERATIONS
As shown in Table 3 above, as of December 31, 2010, there was still a total
of 2,895,000 tonnes in reserves at the Hassaï mine that could be treated
with the current heap leaching facility. These reserves come mainly from
the last two deposits of traditional ore identified to date on the
property. As the mine's extraction and processing capacity are now
stabilized at around 800,000 - 900,000 tonnes per annum, Hassaï can
continue its current operations until mid-2014. Table 9 below shows the
mine's theoretical operating profile without the upgrade to CIL technology.
Table 9: Highlights of the Current Operation
2011 2012 2013 2014 Total
========= ========= ========= ========= =========
Tonnage Milled, t 900,000 853,000 700,000 442,000 2,895,000
Gold Grade, g/t 3.89 3.65 3.45 2.57 3.51
Recovery, % 70% 70% 70% 70% 70%
Gold Production, oz 78,857 70,115 54,351 25,582 228,905
========= ========= ========= ========= =========
The rapidity with which the CIL plant can be commissioned should not be
overlooked; it has a significant impact on this scenario, as all the
planned ore feed would be re-directed towards the CIL plant as soon as it
became operational. It is also worth mentioning that the Company has been
very successful at identifying new pockets of traditional ore over the past
years, virtually replacing reserves as they are mined. Future exploration
success of that nature could positively impact both the current operations
scenario and the CIL scenario.
NEXT STEPS
Based on the results of the DFS, La Mancha's Board of Directors is aiming
to start developing the new project in the third quarter of 2011. The
Company must meet two conditions by the end of June to achieve this time
line:
A) Successful ownership discussions - La Mancha considers that the
successful development of an industrial project of this nature requires a
corporate structure with operational and financial flexibility. The Company
is currently in discussion with its Sudanese partner to determine an
ownership structure that supports the success of the project.
B) Full project financing - Once the ownership structure has been
determined, La Mancha will finalize the structure of the project funding
required. As of December 31, 2010, La Mancha had a cash position of $38.4
million and was debt free. The Company also has the option of monetizing
its $7.2 million investment in long-term notes. Lastly, the Company is
currently in discussions with AREVA, its major shareholder, to extend and
increase the line of credit set up in the fall of 2008.
QUALIFIED PERSONS AND DATA VERIFICATION
The DFS summarized here for the Hassaï CIL project will be incorporated
into an NI 43-101 compliant Preliminary Assessment Report to be available
on SEDAR and the La Mancha Resources website within 45 days of the date of
this news release.
The mineral resource estimate upon which the DFS was based was carried out
by or under the direction of Rémi Bosc, an independent geologist, Simon
McCracken of CSA, and Jean-Jacques Kachrillo of La Mancha, all Qualified
Persons under NI 43-101. The DFS financial model included only Measured and
Indicated Resources.
La Mancha is not aware of any environmental, permitting, legal, title,
taxation, socio-political, marketing or other issue that might materially
affect this estimate of mineral resources. The projections, forecasts and
estimates presented in the DFS that will form part of the Technical Report
constitute forward-looking statements, and readers are urged not to place
undue reliance on such statements. Additional cautionary and forward-
looking statement information is provided at the end of this press release.
The Qualified Persons (QPs) for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101
'Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects' for the DFS are show in the
following table:
Qualified Persons
Section Company Qualified Person
======================= =======================
Arethuse Geology Remi Bosc*
======================= =======================
Mineral Resources CSA Simon McCracken*
======================= =======================
La Mancha Resources Jean-Jaques Kachrillo
======================= =======================
Mining and Mine Operating
Costs CSA Clayton Reeves*
======================= =======================
Metallurgy, Processing
Facilities, Capital Cost
Estimate, Operating Cost
Estimate Sedgman Aaron Massey^
======================= =======================
Heap Leach Mine Life La Mancha Resources Nigel Tamlyn
======================= =======================
* Have visited the site for this function
^ A qualified company representative has visited the site for this function
Remi Bosc - Geological Engineer, Director and Principal Consultant -
Arethuse Geology. Remi is a member of the European Federation of Geologists
and has spent several weeks on site over a three-year period during the
various stages of resource evaluation. Remi is responsible for resources
estimates. The resources of the Heap Leach Residue were jointly estimated
with CSA and La Mancha.
Simon McCracken - MAIG, Principal Geologist, CSA Global. Simon is a member
of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists. Simon is responsible for part
of the heap leach resource estimate by mass balance based on cyanidable
gold assay.
Clayton Reeves - BSc. Engineering Hons. (Mining), Principal Mine Engineer -
CSA Global. Clayton is a member of the South African Institute of Mining
and Metallurgy. Clayton has spent in excess of seven weeks on site at
Hassaï over a period of approximately one year. Clayton is responsible for
mining and mine operating costs.
Aaron Massey, B.Eng. (Chemical), Senior Process Engineer, Sedgman Ltd. -
Metals Engineering Services. Aaron is a member of the Australian Institute
of Mining and Metallurgy, and is responsible for the metallurgy, processing
facilities and the capital and operating cost estimates.
Nigel Tamlyn, Chartered Engineer (UK), - Chief Operating Officer of La
Mancha Resources Inc., is a member of the IMMM, a Professional Engineer
(South Africa), and member of the SAIMM. Nigel is responsible for the
current heap leach operation section.
Jean-Jacques Kachrillo, Ph.D. in Geology - Vice President of Exploration
for La Mancha Resources Inc., is a registered Geoscientist with Ordre des
Geologues du Quebec. As Vice President of Exploration for La Mancha
Resources, he regularly visits the Hassai Mine property. He is responsible
for the partially treated ore portion of the resource estimate from January
1, 2008, until March 31, 2011.
Each of these qualified persons has reviewed and approved the information
relevant to their part of the study contained in this press release.
INVESTOR MEETING / CONFERENCE CALL
La Mancha will hold an investor meeting / conference call on Tuesday, May
17, 2011, at 4:00 PM (Montreal time) to discuss the results of the DFS and
respond to questions from interested parties.
Interested parties can access the conference call by dialling:
1-416-981-9000 or toll free for North America 800-768-2481 or by accessing
the webcast through our web site at www.lamancha.ca.
An instant replay of the conference call will be available until May 31 at
the numbers below:
416-626-4100 or toll free for North America 800 558 5253 code #21523626.
An archived recording of the conference call will be available at
www.lamancha.ca
ABOUT THE HASSAÏ MINE
The Hassaï mine is located in the Red Sea Hills desert of north-eastern
Sudan, some 450 km from Khartoum. Inaugurated in 1992, it is Sudan's first
and only gold mine in production. Twelve pits have been mined over the
years, generating a cumulative production of more than 2.1 million ounces
of gold. La Mancha owns 40% of the mine through a subsidiary and is the
mine operator. The Hassaï exploration licenses effectively encompass the
entire geological district that extends over 24,000 square kilometres.
ABOUT THE HASSAÏ VMS PROJECT
La Mancha's VMS project involves development of the volcanogenic massive
sulphide (VMS) deposits underlying the mined-out pits of the Hassaï mine in
Sudan. To date, the VMS resource delineated on the Hassaï property includes
an Inferred resource of 51.4MT (20.6MT attributable to La Mancha) at 1.31
g/t Au and 1.23% Cu. This Inferred resource has been delineated in the VMS
lenses found under the Hassaï South and Hadal Awatib pits. The Hassaï
property is a mining complex consisting of 18 mined pits, of which six have
visually-identified VMS potential. Following the publication of a positive
PEA on September 7, 2010, a 12-month, 100,000-metre drilling program was
launched with the intent of upgrading the Inferred resource to the Measured
and Indicated category, increasing the current resource at the first two
targets, and testing the potential of the VMS structure identified at the
third target, Hadayamet. As of April 30, 2011, the campaign remained on
schedule, with a total of 41,715 metres drilled. A total of seven drill
rigs are currently in operation, with three rigs each at Hassaï South and
Hadal Awatib carrying out development and infill drilling and the seventh
having started target delineation drilling at Hadayamet.
ABOUT LA MANCHA RESOURCES Inc.:
La Mancha Resources Inc. is an international gold producer based in Canada
with operations, development projects and exploration activities in Africa,
Australia and Argentina. La Mancha's shares trade on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (TSX) under the symbol 'LMA'. For more information, visit the
Company's website at www.lamancha.ca.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain 'forward-looking statements',
including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's strategic
plans, future commercial production, sales and financial results,
development, construction and production targets and timetables, mining
costs; statements regarding capital expenditures, development plans, and
exploration programs, objectives and budgets; statements regarding the
Company's expectations; statements regarding the capital costs associated
to the development of the CIL project of the Hassaï property, and its
economic viability and profitability. Forward-looking statements express,
as at the date of this press release, the Company's plans, estimates,
forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and
results. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will
prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could
differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Risks and
uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ
materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-
looking statements include, but are not limited to, factors associated with
fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks,
exploration risks, risks associated with foreign operations, environmental
risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral reserves,
requirement of additional financing or additional permits, authorizations
or licences, risks of delays in construction and production and other risks
referred to in La Mancha's 2010 Annual Information Form filed with the
Securities Commissions, as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Figure 1: Property Map
(See picture in attachment)
(See picture in attachment)
For additional information, please contact:
La Mancha Resources Inc.
Martin Amyot
Vice President Corporate Development
Tel: (514) 987-5115 ext 25
Email: Email Contact
Nicole Blanchard
Investor Relations
(514) 961-0229