Kvanefjeld Prefeasibility Study Confirms a Long-Life, Cost Competitive Rare Earth Element-Uranium Project
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA -- (Marketwire) -- 05/04/12 -- Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd. (ASX: GGG) -
Click to download Prefeasibilty Study ASX Announcement: http://www.ggg.gl/docs/ASX-announcements/Kvanefjeld-Prefeasibility-Study-4-May-2012.pdf
Key Study Outcomes Include:
- The Prefeasibility Study outlines an initial development scenario with an annual mine throughput of 7.2 Mt, to generate four main products as well as a high-grade zinc sulfide concentrate:
-- Uranium Oxide - 2.6 Mlbs pa U3O8
-- Heavy Rare Earth Hydroxide - 4,200 tpa TREO
-- Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate - 10,400 tpa TREO
-- Light Rare Earth Carbonate - 26,200 tpa TREO
- Unit costs of production are low; less than US$31/lb U3O8 and less than US$8/kg TREO (as contained in the three combined rare earth products). This places the Kvanefjeld Project into the bottom half of the cost curve for uranium producers and it will be one of the lowest cost REE producers worldwide.
- The Kvanefjeld Project generates a pre-tax, ungeared internal rate of return of 32% and a cash payback period less than 4 years, based on long-term prices of US$70/lb U3O8 and US$41.60/kg TREO. The pre-tax NPV is US$4,631 M (at 10% discount rate).
- Capital costs of an open cut mine, a mineral concentrator and a refining plant, capable of treating 7.2 Mtpa, is estimated to cost US$1.53 Billion (inclusive of US$247 M contingency).
- The Project has an initial mine life of over 33 years, based on the indicated mineral resources established near surface at the Kvanefjeld deposit. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2014 and first production in 2016.
- Highly efficient process flowsheet established drawing on conventional, proven methodologies;
-- Beneficiation utilizing froth flotation achieves high up-grade ratio with dominant REE-uranium minerals concentrated into less than 15% of ore mass
-- Atmospheric leaching of mineral concentrates using sulfuric acid results in greater than 90% extraction of heavy REEs and uranium, with slightly lower LREE extraction. High purity concentrates recovered using solvent extraction.
- The Kvanefjeld Mineral Resource contains 619 Mt and is located 7 km from tidewater, with deep fjords running directly to the North Atlantic Ocean. The resource is mostly outcropping and within 300 m of ground surface. Local infrastructure is well established, with the local town of Narsaq within 10kms of the mine and an international airport at Narsarsuaq 30 kms away.
- Mining studies indicate a large open pit with a low waste strip ratio (1.1 tonne of waste for each tonne of ore) in addition to the highest grade material occurring at surface. Total life of mine production is 232.6 Mt at an average mine grade of 341 ppm U3O8 and 1.22% TREO.
- The recent exploration programs have resulted in a significant increase in resource inventory, which now includes the new discovery at Zone 2. The Zone 3 resource will be added during Q2 2012. The total resource currently stands at 861Mt, and contains 512 Mlbs U3O8, 9.22 Mt TREO and 1.98 Mt Zn (at a 150ppm U3O8 cut-off grade). This provides an opportunity to potentially increase the Project mine life to in excess of 60 years.
To read the full ASX announcement go to: http://www.ggg.gl/docs/ASX-announcements/Kvanefjeld-Prefeasibility-Study-4-May-2012.pdf
ABOUT GREENLAND MINERALS AND ENERGY LTD.
Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd (ASX - GGG) is an exploration and development company focused on developing high-quality mineral projects in Greenland. The Company's flagship project is the Kvanefjeld multi-element deposit, (Rare Earth Elements, Uranium, Zinc) that is rapidly emerging as a premier specialty metals project. An interim report on pre-feasibility studies has demonstrated the potential for a large-scale multi-element mining operation. For further information on Greenland Minerals and Energy visit http://www.ggg.gl.
Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd will continue to advance the Kvanefjeld project in a manner that is in accord with both Greenlandic Government and local community expectations, and looks forward to being part of continued community discussions on the social and economic benefits associated with the development of the Kvanefjeld Project.
The information in this report that relates to exploration targets, exploration results, geological interpretations, appropriateness of cut-off grades, and reasonable expectation of potential viability of quoted rare earth element, uranium, and zinc resources is based on information compiled by Mr Jeremy Whybrow. Mr Whybrow is a director of the Company and a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). Mr Whybrow has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined by the 2004 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Whybrow consents to the reporting of this information in the form and context in which it appears.
The geological model and geostatistical estimation for the Kvanefjeld and Zone 2 deposits were prepared by Robin Simpson of SRK Consulting. Mr Simpson is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG), and has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined by the 2004 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Simpson consents to the reporting of information relating to the geological model and geostatistical estimation in the form and context in which it appears.
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Contacts:
Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd.
Roderick Mcillree
Managing Director
+61 8 9382 2322
www.ggg.gl
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Christian Olesen (DK)
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