Corvus Gold Inc. (“Corvus” or the “Company”) - (TSX: KOR, NASDAQ:
KOR) announces results for its Preliminary Economic Assessment
(“PEA”) of the Company’s Mother Lode Project (MLP) in southwest
Nevada (Figure 1). Results outline a potential large Nevada,
standalone, mining project with attractive preliminary production
and financial performance statistics. This project is expected to
be the Company’s second and separate mine development target in a
central location surrounded by other recent discoveries in the
Bullfrog Mining District.
The initial PEA does not take into account any
potential synergies and cost savings from having the North Bullfrog
project approximately 10km’s away on the basis that the MLP is
viewed as a 100% standalone property and development project, with
its own timeline and infrastructure. The results indicate robust
economics at a gold price of $1,500/oz with pre-tax free cash flow
of USD $564M and post-tax NPV5% of USD $303M with an IRR of 23% and
strong leverage for higher gold prices with a USD $1.11B pre-tax
cash flow at $1,900 gold price and post-tax NPV5% of USD $663M with
an IRR of 42% (Table 1). The Mother Lode Project may provide Corvus
with a future production growth option to increase its gold
production profile in the Bullfrog Mining District beyond its
initial mining project at North Bullfrog. MLP could position Corvus
for expanding organic production growth and possible further
District consolidation of other assets.
The Mother Lode PEA is preliminary in nature,
and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic considerations
applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral
reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.
Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have
demonstrated economic viability.
Table
1 Sensitivity Analysis for
Preliminary Economic Assessment, Mother
Lode
(USD)
Gold Price ($/Oz) |
Pre-Tax Free Cash Flow
($M) |
Pre-Tax IRR |
Post-Tax NPV @ 5%
($M) |
Post-Tax IRR |
Payback (Yrs) |
$1,200 |
$173 |
6% |
$41 |
8% |
6.0 |
$1,400 |
$428 |
21% |
$212 |
18% |
3.0 |
$1,500 (base case) |
$564 |
27% |
$303 |
23% |
2.7 |
$1,600 |
$699 |
33% |
$394 |
28% |
2.5 |
$1,800 |
$971 |
44% |
$575 |
37% |
2.2 |
$1,900 |
$1,106 |
49% |
$663 |
42% |
2.1 |
$2,000 |
$1,242 |
55% |
$751 |
46% |
2.0 |
Figure 1.
Project location map and conceptual
infrastructure layout for the Mother Lode
Project area is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3086c5bf-971b-44c9-a15c-d5e22f510b1d
Jeffrey Pontius, President and CEO of Corvus
states, “The results from our initial PEA study of the Mother Lode
standalone project are encouraging. The potential projected annual
gold production of over 200,000 ounces per year during the first 3
years is significant, especially as a new project, which could
provide an increase to the Corvus Gold future production profile.
The PEA demonstrates the preliminary potential for the project, on
its own, to produce significant free cash flow and after tax NPV5%.
Corvus now has a number of strategic alternatives available to it
to drive shareholder value. Given the recent interest in the
Bullfrog Gold District from multiple producing Companies with
adjacent land packages, Corvus’ compelling and accretive projects
and its commanding land position with what we believe is
demonstrated high exploration potential, has positioned the Company
to deliver increased shareholder value.”
The Mother Lode Project is modeled as a large,
open-pit, with a biological oxidation mill to treat the
higher-grade sulphide mineralization and a heap leach pad for
treatment of oxide mineralization. The mining plan utilizes
standard mining practices and has a production scale that is
currently being used by many operating mines. The updated Mother
Lode mineral resource estimate is shown in Table 5.
The new PEA study, which assumes a standalone
project, also includes a number of other changes to the previously
assumed concept for the combined Mother Lode-North Bullfrog project
configuration which enhance the project that include:
- Employing biological oxidation (BiOx)
to treat the MLP sulphide mineralization would increase gold
recovery by 11%. Metallurgical testing of a stirred BiOx process on
the MLP whole sulphide mineralization from Mother Lode demonstrated
gold recoveries of 91-92% as compared to the previous testing on
MLP flotation concentrate.
- Eliminating the need for the
concentrator, oxygen plant and autoclave components of the previous
plant concept simplified the plant conceptual design and would
reduce the process plant capital cost.
- Ongoing work expanding Mother Lode
resources in the CIZ area and the main Zone with ongoing work at
improving the open-pit mining and development plans will enhance
project economics.
- New experimental work on conducting
the BiOx process in a heap is being tested as follow-up on past
successful studies and could substantially cut operation and
capital costs with the elimination of the mill circuit.
The PEA only includes drill results completed up
until September 2020. In addition, Corvus will continue follow-up
mineral resource expansion work and new discovery drilling on
priority targets at both the North Bullfrog and Mother Lode
properties through 2021.
Table 2Select
Estimated Statistics
the PEA production Plan for
the Mother Lode Project
LOM Production (Mill & Heap
Leach) |
|
Heap Leach |
Mill1 |
Total |
Total Estimated Ozs of Mineralized Material Processed |
Au |
549,990 |
1,066,230 |
1,616,220 |
Ag |
1,066,510 |
939,650 |
2,006,160 |
Recovery (%) |
Au |
74% |
91% |
85% |
Ag |
7% |
60% |
32% |
Total Estimated Ozs from Mineralized Material Recoverable |
Au |
406,990 |
970,270 |
1,377,260 |
Ag |
74,660 |
563,790 |
638,450 |
Average Annual Gold Ozs Production |
49,7002 |
121,2802 |
170,9802 |
1-Includes 5.1Mt of
sulphide mineralized material mined at NBP2-Includes impacts of
timing adjustments for heap leach Au inventory
Table
3Preliminary Economic
Assessment –
Mother Lode Project @ USD $1,500/oz Gold
Price
Parameter |
Summary Data |
Pre-Tax Cash Flow; IRR |
USD $564M; 27% |
Post-Tax NPV5%; IRR |
USD $303M; 23% |
Overall Strip Ratio |
3.7 to 1 (waste: process tonne) |
Cash Cost Years 1-3 (USD per produced Au ounce) |
$613 |
AISC Years 1-3 (USD per produced Au oz) |
$677 |
Year 1-8 Average Annual Gold Production |
170,980 ounces |
Mine Life |
8 years |
Total Gold Production |
1,377,260 ounces |
Initial Capital Cost (USD) |
$406M |
Sustaining Capital Cost (USD) |
$44M |
Average Mill Recovery1 (%) |
Au |
91% |
Ag |
60% |
Average Heap Leach Recovery (%) |
Au |
74% |
Ag |
7% |
Average Total Mining Rate1 (t/day) |
91,200 |
Average Mineralization Mining Rate1 (t/day) |
19,600 |
1-8 year rate including capitalized mining in
year -1.
Table 4Resource
Assumptions1 for
Mother Lode Project PEA
Parameter |
Unit |
Heap Leach |
Mill |
Mining Cost |
USD/total tonne |
1.45 |
1.45 |
Au Cut-Off |
g/tonne |
0.06 |
0.44 |
Processing Cost |
USD/process tonne |
1.70 |
18.60 |
Au Recovery |
% |
74 |
91 |
Ag Recovery |
% |
10 |
60 |
Administrative Cost |
USD/process tonne |
0.50 |
0.50 |
Refining & Sales |
USD/Au oz |
5.00 |
5.00 |
Au Selling Price |
USD/oz |
1,500 |
1,500 |
Slope Angle |
Degrees |
55 |
55 |
1- Cost and recovery assumptions used in Whittle
Pit Evaluations
Table 5Mother
Lode Project PEA Mineral Resource Summary
(effective Sept.
20,
2020)(pit constrained at
$1,500/oz gold price)
|
Mill Resource |
Run of Mine Heap Leach |
|
(0.44 g/t Au cut-off grade) |
(0.06 g/t Au cut-off grade) |
Mineral Resource Category |
Tonnes (M) |
Gold (g/t) |
Gold (kozs) |
Tonnes (M) |
Gold (g/t) |
Gold (kozs) |
Measured |
7.31 |
1.19 |
280 |
17.01 |
0.39 |
211 |
Indicated |
13.67 |
1.64 |
722 |
22.24 |
0.47 |
339 |
Total M & I |
20.98 |
1.49 |
1,002 |
39.26 |
0.44 |
550 |
Inferred |
2.88 |
0.90 |
83 |
6.98 |
0.40 |
90 |
|
Mill Resource |
Run of Mine Heap Leach |
|
(0.44 g/t Au cut-off grade) |
(0.06 g/t Au cut-off grade) |
Mineral Resource Category |
Tonnes (M) |
Silver (g/t) |
Silver (kozs) |
Tonnes (M) |
Silver (g/t) |
Silver (kozs) |
Measured |
7.31 |
0.76 |
179 |
17.01 |
0.98 |
713 |
Indicated |
13.67 |
0.51 |
223 |
22.24 |
0.80 |
796 |
Total M & I |
20.98 |
0.60 |
402 |
39.26 |
0.78 |
1,509 |
Inferred |
2.88 |
1.77 |
164 |
6.98 |
1.26 |
399 |
Total Project
Measured &
Indicated
ounces:
1.55Mozs Gold;
1.51 Mozs
SilverTotal Project
Inferred ounces:
0.17Mozs
Gold;0.40 Mozs
Silver
- See Cautionary Note to US Investors
below
- The Mineral Resources above are
effective as of September 20, 2020
- Mineral Resources that are not Mineral
Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability
- There are no known legal, political,
environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the
potential development of the Mineral Resources
- Assumes heap leach processing of
disseminated oxidized mineralization
- Assumes BiOx mill processing of MLP
sulphide mineralization
- Au Cut-Off - break-even grade derived
from Whittle input parameters at USD $1,500 per ounce gold
price
The Mother Lode PEA is preliminary in nature,
and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic considerations
applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral
reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.
Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have
demonstrated economic viability
The National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) technical report for
the Mother Lode PEA and updates of the Mother Lode mineral resource
estimate is expected to be filed on the Company’s Sedar profile by
the end of the business day on November 20, 2020. For readers to
fully understand the information in this news release, they should
read the technical report in its entirety, including all
qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that relate to the PEA.
The technical report is intended to be read as a whole, and
sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.
Qualified Person and
Quality Control/Quality Assurance
Jeffrey A. Pontius (CPG 11044), a qualified
person as defined by NI 43-101, has supervised the preparation of
the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for
this news release and has reviewed and approved the disclosure
herein. Mr. Pontius is not independent of Corvus, as he is the CEO
& President and holds common shares and incentive stock
options.
Carl E. Brechtel, (Nevada PE 008744 and
Registered Member 353000 of SME), a qualified person as defined by
NI 43-101, has coordinated execution of the work outlined in this
news release and has also reviewed and approved the disclosure
herein. Mr. Brechtel is not independent of Corvus, as he is the COO
and holds common shares and incentive stock options.
The work program at Mother Lode was designed and
supervised by Mark Reischman, Corvus Gold’s Nevada Exploration
Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including
the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at
the project log and track all samples prior to sealing and
shipping. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind
certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample
shipment. All mineral resource sample shipments are sealed and
shipped to American Assay Laboratories (“AAL”) in Reno, Nevada, for
preparation and assaying. AAL is independent of the Company. AAL’s
quality system complies with the requirements for the International
Standards ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 17025:1999. Analytical accuracy and
precision are monitored by the analysis of reagent blanks,
reference material and replicate samples. Finally, representative
blind duplicate samples are forwarded to AAL and an ISO compliant
third-party laboratory for additional quality control. Mr. Pontius,
a qualified person, has verified the data underlying the
information disclosed herein, including sampling, analytical and
test data underlying the information by reviewing the reports of
AAL, methodologies, results and all procedures undertaken for
quality assurance and quality control in a manner consistent with
industry practice, and all matters were consistent and accurate
according to his professional judgement. There were no limitations
on the verification process.
Mr. Scott E. Wilson, CPG (10965), Registered
Member of SME (4025107) and President of Resource Development
Associates Inc., is an independent consulting geologist
specializing in Mineral Reserve and Resource calculation reporting,
mining project analysis and due diligence evaluations. He is
acting as the Qualified Person, as defined in NI 43-101, and is the
primary author of the Technical Report for the Mineral Resource
estimate and has reviewed and approved the Mineral Resource
estimate and the Preliminary Economic Assessment summarized in this
news release. Mr. Wilson has over 31 years of experience in
surface mining, resource estimation and strategic mine planning.
Mr. Wilson is independent of the Company under NI 43-101.
Mr. Wilson, a qualified person, has verified the
data underlying the information disclosed herein, including
sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information by
reviewing the reports of AAL, methodologies, results and all
procedures undertaken for quality assurance and quality control in
a manner consistent with industry practice, and all matters were
consistent and accurate according to his professional
judgement. There were no limitations on the verification
process.
Metallurgical testing on North Bullfrog and
Mother Lode samples has been performed by McClelland Analytical
Services Laboratories Inc. of Sparks Nevada (“McClelland”),
Resource Development Inc. of Wheatridge, CO (RDi) and Hazen
Research Inc. of Golden, CO (HRi). McClelland is an ISO 17025
accredited facility that supplies quantitative chemical analysis in
support of metallurgical, exploration and environmental testing
using classic methods and modern analytical instrumentation.
McClelland has met the requirements of the IAS Accreditations
Criteria for Testing Laboratories (AC89), has demonstrated
compliance with ANS/ISO/IEC Standard 17025:2005, General
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration
laboratories, and has been accredited, since November 12, 2012.
Hazen Research Inc. (“Hazen”), an independent laboratory, has
performed flotation, AAO testing and cyanide leach testing on
samples of sulphide mineralization from the YellowJacket zone and
Swale area of Sierra Blanca, and roasting tests on Mother Lode
flotation concentrate. Hazen holds analytical certificates from
state regulatory agencies and the US Environmental Protection
Agency (the “EPA”). Hazen participates in performance evaluation
studies to demonstrate competence and maintains a large stock of
standard reference materials from the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), the Canadian Centre for Mineral
and Energy Technology (CANMET), the EPA and other sources. Hazen’s
QA program has been developed for conformance to the applicable
requirements and standards referenced in 10 CFR 830.120 subpart A
quality assurance requirements, January 1, 2002. Resource
Development Inc. is a state-of-the-art laboratory for metallic and
industrial minerals filling a need for high quality,
cost-effective, and timely technical services for the international
mining industry.
About the Mother
Lode Projects,
Nevada
Corvus controls controls 483 federal unpatented
mining claims on the Mother Lode project which totals approximately
38.6 km2 which it controls 100%. The project has
excellent infrastructure, being adjacent to a major highway and
power corridor as well as a large water right.
About Corvus Gold Inc.
Corvus Gold Inc. is a North American gold
exploration and development company, focused on its near-term
gold-silver mining project at the North Bullfrog and Mother Lode
Districts in Nevada. Corvus is committed to building shareholder
value through new discoveries, expansion of its projects and the
production of gold to maximize share price leverage in an advancing
gold and silver market.
On behalf ofCorvus Gold
Inc.
(signed) Jeffrey A. PontiusJeffrey A.
Pontius,President & Chief Executive Officer
Contact
Information: |
Ryan Ko |
|
Investor Relations |
|
Email: info@corvusgold.com |
|
Phone: 1-844-638-3246 (toll free) or (604) 638-3246 |
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking
statements and forward-looking information (collectively,
“forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable
Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than
statements of historical fact, included herein including, without
limitation, statements regarding the economics and project
parameters presented in the PEA, including, without limitation,
IRR, all-in sustaining capital costs (AISC), NPV and other costs
and economic information, possible events, conditions or financial
performance that is based on assumptions about future economic
conditions and courses of action; potential expansion of the
deposit; the rapid and effective capture of the potential of our
Mother Lode project; the potential for new deposits and expected
increases in the system’s potential; anticipated content,
commencement and cost of exploration programs; anticipated
exploration program results and expansion of existing programs; the
discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves;
the potential to discover additional high grade veins or additional
deposits; the growth potential of the Mother Lode and North
Bullfrog projects; and the potential for any mining or production
at the Mother Lode and North Bullfrog projects, are forward-looking
statements. Information concerning mineral resource estimates may
be deemed to be forward-looking statements in that it reflects a
prediction of the mineralization that would be encountered if a
mineral deposit were developed and mined. Although the Company
believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no
assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such
as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and
similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to
future events. The Company cautions investors that any
forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of
future results or performance, and that actual results may differ
materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of
various factors, including, but not limited to, variations in the
nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be
located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the
Company may produce or plan to produce, the Company's inability to
obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required
for its activities, the Company's inability to produce minerals
from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its
projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully
able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and
uncertainties disclosed in the Company’s 2019 Annual Information
Form and latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis filed
with certain securities commissions in Canada and the Company’s
most recent filings with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “SEC”). The Company does not undertake to update
any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with
applicable securities laws. All of the Company’s Canadian public
disclosure filings in Canada may be accessed via www.sedar.com and
filings with the SEC may be accessed via www.sec.gov and readers
are urged to review these materials, including the technical
reports filed with respect to the Company’s mineral properties.
Non-IFRS Measures
The Company has included certain non-IFRS
performance measures as detailed below. In the gold mining
industry, these are common performance measures but may not be
comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The
Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures
prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this
information to evaluate the Company’s performance and ability to
generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide
additional information and should not be considered in isolation or
as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance
with IFRS.
Cash Costs per Ounce of Gold – The Company
calculates cash costs per ounce by dividing operating expenses per
the consolidated statement of operations, net of silver sales
by-product revenue, by the gold ounces sold during the applicable
period. Operating expenses include mine site operating costs such
as mining, processing and administration as well as royalties,
however excludes depletion and depreciation and rehabilitation
costs.
Sustaining Costs or AISC – The Company defines
sustaining costs as the sum of operating cash costs (per above),
sustaining capital (capital required to maintain current operations
at existing levels), corporate administration costs, sustaining
exploration, and rehabilitation accretion and amortization related
to current operations. Sustaining costs excludes capital
expenditures for significant improvements at existing operations
deemed to be expansionary in nature, exploration and evaluation
related to growth projects, financing costs, debt repayments, and
taxes.
Cautionary Note to US
Investors
NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian
Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all
public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical
information concerning mineral projects. Unless otherwise
indicated, all resource estimates contained in or incorporated by
reference in this press release have been prepared in accordance
with NI 43-101 and the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute
of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the “CIM”) Standards on
Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council
on November 14, 2004 (the “CIM Standards”) as they may be amended
from time to time by the CIM.
United States investors are cautioned that the
requirements and terminology of NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards
differ significantly from the requirements and terminology of the
SEC set forth in the SEC’s Industry Guide 7 (“SEC Industry Guide
7”). Accordingly, the Company’s disclosures regarding
mineralization may not be comparable to similar information
disclosed by companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Without
limiting the foregoing, while the terms “mineral resources”,
“inferred mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources” and
“measured mineral resources” are recognized and required by NI
43-101 and the CIM Standards, they are not recognized by the SEC
and are not permitted to be used in documents filed with the SEC by
companies subject to SEC Industry Guide 7. Mineral resources which
are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic
viability, and US investors are cautioned not to assume that all or
any part of a mineral resource will ever be converted into
reserves. Further, inferred resources have a great amount of
uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be
mined legally or economically. It cannot be assumed that all or any
part of the inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher
resource category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred
mineral resources may not form the basis of a feasibility study or
prefeasibility study, except in rare cases. The SEC normally only
permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute
SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant “reserves” as in-place tonnage and
grade without reference to unit amounts. The term “contained
ounces” is not permitted under the rules of SEC Industry Guide 7.
In addition, the NI 43-101 and CIM Standards definition of a
“reserve” differs from the definition in SEC Industry Guide 7. In
SEC Industry Guide 7, a mineral reserve is defined as a part of a
mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted
or produced at the time the mineral reserve determination is made,
and a “final” or “bankable” feasibility study is required to report
reserves, the three-year historical price is used in any reserve or
cash flow analysis of designated reserves and the primary
environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate
governmental authority. The mine economics presented herein and
derived from the PEA are preliminary in nature and may not be
realized. The PEA is not a feasibility study. U.S. investors are
urged to consider closely the disclosure in our latest reports and
registration statements filed with the SEC. You can review and
obtain copies of these filings at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
U.S. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any defined
resource will ever be converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant
reserves.
This press release is not, and is not to be
construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the
United States.
Corvus Gold (TSX:KOR)
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Corvus Gold (TSX:KOR)
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