Rupert Resources Ltd (“Rupert” or the “Company”) is pleased to
announce results from its Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA” or
“study”) for the Company’s 100% owned Rupert Lapland Project, (“the
Project”) including our flagship Ikkari gold discovery and
Pahtavaara mine and mill located in Northern Finland.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221128005144/en/
Figure 1. Project production profile
(Graphic: Business Wire)
{All figures are in US$ unless otherwise noted}
PEA Highlights:
- High-confidence, de-risked resource: Flagship Ikkari
deposit’s updated Mineral Resource Estimate upgrades 84% of ounces
to the Indicated resource category, and defines a cohesive deposit
with broad intervals of consistent high-grade gold.
- Phased mine plan optimizing near-term cash flow:
Open-pit operation at Ikkari in first 11 years, transitioning to
Ikkari underground (years 10-23) and Pahtavaara concentrate (years
12 to 24).
- Robust returns and fast-track to payback: After-tax Net
Present Value (“NPV”) (5% discount) of $1.6 billion with unlevered
Internal Rate of Return (“IRR”) of 46% and payback after only two
years, assuming a gold price of $1,650 per troy ounce (“oz”).
- Long life: 22-year life of mine (“LOM”) includes
recovered gold of 4.25 million ounces with average annual
production of 200,000 ounces. Open pit operation is expected to
support average annual production of 220,000 ounces in years one to
11.
- High margin production profile: Expected lowest quartile
all-in sustaining cost (“AISC”) of $759/oz over LOM, and $596/oz
during open-pit operation. Low sensitivity to cut-off grade and low
initial strip ratio.
James Withall, CEO of Rupert Resources, commented:
“This PEA study indicates exceptionally high-margin and
meaningful returns on a robust project. The results are a testament
to both the quality of the asset and our technical team. In only
three years, we’ve gone from discovery hole to a preliminary study
outlining an after-tax NPV of $1.6 billion, anchored by Ikkari.
What excites us is that we still have room to grow at Ikkari and
other satellite targets that we will be drill testing this winter.
We have a real opportunity to not only advance Ikkari as outlined
in our PEA, but systematically develop a cornerstone asset in a
significant new gold camp over time.”
Study team and cautionary statement
The PEA study team was led by Tetra Tech, a global provider of
consulting and engineering services for mining projects. Tetra Tech
was supported by International Resource Solutions Pty Ltd (resource
estimation), Axe Valley Mining Consultants Ltd (mining), SRK Ltd
(geotechnical and hydrological studies), Grinding Solutions Ltd
(metallurgy), Paterson & Cook (tailings) and Envineer Oy
(environmental studies).
The Mineral Resource estimate included in the PEA is reported
according to the classification criteria set out in the Canadian
Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards
for Mineral Resources and Reserves (“CIM Definition Standards”).
These standards are internationally recognized and allow the reader
to compare the Mineral Resource with that reported for similar
projects.
The results of the PEA will be set forth in an independent
technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument
43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”)
which will be filed on SEDAR under the Company’s profile within 45
days of the date of this news release.
Readers are cautioned that the PEA summarized in this press
release is intended to provide only an initial high-level review of
the project potential and that the PEA is preliminary in nature and
is intended to provide an initial assessment of the project’s
economic potential and development options. The PEA mine schedule
and economic assessment includes numerous assumptions and is based
on both Indicated and Inferred mineral resources. Inferred
resources 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 project economic assessments described herein will be achieved
or that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral Resources are not
Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Additional exploration will be required to potentially upgrade the
classification of the Inferred Mineral Resources to be considered
in future advanced studies.
Summary
Table 1. Project production summary
Years 1 to 11
LOM (22 years)
Milled tonnes
Million tonnes
37.9
71.6
Mill throughput
Million tonnes per annum
3.5
3.5
Strip ratio
Waste : Ore
3.6
4.6
Average processed grade
Grams per tonne (gold)
2.1
1.9
Average metallurgical
recovery
%
95
95
Average annual gold
production
000 troy ounces
220
200
Recovered gold
Million troy ounces
2.4
4.2
Total Cash Cost
$ / troy ounce
501
667
Sustaining capital
$ / troy ounce
95
93
All in Sustaining Cost (AISC)
$ / troy ounce
596
759
As per the World Gold guidance (Gold All in Sustaining Costs |
Gold AISC | World Gold Council), the objective of the all-in
sustaining costs (“AISC”) metric is to provide key stakeholders
(i.e. management, shareholders, governments, local communities,
etc.) with comparable metrics that reflect as close as possible the
full cost of producing and selling an ounce of gold, and which are
fully and transparently reconcilable back to amounts reported under
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) as published by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB” also referred to
as “US GAAP”) or the International Accounting Standards Board
(“IASB” also referred to as “IFRS”). AISC and AIC are non-GAAP
metrics subject to regulatory and disclosure requirements of the
various jurisdictions applicable to the reporting company.
Table 2. Project economics
Life of mine
Years
22
Net Present Value (5% discount
rate)
USD million
1,600
Internal rate of return
(unlevered)
%
46
Payback
Years
2.0
Capital expenditure (Initial)
USD million
405
Capital expenditure
(Sustaining)
USD million
395
Revenue
USD million
6,955
Operating cost
USD million
2,775
Free cash (after tax)
USD million
2,710
Table 3. Project operating cost
Life of mine operating
cost
USD / tonne milled
USD / oz
Mining
18.1
333
Water treatment
1.4
26
Concentrate freight
0.1
2
Processing
10.9
204
Tailings
1.6
28
Closure fund
0.8
15
G&A
2.4
44
Freight/Refining
0.1
3
Royalty
0.7
12
Total Cash Costs
36.1
667
Table 4. Project capital costs
Initial capex
USD millions
Mining o/p pre-production
16.6
Process Plant
131.0
Civils and infrastructure
29.5
Water treatment
96.4
Tailings
20.4
First fills & spares
10.0
Owner’s Costs
20.0
Closure bond
37.2
Contingency
43.5
Total initial capex
404.6
Sustaining capex
USD millions
Pahtavaara initial capex
41.0
Underground mining
178.8
Water treatment
34.0
Tailings & waste dump
34.9
Plant sustaining
101.0
Pahtavaara closure bond
5.0
Total
394.7
Table 5. Model inputs
Assumption
Unit
Value
Gold price
USD / troy ounce
1650
Exchange rate
EUR / USD
1:1
Corporate tax rate
%
20
Mining
- 11 year open pit operation at Ikkari, followed by an 11 year
underground operation
- ROM feed supplemented by Pahtavaara 11g/t Au concentrate from
year 12
- Low initial strip ratio of 1.6, 3.6 average over life of Ikkari
open pit.
The PEA considers that Ikkari will be initially developed as an
open pit with a target production rate of 3.5 Mtpa of plant feed.
As the open pit reaches the end of its life (after 11 years) the
underground development will be completed so that the underground
operation can continue as the open pit is depleted. The transition
point between open pit and underground operations was determined by
operating costs as well as the limitation of the current
exploration permit boundary. Open pit mining at Ikkari is expected
to utilise a conventional shovel and truck configuration (140 tonne
medium sized haul trucks matched with 300 tonne hydraulic
excavators). Underground mining at Ikkari was modelled assuming the
sub-level caving method. The mine at Pahtavaara will be
re-developed as an open pit and underground mine (employing the
long hole open stoping method) to produce a high-grade concentrate
which will then be hauled by road to the Ikkari plant for final
processing.
Table 6. PEA Ikkari open pit strip ratios
OP stage
Strip ratio (waste :
ore)
1
1.6
2
2.7
3a
5
3b
5.5
Total
3.6
Metallurgy and processing
- 3.5Mtpa mill capacity with conventional flow sheet
- Testwork supports overall recovery of 95%
- P80 grind size of 175 micron and grinding energy of 15.5kwh/t
indicating ore is moderately hard
A new plant was envisaged by the study to process 3.5Mtpa of
run-of-mine (ROM) ore from the Ikkari open pit and underground at
an average grade of 1.82g/t Au (including processing low grade
stockpiles towards the end of life of mine). Testwork showed the
gold at Ikkari is non-refractory and occurs in the native form or
associated with pyrite. The process considered comprises crushing
and grinding to reduce the RoM material to a characteristic grind
(P80) of 175 microns (µ), and a gravity circuit to recover the
native gold. The pyrite associated gold will be recovered by
flotation and fed, with the re-pulped concentrate from Pahtavaara,
into the leach circuit where lime and cyanide are added in the
presence of air to extract the gold. The gold will be then
recovered in an adsorption, desorption, and recovery (ADR) circuit.
The leach tails will be treated to remove cyanide and filtered for
co-disposal with waste rock. The liquor recovered from the
filtration is treated prior to re-use. See flowsheet (Figure
4).
The Pahtavaara ROM ore would be processed through a 0.5Mtpa
gravity and flotation concentration facility that is envisaged to
be expanded to 0.75Mtpa after 7 years of operation. The resulting
high-grade concentrate product would be fed in to the Ikkari CIL
circuit for gold recovery to dore.
Access and infrastructure
- All infrastructure located on 100% Rupert held property
- Co-disposal of waste rock and tailings
- Access to renewable power
Access
Ikkari is well supported by existing infrastructure and is
accessed by tarmac and a 5km gravel road from the towns of Kittilä
(50km west) and Sodankylä (40km east) both of which provide support
services and labour to two existing mines in the area.
Co-disposal of mine waste and tailings
Mine waste and tailings are planned to be combined and disposed
of together to increase physical and chemical stability of the
waste. Initial studies suggest that the potential for acid
generation could be significantly reduced by the buffering effect
on acid solutions by carbonates present in the Ikkari rock and lime
in the leach tails. Detailed waste material characterisation
studies are underway for optimization of the long-term storage
facility design parameters for construction, operation and eventual
closure.
Hydrogeology & Water treatment
Initial hydrogeological studies have been undertaken at the
Ikkari project site to formulate a management plan. To reduce
contact water, surface water flows will be diverted where possible
to avoid the open pit, plant site and waste facilities and a series
of dewatering bores would be installed to reduce water flows into
the mining operation. All water that comes in contact with the
operation will be collected in lined storage dam structures and
treated in a water treatment facility to remove potential
contaminants before discharge via pipelines to nearby water
courses. Further hydrogeological studies are being undertaken as
part of data collection for future studies.
The plant design envisages water to be recirculated within the
plant to minimize water consumption with water recovered from the
cyanide destruction filtration to be treated in the water treatment
area. Treated water is to be used for the re-pulping of the
Pahtavaara concentrate and for reagent make-up. Brine produced by
the water treatment plant will be added to the cyanide destruction
tailings.
Power
A 220kV power transformer substation is located 9km from Ikkari
that can be used as a connection point to the national grid for a
110 kV power line to the Ikkari minesite. A power surplus is
envisaged in Lapland towards the end of the decade, with a
significant contribution expected from renewables.
Permitting & Stakeholder Engagement
Rupert Resources has been pro-actively engaged in baseline data
collection and stakeholder engagement since 2018. The base case PEA
presented here is one of three potential development options that
will be the subject of the environmental impact assessment program
(“EIA Program”) that will be presented to all relevant authorities
in the next month and presented for feedback at public meetings
expected to occur in early 2023. On completion of the EIA Program
work and the planned project Pre-Feasibility Study, the results
will be presented in the project Environmental Impact Assessment
document that will form the basis on which an environmental permit
application is submitted. Rupert has also begun a parallel program
of land use planning with the local and regional authorities and
has also set up a stakeholder co-operation group that will have the
opportunity to comment and give opinions and feedback during the
EIA process.
Resource
The updated Ikkari Mineral Resource Estimate is based on 73,000
metres of drilling to April 2022. The Mineral Resource Estimate
maintains the 2.5g/t average grade initially reported in the
September 2021 maiden Mineral Resource Estimate and upgrades 84% of
the resource to the Indicated category. Ikkari’s 100%-owned,
mineral resource is now reported to include 46.4 million tonnes
(Mt”) at 2.5 grams per tonne gold (“g/t Au”) for 3.68 million
Indicated ounces and 11.8 Mt at 1.9 g/t Au for 710,000 Inferred
ounces.
The consolidated global resource includes Ikkari, Pahtavaara and
a maiden gold Mineral Resource Estimate from Heinä Central. The
Heinä Central resource is not included in the PEA mining inventory.
Our global consolidated resource now comprises 48.3 Mt at 2.5g/t Au
for 3.86 million ounces in the Indicated category and 20Mt at
1.9g/t Au for 1.26 million Inferred ounces (see table 7).
Upside and optimisation
The PEA results provide a high-level initial estimate of the
potential economic value of the mineral resources discovered to
date. As per the press release dated 19 September, 2022, Rupert’s
extensive exploration programmes continue with 72,800m of drilling
planned for 2022/23 drill season. 70% of the drilling is allocated
for Ikkari and nearby satellites and 30% to regional programmes.
The near-term aim is to identify potential mineralisation that
should be considered in the next level of engineering study and any
future development scenario planning.
Work programmes either already underway or to be completed over
the coming year also include condemnation drilling, auger drilling
to better define the bedrock-till interface, soil testing, expanded
geotechnical data collection for pit slope and underground mine
optimisation, waste characterisation testwork, stage 4
metallurgical testwork, stage 2 hydrogeological studies and
completion of our third continuous year of extensive environmental
surveys.
Table 7. Rupert Lapland Project consolidated
resources
Classification
Target Area
Mining Method
Cut-off Au (g/t)
Tonnage (Mt)
Gold grade
Gold contained
Au (g/t)
Kg
Ounces
Indicated
Open Pit
0.5
30,000,000
2.5
75,000
2,400,000
Ikkari
Underground
1.0
16,500,000
2.4
40,000
1,280,000
Total
46,400,000
2.5
110,000
3,680,000
Open Pit
0.5
900,000
2.2
1,900
60,000
Pahtavaara
Underground
1.5
1,000,000
3.7
3,700
120,000
Total
1,900,000
3.0
5,600
180,000
Indicated Total
48,300,000
2.5
120,000
3,860,000
Inferred
Open Pit
0.5
3,100,000
1.5
4,800
150,000
Ikkari
Underground
1.0
8,700,000
2.0
17,000
550,000
Total
11,800,000
1.9
22,000
710,000
Pahtavaara
Open Pit
0.5
3,700,000
1.6
5,900
190,000
Underground
1.5
2,200,000
3.1
6,800
220,000
Total
5,900,000
2.1
13,000
410,000
Heinä Central (not included in
mining inventory)
Open Pit
0.5
2,200,000
1.7
3,800
120,000
Underground
1.2
400,000
2.1
900
30,000
Total
2,700,000
1.8
4,700
150,000
Inferred Total
20,400,000
1.9
39,000
1,260,000
November 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment and resource
estimate for the Ikkari and Pahtavaara Projects.
The Mineral Resource estimate included in the Preliminary
Economic Assessment (“Study” or “PEA” is reported according to the
classification criteria set out in the Canadian Institute of
Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral
Resources and Reserves (“CIM Definition Standards”). These
standards are internationally recognized and allow the reader to
compare the Mineral Resource with that reported for similar
projects. The results of the PEA will be set forth in an
independent technical report prepared in accordance with National
Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI
43-101”) which will be filed on SEDAR under the Company’s profile
within 45 days of the date of this news release. Readers are
cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature and is intended to
provide an initial assessment of the project’s economic potential
and development options. The PEA mine schedule and economic
assessment includes numerous assumptions and is based on both
Indicated and Inferred mineral resources. Inferred resources 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 results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral
reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Additional exploration will be required to potentially upgrade the
classification of the inferred mineral resources to be considered
in future advanced studies. The Mineral Resource estimate for the
Project is reported in accordance with National Instrument 43-101
(“NI 43-101”) and has been estimated using the Canadian Institute
of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (“CIM”) “Estimation of Mineral
Resources and Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines”. The
Mineral Resource estimates for Ikkari and Pahtavaara were
calculated using the multiple indicator kriging method (MIK) and
are classified as a combination of Indicated and Inferred as
defined by the CIM. The Mineral Resource Estimate for Heinä Central
was calculated using ordinary kriging method, and is classified as
Inferred as defined by the CIM, and has not been included in the
mining inventory. Numbers are affected by rounding. For Pahtavaara,
the estimate was reported using cut-offs of 0.5g/t Au for
mineralisation potentially mineable by open pit methods and 1.5g/t
Au for that portion that is potentially extractable by underground
methods, using recoveries of 89%. For Ikkari, the estimate was
reported using cut-offs of 0.5g/t Au for mineralisation potentially
mineable by open pit methods and 1.0g/t Au for that portion that is
potentially extractable by underground methods, using recoveries of
95%. For Heinä Central, the estimate is reported using cut-offs of
0.5g/t Au for mineralisation potentially mineable by open pit
methods and 1.2g/t Au for that portion that is potentially
extractable by underground methods, using recoveries of 78%. All
estimations use a gold price of EUR1650/oz to generate cut-off
grades, recoveries as stated and costs derived from PEA estimates.
Please see Table 8 for Mineral Resources sensitivity to cut off
grade for Ikkari and Pahtavaara.
Table 8a. Ikkari Mineral Resource Estimate Sensitivity
Tables
Classification
Mining Method
Cut-off
Tonnage
Grade
Gold
Au (g/t)
(Mt)
Au (g/t)
Kg
Ounces
Indicated
Open Pit
0.3
33 300 000
2.3
75 900
2 440 000
0.4
31 700 000
2.4
75 300
2 420 000
0.5
30 000 000
2.5
74 500
2 400 000
0.6
28 100 000
2.6
73 500
2 360 000
0.7
26 400 000
2.7
72 400
2 330 000
Underground
0.6
24 700 000
1.9
46 200
1 490 000
0.8
19 900 000
2.2
42 900
1 380 000
1
16 500 000
2.4
39 800
1 280 000
1.2
13 900 000
2.7
37 000
1 190 000
Inferred
Open Pit
0.3
3 900 000
1.3
5 100
160 000
0.4
3 500 000
1.4
5 000
160 000
0.5
3 100 000
1.5
4 800
150 000
0.6
2 700 000
1.7
4 600
150 000
0.7
2 400 000
1.8
4 300
140 000
Underground
0.6
14 900 000
1.5
22 000
710 000
0.8
11 100 000
1.7
19 300
620 000
1
8 700 000
2
17 200
550 000
1.2
6 800 000
2.2
15 100
490 000
Table 8b. Pahtavaara Mineral Resource Estimate Sensitivity
Table
Classification
Mining Method
Cut-off
Tonnage
Grade
Gold
Au (g/t)
(Mt)
Au (g/t)
Kg
Ounces
Indicated
Open Pit
0.3
1 100 000
1.8
2 000
64 000
0.4
1 000 000
2
2 000
63 000
0.5
900 000
2.2
1 900
62 000
0.6
800 000
2.3
1 900
60 000
0.7
700 000
2.5
1 800
59 000
Underground
1
1 500 000
2.8
4 400
140 000
1.5
1 000 000
3.7
3 700
120 000
2
700 000
4.6
3 200
100 000
2.5
500 000
5.5
2 800
90 000
Inferred
Open Pit
0.3
4 700 000
1.3
6 300
200 000
0.4
4 200 000
1.5
6 100
200 000
0.5
3 700 000
1.6
5 900
190 000
0.6
3 300 000
1.7
5 700
180 000
0.7
3 000 000
1.8
5 500
180 000
Underground
1
3 900 000
2.3
8 900
290 000
1.5
2 200 000
3.1
6 800
220 000
2
1 400 000
3.9
5 400
170 000
2.5
900 000
4.8
4 400
140 000
Please refer to Cautionary Note regarding forwards looking
statement for the Mineral Resource cut-off assumptions
Qualified Person Statement
The PEA was prepared by Tetra Tech for Rupert Resources. The
study was managed by EUR ING Andrew Carter BSc, CEng, MIMMM,
MSAIMM, SME Technical Director Coffey Geotechnics Ltd – A Tetra
Tech Company, who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument
43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical
information in this press release. TetraTech have prepared the PEA
according to AACE International Recommended Practice No. 18R-97 to
a Class 4 cost estimate classification. The Mineral Resource
estimates used as a basis for the PEA were prepared by Brian Wolfe,
Principal Consultant, International Resource Solutions Pty Ltd., an
independent qualified person under NI 43-101. Dr Matthew Randall,
BSc, PhD, CEng, MIMMM, Director and Principal Mining Engineer for
Axe Valley Mining Consultants Ltd is the qualified person for the
mining components of the report. Dr Charlie Seabrook, MAIG, RPGeo.
Exploration Manager, is the Qualified Person who supervised the
preparation of the scientific and technical disclosure in this news
release on behalf of Rupert Resources.
About Rupert Resources
Rupert Resources is a gold exploration and development company
listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “RUP.” The
Company is focused on making and advancing discoveries of scale and
quality with high margin and low environmental impact potential.
The Company’s principal focus is Ikkari, a new high quality gold
discovery in Northern Finland. Ikkari is part of the Company’s
“Rupert Lapland Project,” which also includes the Pahtavaara gold
mine, mill, and exploration permits and concessions located in the
Central Lapland Greenstone Belt of Northern Finland (“Pahtavaara”).
The Company also holds a 100% interest in the Surf Inlet Property
in British Columbia, a 100% interest in properties in Central
Finland and a 20% carried participating interest in the Gold Centre
property located adjacent to the Red Lake mine in Ontario.
About Tetra Tech
Tetra Tech is a leading provider of high-end consulting and
engineering services for projects globally. With 21,000 associates
and 450 offices worldwide, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to
complex problems in water, environment, infrastructure, resource
management, energy, and international development. For more
information about Tetra Tech, please visit www.tetratech.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains statements which, other than
statements of historical fact constitute “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws,
including statements with respect to: results of exploration
activities and mineral resources. The words “may”, “would”,
“could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”,
“estimate”, “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to the
Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.
Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based
on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered
reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently
subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and
unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
These factors include the general risks of the mining industry, as
well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the
Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year
ended February 28, 2022 available here. Should one or more of these
risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions
underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual
results may vary materially from those described herein as
intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors
that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ
materially from those described in forward-looking information,
there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results
not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no
assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual
results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Any forward-looking statement
speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may
be required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not
intend, and does not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or results or otherwise.
November 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment and resource
estimate for the Ikkari and Pahtavaara Projects.
The Mineral Resource estimate included in the Preliminary
Economic Assessment (“Study” or “PEA” is reported according to the
clarification criteria set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining,
Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral
Resources and Reserves (“CIM Definition Standards”). These
standards are internationally recognized and allow the reader to
compare the Mineral Resource with that reported for similar
project.
The results of the PEA will be set forth in an independent
technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument
43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”)
which will be filed on SEDAR under the Company’s profile within 45
days of the date of this news release.
Readers are cautioned that the PEA is preliminary in nature and
is intended to provide an initial assessment of the project’s
economic potential and development options. The PEA mine schedule
and economic assessment includes numerous assumptions and is based
on both Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources. Inferred
Resources 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 results will be realized. Mineral Resources are not Mineral
Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Additional exploration will be required to potentially upgrade the
classification of the Inferred Mineral Resources to be considered
in future advanced studies.
The Mineral Resource estimate for the Project is reported in
accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”) and has
been estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy
and Petroleum (“CIM”) “Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral
Reserves Best Practice Guidelines”. The independent and qualified
person for the Mineral Resource Estimates as defined by NI43-101 is
Brian Wolfe, Principal Consultant, International Resource Solutions
Pty Ltd. These are mineral resources not mineral reserves as they
do not have demonstrated economic viability. Results are presented
in situ. Ounce (troy) = metric tonnes x grade / 31.103475.
Calculations used metric units (meters, tonnes, g/t). Any
discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects.
The effective date of the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate for
Ikkari is 28 November 2022. The Mineral Resource Estimate at Ikkari
is calculated using the multiple indicator kriging (MIK) method and
is reported both within a designed open pit and as a potential
underground operation outside that. The Mineral Resource Estimate
at Ikkari is reported using a cutoff grade of 0.5g/t Au for
mineralisation potentially mineable by open pit methods and 1.0g/t
Au for mineralisation potentially extractable by underground
methods. The potential open pit mine and cut off-grade is
calculated using a gold price at $1650 per ounce, 5% mining
dilution, 95% Au recovery. Open pit mining costs at $2.5/t, process
costs at $11.3/t, other costs (including co-disposal, water and
closure) at $4.0/t and G&A, including royalties and refining at
$3.2/t. The calculated cutoff grade is rounded up to 0.5g/t for
reporting. The underground cutoff grade is calculated at
underground mining cost $21.8/t and underground mining dilution at
8% based on sub level caving. The calculated underground cutoff
grade is rounded up to 1.0g/t as the resource is not constrained
within mineable shapes.
The effective date of the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate for
Pahtavaara is 28 November 2022 and the is calculated using the
multiple indicator kriging (MIK) method. The Mineral Resource
Estimate is reported both within a designed open pit and as a
potential underground operation outside that. The Mineral Resource
Estimate at Pahtavaara is reported using a cutoff grade of 0.5g/t
Au for mineralisation potentially mineable by open pit methods and
1.5g/t Au for mineralisation potentially extractable by underground
methods. The potential open pit mine and cut off-grades are
calculated using a gold price at $1650 per ounce, 20% mining
dilution, 89% Au recovery, and a mining cost at $2.6/t. process
cost at $10.2/t (concentration at Pahtavaara and transport to
Ikkari), other costs (including TSF costs and closure) at $1/t and
G&A including royalties and refining at $3.1/t. The calculated
cutoff grade is rounded up to 0.5g/t for reporting. The underground
cutoff grade is calculated at an underground mining cost $49.6/t
and underground mining dilution at 10% based on long hole open
stoping. The calculated underground cutoff grade is rounded up to
1.5g/t for reporting.
The effective date of the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate for
Heinä Central is 28 November 2022 and is calculated using the
ordinary kriging (OK) method. The Mineral Resource Estimate is
reported both within an optimised open pit and as a potential
underground operation outside that. The Mineral Resource Estimate
is reported at a 0.5g/t Au cutoff grade for mineralisation
potentially mineable by open pit methods and at 1.2g/t Au for
mineralisation potentially extractable by underground methods. The
potential open pit mine and cutoff grade are calculated using a
gold price at $1650/oz, 5% mining dilution, 78% Au recovery. Open
pit mining costs at $2.5/t, process costs at $10.01/t (concentrate
production at Heinä and transport to Ikkari), other costs
(including TSF and closure) at $3.20/t and G&A including
royalties and refining at $1.66/t. The calculated open pit cutoff
grade is rounded up to 0.5g/t for reporting. The underground cutoff
grade is calculated at underground mining cost $30/t and
underground mining dilution of 5%. The calculated underground cut
of grade is rounded up to $1.2g/t for reporting. The Heinä Central
deposit also contains potentially recoverable copper. At the 0.5g/t
Au cut-off grade for mineralisation potentially mineable by open
pit methods Heinä Central also contains 12,000 tonnes of in situ
copper. At the 1.2g/t Au cut-off grade for mineralisation
potentially mineable by underground methods, Heinä Central also
contains 1,800 tonnes of in situ copper. No economic value is
applied to the copper content when designing the optimised open pit
or calculating the potential cut-off grade at Heinä Central.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221128005144/en/
James Withall Chief Executive Officer
jwithall@rupertresources.com
Thomas Credland Head of Corporate Development
tcredland@rupertresources.com
Rupert Resources Ltd 82 Richmond Street East, Suite 203,
Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1 Tel: +1 416-304-9004 Web:
http://rupertresources.com/
Rupert Resources (TSX:RUP)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Dez 2024 até Jan 2025
Rupert Resources (TSX:RUP)
Gráfico Histórico do Ativo
De Jan 2024 até Jan 2025