Cartier Resources Inc. (TSX-V: ECR) (“Cartier”) announces that it
has filed on SEDAR the NI 43-101 technical report of the
Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) titled “NI 43-101 Technical
Report and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Chimo Mine and
West Nordeau Gold Deposits, Chimo Mine and East Cadillac
Properties, Quebec, Canada”, prepared in accordance with National
Instrument 43-101 – Standard of Disclosure for Mineral Projects
(“NI 43-101”).
This NI 43-101 compliant report produced by
InnovExplo Inc. for Cartier presents the results of the Preliminary
Economic Assessment (“PEA”) for the Chimo Mine Property and the
West Nordeau Gold Deposits, located along the Larder Lake -
Cadillac fault, 45 km east of Val-d'Or, Quebec, Canada. The report
is available on SEDAR and on the Company's
website.
“The positive results of the study demonstrate
the economic viability* at the PEA-level for the project as well as
several optimization opportunities related to the characteristics
of the Project. Two drills are in operation on the property and the
results continue to increase the size of the gold zones with a view
to continuing to increase the project's resources,” commented
Philippe Cloutier, President and CEO. Adding, that: “strategic
solutions are being studied to further push the development of the
project.”
*: Cautionary Statement - The reader is advised
that the PEA summarized in this news release is intended to provide
only an initial, high-level review of the project potential and
design options. The PEA mine plan and economic model include
numerous assumptions and the use of inferred mineral resources.
Inferred mineral resources are considered to be too speculative to
be used in an economic analysis except as allowed for by NI 43-101
for PEA studies. There is no guarantee that inferred mineral
resources can be converted to indicated or measured mineral
resources, and as such, there is no guarantee the project economics
described herein will be achieved.
The study presents an underground mining
operation with 280 employees that uses conventional longitudinal
and transverse longhole stoping at a mining rate of 4,500 tpd.
Mined mineralized material will be sorted using automated
sensor-based sorting technology with an expected concentration
ratio of 1.85 and a recovery rate of 91.9%.
The sorted mineralized material would then be
processed in a concentrator using a gravity separator followed by a
carbon-in-leach process with a capacity of 3,000 tpd for an
estimated recovery rate of 93.1%. The current plan of operations
assumes an average annual production of 116,900 oz for a mine life
of 9.7 years.
Financial Analysis
The project requires CAD$341M of initial capital
and CAD$160M of sustaining capital. Average cash costs of US$647/oz
and all-in sustaining cost of US$755/oz are expected over the mine
life. The financial analysis was performed using a 5% discount
rate, a long-term gold price of US$1750/oz, and an exchange rate of
CAD$1.00:US$0.77. On a post-tax basis, the project demonstrates an
NPV5% of CAD$388M, an IRR of 20.8% and a payback period of 2.9
years. On a pre-tax basis, the project demonstrates an NPV of
CAD$672M, an IRR of 27.4% and a payback period of 2.5 years.
A summary of project economics is presented in
Table 1.
Table 1: Summary of Project
Economics
Economical Parameters |
|
|
Long term gold price |
(US$) |
1750.00 |
Exchange rate |
(CAD$:US$) |
1.00:0.77 |
Discount rate |
(%) |
5 |
NSR Royalty on Chimo Mine property |
(%) |
1 |
GMR Royalty on West Nordeau property |
(%) |
3 |
Mining Parameters |
|
|
Average grade mined |
(g/t) |
2.7 |
Cut-off grade |
(g/t) |
1.9 |
Mining rate |
(tpd) |
4,500 |
Total tonnage mined |
(Mt) |
15.8 |
Mine life |
(years) |
9.7 |
Processing Parameters |
|
|
Concentration ratio of mineralized material sorted |
- |
1.85 |
Recovery rate of mineralized material sorted |
(%) |
91.9 |
Average grade of sorted mineralized material |
(g/t) |
4.6 |
Processing rate |
(tpd) |
2,400 |
Processing capacity |
(tpd) |
3,000 |
Total tonnage milled |
(Mt) |
8.5 |
Production Parameters |
|
|
Average annual production |
(oz/year) |
116,900 |
Total production |
(oz) |
1,157,710 |
Capital Costs |
|
|
Initial capital |
(CAD$M) |
341 |
Sustaining capital |
(CAD$M) |
160 |
Closure and rehabilitation costs |
(CAD$M) |
3 |
Salvage value |
(CAD$M) |
5 |
Operating Costs |
|
|
Total operating costs |
(CAD$/t milled) |
107 |
Cash Costs |
|
|
Average cash costs |
(US$/oz) |
647 |
Average All-in sustaining cash costs |
(US$/oz) |
755 |
Financial Analysis |
|
|
Pre-tax NPV5% |
(CAD$M) |
672 |
Pre-tax IRR |
(%) |
27.4 |
Pre-tax payback period |
(years) |
2.5 |
Post-tax NPV5% |
(CAD$M) |
388 |
Post-tax IRR |
(%) |
20.8 |
Post-tax payback period |
(years) |
2.9 |
Profitability Index (Post-tax NPV5% / Initial Capital) |
- |
1.14 |
Sensitivity analysis was performed to see the
impact on post-tax 5% NPV and post-tax IRR by variating the gold
price, operating costs, and capital costs. The results of the
sensitivity analysis are presented in Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4,
the base case is highlighted in the tables.
Table 2: Gold Price
Sensitivity
Variation |
Post-Tax NPV5%
(CAD$M) |
Post-Tax IRR (%) |
1,300 |
105 |
9.7 |
1,400 |
169 |
12.4 |
1,500 |
233 |
15.0 |
1,600 |
295 |
17.4 |
1,700 |
357 |
19.7 |
1,750 |
388 |
20.8 |
1,800 |
418 |
21.8 |
1,900 |
479 |
23.9 |
2,000 |
539 |
25.8 |
2,100 |
599 |
27.7 |
2,200 |
658 |
29.5 |
Table 3: Capital Cost
Sensitivity
Variation |
Post-Tax NPV5%
(CAD$M) |
Post-Tax IRR (%) |
-50 |
% |
606 |
42.6 |
-40 |
% |
562 |
36.3 |
-30 |
% |
518 |
31.2 |
-20 |
% |
475 |
27.1 |
-10 |
% |
431 |
23.7 |
0 |
% |
388 |
20.8 |
10 |
% |
344 |
18.2 |
20 |
% |
301 |
15.9 |
30 |
% |
257 |
13.9 |
40 |
% |
213 |
12.0 |
50 |
% |
170 |
10.4 |
Table 4: Operating Cost
Sensitivity
Variation |
Post-Tax NPV5%
(CAD$M) |
Post-Tax IRR (%) |
-50 |
% |
563 |
26.5 |
-40 |
% |
529 |
25.4 |
-30 |
% |
494 |
24.3 |
-20 |
% |
460 |
23.2 |
-10 |
% |
424 |
22.0 |
0 |
% |
388 |
20.8 |
10 |
% |
351 |
19.4 |
20 |
% |
314 |
18.1 |
30 |
% |
276 |
16.7 |
40 |
% |
238 |
15.2 |
50 |
% |
198 |
13.6 |
Mineral ResourcesThe
mineralization of the Chimo Mine Gold System consists of 29 gold
zones that are part of 19 gold structures, themselves grouped into
3 gold corridors. The resources in effect as of August 22, 2022 for
this gold system, combining the resources of the Chimo Mine
property with those of the West Nordeau deposit, are presented
below in Table 5. (FIGURE 1):
Table 5: Mineral Resource Estimate
Gold CorridorCut-off Grade(g/t Au) |
Indicated Resources |
Inferred Resources |
Metric Tonnes(t) |
Grade(g/t Au) |
Troy Ounces(oz Au) |
Metric Tonnes(t) |
Grade(g/t Au) |
Troy Ounces(oz Au) |
North Gold Corridor (>2,0) |
1,119,000 |
3.85 |
139,000 |
1,714,000 |
3.54 |
195,000 |
Central Gold Corridor (>1,5) |
5,565,000 |
2.96 |
529,000 |
14,812,000 |
2.56 |
1,221,000 |
South Gold Corridor (>2,0) |
444,000 |
3.61 |
52,000 |
1,949,000 |
3.47 |
217,000 |
Total |
7,128,000 |
3.14 |
720,000 |
18,475,000 |
2.75 |
1,633,000 |
NI 43-101 Mineral Resources Estimate for Chimo
Mine and West Nordeau Gold Deposits, Québec, Canada, Vincent
Nadeau-Benoit, P.Geo., Alain Carrier, P.Geo., M.Sc. and Marc R.
Beauvais, P.Eng., InnovExplo Inc., August 22nd, 2022.
Additional notes on the resource
estimate
- These mineral resources are not
mineral reserves because their economic viability has not been
demonstrated. The quantity and grade of Inferred Resources reported
in this Mineral Resource Estimate is uncertain in nature and there
can be no assurance that any or all of the Inferred Mineral
Resources can be converted to Indicated Mineral Resources with
further exploration drilling.
- The mineral resource estimate of
complies with the standards and guidelines in effect of the
Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) as
well as the NI 43-101 standard for the publication of mineral
resources.
- The requirement of a reasonable
prospect of eventual economic extraction is met by having a minimum
modeling width for mineralized zones, a cut-off grade based on
reasonable inputs and an economic binding volume that lends itself
to a potential scenario of underground extraction for undiluted
in-situ resources. The constrained volume was achieved with the
Deswik Stope Optimizer (" DSO ") using a minimum mining volume of
10 m in width in the longitudinal orientation of the gold zones, by
10 m in height and 2 m in thickness varying up to a maximum of
25 m x 100 m x 15 m. The
optimization was carried out using the respective cut-off grade of
each of the gold corridors for the indicated and inferred
resources. The results of the DSO were then used for the resource
estimate statement.
- The resource estimate is presented
for potential underground scenarios at a cut-off grade of
2.0 g/t Au for the North and South Gold Corridors and 1.5
g/t Au for the Central Gold Corridor. The cut-off grade reflects
the geometry and actual width of each of the gold corridors. The
cut-off grade was calculated using the following main parameters:
- Gold price of US $ 1,612 / oz;
- Exchange rate of US $ 1.34 / CAD $
per troy ounce;
- Costs relating to the Central Gold
Corridor for:
- Definition drilling of CAD $ 3 / t;
- Development, mining, transport and milling of CAD $ 50.75 /
t;
- Environmental restoration of CAD $ 0.75 / t;
- Costs relating to the North and
South Gold Corridors for:
- Definition drilling of CAD $ 6 / t;
- Development, mining, transport and milling of CAD $ 75.50 / t
;
- Environmental restoration of CAD $ 1.50 / t;
- For the Chimo Mine property (1%
NSR): Triple Flag Precious Metals royalty cost of CAD $ 20.96 /
troy ounce;
- For the West Nordeau deposit (3%
GMR): Globex Mining Enterprises Inc. royalty cost of CAD $ 64.80 /
troy ounce;
- General and administrative costs of
12 $ CAD / t.
- For the Chimo Mine property, the
estimate was carried out on 17 3D solids corresponding to the
structures constituting the Northern Gold Corridor (structures: 1A,
1B, 2, 3 and 4B), South (structures: 6, 6B, 6C, 6P and 6P2) and
Central (structures: 5B, 5B2, 5C, 5M, 5M2, 5N and 6N1) of the Chimo
Mine property whose minimum actual thickness is 2.40 m and the
average thickness is 7.42 m. For the West Nordeau deposit, 8
structures were modeled using a minimum real thickness of 2.4 m,
including 5 structures for the North Gold Corridor and 3 structures
for the Central Gold Corridor. The contents of the samples analyzed
are used when they are available otherwise in the absence of
analytical content, a value of zero is assigned.
- The density value of 2.90 g/cm3 (to
3.10 g/cm3) supported by measurements, was applied to all gold
structures.
- The estimate for the Chimo Mine
property was made from a database made up, as of September 1, 2020,
of 3,658 holes totaling 290,419 m drilled, 18,612 deviation
measurements as well as 81,413 samples analyzed for gold and
collected over a core length of 88,035 m representing 30% of the
core length drilled. This database contains 2,383 blank and
standard samples, inserted for QA/QC by Cartier between November 1,
2016 and September 1, 2020. This database was validated before
starting the resource estimate. The estimate was carried out on 17
mineralized structures, intersected by 67,103 m of drilling, having
produced 8,611 different gold intersections.The estimate of the
West Nordeau deposit was made from a database consisting, as of
July 12, 2022, of 154 drill holes totaling 55,097 m drilled, 6,873
deviation measurements as well as 18,973 samples analyzed for the
gold and collected over a core length of 19,785 m representing 36%
of the core length drilled. This database contains 820 blank and
standard samples, inserted for QA/QC by previous operators: Chalice
Gold Mines Limited and O3 Mining Inc. between March 11, 2017 and
March 17, 2020. This database was validated before starting the
resource estimate. The estimate was carried out on 8 mineralized
structures, intersected by 4,982 m of drilling, having produced 802
different gold intersections.
- High grade capping was carried out
from statistical analysis data at each of the gold structures for
values varying between 30 g/t Au and 120 g/t Au from the grade of
the composites, also using the grade adjacent material or a value
of zero when adjacent material has not been analyzed.
- The underground openings (open or
backfilled-cemented mine sites, drifts, raises and shafts) were
modeled from transverse and longitudinal sections as well as
detailed historical geological and mining plans. Historical
underground production has been subtracted from the resource
estimate.
- The Chimo Mine resource estimate
was performed using GEOVIA GEMS 6.8.2. Software, from capped and
composited analyses, constrained by the modeled structures. The
ordinary kriging method was used to interpolate the block model
composed of blocks of dimension 5.0 m x 5.0 m x 5.0 m. For the West
Nordeau deposit, gold resources were estimated using Leapfrog Edge
v.2021.2.5 software from capped and composite analyses, constrained
by the modeled structures. The ordinary kriging method was used to
interpolate a model with sub-blocks (size of a parent block = 5.0 m
x 5.0 m x 5.0 m).
- The mineral resource estimate
presented here is classified as indicated and inferred resources.
The indicated category is defined by a minimum of 3 drill holes
located within a 25 m radius and the inferred category is defined
by a minimum of 2 drill holes located within a 65 m radius, where
there is reasonable continuity of geology and gold grades.
- Ounce troy is metric tons
multiplied by grade (g/t) and divided by the constant of 31.10348.
The number of tonnes has been rounded to the nearest thousand. Any
discrepancy in the totals is due to rounding effects. The rounding
complies with the recommendations of NI 43-101.
- The qualified persons are not aware
of any problem related to the environment, permits, mining titles
or related to legal, fiscal, socio-political, commercial issues or
any other relevant factor not mentioned in this press release, that
could have a significant impact on the 2022 mineral resource
estimate.
MiningThe PEA presents an
underground mining operation that uses conventional longitudinal
and transverse longhole stoping at a mining rate of 4,500 tpd over
a 9.7-year mine life. A total of 15.8 Mt of mineralized material at
an average grade of 2.7 g/t in will be extracted from four
different mining sectors (FIGURE
2):
- Chimo Mine Main with 44% of ounces
to be mined,
- Chimo Mine Extension (below Chimo
Mine) with 11% of ounces to be mined,
- East Chimo Mine with 31% of ounces
to mine and,
- West Nordeau with 14% of ounces to
be mined.
The different sectors of the mine will be
accessed via ramps and drifts to allow the efficient circulation of
mobile mining equipment and to satisfy ventilation requirements.
The historic three-compartment mineshaft of 914m depth will be
rehabilitated to accommodate the installation of a vertical
conveyor. Mined mineralized material from the upper portions of the
mine will be sent down to the base of the vertical conveyor using
material passes and mined material from the lower portions of the
mine will be hauled using underground diesel trucks to the same
level.
Mineralized material will then be crushed using
a jaw crusher and transported to the surface via the vertical
conveyor before being sorted using sensor-based sorting technology.
Sorted waste will be returned from surface using a network of waste
passes and mixed with cement to be used as backfill.
The mine will be owner-operated, and the mining
fleet will be purchased via a lease financing agreement. Supporting
underground infrastructure includes, one main pumping station, two
ventilation and heating systems and one crushing station.
Processing
Mineralized material from the underground
operation would be sorted using automated industrial sorting
technology based on RGB and XRT sensors before being transported to
the processing plant. The sorter is expected to operate with a
concentration ratio of 1.85 a recovery rate of 91.9%. The flow
sheet (FIGURE 3) selected for the study, is based
on historical metallurgical work which was used in the present
study to estimate the recovery rate estimated at 93.1%. The plant
is expected to process 2,400 tpd on average over the life of mine
but has a processing capacity of 3,000 tpd.
The process plant is a standard carbon-in-leach
(CIL) technology with a gravity concentration for gold recovery.
The plant includes crushing, grinding, gravity concentration,
classification, leach and CIL, and detoxification before deposition
into a tailings storage facility. The diagram of the treatment
process is illustrated in (FIGURE 3).
Infrastructure and TailingsThe
infrastructure includes earthworks, power utilities, water and the
buildings/structures supporting the exploitation of the resource. A
vertical conveyor will be used for primary hoisting of the resource
from underground. It dumps to a run-of-mine stockpile that feeds a
crusher/sorter system that is estimated to reject 45% of the
hoisted material. The rejects are sent underground through a fill
raise and distributed underground for stope support. The upgraded
material is stored in a dome where it becomes feed to the
processing plant. A confinement area will be constructed to
accommodate thickened tailings. FIGURE 4 presents
the proposed site layout for the Chimo Mine project.
Capital and Operating Costs
The project requires CAD$341M of initial capital
as broken down in Table 6 and CAD$160M of sustaining capital.
Closure costs are estimated at CAD$3M with equipment salvage value
estimated at CAD$5M. Operating costs are estimated at CAD$107 per
tonne milled. Average cash costs of US$647/oz and all-in sustaining
cost of US$755/oz are expected over the mine life. The financial
model also includes CAD$25M in working capital requirements.
Table 6: Capital Cost
Breakdown
Item |
Initial Capital (CAD$M) |
Mine development, infrastructure, and equipment |
96.9 |
Processing plant |
112.7 |
Surface infrastructure, environment, and equipment |
92.5 |
Capitalized revenue |
(62.0) |
Capitalized operating cost |
101.1 |
Total |
341.2 |
Conclusions and
Recommendations
The PEA has demonstrated the economic viability*
at the PEA-level for the Chimo Mine Project.
The recommendations describe the work for
continued development of the Project. This work includes
exploration drilling, delineation, and definition of mineralized
zones in order to increase the resources as well as their level of
confidence. Recommendations also include industrial sorting tests
of mineralized material, metallurgical tests, engineering
optimization (trade-off) studies and environmental baseline
characterization work.
Independence and
responsibilities
The PEA was prepared by independent consulting
firms with their respective responsibilities broken down in Table
7.
Table 7: Consulting Firms with
Respective Responsibilities
Consulting Firm |
Area of Responsibility |
InnovExplo Inc. |
- Mineral resource estimate
- Mine design and scheduling
- Mine capital and operating cost
estimates
- G&A cost estimates
- Financial analysis
|
A-Z Mining Professionals Ltd. |
- Surface infrastructure design
- Capital cost estimates
|
Bumigeme Inc. |
- Process plant design
- Process plant capital and operating
cost estimates
|
Responsible Mining Solutions |
- Tailings management facility
design
- Capital cost estimates
|
Qualified Persons
Corporate
The geological information (scientific and
technical in nature) of the Company in this news release was
reviewed by Mr. Gaétan Lavallière, P.Geo., Ph.D, Cartier’s
Vice-President, and Mr. Ronan Déroff, P.Geo, M.Sc., Senior
Geologist, Project Manager and Geomatician, both qualified persons
as defined in NI 43-101. Mr. Lavallière approved the geological
information (scientific and technical in nature) contained in this
press release.
Mineral Resources Estimate
The qualified persons independent of the issuer,
responsible for estimating the mineral resources of the Chimo Mine
property and the Nordeau West deposit (effective as of August 22,
2022), within the meaning of NI 43-101, are Mr. Vincent
Nadeau-Benoit, P.Geo., Alain Carrier P.Geo., M.Sc, and Marc R.
Beauvais from the firm InnovExplo Inc. Mr. Nadeau-Benoit, Carrier
and Beauvais declare that they have read this press release and
that the scientific and technical information relating to the
mineral resources estimate presented therein is correct.
Preliminary Economic Assessment
The qualified persons independent of the issuer,
responsible for the Preliminary Economic Assessment (this Press
Release), within the meaning of NI 43-101, are Mr. Marc R.
Beauvais, P.Eng. of InnovExplo, Mr. Florent Baril of Bumigeme and
Mr. Eric Sellars, P. Eng. de Responsible Mining Solutions. Mr.
Beauvais, Baril and Sellars declare that they have read this press
release and that the scientific and technical information relating
to the resource estimate presented therein is correct.
About CartierCartier Resources
Inc. was founded in 2006 and is an advanced gold project
exploration company based in Val-d’Or. The company’s projects are
all located in Quebec, which has consistently ranked as one of the
world’s best mining jurisdictions. Cartier is advancing the
development of its flagship Chimo Mine Project. The Company has a
strong cash position exceeding $3.5 M and a significant corporate
and institutional endorsement, including Agnico Eagle Mines, O3
Mining and Quebec investment funds.
For more information, please contact:
Philippe Cloutier, P.Geo.President and CEO, Cartier
ResourcesTelephone: 819
856-0512philippe.cloutier@ressourcescartier.comwww.ressourcescartier.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
regulatory services provider accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
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