Alamos Acquires Surface Rights at Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui
Significant Low Cost Production Growth at Mulatos Expected in
2016
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 28, 2014) -
All amounts are in United States dollars, unless otherwise
stated.
Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI)(NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company")
reported that it has reached an agreement to acquire the surface
rights for the Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui satellite deposits at its
Mulatos mine allowing for the start of permitting and development
activities. Closing of the agreement is subject to completion of
due diligence and other customary closing conditions and is
scheduled for the end of June 2014.
"We are very pleased to have successfully negotiated an
agreement to acquire the surface rights for our Cerro Pelon and La
Yaqui satellite deposits. Both deposits exemplify our development
pipeline in that they are economically robust, technically simple,
open pit, heap leach projects that are inexpensive to build and
operate. Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui represent a significant source of
near term, low cost, production growth that we expect will drive
production at Mulatos back to approximately 200,000 ounces per
year, while sharply lowering operating costs. With modest capital
and very low operating costs, we expect these deposits to generate
significant free cash flow," said John A. McCluskey, President and
Chief Executive Officer.
Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui Project Highlights
- Incremental low-cost production starting in 2016
- Combined average production of 33,000 ounces of gold per year
over a combined 5 year mine life with peak annual production of
nearly 50,000 ounces of gold
- Production is additive to Mulatos with Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui
operating with independent crushing circuits and heap leach
pads
- Combined average life of mine total cash costs (including
royalties) below $500 per ounce
- Significantly higher combined mineral reserve grade of 1.6
grams per tonne of gold ("g/t Au"), nearly double the 2014 budget
of 0.85 g/t for open pit, heap leach production
- Modest pre-production capital expenditures of approximately $21
million to construct both projects and minimal sustaining
capital
- Significant exploration potential at Cerro Pelon
Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui are located approximately 3 kilometres
and 7 kilometres (straight line), respectively from the existing
Mulatos operation. The deposits are near surface, highly oxidized
and amenable to open pit, heap leaching. With their combined
mineral reserve grade of 1.6 g/t Au nearly double the 2014 budget,
these projects are expected to significantly lower the overall cost
profile at Mulatos.
Development plan - Initial Production Expected in 2016
The focus over the next 18-24 months will be on permitting and
developing the two deposits with initial production expected in
2016. The near term focus will be on compiling environmental impact
assessments (MIA) for both Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui with approvals
expected in approximately 12-15 months. This will be followed by a
6-8 month construction period at La Yaqui and 8-10 month
construction period at Cerro Pelon. Initial production from La
Yaqui is expected in 2016 followed by Cerro Pelon in 2017. Each
project will operate with stand alone heap leach pads and portable
crushing circuits which will not displace existing throughput
capacity from the main Mulatos crushing circuit and heap leach pad.
Total initial capital to construct both projects is expected to be
approximately $21 million. In conjunction with the completion of
the environmental baseline studies, the Company intends on
performing further detailed economic analysis, including securing
updated input cost quotes.
Mining and Processing
Both Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui will be mined via conventional
open pit methods utilizing traditional drill, blast, loading and
hauling. Ore from Cerro Pelon will be mined and stacked at a
throughput rate of 2,200 tonnes per day ("tpd") over a 4 year mine
life based on current reserves. La Yaqui will be mined and stacked
at a rate of 1,500 tpd over a 3 year mine life based on current
reserves. Contract mining and crushing will be employed at both
operations. Following leaching, the gold-bearing solution will be
processed through independent carbon columns at each project and
the loaded carbon will be transported to the existing Mulatos plant
for final processing. Both deposits are highly oxidized with
initial metallurgical test work demonstrating recoveries above 80%.
The Company is budgeting more conservative average combined life of
mine recoveries of 75%.
Exploration
Given the lack of access, very little exploration activity has
taken place at Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui in recent years.
Additionally, both reserve pits remain based on designs utilizing
an $800 per ounce gold price with Cerro Pelon offering the most
exploration potential through further drilling. Cerro Pelon will be
a focus of exploration efforts in the second half of 2014 and into
2015 with an initial 12,000 metre ("m") drill program planned.
Gold mineralization at Cerro Pelon is primarily controlled by
sub-vertical hydrothermal intrusion breccias. Four distinct breccia
zones have been identified to date; North, South, West and Cliff
Zones. The North and South Zones are well defined by drilling, have
strong silica alteration and contain the bulk of the mineralization
that has been defined to date.
A new review of the geology and controls on mineralization is
underway and this has shown that mineralization is open to the SE
and SW. Exploration drilling in 2014 will therefore target a
possible 200m strike extension to the deposit in a southerly
direction. In addition to this, another 100m of (previously
untested) strike extension between two of the zones themselves will
be drilled. Infill and definition drilling to tightly define all
zones makes up the remainder of the planned 12,000m.
|
|
La Yaqui |
Cerro Pelon |
Combined |
|
|
|
|
|
Initial Production |
|
2016 |
2017 |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Mine Life |
Years |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
Life of Mine Production |
oz Au |
60,000 |
105,400 |
165,400 |
Average Annual Production |
oz Au |
19,800 |
26,100 |
33,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total Ore Mined |
tonnes |
1,574,000 |
2,673,000 |
4,247,000 |
Throughput |
tpa |
550,000 |
800,000 |
- |
Throughput |
tpd |
1,500 |
2,200 |
- |
Waste-to-ore ratio |
|
0.17 |
2.13 |
1.38 |
|
|
|
|
|
Average Grade |
g/t Au |
1.58 |
1.64 |
1.62 |
Recoveries |
% |
75% |
75% |
75% |
|
|
|
|
|
Total Cash Costs |
US$/oz |
$435 |
$525 |
$490 |
|
|
|
|
|
Initial Capital |
US$mm |
$7 |
$14 |
$21 |
About Alamos
Alamos is an established Canadian-based gold producer that owns
and operates the Mulatos Mine in Mexico, and has exploration and
development activities in Mexico, Turkey and the United States. The
Company employs more than 550 people and is committed to the
highest standards of sustainable development. Alamos has
approximately $400 million in cash and cash equivalents, is
debt-free, and unhedged to the price of gold. As of May 27, 2014,
Alamos had 127,357,488 common shares outstanding (139,110,887
shares fully diluted), which are traded on the TSX and NYSE under
the symbol "AGI".
The TSX and NYSE have not reviewed and do not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Cautionary Note
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory
authority has approved or disapproved the information contained
herein. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking
statements". All statements other than statements of historical
fact included in this release, including without limitation
statements regarding forecast gold production, gold grades,
recoveries, waste-to-ore ratios, total cash costs, potential
mineralization and reserves, exploration results, and future plans
and objectives of Alamos, are forward-looking statements that
involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect
to mining and processing of mined ore, achieving projected recovery
rates, anticipated production rates and mine life, operating
efficiencies, costs and expenditures, changes in mineral resources
and conversion of mineral resources to proven and probable
reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of
future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not
yet determinable and assumptions of management.
Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill
results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of
a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that
further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity,
metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed
as a category of mineral resource. A mineral resource that is
classified as "inferred" or "indicated" has a great amount of
uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility.
It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "indicated mineral
resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a
higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume
that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will
ever be converted into proven and probable reserves.
Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect
to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections,
objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but
not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not
expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate",
"plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions,
events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be
taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact
and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements
are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in
the forward-looking statements.
There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will
prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could
differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from Alamos' expectations include, among others, risks
related to international operations, the actual results of current
exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and
changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as
well as future prices of gold and silver, as well as those factors
discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Alamos' Annual
Information Form. Although Alamos has attempted to identify
important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be
as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance
that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements.
Note to U.S. Investors
Alamos prepares its disclosure in accordance with the
requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ
from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Terms relating to
mineral resources in this presentation are defined in accordance
with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for
Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian
Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Standards on Mineral
Resources and Mineral Reserves. The United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC") permits mining companies, in their
filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that
a company can economically and legally extract or produce. Alamos
may use certain terms, such as "measured mineral resources",
"indicated mineral resources", "inferred mineral resources" and
"probable mineral reserves" that the SEC does not recognize (these
terms may be used in this presentation and are included in the
public filings of Alamos, which have been filed with the SEC and
the securities commissions or similar authorities in Canada).
Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures
Note that for purposes of this section, GAAP refers to IFRS. The
Company believes that investors use certain non-GAAP and additional
GAAP measures as indicators to assess gold mining companies. They
are intended to provide additional information and should not be
considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of
performance prepared with GAAP. Non-GAAP and additional GAAP
measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS
and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented
by other companies.
"Cash operating costs per ounce" and "total cash costs per
ounce" as used in this analysis are non-GAAP terms typically used
by gold mining companies to assess the level of gross margin
available to the Company by subtracting these costs from the unit
price realized during the period. These non-GAAP terms are also
used to assess the ability of a mining company to generate cash
flow from operations. There may be some variation in the method of
computation of "cash operating costs per ounce" as determined by
the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context,
"cash operating costs per ounce" reflects the cash operating costs
allocated from in-process and dore inventory associated with ounces
of gold sold in the period. "Cash operating costs per ounce" may
vary from one period to another due to operating efficiencies,
waste-to-ore ratios, grade of ore processed and gold recovery rates
in the period. "Total cash costs per ounce" includes "cash
operating costs per ounce" plus applicable royalties. Cash
operating costs per ounce and total cash costs per ounce are
exclusive of exploration costs.
In conjunction with a non-GAAP initiative being undertaken by
the gold mining industry, the Company adopted an "all-in sustaining
cost per ounce" non-GAAP performance measure in 2013. The Company
believes the measure more fully defines the total costs associated
with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no
standardized meaning. Accordingly, there may be some variation in
the method of computation of "all-in sustaining cost per ounce" as
determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In
this context, "all-in sustaining cost per ounce" reflects total
mining and processing costs, corporate and administrative costs,
exploration costs, sustaining capital, and other operating costs.
Sustaining capital expenditures are expenditures that do not
increase annual gold ounce production at a mine site and excludes
all expenditures at the Company's development projects as well as
certain expenditures at the Company's operating sites that are
deemed expansionary in nature.
Scott K. ParsonsDirector, Investor Relations(416) 368-9932 x
439
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