Discovery Silver Corp. (TSX-V: DSV, OTCQX: DSVSF)
(“Discovery” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its financial
results for the three months ended June 30, 2022 (“Q2 2022”) and
provide a summary of key events for the quarter, and subsequent to
quarter-end. All amounts are presented in Canadian dollars (“C$”)
unless otherwise stated.
Discovery’s flagship project is our 100%-owned
Cordero silver project (“Cordero” or the “Project”) located in
Chihuahua State, Mexico. Following the completion of a Preliminary
Economic Assessment (“PEA”) in 2021 that demonstrated Cordero is a
large-scale, high-margin asset with a long mine life, our focus now
is the delivery of a Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”) on the Project
in the fourth quarter of this year.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM Q2 2022 & SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS:
- Tony Makuch was
appointed to our Board of Directors and subsequently, as our
Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Makuch is a professional
engineer with over 35 years of significant industry and leadership
experience and was most recently Chief Executive Officer of
Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd., a leading senior global gold company with
operations in Ontario and Australia.
- The appointment
of Tony Esplin as Chief Operating Officer; Mr. Esplin has more than
30 years of experience in the mining industry, including over two
decades of executive and senior management roles at Tier 1
operations with Newmont Corporation and Barrick Gold
Corporation.
- Initial results
from the PFS metallurgical testwork program continue to highlight
the exceptional metallurgical performance at Cordero with
recoveries typically ranging from 90-95% for Ag, Pb and Zn from the
tests completed so far. These recoveries were achieved at a very
coarse grind size and with lower reagent consumption than what was
assumed in the 2021 PEA.
- Phase 2 drilling
continues to intercept excellent grades. Recent highlight results
include 337 g/t AgEq over 34 m and 606 g/t AgEq over 18 m below the
PEA pit and 328 g/t AgEq over 46 m and 388 g/t AgEq over 33 m
outside the current resource.
- We significantly
expanded our ESG program last year as highlighted in our 2021
Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) report and we have
established clear goals and objectives in 2022 and beyond to ensure
our ESG efforts remain a key priority.
- Discovery’s
balance sheet remains exceptionally strong with a cash and cash
equivalents balance of $64 million and no debt as at June 30,
2022.
LOOKING AHEAD:Tony Makuch,
Interim CEO, states: “We are very pleased with the excellent
progress we are making on our PFS and we look forward to the
delivery of the study in the fourth quarter of this year. We are
confident the PFS will outline one of the leading development
projects in the industry based on the scale of production,
excellent margins and capital efficiency. The study will be
supported by leading industry consultants and a comprehensive
dataset of close to 300,000 m of drilling and three detailed
metallurgical test programs. Initial results from our most recent
metallurgical testwork program have exceeded expectations with
higher recoveries than what was assumed in our 2021 PEA and were
achieved at significantly lower reagent consumptions.
“Our Phase 2 drilling continues to intercept
excellent grades both within and on the margins outside of the open
pit defined in our 2021 PEA. This will further increase the
confidence in the resource supporting our upcoming PFS and
underscores the potential to expand the size of the open pit. In
addition, our resource expansion drilling in the far northeast
continues to highlight the prospectivity of this part of the
deposit. Our other PFS scopes of work, including process design,
open pit geotechnical and hydrology, also continue to progress
well.
“Our ESG program continues to be a key area of
focus. As outlined in our 2021 ESG report released in July, we
continue to build and strengthen our team and recently made several
key hires including a Sustainability Manager, Environmental
Coordinator and Social Coordinator, all of whom are Mexican
nationals. We also recently completed a Social Baseline Study that
included surveys and interviews with over 2,300 people across 25
stakeholder groups within the local municipalities surrounding the
project. We continue to make significant progress on key government
and international accreditations and remain on track to complete
our Safe Industry and Clean Industry certifications by year end in
addition to the Great Place to Work and Socially Responsible
Enterprise distinctions.
“Our balance sheet remains strong with a current
cash balance of approximately $60 million and no debt. This should
allow us to weather the current market volatility and still
complete all our activities at Cordero in 2022, as well as all
necessary work to advance Cordero to a construction decision
through the completion of a Definitive Feasibility Study following
our PFS.”
REVIEW OF Q2 2022 &
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS:
Phase 2 drilling:Phase 2
drilling commenced in 3Q 2021 and will continue through the
remainder of the year and will be focused on three key areas: (1)
Pre-Feasibility Study drilling consisting of reserve definition and
engineering drilling; (2) resource expansion in the northeast of
the deposit and at depth; and (3) initial drill testing of five
property-wide targets on the Company’s extensive land package.
During the quarter and subsequent to quarter end, we announced
three sets of drill results from this drill program with highlights
outlined as follows.
PFS Drilling – highlight
intercepts targeting the upgrading of resources and the expansion
of the open pit for the PFS include:
-
C21-560 intercepted a high-grade interval immediately below the PEA
pit that returned 18.1 m averaging 606 g/t AgEq
from 230.0 m (234 g/t Ag, 0.15 g/t Au, 3.8% Pb and 6.5% Zn)
-
C21-564 intercepted 33.9 m averaging 337 g/t AgEq
from 622.1 m (95 g/t Ag, 0.21 g/t Au, 1.9% Pb and 4.5% Zn)
approximately 70 m below the PEA pit
-
C21-544 intercepted 60.4 m averaging 122 g/t AgEq
from 115.7 m (45 g/t Ag, 0.07 g/t Au, 0.9% Pb and 1.2% Zn)
approximately 50 m below the PEA pit
Resource Expansion Drilling –
highlight intercepts from outside the resource pit constraint
include:
-
C21-574 intercepted 13.4 m averaging 483 g/t AgEq
from 3.3 m (272 g/t Ag, 0.16 g/t Au, 4.1% Pb and 1.9% Zn) in a
step-out hole approximately 100 m to the northeast of the resource
pit
- C22-605
intercepted 38.6 m averaging 265 g/t AgEq1 from
27.2 m (89 g/t Ag, 0.13 g/t Au, 1.8% Pb and 3.0% Zn) within an area
previously modeled as low grade/waste
-
C22-609, the northeasternmost hole drilled by the Company,
intercepted 33.1 m averaging 150 g/t AgEq1 from
233.7 m (54 g/t Ag, 0.08 g/t Au, 0.5% Pb and 1.3% Zn) and
17.7 m averaging 115 g/t AgEq1 (35 g/t Ag, 0.01
g/t Au, 0.9% Pb and 1.4% Zn) from 198.2 m
-
C22-610 intercepted 32.6 m averaging 388 g/t AgEq1
(115 g/t Ag, 0.05 g/t Au, 3.7% Pb and 4.1% Zn) from 226.6 m,
including 17.8 m averaging 660 g/t AgEq1 (187 g/t
Ag, 0.05 g/t Au, 6.5% Pb and 7.2% Zn); the intercept was more than
700 m outside the current resource and approximately 180 m below
historic workings at surface
For further details on the drill results noted
above refer to our news releases dated May 13 and July 13, 2022.
Supporting Technical Disclosure for drill results can be found at
the end of this release
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA:The
following selected financial data is summarized from the Company’s
unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and
related notes thereto for the three months ended June 30, 2022 (the
“Interim Financial Statements”), and the Management’s Discussion
and Analysis for the three months ended June 30, 2022
(“MD&A”).
A copy of the Financial Statements and MD&A
is available at www.discoverysilver.com or on SEDAR
at www.sedar.com.
Net loss |
Q2 2022 |
Q2 2021 |
(a) Total |
$ |
(11,986,331 |
) |
$ |
(8,709,519 |
) |
(b) basic and diluted per share |
$ |
(0.04 |
) |
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
Net loss & total comprehensive loss |
$ |
(12,055,084 |
) |
$ |
(8,736,684 |
) |
Total weighted average shares outstanding |
|
338,750,309 |
|
|
324,892,666 |
|
|
June 30, 2022 |
December 31, 2021 |
Cash, cash equivalents & short-term investments |
$ |
63,610,036 |
$ |
69,748,652 |
Total assets |
$ |
101,782,302 |
$ |
107,790,755 |
Total current liabilities |
$ |
2,536,304 |
$ |
1,704,530 |
Total liabilities |
$ |
2,536,304 |
$ |
1,704,530 |
Working capital |
$ |
62,521,439 |
$ |
69,611,661 |
Total Shareholders’ equity |
$ |
99,245,998 |
$ |
106,086,225 |
About DiscoveryDiscovery’s
flagship project is its 100%-owned Cordero project, one of the
world’s largest silver deposits. The PEA completed in November 2021
demonstrates that Cordero has the potential to be developed into a
highly capital efficient mine that offers the combination of
margin, size and scaleability. Cordero is located close to
infrastructure in a prolific mining belt in Chihuahua State,
Mexico.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,Tony
Makuch, P.EngInterim CEO
For further information contact:
Forbes Gemmell, CFAVP Corporate
Development Phone: 416-613-9410Email:
forbes.gemmell@discoverysilver.comWebsite:
www.discoverysilver.com
TECHNICAL NOTES &
REFERENCES:Drill results: all drill
results in this news release are rounded. Assays are uncut and
undiluted. Widths are drilled widths, not true widths, as a full
interpretation of the actual orientation of mineralization is not
complete. As a guideline, intervals with disseminated
mineralization were chosen based on a 25 g/t AgEq cutoff with no
more than 10 m of dilution. AgEq calculations are used as the basis
for total metal content calculations given Ag is the dominant metal
constituent as a percentage of AgEq value in approximately 70% of
the Company’s mineralized intercepts. AgEq calculations for
reported drill results are based on USD $22.00/oz Ag, $1,600/oz Au,
$1.00/lb Pb, $1.20/lb Zn. The calculations assume 100%
metallurgical recovery and are indicative of gross in-situ metal
value at the indicated metal prices. Refer to notes below for
metallurgical recoveries assumed in the 2021 PEA completed on
Cordero.
Sample
analysis and
QA/QC Program: True widths of
reported drill intercepts have not been determined. Assays are
uncut except where indicated. All core assays are from HQ drill
core unless stated otherwise. Drill core is logged and sampled in a
secure core storage facility located at the project site 40km north
of the city of Parral. Core samples from the program are cut in
half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to ALS
Geochemistry-Mexico for preparation in Chihuahua City, Mexico, and
subsequently pulps are sent to ALS Vancouver, Canada, which is an
accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. All samples
are prepared using a method whereby the entire sample is crushed to
70% passing -2mm, a split of 250g is taken and pulverized to better
than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are analyzed for gold using
standard Fire Assay-AAS techniques (Au-AA24) from a 50g pulp. Over
limits are analyzed by fire assay and gravimetric finish. Samples
are also analyzed using thirty three-element inductively coupled
plasma method (“ME-ICP61”). Over limit sample values are re-assayed
for: (1) values of zinc > 1%; (2) values of lead > 1%; and
(3) values of silver > 100 g/t. Samples are re-assayed using the
ME-OG62 (high-grade material ICP-AES) analytical package. For
values of silver greater than 1,500 g/t, samples are re-assayed
using the Ag-CON01 analytical method, a standard 30 g fire assay
with gravimetric finish. Certified standards and blanks are
routinely inserted into all sample shipments to ensure integrity of
the assay process. Selected samples are chosen for duplicate assay
from the coarse reject and pulps of the original sample. No QAQC
issues were noted with the results reported herein.
Qualified
Person: Gernot Wober, P.Geo, VP Exploration,
Discovery Silver Corp., is the Company's designated Qualified
Person for this news release within the meaning of National
Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI
43-101”) and has reviewed and validated that the information
contained in this news release is accurate.
Technical Report: The most
recent technical report for the Cordero Project is the 2021
Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). The PEA was completed by
Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc. with support from AGP Mining
Consultants Inc. and Knight Piésold and Co. (USA). The full
technical report supporting the PEA is available on Discovery’s
website and on SEDAR under Discovery Silver Corp.
The PEA assumed average life-of-mine recovery
assumptions for sulphide material of 84% for Ag, 19% for Au, 86%
for Pb and 85% for Zn. The PEA assumed oxide recovery assumptions
of 56% for Ag and 63% for Au for crushed feed and 36% for Ag and
35% for Au for uncrushed ROM feed.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of
this release.
This news release is not for distribution to United States
newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.
This news release does not constitute an offer
to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any
sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such
offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the
securities in the United States of America. The securities have not
been and will not be registered under the United States Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) or any state securities
laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to,
or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in
Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933
Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such
registration requirements is available.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
StatementsThis news release may include forward-looking statements
that are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. All
statements within this news release, other than statements of
historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although
Discovery believes the expectations expressed in such
forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions,
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual
results or developments may differ materially from those described
in forward-looking statements. Such statements include but are not
limited to: the timeline for the execution and completion of the
Phase 2 drill program including the impacts and benefits; the
timeline and anticipated results to be included in the Resource
update including the impact and benefits; the timeline and
anticipated results to be included in the Preliminary Economic
Assessment including the impact and benefits; Factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements include fluctuations in market prices,
including metal prices, continued availability of capital and
financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.
There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate
and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation
of such uncertainties. Discovery does not assume any obligation to
update any forward-looking statements except as required under
applicable laws. For a detailed discussion on the risks faced by
the Company, refer to the documents incorporated by reference
herein, the Company’s MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2021
and the Company’s 2021 Annual Information Form available on the
Company’s website at www.discoverysilver.com or under Discovery’s
profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
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