ENDEAVOUR ACHIEVES FIRST GOLD POUR AT
LAFIGUÉ MINE IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Constructed in only 21 months · Delivered on
budget and ahead of schedule · Investment phase completed
HIGHLIGHTS:
- First gold pour at the
Lafigué mine achieved on budget and ahead of
schedule, only 21 months after construction launch
- Commercial production and
subsequent ramp-up to nameplate plant capacity of 4.0Mtpa expected
to be achieved in Q3-2024
- Over 17.8Mt of total
material moved since Q4-2023 with over 1.8Mt of ore at 1.37g/t
totalling over 80koz mined and stockpiled ahead of the processing
plant ramp-up
- Lafigué is expected to
produce between 90-110koz of gold at a sector leading AISC of
between $900-975/oz in FY-2024, with production increasing to
approximately 200koz in FY-2025
- The Lafigué mine is the
fifth project Endeavour has built in West Africa in the last ten
years, all of which have been delivered on budget and on or ahead
of schedule, in two years or less
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Abidjan, 2 July
2024 – Endeavour Mining plc (LSE:EDV, TSX:EDV,
OTCQX:EDVMF) (“Endeavour”, the “Group” or the “Company”) is pleased
to announce that the first gold pour from the Lafigué mine in Côte
d’Ivoire was achieved on 28 June 2024, marking the successful
delivery of the project construction on budget and a quarter ahead
of schedule.
Ian Cockerill, CEO, commented “We are proud to
have achieved our first gold pour at Lafigué, which, alongside the
first gold pour at the Sabodala-Massawa BIOX® expansion that we
achieved in April, marks the successful completion of the recent
phase of investment and growth that we started in Q2-2022. We now
begin a new phase of increased free cash flow generation,
de-levering and enhanced shareholder returns.
The Lafigué project is the fifth project that we
have successfully built in West Africa in the last decade, which is
a testament to the strength of our in-house project construction
team and is a demonstration of our competitive advantage in West
Africa, the world’s most prospective and largest gold producing
region.
Lafigué is an excellent example of our ability
to leverage this advantage by self-generating a project pipeline.
We discovered Lafigué for a cost of $31 million, equivalent to an
industry-low discovery cost of just $12 per ounce of M&I
resources. The project was quickly advanced through technical
studies and permitting, before construction was launched in
Q4-2022, and first gold was delivered only 21 months later for a
low capital intensity of approximately $150/oz of M&I
resources. In less than eight years we have transformed Lafigué
from a discovery to production, creating a cornerstone asset that
has the potential to produce over 200koz per year, at an industry
leading all-in sustaining cost of approximately $900/oz for at
least 13 years, improving the quality of our existing
portfolio.
We believe this level of value creation is
repeatable in West Africa, and we have already identified the
Assafou deposit on the Tanda-Iguela property in Côte d’Ivoire,
where we have delineated a top tier resource and another potential
cornerstone asset, which will underpin our next phase of organic
growth in a few years time.
With the current phase of organic growth
completed, we are now focused on quickly ramping up our recent
development projects to maximise their returns and support our
near-term capital allocation priorities of de-levering our balance
sheet and enhancing our shareholder returns.”
Since the start of wet commissioning on 30 May
2024, approximately 77kt of ore has been processed through the
Lafigué processing plant, with all circuits operating in line with
expectations. The first gold pour included gold from both the
gravity and CIL circuits, and yielded approximately 380 ounces of
gold. The Lafigué mine is expected to achieve commercial production
and ramp up to its nameplate capacity of 4.0Mtpa in Q3-2024.
Figure 1: First gold pour at the Lafigué
mine
Figure 2: Paul Day, General Manager at
Lafigué with the first gold bar poured at the mine
ABOUT THE LAFIGUÉ MINE
The Lafigué mine is located towards the northern
end of the Birimian aged Oumé-Fetekro greenstone belt, in
north-central Côte d’Ivoire, approximately 500km from Abidjan by
road. The Lafigué deposit is located in the northeast part of the
Fetekro exploration permit, adjacent to existing infrastructure,
including sealed paved roads and high voltage grid power. Endeavour
has an 80% ownership stake in the Lafigué mine (with 10% owned by
the Ivorian Government and 10% owned by SODEMI, a state-owned
mining company) and a 100% ownership stake in the remainder of the
Fetekro exploration licence.
Endeavour began exploration on the Fetekro
property in March 2017, following a strategic assessment of its
exploration tenements which identified the project as a top
priority target. To date, only a limited portion of the Fetekro
property has been explored, as the priority has been the
delineation of the Lafigué deposit. A maiden Mineral Resource
Estimate for the Lafigué deposit was published on 29 October 2018
and subsequently updated on 3 September 2019, 18 August 2020 and 15
May 2022. A Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) was published
on 18 August 2020 and a Preliminary Feasibility Study (“PFS”) was
completed with the effective date of 31 December 2020.
Construction of the Lafigué project in Côte
d'Ivoire was launched in Q4-2022, following the completion of a
Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”) which confirmed Lafigué’s
potential to be a cornerstone asset for Endeavour. The 2022 DFS
contemplates a 12.8 year LOM with average annual production of
203koz at a low AISC of $871/oz, with an initial capital cost of
$448 million. The project DFS displayed robust economics at an
$1,800/oz gold price assumption including an after-tax NPV5% of
$870m and an after-tax IRR of 33%. For FY-2024, Lafigué is expected
to produce between 90-110koz at an AISC of between $900-975/oz.
As at 31 December 2023, Proven and Probable
reserves totalled 49.8Mt at 1.69 g/t containing 2.7Moz of gold and
Measured and Indicated resources (inclusive of reserves) totalled
46.2Mt at 2.04 g/t containing 3.0Moz of gold.
Given the strong exploration potential,
Endeavour is targeting the discovery of 1.2 – 1.8Moz of Indicated
resources across the Lafigué mining permit and the wider Fetekro
exploration permit area over the 2021 to 2025 period at a discovery
cost of $14/oz. To date 0.6Moz, or 50% of the lower end of the
target, has been discovered.
QUALIFIED PERSONS
Mark Morcombe, COO of Endeavour Mining plc., a
Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, is a
"Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 -
Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and has
reviewed and approved the technical information in this news
release.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Jack GarmanVice President, Investor Relations +44
203 011 2723 jack.garman@endeavourmining.com |
Brunswick Group LLP in LondonCarole Cable, Partner
+44 207 404 5959 ccable@brunswickgroup.com |
ABOUT ENDEAVOUR MINING PLC
Endeavour Mining is one of the world’s senior
gold producers and the largest in West Africa, with operating
assets across Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso and a strong
portfolio of advanced development projects and exploration assets
in the highly prospective Birimian Greenstone Belt across West
Africa.
A member of the World Gold Council, Endeavour is
committed to the principles of responsible mining and delivering
sustainable value to its employees, stakeholders and the
communities where it operates. Endeavour is listed on the London
and Toronto Stock Exchanges, under the symbol EDV.
For more information, please visit
www.endeavourmining.com.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This news release contains "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws.
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are
"forward-looking statements". Generally, these forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts",
and "anticipates".
Forward-looking statements, while based on
management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks
and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially
different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the
successful integration of acquisitions; risks related to
international operations; risks related to general economic
conditions and credit availability, actual results of current
exploration activities, unanticipated reclamation expenses; changes
in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; fluctuations
in prices of metals including gold; fluctuations in foreign
currency exchange rates, increases in market prices of mining
consumables, possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery
rates; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as
anticipated; accidents, labour disputes, title disputes, claims and
limitations on insurance coverage and other risks of the mining
industry; delays in the completion of development or construction
activities, changes in national and local government regulation of
mining operations, tax rules and regulations, and political and
economic developments in countries in which Endeavour operates.
Although Endeavour has attempted to identify important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in forward-looking statements, 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. Please refer to Endeavour's most recent Annual
Information Form filed under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca for
further information respecting the risks affecting Endeavour and
its business.
- 240702 - NR - Lafigue First Gold