M&A: SOUTH32 OFFERS US$1.3B FOR ZINC DEVELOPER ARIZONA MINING / 3 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM
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JUNE 25–JULY 8, 2018 / VOL. 104 ISSUE 13 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $3.99 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM
Alamos taps into Island Gold’s potential SITE VISIT
| This year’s exporation budget grows to $18M BY RICHARD QUARISA rquarisa@northernminer.com DUBREUILVILLE, ONTARIO
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lamos Gold (TSX: AGI; NYSE: AGI) has extended gold mineralization along strike and down-plunge from existing reserves and resources at its newly acquired and producing Island Gold underground mine, 83 km northeast of Wawa, Ont., and just outside the town of Dubreuilville. The results come from Alamos’ 2018 exploration program, which is targeting three areas at Island Gold: the deposit’s main, eastern and western extensions. In the main and western extensions, Alamos is testing east-plunging shoots below existing reserves and resources. In the eastern extension it’s exploring plunging shoots along strike beyond existing reserves and resources. The company says results from infill drilling confirm the mineralization’s continuity. Highlights from the program include 14.18 grams gold per tonne (32.06 grams uncut) over 4 metres from 1,529 metres downhole in the main extension; 42.14 grams gold (71.27 grams uncut) over 5 metres from 84 metres downhole in the eastern extension; and 31.54 grams gold over 5 metres from 1,363 metres downhole in the western extension. With the positive results, Alamos has boosted its 2018 exploration budget for Island Gold from $15 million to $18 million, and added two more surface drill rigs — bringSee ALAMOS / 2
Vale’s Voisey’s Bay nickel-cobalt-copper mine in Labrador. VALE
Vale sells Voisey’s Bay cobalt stream for US$690M LABRADOR
| Cash from Wheaton, Cobalt 27 to fund underground development at mine
BY TRISH SAYWELL tsaywell@northernminer.com
I
n the world’s biggest cobalt stream to date, Vale (NYSE: VALE) has agreed to sell cobalt from its Voisey’s Bay nickelcopper-cobalt mine in northern Labrador to Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX: WPM; N YSE: WPM) and Cobalt 27 Capital (TSXV: KBLT). The US$690-million, streamfinancing deal will help fund 40% of the US$1.7 billion Vale expects to spend on building an underground mine at Voisey’s Bay that will extract ore from two major deposits — Reid Brook
and Eastern Deeps — starting in January 2021. Vale had approved the underground mine-expansion project in July 2015, but difficult market conditions and weak nickel prices forced the company to put the project on hold. The time is right to resurrect the project, Vale says, with today’s prices for cobalt and nickel rising on the back of anticipated demand for electric vehicles and energy storage. And with most of the world’s cobalt produced as a by-product of copper mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the location of Voisey’s Bay in a good jurisdiction makes it even more attractive. Under the streaming deal, Vale
will receive US$390 million in cash from Wheaton and US$300 million from Cobalt 27 for a combined 75% of future cobalt from Voisey’s Bay (Wheaton will receive 42.4% and Cobalt 27, 32.6%). The two companies will also pay an average 20% of cobalt prices on delivery of the metal. The first full year of underground production is expected to be 2021, when current open-pit mining winds down. In addition, Voisey’s Bay already has infrastructure, including a stateof-the-art, nickel-copper-cobalt refinery at Long Harbour on the island of Newfoundland, which began operating in 2014 (the
Metals, Minerals, and Society Register early by July 31 www.seg2018.org
Keystone, Colorado, USA • September 22–25, 2018
PM40069240
See VALE / 6
• Field Trips • Workshops • Sessions • Posters • Exhibits
REVIVAL GOLD: TABLES MAIDEN RESOURCE IN NEVADA / 5
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