The Northern Miner May 14 2018 Issue

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CENTERRA GOLD: ‘NO INTEREST’ IN SURPRISE US$800M BID FOR KUMTOR / 7 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM

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Gold, silver, copper and lithium attract attention across the continent / 9–15

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MAY 14–27, 2018 / VOL. 104 ISSUE 10 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $3.99 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM

Harte Gold approaches commercial production ONTARIO

| Signs impact benefit agreement with First Nations

Detour Gold slammed by revised mine plan GOLD

| Preliminary cost review will be ready in June BY TRISH SAYWELL tsaywell@northernminer.com

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hares of Detour Gold (TSX: DGC) plunged 30% after the company forecast life-of-mine costs could rise at its Detour Lake open-pit gold mine in Ontario, 300 km northeast of Timmins. The preliminary cost review — which will be ready in June — puts life-of-mine (2018–2040) cash costs at US$810 to US$850 per oz., up from US$747 per oz. envisioned in the 2017 mine plan. The new mine plan also delays development of the north pit to 2026, which defers 150,000 oz. gold to beyond the 2019–2023 time frame. To balance out near-term production, the revised mine plan calls See DETOUR / 2

Harte Gold’s Sugar Zone gold project in northern Ontario.   HARTE GOLD BY TRISH SAYWELL tsaywell@northernminer.com

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arte Gold (TSX: HRT; US-OTC: HRTFF) is fully funded to finish building its Sugar Zone mine project in northern Ontario — 80 km east of the Hemlo gold camp — and plans to produce gold in July, with commercial production in the fourth quarter. The company arranged a US$70million debt package with Sprott Private Resource Lending and Ap-

pian Natural Resources Fund in early May. Sprott is providing a US$50million, senior-secured debt facility with a 20-month principal holiday and 13-month interest deferral, while Appian has committed to a six-month loan of US$20 million at a 9.5% interest rate. Harte can extend the term at an 11.5% interest rate. The financing “represents a fully funded solution, with enough liquidity to support ramp-up of our operations and cover any unfore-

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THE SUGAR ZONE UNDERGROUND MINE WILL OPERATE FOR 11 YEARS AND PRODUCE 904,000 OZ. GOLD. seen downturn in commodity prices, without having to approach the equity markets, or any other financing dilutive to shareholders,” Stephen Roman, Harte’s president and CEO, says in news release. At the end of March, $58 million remained for the year to finish the process plant, continue underground development and expand working capital. Once finished, the Sugar Zone underground mine will operate for 11 years and produce 904,000 oz. gold — or an average 80,700 oz. gold a year — at US$507 per oz. gold cash costs and US$708 per oz. gold all-in sustaining costs. According to a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) released on May 3 — the same day news of the financing package broke — the mine would see a three-phase ramp up in production. In the first phase, the mine would run at 540 tonnes per day,

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producing 54,500 oz. gold in 2018 and 2019. (Initial operations can operate at this rate.) The rate rises to 800 tonnes per day in phase two, starting in 2020, and to 1,400 tonnes per day in phase three, starting in 2021. By the third phase, the mine would produce 100,000 oz. gold annually. The study outlines a $189-million, post-tax net present value (NPV) at a 5% discount rate and US$1,150 per oz. gold price. At US$1,350 per oz. gold, the NPV rises to $299 million. The post-tax internal rate of return at the same discount rate is 34% at US$1,150 per oz. gold and 50% at US$1,350 per oz. gold. The mine plan was based on two-thirds of the project’s total resources (534,000 oz. gold was excluded from the PEA because of drill density and lower-grade See HARTE / 16

RUBICON MINERALS: PHOENIX GOLD RESOURCE GROWS / 3

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