NEW GOLD: PROJECT MANAGER TALKS RAINY RIVER REDESIGN / 7 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM
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Phenomenal gold and growing facilities / 7–13
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SEPTEMBER 19–25, 2016 / VOL. 102 ISSUE 32 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $3.99 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM
OceanaGold completes PEA on Haile underground GOLD
| New mine in South Carolina to pour first gold in 2017
PotashCorp, Agrium propose US$36B merger FERTILIZER
| Largest merger in Canadian mining history BY MATTHEW KEEVIL
P The processing plant under construction at OceanGold’s Haile gold mine in South Carolina, as seen on Aug. 11, 2016.
BY TRISH SAYWELL tsaywell@northernminer.com
O
ceanaGold (TSX: OGC) has been building and operating gold mines for the last 26 years and considers itself something of an expert on both open-pit and underground mining. Its Didipio gold mine, which it built in 2013 on the island of Luzon in the Philippines — is one of the lowest-cost gold mines in the world, producing an ounce of gold at US$300 to US$350, including by-product credits. The mine is transitioning to an underground operation — by the end of next year the open pit will be shut down and underground mining will begin. “We had always known Didipio was an open pit that would transition to an underground operation, but what we did there was an optimization study to see how we could reduce costs and increase value,”
the company’s director of investor relations Sam Pazuki says. The optimization study, completed in October 2014, recommended that the company shrink the size of the pit, which eliminated a lot of waste and saved US$150 million. It also prescribed expanding the underground component and starting development a year earlier than planned. The changes outlined in the optimization study will help OceanaGold mine underground two years ahead of schedule, Pazuki says, and access high grade from the deposit. Now the company is undertaking a similar optimization study in South Carolina at its Haile gold project, which it added to its portfolio last year by acquiring Romarco Minerals. The study will determine the best mine design for both open pit and underground operations, while using updated commodity assumptions for reserves. The study could be done by mid-2017. “We’ll look at what is the right
OCEANAGOLD
size of the pit: where the open pit should end and where underground mining should start,” Pazuki says. “The difference between Haile and Didipio is that we’d operate an open pit and underground concurrently at Haile, whereas at Didipio we’re operating an open pit and then that will stop, and we’ll start the underground.” The open-pit operation at Haile is expected to start commercial production in early 2017 and run until 2030, while underground mining could begin in 2019 and run until 2025. Average production from underground mining would be 80,000 to 100,000 oz. gold a year, which complements the 150,000 oz. gold that the open-pit operation would churn out annually. The company has released results from a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) on the proposed underground operation at Haile. The PEA is modelled on mineralization beneath the open-pit reserves. The study is based on inferred re-
sources only and does not include results from the company’s 2016 drill program. Preproduction capital for underground development and equipment is an expected US$53 million, according to the PEA, with life-of-mine sustaining capital cost requirements of US$45 million. The study envisions the mill feed as a blend of open-pit and underground material, which would require the company to expand its processing plant from 6,350 to 8,274 tonnes per day. That extra 1,924 tonnes per day would be sourced mostly from underground ore. The company would also need to modify its mining permit before underground operations start. Other highlights of the PEA include a three-year payback and after-tax, undiscounted cash flow of US$861 million, based on an open pit with incremental cash flow from underground mining starting in 2019. The PEA estimates
mkeevil@northernminer.com VANCOUVER
otash Corp. of Saskatchewan (TSX: POT; NYSE: POT) and Agrium (TSX: AGU; NYSE: AGU) have unveiled a plan to merge and create the largest crop-nutrient company in the world, and the thirdlargest natural resource company in Canada. The deal would combine Potash-Corp’s nitrogen and phosphate production assets and Agrium’s agricultural retail network. The two say the combination would create up to US$500 million in “annual operating synergies” through distribution and retail integration. The companies argue the synergies “imply value creation of up to US$5 billion.” See POTASHCORP / 2
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See OCEANAGOLD / 2
Senior Exploration Management Course SEG Course Center | Littleton, CO, USA November 29–December 2, 2016, 8:30am – 5pm Organizer: Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) Presenter: Western Mining Services (WMS) I strongly recommend this course to any professional explorer who wishes to excel in the business of mineral exploration. César Aguirre - VP Exploration Hochschild Mining (2011), SEG Regional VP Lecturer (2016)
Register at segweb.org/events
EDITORIAL: MET COAL BECOMES 2016’S TOP PERFORMER / 4
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