Nuinsco to Continue Metallurgical Studies at Prairie Lake
Program to commence immediately and focus on pyrochlore concentration
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/13 -- Nuinsco Resources Limited ("Nuinsco" or the "Company")(TSX: NWI) (www.nuinsco.ca) today reported that work will commence immediately on a metallurgical program to explore the recovery of pyrochlore in concentrate from its 100%-owned Prairie Lake phosphorus - rare metals project in northwestern Ontario. Pyrochlore, a niobium-bearing mineral, occurs throughout the Prairie Lake carbonatite complex and constitutes a significant potential economic component to the multi-commodity mineralization of the project. The phosphorus-bearing mineral apatite and rare earth elements ("REEs") in both apatite and rare earth-bearing minerals such as ancylite further demonstrate the potential economic viability of this project which is remarkable also for the scale of the mineralization (currently at 515-630Mt in a 43-101 compliant ETMI) and superb logistics and location.
The niobium test work will be conducted by Corem in Quebec City, the laboratory which has completed other metallurgical test work on the Prairie Lake mineralization. Approximately 300-400kg of material will be used in the tests which will assess the effects of grinding, gravity separation, magnetic separation, flotation and reagents on pyrochlore concentrate production. As part of the study, the potential for a magnetite-iron concentrate will also be examined. The study is expected to take six to eight months to complete.
Widely occurring in the rocks at the Prairie Lake carbonatite complex at a grade of 0.09-0.11% Nb2O5 (from 43-101 compliant ETMI) is the niobium-bearing mineral pyrochlore. The niobium content of the rock at Prairie Lake is sufficiently high to make the production of a niobium by-product a distinct possibility. Niobium is used in structural steels where the addition of small amounts imparts strength. These alloys are principally employed in the automotive industry, where their greater strength allows for lighter structure and improved energy efficiency. Niobium is also used in tubular steels for gas pipelines, while super-alloys containing niobium are widely used in aircraft engines and as bone replacements in medicine. In other applications, niobium is used in the manufacture of high refractive-index lenses and electronic capacitors and in super-conducting niobium-titanium wire used in such devices as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines used in healthcare and particle accelerators, and as catalysts for producing bio-fuels from vegetable crops.
About Prairie Lake
Located about 45 kilometres northwest of Marathon, Ontario, Nuinsco's Prairie Lake property covers the entire 2.8 km2 (at surface) Prairie Lake carbonatite complex and is easily accessible from the TransCanada Highway. In January, 2012, Nuinsco bought back a 2% production royalty making the property royalty-free.
The NI-43-101-compliant ETMI (see news release issued October 26, 2011) is 515 - 630 million tonnes grading between 0.09-0.11% Nb2O5 (0.9 to 1.1 kg/tonne) and 3.0-4.0% P2O5 - making Prairie Lake one of the world's ten largest carbonatite hosted niobium deposits (and in North America second only to the Iron Hill Project in Colorado, USA, in contained tonnes - the grade at Prairie Lake is however greater). The current metallurgical work establishes the project as a substantial, recoverable, phosphorus inventory. The suite of minerals of potentially economic significance also includes tantalum (Ta), uranium (U) and REEs (including lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), samarium (Sm), neodymium (Nd) and yttrium (Y)). The ETMI was undertaken by Eugene Puritch, P.Eng. and Antoine Yassa, P.Geo of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. of Brampton, Ontario.
All exploration work at Prairie Lake is supervised by Laura Giroux, P.Geo, Senior Geologist, who acts as Nuinsco's Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Ms. Giroux has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release. The potential quantity and grade of the ETMI is conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource. It is uncertain if further exploration will result in the discovery of a mineral resource.
Annual and Special Meeting
As a reminder, the Company's Annual and Special Meeting for Shareholders ("ASM") will take place on June 28, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. Toronto Time at the Toronto Board of Trade, 1 First Canadian Place, Toronto, Ontario. The ASM will be webcast and can be accessed at http://www.gowebcasting.com/4421 and through Nuinsco's website at www.nuinsco.ca.
About Nuinsco Resources Limited
Nuinsco is a growth-oriented, multi-commodity mineral exploration company that is focused on world-class mineralized belts in Canada and internationally. In addition to its property holdings in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Turkey, Nuinsco owns common shares in Coventry Resources Limited (TSX: CYY) and Victory Nickel Inc.(TSX: NI),and a 50% interest in CBay Minerals Inc. (50% Nuinsco, 50% Ocean Partners Investments Limited), a private company that is a dominant player in Quebec's Chibougamau mining camp with assets including a permitted mill and tailings facility, eight past-producing copper/gold mines and a 96,000 acre land position. Shares of Nuinsco trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NWI.
Please visit the Company's website at www.nuinsco.ca. Should you wish to receive Company news via email, please email juliet@chfir.com and specify "Nuinsco Resources" in the subject line.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than statements of historic fact, that address activities, events or developments that Nuinsco believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may," "will," "can," "should," "could," or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of Nuinsco based on information currently available to Nuinsco. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Nuinsco to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on Nuinsco. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, failure to successfully complete financings, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world copper and/or gold markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance of facilities, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain tenure to properties and/or necessary permits and approvals, and other development and operating risks. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Nuinsco disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although Nuinsco believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
Contacts:
Nuinsco Resources
Sean Stokes
416.626.0470
416.626.0890 (FAX)
Nuinsco Resources
Paul Jones
416.626.0470
416.626.0890 (FAX)
admin@nuinsco.ca
www.nuinsco.ca
CHF Investor Relations
Juliet Heading
416-868-1079 x 239
416.868.6198 (FAX)
juliet@chfir.com
