Lycopodium and Knight Piesold awarded major feasibility study work at the Mabilo Project
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ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE TORONTO STOCK EXCHANGE
SUBIACO, Western Australia, March 26, 2015 /CNW/ - The Board of RTG Mining Inc. ("RTG", "the Company") (TSX Code: RTG, ASX Code: RTG) is pleased to provide an update on the significant progress at the Mabilo Project in the Philippines. RTG acquired control of Sierra Mining Ltd. ("Sierra") in June 2014. The Mabilo Project was an exploration interest with only 60 holes drilled. Within 9 months of taking control of Sierra the project is now a planned near term development opportunity with a number of unique and attractive attributes that differentiate the project from most new development opportunities. These include:
- High grade open cut development opportunity with an indicated resource of 249t of copper equivalent* at an average grade of 4.3%* and inferred resource of 175t of copper equivalent* at an average grade of 3.3%*;
- Near term development opportunity as Stage 1 of the project involves a direct shipping project for the oxide resource, with startup only subject to final permitting;
- Stage 1 only involves nominal capital requirements which allows for near term start up and internal generation of cashflows to fund the majority of proposed plant development capital for Stage 2;
- Stage 2 produces two high grade clean concentrate products with current metwork results suggesting a copper gold concentrate of approximately 33% Cu and 20g/t Au and a magnetite concentrate of up to 68% Fe;
- Based on the current estimated plant throughput of 1.35Mt per annum and the results of Phase 1 of the metwork, average annual production is estimated at around 20,000 t of contained Cu and just under 70,000 oz of contained gold in the copper/gold concentrate and 400,000 t of contained Fe; and
- Current minimum estimated life of mine of 10 years based on the current resource which we would expect to see increase with time.
Resource Statement
A maiden resource was announced in November 2014 delivering on the high end of management expectations. A summary of the key components are set out below. Please refer to the announcement dated 24 November 2014 for the underlying assumptions and basis for the resource computation.
Mt | Cu | Au | Fe | Cu Equivalent* (Before |
Indicated Resource | ||||
5.87 | 2.1% | 2.2g/t | 49.0% | 4.3%t |
Contained | 121,100 t | 414,000 oz | 2,875.7 Kt | 249,000t |
Inferred Resource | ||||
5.50 | 1.5% | 1.7g/t | 39.0% | 3.3% |
Contained | 84,300 t | 302,000 oz | 2,145.6 Kt | 175,000t |
Near Surface Oxide Resource (Indicated) | ||||
0.73 | 4.4% | 2.8g/t | 42.6% | 6.9% |
Contained | 32,000 | 67,000 oz | 312,700 t | 50,000t |
Near Surface Oxide Resource (Inferred) | ||||
0.13 | 3.1% | 2.2 g/t | 34.9 % | 5.1 |
Contained | 3,000 t | 5,000 oz | 43,600 t | 5,000t |
Indicated Resource - 2 Key Oxide Projects | ||||
Gold Cap | 0.2% | 3.2g/t | Contained Metal | |
Supergene | 24% | 2.3g/t | Contained Metal |
* Copper Equivalent tonnes, grades and in ground values have been calculated based on a Cu price of US$5900/t and an Au price of US$1200.
Feasibility Update
Significant progress continues to be made in a number of key areas of the Feasibility Study:
- Lycopodium Limited has been awarded the Phase 2 metallurgy work which includes variability testing, reagent optimization, grind size optimization and thickening and filtering testing, which will enable project implementation to commence upon completion;
- Knight Piesold Pty Ltd has been awarded the study work associated with water balance and management, tailings storage facility options and seismic and geotechnical design considerations for process plant components; and
- Infill drilling continues to successfully upgrade previously defined Inferred mineralization with an upgrade to the resource scheduled for the end of the second quarter of this calendar year.
Significant Exploration Upside
Exploration activity at the project is ongoing with the current resource open down dip, down plunge and along strike. Recent results have also identified a new shallow high grade garnet skarn mineralized zone with MDH-095 intercepting 25.8m at 2.32% Cu and 1.63 g/t Au. (See announcement dated 26 February 2015)
Philippines Update
President Benigno Aquino III recently outlined a number of significant achievements in the Philippines at the Euromoney Investment Forum, further strengthening the attractiveness of the Philippines for foreign investment. President Aquino noted the record net foreign direct investment of $6.2 billion in 2014 (up 65.9% from the previous year), an average GDP growth rate of 6.3%, and an upgrade of the Philippines to investment grade in 2013. The President added that the Government will seek to maximize every opportunity available, including increasing infrastructure spending in 2016 to 5% of GDP. A recent survey by Bloomberg, is forecasting that the Philippines economy will be the 2nd fastest growing economy in the world in 2015.
Near Term Outlook
The Feasibility Study on the project is progressing well and remains on track to be finalised in the third quarter of 2015.
The results of the Phase 1 metwork were released in January this year and provide sufficient information for more detailed discussion and negotiations with offtake parties. These discussions have already commenced and are progressing well.
An updated resource is expected mid year, which will focus on the conversion of current inferred resources to indicated classification. The updated resource will be used in the Feasibility Study.
The permitting process is in line with expectations and proceeding well through the various review processes.
QUALIFIED PERSON AND COMPETENT PERSON STATEMENT
The information in this release that relates to exploration results at the Mabilo Project is based upon information prepared by or under the supervision of Robert Ayres BSc (Hons), who is a Qualified Person and a Competent Person. Mr Ayres is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and a full-time employee of Mt Labo Exploration and Development Company, a Philippine mining company, an associate company of RTG Mining Limited. Mr Ayres has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" and to qualify as a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Ayres has verified the data disclosed in this release, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information contained in the release. Mr. Ayres consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and the context in which it appears.
The information in this release that relates to Mineral Resources is based on information prepared by or under the supervision of Mr Aaron Green, who is a Qualified Person and Competent Person. Mr Green is a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists and is employed by CSA Global Pty Ltd, an independent consulting company. Mr Green has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" and to qualify as a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Mr. Green has verified the data disclosed in this release, including sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information contained in the release. Mr Green consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
ABOUT RTG MINING INC
RTG Mining Inc. is a mining and exploration company listed on the main board of the Toronto Stock Exchange and Australian Securities Exchange Limited. RTG is focused on developing the high grade copper/gold/magnetite Mabilo Project and advancing exploration on the highly prospective Bunawan Project, both in the Philippines, while also identifying major new projects which will allow the company to move quickly and safely to production.
RTG has an experienced management team (previously responsible for the development of the Masbate Gold Mine in the Philippines through CGA Mining Ltd.), and has B2Gold as one of its major shareholders in the Company. B2Gold is a member of both the S&P/TSX Global Gold and Global Mining Indices.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This announcement includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates and related assumptions and inherent operating risks, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on certain factors and assumptions. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RTG's expectations include uncertainties related to fluctuations in gold and other commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, recovery rates, production estimates and estimated economic return; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the development of RTG's mineral projects; the need to obtain additional financing to develop RTG's mineral projects; the possibility of delay in development programs or in construction projects and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones for RTG's mineral projects and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" in RTG's Annual Information Form for the year ended 31 December 2013 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on the SEDAR website at sedar.com.
Appendix 1: JORC Code 2012 Edition Table 1
Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data
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Sampling |
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Drilling techniques |
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Drill sample |
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Logging |
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Location of data points |
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Data spacing and distribution |
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Orientation of data in relation to geological structure |
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Sample security |
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Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results
Criteria | JORC Code explanation | Commentary |
Mineral tenement and land tenure status |
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Exploration done by other parties |
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Geology |
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Drill hole Information |
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Data aggregation methods |
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Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths |
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Diagrams |
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Balanced reporting |
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Other substantive exploration data |
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Further work |
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Section 3 Estimation and Reporting of Mineral Resources
Criteria | JORC Code explanation | Commentary |
Database integrity |
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Site visits |
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Geological interpretation |
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Dimensions |
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Estimation and modelling techniques |
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Moisture |
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Environmental factors or assumptions |
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Bulk density |
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Classification |
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Audits or reviews |
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Discussion of relative accuracy/ confidence |
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SOURCE RTG Mining Inc.
Contact
ENQUIRIES: President & CEO - Justine Magee, Tel: +61 8 6489 2900, Fax: +61 8 6489 2920, Email: jmagee@rtgmining.com