Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

Capstone Completes Minto Mine Phase VI Pre-Feasibility Study


News provided by

Capstone Mining Corp.

18 Jun, 2012, 11:00 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Study extends mine life to 2022 with yearly average copper production of 40 million pounds at an average cash cost of $1.92/lb of payable copper

Capstone Mining Corp. ("Capstone") (TSX: CS) today announced the results of the Phase VI Pre-Feasibility Study ("Phase VI PFS") for its Minto copper-gold mine in Yukon.

This study was initiated to apply economic considerations to the Minto South Deposit ("MSD") mineral resource and more specifically extensions to that deposit called Copper Keel and Wildfire in order that it may be converted to a National Instrument 43-101 compliant ("NI 43-101") Mineral Reserve.  The study builds on the previous Minto Phase V Pre-Feasibility Study ("Phase V PFS") by incorporating new mineral reserves and a new life-of-mine plan ("LOMP") that includes the additional underground mineral reserves from the Copper Keel and Wildfire zones; optimized pit designs; processing plant capacity improvements; updated costs and economic analysis.

Highlights

(all amounts in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated)

  • Mine life extended to 2022 with an average of 40 million pounds of copper production per year;
  • Net present value ("NPV"), at a constant US$3.25/pound copper price and a 8.0% discount rate, of $278 million before tax and $192 million after tax;
  • Proven and probable open pit and underground mineral reserves have increased to 14.4 million tonnes grading 1.53% copper, 0.58 grams/tonne gold, and 5.12 grams/tonne silver, for a contained 484 million pounds of copper, 270,000 ounces of gold, and 2.4 million ounces of silver;
  • Life-of-mine ("LOM") capital cost of $103 million; and
  • Life-of-mine cash costs[1] of US$1.92/pound of payable copper, after by-product credits (with gold at US$300/ounce and silver at US$3.90/ounce, as per an agreement with Silver Wheaton).
  • Key Performance Indicators associated with the addition of underground mineral reserves at Copper Keel and Wildfire on an after tax basis is an NPV8% of $15 million with an IRR of 31% and capex at $25 million based on an NSR cut-off of C$64.40 per tonne.

(1) The items marked with a "1" are alternative performance measures; please see "Alternative Performance Measures" at the end of this release.  

"The Minto Mine has been very successful as the Yukon's first operating hard rock mine since the 1990's, bringing stable long-term employment and royalty benefits to the Yukon.  It started operations in 2007 at 1,600 tonnes per day with an eight year mine life, and now, five years later, as a result of successful exploration this latest study and development plan extends the mine life to 2022 at a proposed production rate of 3,750 tonnes per day," said Darren Pylot, President and CEO of Capstone.  "In addition, exploration on the Minto property remains on-going to further define and potentially expand the mineral resources, as well as explore additional new zones of mineralization."

Phase VI PFS

The Phase VI PFS was compiled by Capstone with contributions from SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. ("SRK") for block model validation as well as open-pit and underground geotechnical evaluations; Genivar Inc. ("Genivar") for site infrastructure revisions and ventilation modelling; and Eggert Consulting for information related to metallurgy and mineral processing.

For the purposes of the Phase VI PFS the Area 2, Area 118, Copper Keel, and Wildfire resource sub-domains are now considered continuous, and reported as one deposit, namely Minto South Deposit located immediately south of the Minto Main Pit.  The Ridgetop deposit is separate from MSD and is located just over 300 metres south of the MSD sub-domain Area 2/118.  The Minto North deposit is located approximately 700 metres north of the Minto Main deposit and the Minto East Deposit is located approximately 200 metres east of the south end of the Minto Main deposit.  Two recent discoveries, named Fireweed A and Fireweed B are located approximately 200 metres and 400 metres respectively due east from Minto East.  A working model suggests that the Fireweed zones may be structurally offset from Minto East and it remains a priority exploration target.  These deposits and other mineral prospects collectively define a general north-northwest trend informally called the Priority Exploration Corridor.

In conjunction with the Phase VI PFS, an internal scoping level evaluation was completed to assess the viability of a larger scale mining and milling operation incorporating more of the lower grade mineral resources in the MSD.  This evaluation concluded that there was a poor risk/reward ratio of the large scale operating scenario as compared to the Phase VI PFS and therefore recommended that further studies investigating a major increase in the production rate with a subsequent decrease in unit operating costs should not be pursued at this time.

Mineral Resources

A primary objective of the Phase VI PFS was to produce a revised mineral resource for the MSD by including new drill results in the MSD area not incorporated in, or obtained subsequent to the Phase V study.  The new MSD model uses all of the previous drill data plus newly acquired diamond drill results updated to a cut-off date of July 16, 2011.  Exploration drilling since the July 16, 2011 cut-off is not included in the Phase VI PFS and a future mineral resource update is in progress with an anticipated completion in late 2012.  There were no modifications to the Minto North and Ridgetop mineral resource estimates.

The following table presents combined mineral resources at a 0.5% Cu cut-off for MSD, Ridgetop, Minto Main, Minto North and Minto East Deposits.  The Minto Main Deposit mineral resource has been appropriately reduced to account for all material removed by mining up until December 31, 2011.

Combined Mineral Resource Statement at 0.5% Cu Cut-off for Minto South, Ridgetop, Minto Main, Minto North and Minto East Deposits, January 1, 2012

     
                                                 Contained Contained Contained
                                                    Copper      Gold    Silver
                      Tonnes Copper  Gold Silver    (000's    (000's    (000's
     Classification     (Kt)    (%) (g/t)  (g/t)      lbs)       oz)       oz)
      Measured (M)    14,828   1.35  0.53   4.43   441,744       254     2,114
      Indicated (I)   33,103   0.98  0.32   3.42   714,010       341     3,643
     Sub-total (M+I)  47,931   1.09  0.39   3.73 1,155,754       595     5,758
       Additional
        Inferred       8,493   0.81  0.24   2.88   151,764        65       788

In the opinion of SRK, Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. and Capstone, the block model resource estimate and resource classification reported herein are a reasonable representation of the mineral resources at MSD, Ridgetop, Minto Main, Minto North and Minto East Deposits at the current level of sampling.  The mineral resources presented herein have been estimated in conformity with generally accepted CIM "Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices" guidelines and are reported in accordance with Canadian Securities Administrators' NI 43-101.  Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.  Only Measured and Indicated mineral resources have been used in the preliminary feasibility study described in this news release and the Phase VI PFS report.

The database used to estimate the MSD was audited by Capstone/SRK and the mineralization boundaries were modelled by SRK based on lithological and structural interpretations.  Kirkham Geosystems Ltd. audited the Minto North and Minto East database and modelled mineralization boundaries.  The Minto North and Minto East Deposit mineral resource estimates were completed by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., of Kirkham Geosystems Ltd., an independent qualified person as this term is defined in NI 43-101. These mineral resource estimates were completed as part of the Phase V PFS and have not changed.  The mineral resource estimate of MSD was completed by Dr. Wayne Barnett, Ph.D., Pr.Sci.Nat., a NI 43-101 independent qualified person.  The effective date of this mineral resource estimate is October 17, 2011. Marek Nowak, P.Eng, analyzed the data, reviewed and validated the mineral resource estimates.

SRK is of the opinion that the current drilling information is sufficiently reliable to interpret with confidence the boundaries of the mineralized domains and that the assaying data is sufficiently reliable to support estimating mineral resources.

The "reasonable prospects for economic extraction" requirement for a mineral resource generally implies that the quantity and grade estimates meet certain economic thresholds, and that the mineral resources are reported at an appropriate cut-off grade taking into account extraction scenarios and processing recoveries.  Capstone considers that the Ridgetop and Minto North resource areas are amenable for open pit extraction.  The Area 2/118 and Wildfire subdomains of the MSD resource is amendable to combined open pit and underground extraction while the Minto East Deposit and Copper Keel subdomain of the MSD resource will be extracted by underground mining.

Mine Production and Mineral Reserve Estimation

The MSD, Ridgetop, Minto East and Minto North Deposits are planned to be developed by open pit ("OP") and underground ("UG") methods.  Open Pit mining in the Phase VI PFS study assumes contractor mining rather than the owner operated scenario proposed in the Phase V PFS.  In addition, the initial underground mining (portal and decline development as well as the vertical ventilation raise development) is also by contractor rather than owner operated as indicated in the Phase V PFS.  The Phase VI PFS also assumes underground mine production mining and the remaining capital development will be owner operated commencing in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The Phase VI PFS assumes a start date of January 1, 2012.  Mining of the Main Pit was completed in April 2011 and can therefore be utilized as an in-pit tailings deposition storage location.  Pre-stripping of the Area 2 Open Pit within the MSD commenced in 2011.

Based on a start date of January 1, 2012, the Phase VI open pit and underground mines will produce a total of 13.5 million tonnes ("Mt") of ore and 44.48 Mt of waste over approximately a seven year mine operating life ending in 2019.  Approximately 4.36 Mt of ore is planned to be produced from UG mining at a rate of 2,000 tpd. The LOMP accelerates mining and processing of high-grade ore and defers stockpiled lower grade mill feed until the end of the mine life whenever possible.  Once active mining is completed, mill operations will continue for an additional three years, processing the accumulated 4.08 Mt of stockpiled ore.  Therefore, the total mill operating life is 10 years with final reclamation commencing mid-2022.

Mine design for the Phase VI underground expansion relies on the evaluation of a NSR model that includes estimates of metal prices, exchange rate, mining dilution, mill recovery, concentrate grade smelting and refining payables and costs, freight and marketing costs and royalties.  The NSR model was based on a 10 metre x 10 metre x 3 metre block size (see below).

The Phase V pit designs, and subsequently the open pit mineral reserves, have been revised in the Phase VI PFS to reflect LOMP operating costs, metal prices and the exploration results contained with the Minto South Deep ore deposit model.  The table below reviews the Whittle™ Parameters utilized to generate pit economic shells.  These shells were used to develop optimized pit designs.

Summary of Whittle™ Parameters used for Phase VI Open Pit Design

    Item                                               Unit              Value
    Metal Prices and Exchange Rate
    Copper                                           US$/lb               2.50
    Gold*                                            US$/oz             300.00
    Silver*                                          US$/oz               3.90
    Exchange rate                                    US$/C$               0.90
    Processing
    Copper recovery to concentrate                      Max                91%
    Sulphide Gold recovery to concentrate               Max                70%
    Sulphide Silver recovery to concentrate             Max                78%
    Copper grade in concentrate                           %                 40
    Gold grade in concentrate                           g/t   variable with Cu
    Silver grade in concentrate                         g/t   variable with Cu
    Concentrate moisture content                                            8%
    Smelter Payables
    Payable copper in concentrate                         %              96.75
    Payable gold in concentrate                           %   per MRI contract
    Silver deduction                            g/t in conc   per MRI contract
    Remaining payable silver in concentrate               %   per MRI contract
    Other Parameters
    Pit slope angles                                Overall As per Phase V PFS
    Dilution                                              %                 6%
    Mining recovery                                       %                100
    Annual Plant Throughput                            Mtpa          1,370,000
    Costs
    Waste mining cost                        C$/waste tonne               3.12
    Ore mining cost                            C$/ore tonne               3.12
    Processing cost                         C$/milled tonne              16.50
    G&A cost                                C$/milled tonne              11.90
    Royalties                                             %              1.00%
    Transport, marketing, ins, etc.            US$/dmt conc             169.54

*Based on terms of royalty stream agreement with Silver Wheaton

The Phase V Underground mineral reserves in the areas of Minto East, Area 2 and 118 were checked with the revised NSR model and remain economically viable.  Therefore, these mineral reserves were included in the Phase VI mineral reserves without revision.

The additional Phase VI underground mineral reserves are located in the Copper Keel and Wildfire regions of MSD and were estimated using the following NSR model.

Underground Net Smelter Return Parameters

               Parameter                       Unit            Value
    Metal Prices and Exchange Rate
    Cu price                              US$/lb Cu             2.50
    Au price                              US$/oz Au              300
    Ag price                              US$/oz Ag             3.90
    Exchange rate                            US$/C$             0.90
                               Processing
    Cu                                            %               91
    Au                                            %               70
    Ag                                            %               78
                          Cu Concentrate Grade
    Cu                                            %               40
    Au                                          g/t         Variable
    Ag                                          g/t         Variable
    Moisture content                              %                8
                            Smelter Payables
    Cu in Cu conc                                 %            96.75
    Au in all cons                                % per MRI contract
    Au deduction in all cons            g/t in conc per MRI contract
    Ag in all cons                                % per MRI contract
    Ag deduction in all cons            g/t in conc per MRI contract
                             Offsite costs
    Cu conc treatment                  US$/dmt conc per MRI contract
    Cu refining charge                US$/lb pay Cu per MRI contract
    Au refining charge                US$/oz pay Au per MRI contract
    Ag refining charge                US$/oz pay Ag per MRI contract
    Transport, marketing, ins, etc.    US$/dmt conc           169.54
    Royalties                                     %                1
                            Operating Costs
    UG mining cost                     C$/ore tonne            36.00
    Processing cost                 C$/milled tonne            16.50
    G&A cost                        C$/milled tonne            11.90
    Total Site Costs                C$/milled tonne            64.40
    Internal Dilution                             %                5

Small underground mineralized zones were not converted to a mineral reserve if they required excessive development.  The total Minto Mine mineral reserve estimate is summarized below.

Minto - Mineral Reserves by Class for Phase VI

                        Mineral
                        Reserve   Tonnes
                         Class     (kt)    Diluted Grade     Contained Metal
                                                 Au    Ag     Cu    Au    Ag
                                         Cu (%) (g/t) (g/t) (Mlbs) (koz) (koz)
                            Open Pit Mineral Reserves
          North            Proven  1,596   2.26  1.21  8.12     79    62   417
                         Probable      9   1.68  0.58  6.92      0     0     2
                        Sub-total  1,604   2.26  1.21  8.12     80    62   419
        Ridgetop           Proven  1,073   1.02  0.25  2.12     24     9    73
                         Probable  1,020   1.00  0.28  2.97     22     9    97
                        Sub-total  2,093   1.01  0.26  2.54     46    18   171
           118             Proven      -      -     -     -      -     -     -
                         Probable    483   1.28  0.10  1.81     14     2    28
                        Sub-total    483   1.28  0.10  1.81     14     2    28
         Area 2            Proven  3,306   1.44  0.54  4.99    105    57   530
                         Probable  1,694   1.00  0.27  3.20     37    15   174
                        Sub-total  5,000   1.29  0.45  4.38    142    72   704
    Open Pit Subtotal      Proven  5,974   1.58  0.67  5.31    208   128 1,020
                         Probable  3,204   1.04  0.25  2.92     74    25   301
                        Sub-total  9,179   1.39  0.52  4.48    282   153 1,321
                           Underground Mineral Reserves
       Minto East          Proven      -      -     -     -      -     -     -
                         Probable    709   2.28  1.04  6.15     36    24   140
                        Sub-total    709   2.28  1.04  6.15     36    24   140
      Area 2 / 118         Proven      -      -     -     -      -     -     -
                         Probable  1,731   1.76  0.74  7.19     67    41   400
                        Sub-total  1,731   1.76  0.74  7.19     67    41   400
       Copper Keel         Proven    106   1.74  0.61   6.3      4     2    22
                         Probable  1,455   1.81  0.65   6.7     58    30   313
                        Sub-total  1,561   1.81  0.64  6.67     62    32   335
        Wildfire           Proven    301    1.8  0.77  6.06     12     7    59
                         Probable     59   1.59  1.00  7.85      2     2    15
                        Sub-total    360   1.76   0.8  6.35     14     9    73
       Underground
        Subtotal           Proven    407   1.78  0.73  6.12     16     9    81
                         Probable  3,954   1.87  0.76  6.83    163    97   868
                        Sub-total  4,361   1.86  0.76  6.77    179   106   948
       Stockpiles          Proven    852   1.23  0.41  3.71     23    11   102
                         Probable      -      -     -     -      -     -     -
                        Sub-total    852   1.23  0.41  3.71     23    11   102
                                      Total
      Total Mineral
        Reserves           Proven  7,233   1.55  0.64  5.17    247   148 1,203
                         Probable  7,158   1.50  0.53  5.08    237   122 1,169
                        Sub-total 14,392   1.53  0.58  5.12    484   270 2,371

Life-of-Mine Production and Processing Schedule

The Phase VI mining sequence is divided into various stages.  The surface mining sequence commences with ore production from Area 2 - Stages 1 & 2 followed by mining of Area 118, then Minto North, Area 2 - Stage 3 and finally the two stages (North and South pits) associated with the Ridgetop Deposit.  Underground mining operations will begin with production from the 118 zone of MSD after the ramp bypasses Area 2 and continues to the Minto East Deposit.  Minto East, Area 118 and Area 2 underground mineral reserves will be developed to provide stable production while an additional decline is developed to the Copper Keel zone of MSD.  In 2018, a new portal will be developed to extract ore from the Wildfire deposit.  Once underground mining of Wildfire is completed, Minto will cease all mining operations if no additional mineral reserves are identified before then.

The LOM production schedule and processing schedule are summarized below:

Phase VI LOM Production Schedule

    Parameter   Unit    Total  2012   2013   2014  2015  2016  2017  2018 2019
    Total OP/UG
        Total
        Waste    kt     44,484 9,948 10,302 10,011 7,310 4,917 1,870  125    -
      ROM ore    kt     13,539 2,056  2,456  2,430 2,394 1,948 1,200  696  360
     Open Pit
    Stripping
        Ratio Waste:Ore   4.75   4.8    4.9    5.8   4.3   4.0   3.7    -    -
     Cu Grade    %Cu      1.59  1.29   1.51   2.07  1.30  1.35  1.55 1.83 1.76
     Au Grade    g/t      0.68  0.45   0.50   1.03  0.43  0.46  0.61 0.63 0.80
     Ag Grade    g/t      5.50  4.35   4.81   7.38  4.31  3.65  5.93 6.66 6.35
        Total
     Mined Cu  Mlbs Cu     460    59     82    111    69    58    41   28   14
        Total
     Mined Au  koz Au      259    30     39     81    33    29    24   14    9
        Total
     Mined Ag  koz Ag    2,256   288    380    576   332   228   229  149   73
      ROM ore  kt/day        -  5.63   6.73   6.66  6.56  5.34  3.29 1.91 0.99
        Total
     Material  kt/day        - 32.89  34.95  34.08 26.59 18.81  8.41 2.25 0.99

Phase VI LOM Process Production Schedule

                                                       Y E A R
       Parameter      UNIT       Total    2012    2013    2014    2015    2016
     Mill Feed Rate  dmt/day     3,750   3,750   3,750   3,750   3,750   3,750
    Mill Feed Total    Mt       14,393   1,373   1,369   1,369   1,369   1,369
       Feed Grade     Cu %        1.53    1.50    1.88    2.29    2.19    1.74
                     Au g/t       0.58    0.56    0.69    1.15    1.01    0.65
                     Ag g/t       5.10    5.18    6.42    8.23    7.89    5.16
      Recovery to
         Conc.         Cu          92%     92%     92%     92%     92%     92%
                       Au          70%     70%     70%     70%     70%     70%
                       Ag          78%     78%     78%     78%     78%     78%
      Conc. Grade     % Cu           -    37.0    38.4    41.8    41.2    37.6
    Conc. Production   dmt     532,689  51,487  61,600  68,920  66,993  58,332
      Conc. Metal    Mlb Cu        444      42      52      63      61      48
                      oz Au    188,826  17,311  21,122  35,524  31,230  20,112
                      oz Ag  1,835,613 178,220 220,340 282,351 270,763 177,640

Table continues

                                               Y E A R
       Parameter      UNIT      2017    2018    2019   2020   2021   2022
     Mill Feed Rate  dmt/day   3,750   3,750   3,750  3,750  3,750  3,750
    Mill Feed Total    Mt      1,369   1,369   1,369  1,369  1,369    654
       Feed Grade     Cu %      1.70    1.70    1.17   0.74   0.74   0.74
                     Au g/t     0.66    0.60    0.41   0.16   0.16   0.16
                     Ag g/t     6.30    5.90    3.68   1.89   1.89   1.89
      Recovery to
         Conc.         Cu        92%     92%     92%    92%    92%    88%
                       Au        70%     70%     70%    70%    70%    70%
                       Ag        78%     78%     78%    78%    78%    78%
      Conc. Grade     % Cu      37.4    37.4    35.5   32.9   32.9   32.9
    Conc. Production   dmt    57,343  57,271  41,340 28,294 28,216 12,894
      Conc. Metal    Mlb Cu       47      47      32     21     20      9
                      oz Au   20,479  18,449  12,509  4,888  4,875  2,329
                      oz Ag  216,405 202,366 126,422 65,127 64,949 31,029

Capital and Operating Costs

The following table reviews capital expenditures without closure costs.  The major decrease in capital costs versus the Phase V PSF was due to the continued utilization of Contractor Open Pit mining rather than owner operated.  Therefore, purchase of the open pit mobile equipment fleet ($32 million) is avoided.  A closure cost allowance of $25 million continued to be reflected in the cash flow analysis, as per an estimation completed in 2010.  A sustaining capital cost allowance of $5.6 million is also reflected in the cash flow analysis.  Capital expenditures for the life of mine are summarized as follows:

Capital Costs by Major Area

    Area                            Unit Cost Estimate
            Open Pit Mining           M$           2.5
    UG equipment (fixed and mobile)   M$          33.4
            UG development            M$          34.8
             Process plant            M$          10.3
          Site Infrastructure         M$          18.7
              Permitting              M$           3.3
    TOTAL CAPITAL COST                M$         102.7

The table below presents a summary of the operating costs by major area.

Average Life of Mine Unit Operating Costs by Major Area

    Area                                        Unit    Cost Estimate
                                              $/t mined          3.54
    Open Pit Mining                          $/t milled         20.37
    Underground Mining                       $/t milled         35.95
    Total Mining (weighted average)          $/t milled         24.68
    Processing                               $/t milled         17.20
    General, administration, camp, royalties $/t milled         10.81
    Total                                    $/t milled         52.69

Economics

The following table summarizes the economic and production assumptions associated with the Phase VI Pre-feasibility Study:

Phase VI Economic Results

                  Item                            Unit                 Value
    Waste mined                                     Mt                44,484
    Ore mined                                       Mt                13,539
    Total mined                                     Mt                58,023
    Mill Feed*                                      Kt                14,393
    Open Pit Stripping Ratio                 Waste:Ore                  4.75
    Copper millhead grade                         % Cu                  1.53
    Gold millhead grade                         g/t Au                  0.58
    Silver millhead grade                       g/t Ag                   5.1
    Copper in cons                                 Mlb                   444
    Gold in cons                                    Oz               188,826
    Silver in cons                                  Oz             1,835,613
    Concentrate Grade                             % Cu Variable by mill feed
    Copper Price                                US$/lb                  3.25
    Gold price (inc. hedging)                   US$/oz                   300
    Silver price (inc. hedging)                 US$/oz                  3.90
    Exchange rate                               US$/C$                   1:1
    Unit Total OPEX                        C$/t milled                 52.69
    Unit On-site OPEX                 C$/lb Cu payable                  1.76
    Unit Off-site OPEX               US$/lb Cu payable                  0.29
    Unit By-product Credit           US$/lb Cu payable                (0.14)
    Unit OPEX net by-product credits US$/lb Cu payable                  1.92
    Total Capital                                   $M                   103
    Allowance for closure cost                      $M                    25

*Mill Feed includes Ore Stockpile

The following table summarizes the economic key performance indicators associated with the revised pit designs and underground mining that includes the new Cu Keel and Wildfire mineral reserves:

                         After-Tax                     After-Tax
    Before-Tax Cash Flow Cash Flow  Before-Tax NPV8.0%  NPV8.0%  After-Tax IRR
            429             290            278            192        184%

The incremental cash flow that demonstrates the economic benefit associated with underground mining of Cu Keel and Wildfire is:

                       Before-Tax After-Tax Before-Tax After-Tax
           Item        Cash Flow  Cash Flow  NPV8.0%    NPV8.0%  After-Tax IRR
    Cu Keel / Wildfire     71        35         32        15          31%

Permitting

In Yukon, mining projects require an environmental assessment prior to the issuance of significant operating permits for mining, including a Type A Water Use Licence and a Quartz Mining Licence.  The Phase IV expansion (2010) has been assessed under the Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Board (YESAB) beginning in August 2010 and the Phase V project YESAB assessment application is partially completed and will be filed in the third quarter of 2012 after updating to include the additional mineral reserves included in the Phase VI PFS.  The licensing process is partly complete with the QML issued and the Type A Water Use Licensing application associated with permitting in-pit disposal of the Area 2 tailing has been declared adequate and the public hearing is scheduled for the first week of July 2012.  It is anticipated that the amended water use license will follow shortly thereafter.

Following completion of the YESAB evaluation process, subsequent applications to further amend the Quartz Mining License and the Water Use License will support the implementation of the Phase VI mine plan.

Risk and Opportunities

The major risk areas identified in this study are:

  1. Timing and approval of Phase V and Phase VI WUL permits;
  2. Exchange rates, metal prices and other external influences;
  3. The ability to develop the UG mine as per the Phase VI mining schedule and forecasted costs;
  4. Acquisition of experienced personnel for underground and open pit mining; and
  5. The ability to maintain minimum dilution through effective grade control practices.

The most important opportunities to improve the project are:

  1. Optimization of the mine plan;
  2. Reduce operating costs through continuous improvement initiatives;
  3. Continued strong demand for copper resulting in sustained high copper prices;
  4. Discovering new mineral resources and converting them into mineral reserves; and
  5. As underground mine development advances and costs are sunk there may be opportunities to extract mineral resources not currently considered mineral reserves.

Looking Forward

The Phase VI Pre-feasibility study has demonstrated economic justification for Capstone to submit and pursue licence and permit applications to continue with the development of the additional mineral reserves and to continue exploring new targets in the vicinity of the known deposits.

Technical Report

The full Phase VI PFS, prepared as a NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report, will be filed under Capstone's profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com within 45 days.

Quality Assurance and NI 43-101 Compliance

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ("NI 43-101") and reviewed by John Sagman, P. Eng., a "Qualified Person" and Vice President, Technical Services, Capstone Mining Corp.  The PFS was prepared with input from the following: Wayne Barnett, Pr.Sci.Nat., SRK Consulting (Canada), Inc., John Eggert, P.Eng, Eggert Engineering Ltd; Bruce Murphy, FSAIMM, SRK Consulting (Canada), Inc.; Bill Hodgson, P.Eng., Genivar Inc.; Garth Kirkham, P. Geo, Kirkham Geosystems Ltd; Michael Levy, PE, SRK Consulting (Canada), Inc.; Brad Mercer, P.Geol. Capstone Mining Corp.; Pooya Mohseni, P.Eng. Minto Exploration; Marek Nowak, P.Eng., SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.; and Colleen Roche, P.Eng. Capstone Mining Corp. who are responsible for certain sections of the PFS as detailed in the PFS and this release.

In addition, Gregg Bush, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Capstone Mining Corp. reviewed and approved this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and Capstone Mining Corp. (the "Company") does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation.

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Company management's expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, success of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims and limitations on insurance coverage. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "outlook", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative of these terms or comparable terminology. In this document certain forward-looking statements are identified by words including "scheduled", "guidance", "plan", "planned", "estimated", "projections", "projected" and "expected". By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks related to actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of mineral resources; possible variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; accidents, dependence on key personnel, labour pool constraints, labour disputes; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; and other risks of the mining industry as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's interim and annual financial statements and management's discussion and analysis of those statements, all of which are filed and available for review on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements.

Alternative Performance Measures

The items marked with a "[1]" are Alternative performance measures and readers should refer to Alternative Performance Measures in the Company's Interim Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2012 as filed on SEDAR and as available on the Company's website for further details.

For further information:

Cindy Burnett, VP, Investor Relations
+1-604-637-8157
cburnett@capstonemining.com

Modal title

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.