CORRECTION: Austral Gold Announces Restart of Casposo Silver-Gold Mine Operations Following Release of an Updated Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Estimate

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2016) - This release corrects and replaces the release sent this morning at 8:00 am ET. The TSX Venture symbol was incorrect. The corrected release follows:

Austral Gold Limited. ("Austral" or the "Company") (AGD.AX)(TSX VENTURE:AAM) is pleased to announce that it is recommencing full operations at the Casposo gold-silver project ("Casposo" or the "Project") following receipt of the results of an updated Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimate for Casposo in Argentina. The estimates were reviewed by independent consultants Roscoe Postle Associates ("RPA"), and are summarized in a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") and JORC 2012 compliant Technical Report on the Casposo Gold-Silver Mine, Department of Calingasta, San Juan Province, Argentina (the "Casposo Technical Report" or "Technical Report") dated September 7, 2016. The Casposo Technical Report will be filed on SEDAR under the profile of Austral Gold within 45 days in accordance with NI 43-101. The Technical Report confirms that the optimisation of the plant and move to small scale mining will support a robust and economically viable underground gold and silver mine. All dollar amounts are quoted in U.S. dollars ("$").

Life of Mine Plan Highlights

  • Changes in underground mining methods are expected to reduce dilution;

  • Optimisation of processing plant is expected to improve efficiency of the plant;

  • Mine life: 4 years;

  • Pre-Tax NPV(5%) of $53 million and After-tax NPV(5%) of $37 million;

  • Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves as of June 30, 2016, totaling 972,000 tonnes at 2.53 g/t Au and 231 g/t Ag, containing approximately 79,000 ounces of gold and 7.2 million ounces of silver;

  • Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as of June 30, 2016, inclusive of Mineral Reserves, totalling 1.4 million tonnes at 3.0 g/t Au and 238 g/t Ag, containing approximately 136,500 ounces gold and 10.8 million ounces silver;

  • Average production of 800 tonnes per day (tpd) from underground (300,000 tonnes per year)

  • All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC) of $1,038 per oz gold equivalent.

  • Metallurgical recovery based on operating data averaging 91% for gold, 83% for silver;

  • Average annual gold production of 21,000 ounces of gold and 1.7 million ounces of silver per year;

  • Life of Mine (LOM) capital totals $41.7 million, including reclamation and closure costs.

  • Proposed operations to be funded from Austral's existing and other internal cash resources

Austral Gold Chief Executive Officer, Stabro Kasaneva, remarked that, "The Life of Mine Plan provides a very solid basis for advancing to commissioning the full operation. The Plan supports the viability of moving to small scale underground mining methods and optimisation of the process plant. The positive results put us in a position to re-commence full operations. We look forward to continuing the operation of Casposo and working with the community to the benefit of all stakeholders."

"The results present an exciting opportunity for the Company and its shareholders, and it is a very significant moment for the company, representing our first operation in Argentina," remarked Austral Gold Chairman, Eduardo Elsztain. "The results confirm our expectations for Casposo, validating the original commitment of the Board of Directors, management, our investors and Argentina's stakeholders to push forward with recommissioning the operation and growing our precious metal production in Argentina and Chile."

CASH FLOW ANALYSIS

Project economics at an average gold price of $1,329/ounce and a silver price of $19/ounce, based on a consensus of independent forecasts for annual prices, resulted in Table 1.

Table 1: LOM Net Present Value

Pre-Tax

After Tax

Net Present Value at a 5% discount rate (NPV5)

$53 million

$37 million

Net Present Value at a 7.5% discount rate (NPV7.5)

$52 million

$37 million

Net Present Value at a 10% discount rate (NPV10)

$50 million

$36 million

Notes:

All figures are reported on a 100% equity project basis and are rounded.

Economic valuation is presented using a start date of June 30, 2016.

The cash flow to be generated over the LOM are shown in Table 2;

Table 2: LOM Cash Flow

UNITS

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Total

US$ '000

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Au ounces recovered

11,168

18,603

24,525

17,924

72,221

Ag ounces recovered

1,292,271

2,541,028

1,439,876

729,225

6,002,400

Au Gross Revenue

15,002

24,526

32,334

23,631

95,492

Ag Gross Revenue

24,430

48,038

27,221

13,786

113,475

Total Gross Revenue

39,432

72,564

59,555

37,417

208,967

Net Revenue

36,552

67,143

55,563

35,033

194,291

Total Operating Cost

13,648

29,234

28,738

25,157

96,777

Operating Cash flow

22,904

37,910

26,825

9,876

97,514

Total Capex (Incl Working Capital)

8,177

14,603

13,047

4,705

1,185

41,717

Taxes

1,846

8,325

5,142

1,045

16,357

After-Tax Cash flow

12,880

14,982

8,636

4,126

(1,185)

39,439

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding. Only Mineral Reserves have been used in generating the cash flow analysis. No Inferred Resources have been used in this cash flow model.

COST SUMMARY

Table 3: Operating Costs Summary

LOM OPERATING COST

Mining (Underground)

US$/t milled

40.07

Processing

US$/t milled

37.51

G&A

US$/t milled

21.53

Total Unit Operating Cost

US$/t milled

99.11

Average cost per ounce metrics for LOM are shown in Table 4;

Table 4: Average Cost per Ounce Metrics

Cost per Ounce

Operating

AISC

Gold, Silver as by product

US$/oz Au

(231)

550

Gold Equivalent

US$/oz AuEq

656

1,038

Silver, Gold as byproduct

US$/oz Ag

0.21

9.61

Silver Equivalent

US$/AgEq

5.49

13.09

Notes:

Under current price assumptions, neither gold nor silver dominates revenue - they are co-products. As such, AISC calculated according to World Gold Council guidance with silver as a by-product, may not be comparable to other gold operations.

CASH FLOW SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Economic risk analysis was examined by running cash flow sensitivities on Gold and Silver Price, head grade, recovery, operating costs and capital costs. The pre-tax NPV @ 5% was calculated for reasonable variations of each input.

The cash flow is most sensitive to metal prices and head grades as shown in Table 5. It is least sensitive to recoveries and capital costs (which are low given that Casposo is being recommissioned).

Table 5: Pre-tax NPV (5%) Sensitivity Analysis

Parameter Variables

Units

Lowest

Lower

Base

Higher

Highest

Gold Price

US$/oz

1,000

1,200

1,329

1,400

-

Recovery %

% Au

87%

89%

91%

93%

95%

Head Grade

g/t Au

2.02

2.27

2.52

2.77

3.03

Operating Cost

$ millions

87

92

97

106

116

Capital Cost

$ millions

38

40

42

46

50

Pre Tax NPV@5%

Units

Lowest

Lower

Base

Higher

Highest

Gold Price

$ millions

7

35

53

63

-

Recovery %

$ millions

44

49

53

56

60

Head Grade

$ millions

17

35

53

71

89

Operating Cost

$ millions

62

57

53

44

35

Capital Cost

$ millions

57

55

53

49

45

Austral is currently consolidating exploration and mining geology databases and is expecting to define and prioritise brownfield targets for future drilling.

By way of background, Austral acquired a 51% interest in Casposo from a subsidiary of Troy Resources Limited (Troy) on March 4, 2016 for $1,000,000, with a reciprocal purchase and sale obligation for an additional 19% interest for the sum of $1,000,000 to be transferred and paid on March 4, 2017. In addition, Austral and Troy have agreed that Casposo will pay Troy $2,000,000 within 12 months as from March 4, 2016, out of which $1,000,000 has been already paid. In turn, Austral has options to acquire: (i) an additional ten percent (10%) for $1,500,000 within the period commencing on December 31, 2018, and ending on January 15, 2019, (ii) an additional ten percent (10%) for $2,500,000 within the period commencing on December 31, 2019, and January 15, 2020, and (iii) the last ten percent (10%) for $3,000,000 within the period commencing on December 31, 2020, and ending on January 15, 2021. These purchase price options may be subject to an adjustment based on an increase in the price of silver during such period. Pursuant to the Troy Agreement, Austral agreed to obtain from other sources or provide to Casposo funding or financing of up to US $10,000,000 towards developing and implement a re-engineering plan to recommission Casposo.

Life of Mine Plan Details

RPA reviewed and validated the Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve, production schedule, and cost estimates for the Casposo operations as received from Austral.

For information with respect to the key assumptions, parameters and risks associated with the estimates included therein and other technical information, please refer to the Technical Report on the Casposo Gold-Silver mine to be filed on SEDAR within the next 45 days.

A summary of areas described in the Technical Report is included below:

Mineral Resources

The Mineral Resources for Casposo are contained in the Kamila (including Aztec, B-Vein Inca and Mercado zones), Julieta and Casposo Norte deposits and are summarised in Table 6.

In RPA's opinion, sampling and assaying have been carried out using industry-standard quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) practices, and the resulting database is appropriate for use in Mineral Resource estimation.

In RPA's opinion, interpretations of the geology and the three-dimensional (3D) wireframes of the estimation domains are reasonable, and the resource estimates have been prepared using appropriate methodology and assumptions including: treatment of high assays, composite length, search parameters, bulk density, interpolation, cut-off grade and classification.

The Mineral Resources are classified and reported in accordance with Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves dated May 10, 2014 (CIM definitions) as incorporated in NI 43-101, as well as JORC 2012.

Table 6: Mineral Resources as of June 30, 2016

Classification

Tonnes (000)

Grades (g/t)

Contained Metal (000 oz)

Ag

Au

Au Eq

Ag

Au

Au Eq

Total Measured + Indicated

1,415

238

3.00

5.94

10,811

136.5

270.0

Total Inferred

1,090

140

5.0

6.7

5,040

176

238.2

Notes:

  1. Mineral Resources were estimated in compliance with both CIM and JORC definitions.

  2. Mineral Resources are estimated using an average long-term silver price of $15 per ounce, and a gold price of $1,200 per ounce.

  3. Mineral Resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 2 g/t Au Eq.

  4. Gold equivalents (Au Eq) are calculated using a factor of 1 g Au = 81 g Ag, based on metal prices, and metallurgical recoveries (92% for gold, 87% for silver).

  5. A minimum wireframe width of 0.5 m was used.

  6. Bulk density is 2.6 t/m3.

  7. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves.

  8. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

  9. Numbers may not add due to rounding.

  10. The Qualified Person (QP) is Chester Moore, P.Eng., an employee of Roscoe Postle Associates ("RPA").

The Kamila deposit remains open down plunge to the southeast of the Inca 3 zone. The Casposo Norte and Julieta zones are not completely delineated and many smaller targets on the property remain to be fully explored.

Mineral Reserves and Mining

The estimated Mineral Reserves are shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves as of June 30, 2016

Tonnes (000)

Grades (g/t)

Contained Metal (oz)

Ag

Au

Au Eq

Ag

Au

Au Eq

Proven

115,000

170

1.76

3.87

630,000

6,500

14,300

Probable

857,000

240

2.63

5.59

6,602,000

72,500

154,000

Total Reserves

972,000

231

2.53

5.38

7,232,000

79,000

168,300

Notes:

  1. Mineral Reserves were estimated in compliance with both CIM and JORC definitions.

  2. Mineral Reserves were estimated at a cut-off grade of 2.8 g/t Au Eq. Development was evaluated at an incremental cut-off grade of 1.3 g/t Au Eq.

  3. Gold equivalents (AuEq) were calculated using a factor of 1 g Au = 81 g Ag, based on metal prices and metallurgical recoveries (92% for gold, 87% for silver).

  4. Mineral Reserves were estimated using an average long-term silver price of $15 per ounce and gold price of $1,200 per ounce.

  5. A minimum mining width 2 m was used.

  6. Bulk density is 2.6 t/m3.

  7. Numbers may not add due to rounding.

  8. The Qualified Person (QP) is Jason Cox, P.Eng., an employee of Roscoe Postle Associates ("RPA").

There are no known mining, metallurgical, infrastructure, permitting, or other relevant factors that could materially affect the Mineral Reserve estimate.

Planned and unplanned dilution, minimum mining width, and extraction were included in the resource to reserve conversion at the stope optimization and design stage. The design shapes were drawn to represent final mined out volumes. An extraction factor of 95% is applied to both stopes and drifts. Dilution included in the design averages 33% across all veins (stopes and development).

MINING METHODS

The Casposo Mine consists of a number of narrow steeply dipping orebodies known as Aztec, B-Vein, B-Vein1, Inca0, Inca1, Inca2A, Inca2B, Mercado, and Julieta. Open pit mining in Kamila and Mercado pits was completed in 2013, and all mining is currently planned as underground, although there is potential for open pit mining at Julieta. The main production from the underground mine to date has been from Inca1, Aztec, and Inca2A.

The mining method at the Casposo Mine is expected to be Longitudinal Longhole Retreat, which was the historical method used at the mine. Mine production is expected to be made up of a combination of ore development through sill drifts (34%) and stope production (66%).

Austral is modifying previous operating practices in a number of ways to better control dilution:

  • Reduced stope heights from 20 m to 15 m.

  • Smaller drift size (4.5 m by 4.5 m)

  • Installation of cable bolts on the hangingwall.

  • Revised blasting practices.

The veins are to be accessed by sub-level footwall drives, driven from the main ramp at 15 m intervals, except where pre-existing drives at 20 m intervals will be used. Stopes are designed using a minimum mining width of 2 m and are 10.5 m high, while sill drifts are designed at 4.5 m high and on average 4.0 m to 5.0 m wide. Stope lengths vary depending on the ore body, however, are limited to a maximum of 15 m due to geotechnical constraints.

Mining is planned to progress in a bottom up fashion. Stopes on each level are to be accessed in the middle and developed along strike, at both the top and bottom elevations. Once sill development is completed, the stopes are drilled and blasted. Drilling and blasting start at the end of the stoping blocks and mucked in retreating vertical slices.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE

The production schedule covers a mine life of four years based on the Mineral Reserves outlined in the Casposo Technical Report. Austral has been engaged in the development and rehabilitation work at the Casposo mine since April 2016, and production is expected to begin by the end of Q3 2016 at Aztec, Inca1, Inca2A, and Inca2B, which are all accessible with current existing development. The production schedule is summarized in Table 8.

Table8: Production Schedule

Units

2016

2017

2018

2019

TOTAL

Total Mill Feed

Tonnes (000)

150

322

297

206

976

g/t Au

2.53

1.97

2.81

2.96

2.52

g/t Ag

322

295

182

132

230

Recovery Au

%

91.2%

91.2%

91.2%

91.2%

91.2%

Recovery Ag

%

83.0%

83.0%

83.0%

83.0%

83.0%

Recovered Au

Oz (000)

11

19

25

18

72

Recovered Ag

Oz (000)

1,292

2,541

1,440

729

6,002

Recovered Au Eq

Oz (000)

26.4

51.5

42.8

26.97

148

PROCESS

The processing and recovery method is whole ore cyanide leaching for extraction of the precious metal from the ore and Merrill-Crowe counter-current decantation (CCD) and filtration for recovery of the metal from the leach circuit. The Casposo Mine recovers gold and silver doré which is to be transported to a refining facility in Brampton, Ontario Canada for further processing into high purity gold and silver.

The Casposo processing plant has a nameplate throughput of 400,000 tpa of ore. The current underground mine plan delivers approximately 300,000 tpa of ore, and Austral plans to operate the plant on an intermittent basis to retain the nominal plant throughput.

Austral's plant modifications are expected to increase operational efficiency in the crushing and grinding circuits, and in tailings filtration and water management.

CAPITAL & OPERATING COST ESTIMATES

Austral has been carrying out a program of mine development, process improvements, and operational readiness since April 2016. The estimated capital costs (expressed in US dollars) from June 30, 2016 forward are summarised in Table 9.

Table 9: Summary of Capital Costs

Item

Units

Total

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Mine Development

$ millions

29.2

4.9

12.7

9.9

1.7

-

Sustaining Capital

$ millions

6.3

2.2

0.9

3.2

-

Working Capital

$ millions

2.0

1.0

1.0

-

-

-

Reclamation & Closure

$ millions

4.2

3.0

1.2

Total

$ millions

41.7

8.1

14.6

13.0

4.7

1.2

Mine development is based on the LOM plan requirements, and a unit rate of $2,200/m, based on actual costs incurred at the mine.

Sustaining capital includes budgeted plant improvements, such as changes to the belt filter and cyanide detoxification circuit to improve efficiency and reduce costs, some mobile equipment purchases, and general site maintenance costs. Mountain Pass Consulting estimated reclamation and closure costs of $4.2 million.

Operating costs for the LOM plan are shown below in Table 10.

Table 10: Summary of Operating Costs

Unit Costs

Unit

Total

2016

2017

2018

2019

Mining (Underground)

US$/t milled

40.07

34.60

36.96

40.07

48.90

Processing

US$/t milled

31.51

36.20

35.06

36.40

43.90

G&A

US$/t milled

21.53

19.97

18.62

20.20

29.10

Total Unit Operating Cost

US$/t milled

99.11

90.77

90.65

96.67

125.91

Total Costs

Unit

Total

2016

2017

2018

2019

Mining (Underground)

US$ '000

39,127

5,202

11,920

11,913

10,092

Processing

US$ '000

36,631

5,443

11,308

10,820

9,060

G&A

US$ '000

21,020

3,003

6,006

6,006

6,006

Total Operating Cost

US$ '000

96,777

13,648

29,234

28,738

25,157

Operating cost estimates include mining, processing, and general and administration (G&A) expenses. Operating costs were budgeted based on costs incurred during previous mining activities and have been compiled by area based on estimated labour requirements, consumables, and other expenditures according to the updated mine plan and process design.

The power requirements will be met by the existing power line to site that has the capacity to transmit 18 MW of power, which is well in excess of the requirements of the operation.

SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL

All required studies were completed and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for Casposo was submitted in 2007. It was reviewed by a multi-disciplinary commission, approved in 2009, and renewed every two years subsequently. The fourth update was presented recently, with approval due in March 2018.

Austral reports that it has all required permits to carry out operations. Calingasta is a mining town and the town is home to a Mining Technology school. As a result, in the view of RPA, the mine enjoys better than average local support. The social and community relations are reported to be excellent.

A Mine closure plan was prepared by Mountain Pass LLC (Mountain Pass) in December 2014.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The Casposo Technical Report summarizing the results of the PFS is being prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and will be filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR within 45 days of this press release. The RPA Qualified Persons (QPs) for the Casposo Technical Report include:

  • Kathleen A. Altman, Ph.D., P.E. (metallurgy, processing, and environmental)

  • Jason J. Cox, P.Eng. (mining, Mineral Reserves, costs, and economic analysis)

  • Chester M. Moore, P.Eng., (geology and Mineral Resources)

This press release has been reviewed and approved by the RPA Qualified Persons.

About Austral Gold

Austral Gold Limited is a growing precious metals mining, development and exploration company building a portfolio of quality assets in Chile and Argentina. The Company's flagship Guanaco project in Chile is a low-cost gold and silver producing mine with further exploration upside. The company is also operator of the Casposo mine in San Juan, Argentina, which is currently being recommissioned. With an experienced local technical team and highly regarded major shareholder, Austral's goal is to continue to strengthen its asset base through acquisition and discovery. Austral Gold Limited is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE:AAM) and the Australian Securities Exchange (AGD.AX). For more information, please consult the company's website www.australgold.com.au.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical, and consist primarily of projections - statements regarding future plans, expectations and developments. Words such as "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "could", "potential", "should", "anticipates", "likely", "believes" and words of similar import tend to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include: expectations regarding the filing of a technical report and the expected content of the technical report; statements with respect to the Company's proposed operations at Casposo, including recommencement of operations; expectation that dilution will be reduced; expectation that optimisation of plant improve operational efficiency; LOM, cash flow and other economic projections; the ability to fund operations from existing and other internal cash resources; matters relating to future exploration; matters relating to the implementation of the mine closure plan; any future increases in the Company's interest in Casposo and the related payments; the future mine grades, recovering and production rates expected from Casposo; the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources; the realization of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates; and the outlook for prices of gold and silver.

All of these forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied, including, without limitation, business integration risks; uncertainty of production, development plans and cost estimates, commodity price fluctuations; political or economic instability and regulatory changes; currency fluctuations, the state of the capital markets, uncertainty in the measurement of mineral reserves and resource estimates, Austral's ability to extract mineralization at Casposo profitably and its ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and management, potential labour unrest, reclamation and closure requirements for mineral properties; unpredictable risks and hazards related to the development and operation of a mine or mineral property that are beyond the Company's control, the availability of capital to fund all of the Company's projects and other risks and uncertainties identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on SEDAR. You are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Austral cannot assure you that actual events, performance or results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Austral's forward-looking statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof and Austral does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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