Issued Capital: 190,244,847
First concentrate delivered to Teck's Trail
Smelter in British Columbia for
processing while mine & mill commissioning progress toward 400
ton per day ramp up
As a result of a review by staff of the Ontario Securities
Commission, we are issuing the following news release regarding our
disclosure on the Revenue Silver Mine property.
LONDON, ON, July 24, 2014 /CNW/ - Fortune Minerals Limited
(TSX: FT) (OTCQX: FTMDF) ("Fortune" or the "Company")
(www.fortuneminerals.com) announces the results of a Preliminary
Economic Assessment ("PEA") report for the Revenue Silver Mine in
southwest Colorado, U.S.A. The PEA
prepared by SRK Consulting ("SRK") demonstrates an attractive 73.2%
After Tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") and US$ 58.8 million 6% discounted After Tax Net
Present Value ("NPV") for the project. A Technical Report with
respect to the PEA ('the SRK Technical Report") will be filed on
the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com) and the Company's website today.
Fortune can acquire a 100% interest in the Revenue Silver Mine
pursuant to an agreement with staged acquisition terms. The Company
has already completed the purchase of a minimum 12% interest and is
Operator of the mine. The purchase of the Revenue Silver Mine
accomplishes Fortune's goal to become a producer, while also
positioning the Company for further growth in the prolific Sneffels
Silver Mining District of Colorado.
Highlights of the PEA:
- Fully permitted and constructed mine, mill and surface
facilities in the commissioning for a ramp up to 400 tons per
day
- Pre Tax IRR of 76.4% and After Tax IRR of 73.2%
- Pre Tax 6% discounted NPV of US$ 69.6
million and After Tax NPV of US$ 58.8
million
- Resources of 215,300 tons classified as Measured, 586,300
tons as Indicated and 684,200 tons as Inferred, containing 16.3
million ounces of silver in the Measured and Indicated Resources
and 10.1 million ounces of silver in the Inferred
Resources
- Mine Plan Resource of 888,283 tons (diluted)
with an average grade of 14.6 ounces of silver per ton,
0.02 ounces of gold per ton, 2.26 percent lead, and 0.90
percent zinc used as a basis for the economic analysis
- Life of mine ("LOM") average annual mined production of 1.86
million ounces of silver
- Cash cost of US$ 6.62 per
ounce of silver net of by-product credits, excluding freight,
treatment and refining charges ("TC/RC"), and US$ 10.28 per ounce C1 cash cost including TC/RC
charges
- 8-year mine life based only on the Mine Plan Resource
including ramp up and ramp down
- Upside from potential expansion of the Mine Plan Resource
where widespread drilling indicates continuity of the
mineralization, extension of the 2 main veins systems beyond the
current Mineral Resource Estimate, identification of resources in
the 6 other mineralized veins intersected by the main access
tunnel, and expansion of production to other mines in an historic
silver mining district
Introduction:
The Revenue Silver Mine is a fully constructed and permitted,
high-grade, underground silver mine that is in commissioning. The
mine is situated on 147 patented and unpatented mining claims,
totaling approximately 1,079.9 acres in southwest Colorado, 11 km southwest of the town of
Ouray and 490 km southwest of
Denver. The Revenue Silver Mine is
an historic producer in the late 1800's and early 1900's operated
by Caroline Mining Co. and had production estimated at up to 15
million ounces of silver before the mill burned in 1912 and the
mine closed. The underground workings have been rehabilitated and
new surface facilities and an underground mill have been
constructed. The mine is ramping up to a 400 ton per day production
rate, and delivered its first shipment of concentrate to Teck
Resources' Trail Smelter in British
Columbia last week for treatment further to an off-take
agreement to generate the mine's first revenues.
The Revenue Silver Mine is currently in commissioning. The
Company advises that when the mine enters commercial production,
that decision will not be based on a feasibility study of Mineral
Reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. As a
result, there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any
particular level of production or the cost of such production.
Historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and
technical failure.
Fortune, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Fortune Revenue
Silver Mines Inc. ("Fortune Revenue") entered into an agreement to
acquire the Revenue Silver Mine and related assets from Silver Star
Resources LLC, Star Mine Operations LLC and Revenue-Virginius Mines
Corporation (collectively, "the Vendors"). Fortune Revenue has
purchased a 12% participating interest in the mine and can purchase
a 100% interest by paying the Vendors an additional US$ 14 million and by issuing a promissory note
to pay US$ 34.5 to US$ 36.8 million
in deferred quarterly installments over 3.5 to 5.75 years
commencing in August, 2015. The amount of the quarterly payments
and rate under which the promissory note is paid are determined by
revenue targets for each respective quarter. Two deferred payments
totaling US$ 4.5 million and a 2% net
smelter return royalty - capped at US$ 9
million, are also payable to former owners of the mine. The
acquisition of the remaining interest in the mine is subject to
Fortune arranging financing.
Preliminary Economic Assessment:
Fortune and the Vendors contracted SRK to update the resources
for the Revenue Silver Mine, which was completed in April, 2014,
and disclosed in a news release, dated May
9, 2014. This release also announced the agreement under
which Fortune Revenue can purchase the mine. Following the release,
the mandate for the SRK Technical Report was changed to include a
PEA so that Fortune could publicly disclose economic information
for the mine. The SRK Technical Report will be filed on the SEDAR
website (www.sedar.com) today and was authored by Dorinda Bair, BSc
Geology, CPG, Principal Consultant (Geology), James M. Beck, Bsc
Mining Engineering, PE, SRK Associate Consultant (Environmental),
Mark K Jorgensen, BSc Chemical Engineering, SRK Associate
Consultant (Metallurgy), and Joanna
Poeck, BEng Mining, Senior Consultant (Mining Engineer) who
are Qualified Persons for the purposes of National Instrument
43-101. The report was also subject to peer review as part of SRK's
own internal process by Bret
Swanson, BEng Mining, Principal Consultant (Mining
Engineer).
The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred
mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically
to have the economic considerations applied to them that would
enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no
certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be
realized.
Economic Results:
The economics for the Revenue Silver Mine were determined on a
"Project Basis" using a 6% discounted cash flow model that was
considered appropriate for a precious metal mine in commissioning.
The financial model does not include financing costs or the capital
that was previously spent on mine development. Ongoing capital
improvements and sustaining capital totaling US$ 26.144 million LOM are included in the
financial model and are summarized in the table below:
Capital Cost Summary
Area
|
LOM Capital
(US$000s)
|
Mine
Development
|
20,656
|
Mine
Equipment
|
1,679
|
Plant
Expansion
|
912
|
Environmental
|
2,897
|
Total
|
$26,144
|
The project economics are based on Mine Plan Resources that are
a smaller subset of the larger Mineral Resource Estimate prepared
by SRK. The Mine Plan Resources are the resources that fall within
the current Mine Plan developed collectively by Fortune, SRK and
the Revenue Silver Mine operations team. The Company expects to
mine additional resources that are outside the current Mine Plan
and are captured in the larger SRK Mineral Resource Estimate, but
are in areas with insufficient drill hole density to define
continuous Mine Plan resource blocks even though wide spaced
drilling indicates there is continuity of the mineralization. The
Mine Plan Resources were determined using a US$ 130 per ton net smelter return ("NSR")
cut-off grade and the mining criteria required for the 400 tons per
day mill rate that the project is ramping up to. The US$ 130 NSR per ton cut off for the project was
estimated from operating costs that were previously estimated from
the mine, metal recoveries from metallurgical test work, and the
contracts that are in place with Teck Resources for purchase of the
concentrates. A summary of the subsequently calculated LOM
Operating Costs for the mine that are used in the economic analysis
are presented in the table below:
Operating Cost Summary
Description
|
LOM
(US$000s)
|
LOM
(US$/t-Mineralized Material)
|
Surface
|
25,813
|
21.18
|
Underground
Mining*
|
57,272
|
46.98
|
Process
|
25,407
|
20.84
|
Environmental
|
5,128
|
5.77
|
G&A
|
30,479
|
25.00
|
Total
Operating
|
$144,099
|
$119.77
|
*A portion of the mine development has been capitalized
The Revenue Silver Mine has attractive project economics on both
a Pre Tax and After Tax basis. After Tax economics reflect a total
tax burden of 40.88% of the taxable income and includes Federal
Income Tax at 34%, State Tax at 4.63%, and Colorado State Tax at
2.25%, collectively impacting 12.42% of the project's income.
Indicative Economic Results for the Project on both a Pre Tax and
After Tax basis are shown in the table below:
Project Indicative Economic Results (Dry Basis)
Description
|
Value
|
Units
|
Market
Prices
|
|
|
|
Gold
|
1,350
|
US$/oz
|
|
Silver
|
22.00
|
US$/oz
|
|
Lead
|
1.00
|
US$/lb
|
|
Zinc
|
1.00
|
US$/lb
|
Estimate of Cash
Flow (all values in US$000s)
|
|
|
|
Concentrate Net
Return
|
|
US$/oz-Ag
|
|
Gold Sales
|
24,250
|
2.02
|
|
Silver
Sales
|
257,000
|
21.37
|
|
Lead Sales
|
31,729
|
2.64
|
|
Zinc Sales
|
3,324
|
0.28
|
|
Total
Revenue
|
$316,304
|
$26.30
|
|
Treatment
Charges
|
(12,287)
|
(1.02)
|
|
Smelting &
Refining Charges
|
(23,007)
|
(1.91)
|
|
Freight, Impurities
& Third Parties
|
(8,665)
|
(0.72)
|
|
Gross
Revenue
|
$272,346
|
$22.64
|
|
Royalties
|
(5,447)
|
(0.45)
|
|
Concurrent
Reclamation
|
(5,128)
|
(0.43)
|
|
Net
Revenue
|
$261,771
|
$21.76
|
|
Operating
Costs
|
|
|
|
Surface
Costs
|
(25,813)
|
(2.15)
|
|
Underground
Mining
|
(57,272)
|
(4.76)
|
|
Process
|
(25,407)
|
(2.11)
|
|
G&A
|
(30,479)
|
(2.53)
|
|
Total
Operating
|
($138,971)
|
($11.55)
|
|
Operating Margin
(EBITDA)
|
$122,800
|
|
|
LOM Sustaining
Capital
|
(26,144)
|
|
|
Income Tax
|
(15,246)
|
|
|
Pre Tax Free Cash
Flow
|
$96,656
|
|
|
Pre Tax NPV @:
6%
|
$69,632
|
|
|
Pre Tax
IRR
|
76.4%
|
|
|
After Tax Free
Cash Flow
|
$81,410
|
|
|
After Tax NPV @:
6%
|
$58,848
|
|
|
After Tax
IRR
|
73.2%
|
|
The economics for the Revenue Silver Mine were also assessed on
a cash cost basis using a number of metrics, including cash cost
per ton and cash cost per unit of metal produced for both the mine
prior to treatment and refining charges and after and are presented
in the Projected Cash Costs table below:
Project Cash Costs
Cash
Costs
|
US$000's
|
Direct Cash
Cost
|
|
|
Surface
Costs
|
25,813
|
|
Underground Mining
Cost
|
57,272
|
|
Process
Cost
|
25,407
|
|
Site G&A
Cost
|
30,479
|
|
By-Product
Credits
|
(59,304)
|
|
Cash Costs Before
Freight and TC-RC
|
79,668
|
|
$/
t-ROM
|
65.35
|
|
$/Ag-oz
|
6.62
|
|
Treatment
Charges
|
12,287
|
|
Smelting &
Refining Charges
|
23,007
|
|
Freight
|
8,665
|
|
C1 Direct Cash
Costs
|
123,626
|
|
$/
t-ROM
|
101.41
|
|
$/Ag-oz
|
10.28
|
Indirect Cash
Cost
|
|
|
Royalties
|
5,447
|
|
Concurrent
Reclamation
|
5,128
|
|
Indirect Cash
Costs
|
10,574
|
|
US$/t-ROM
|
8.67
|
|
US$/Ag-oz
|
0.88
|
|
Total Cash
Costs
|
$134,201
|
|
US$/t-ROM
|
$110.09
|
|
US$/Ag-oz
|
$11.16
|
Run of Mine ("ROM")
Sensitivity analysis was also prepared for the Revenue Silver
Mine project for percentage changes in recovery, capital, and
operating costs and are presented in the NPV Sensitivity table
below:
Project NPV Sensitivity (US$ Millions)
NPV @
6%
|
-25%
|
-20%
|
-15%
|
-10%
|
-5%
|
Base
|
5%
|
10%
|
15%
|
20%
|
25%
|
Recovery
|
8
|
20
|
32
|
41
|
50
|
59
|
67
|
75
|
83
|
92
|
100
|
Capital
Costs
|
63
|
62
|
61
|
60
|
60
|
59
|
58
|
57
|
56
|
56
|
55
|
Operating
Costs
|
79
|
75
|
71
|
67
|
63
|
59
|
54
|
50
|
45
|
40
|
35
|
Previous Work:
The Revenue Silver Mine operated in the late 1800's and early
1900's before the mill burned in 1912 and the mine closed. The
previous workings from this mining activity are known and there is
production figures available for the latter part of the mine life.
Ranchers Exploration and Development Corp. ("Ranchers"), Camp Bird
Mine (Federal Resources) and Sunshine Mining also conducted
significant exploration and mine rehabilitation work on the
property during the 1960's, 1980's and 1990's. Ranchers also
conducted test mining to verify grades and mining conditions and
carried out metallurgical testwork based on the contiguous Camp
Bird Mine flowsheet that has similar mineralization. The Vendors
acquired the property in 2011 and conducted additional exploration
and development work to validate the deposit and rehabilitate the
mine for production. This allowed for the compilation of
significant sample data to prepare a geological and resource block
model in Vulcan software. A
summary of this sampling work that was carried out on the Virginius
and Yellow Rose Veins as well as surface stockpiles between 1966
and 2013 is presented in the table below:
Exploration Work Virginius and Yellow Rose Veins 1966 -
2013
Sampling Work 1966
to 2013
|
# of Completed
Work
|
Surface Exploration
Samples
|
9
|
Surface Samples of
Dumps and Tailings
|
818
|
Underground Channel
Samples
|
1611
|
Surface and
Underground Core Holes
|
399
|
Geology:
The Revenue Silver Mine is a typical epithermal system hosted in
andesitic volcanic caldera features. Mineralization consists of
narrow, high-grade quartz-carbonate veins containing freibergite
and tetrahedrite (silver), native gold, galena (lead), sphalerite
(zinc), chalcopyrite (copper) and pyrite. Historical mining, plus
extensive drilling and channel sampling has confirmed continuity of
mineralization in the Virginius and Yellow Rose Veins and the known
resources are contained in these veins. They dip steeply and can be
traced for up to 4.8 km along strike, more than 900 metres at
depth, and range in width between 0.15 and 2.74 metres. There is
also good potential to identify additional resources along the
projection of strike and dip from the known resources and in six
additional mineralized vein systems are intersected by the Revenue
Tunnel. These, together with the mineral potential of being within
a larger prolific historical silver mining district, indicate that
there is good potential to expand the resource.
Mineral Resource Estimates:
A number of historical resource estimates were prepared for the
Revenue Silver Mine by companies that previously conducted
exploration of the mine. The Vendors also commissioned several
resource estimates, which were prepared by SRK, including the
Mineral Resource Estimate contained in the SRK Technical Report.
Dorinda Bair, B.S. (Geology), CPG,
is the Qualified Person responsible for the SRK resource estimates.
The Mineral Resources for the Revenue Silver Mine are all contained
in the Virginius and Yellow Rose Veins and have been classified as
Measured, Indicated and Inferred based on standards as defined by
the "CIM Definition Standards - For Mineral Resources and Mineral
Reserves", prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve
Definitions and adopted by CIM Council on December 17, 2010.
The raw assay data for all metals, consists of several thousand
samples from drillhole intercepts and channel samples across the
vein and were compiled to prepare computer geological and block
models in Vulcan software. The
sample data was also assessed by sample type for the presence of
high-grade outlier values that could impact grade estimation.
Capping was reviewed for both the Virginius and Yellow Rose Veins
based on log probability plots, which resulted in caps being
assigned for all metals as presented in the Assay Capping by
Deposit table below:
Assay Capping by Deposit
Metal
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Virginius
|
Au (oz/t)
|
0.300
|
0.445
|
Ag (oz/t)
|
109
|
318
|
Cu (%)
|
NA*
|
3.75
|
Pb (%)
|
12.6
|
37
|
Zn (%)
|
10
|
10
|
*Cu was not estimated for Yellow Rose.
Source: SRK Consulting, 2014
The capped assay data was then composited to the minimum mining
width of 3 feet and grade interpolation applied using inverse
distance squared to determine resource blocks. The classification
of the resources reflect the relative confidence of the grade
estimates defined by the search radiuses determined for each
classification and the number of composites and drill holes and/or
channel samples required for each classification by vein. The
classification criteria are intended to encompass zones of
reasonably continuous mineralization.
Virginius Mineral Resource Estimate
The Virginius Main and Footwall Veins were extensively sampled in
workings and in stope development by Ranchers and Sunshine Mining
but due to limited historic Quality Assurance / Quality Control
measures being applied during this period, the classification of
resources was limited by SRK to "Indicated". The Indicated Mineral
Resources for the Virginius Main and Footwall Veins are those
blocks having a minimum of three samples within an anisotropic
search of 100 ft x 100 ft x 50 ft. Inferred Mineral Resources are
those blocks having a minimum three samples within an anisotropic
search of 200 ft x 200 ft x 50 ft. All results from channel samples
and drilling at the project that are within the wireframes were
used in the Mineral Resource Estimate. Note that tons are short
imperial tons.
Mineral Resource at the Virginius at a Cut-off of
US$150/t* as at April 18, 2014
Area
|
Category
|
Tons
|
Ag
(opt)
|
Au
(opt)
|
Pb
(%)
|
Cu
(%)
|
Zn
(%)
|
Contained
Metal
|
Ag
(M
oz)
|
Au
(oz)
|
Pb
(M
lb)
|
Cu
(M
lb)
|
Zn
(M
lb)
|
Virginius
|
Indicated
|
485,600
|
26.95
|
0.044
|
4.30
|
0.25
|
1.37
|
13.1
|
21,000
|
41.80
|
2.4
|
13.3
|
Virginius
|
Inferred
|
646,100
|
14.93
|
0.038
|
3.04
|
0.13
|
0.99
|
9.65
|
24,500
|
39.25
|
1.6
|
12.8
|
- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have
demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or
any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into
Mineral Reserves.
- The Mineral Resource estimates include Inferred Mineral
Resources that are normally considered too speculative geologically
to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable
them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. There is also no
certainty that Inferred Mineral Resources will be converted to
Measured and Indicated categories through further drilling, or into
Mineral Reserves, once economic considerations are applied. Mineral
resource tonnage and contained metal have been rounded to reflect
the accuracy of the estimate, and numbers may not add due to
rounding.
- *Cut-off is based on a minimum total recovered metal based
on a mining and milling cost provided by Silver Star Resources LLC
of $150/t and diluted to a minimum
mining width of 3 feet.
- Recovered block model metal value = (Ag oz/t • Ag
recovery • US$/oz Ag) + (Au oz/t • Au recovery •
US$/oz Au) + (2000 • Pb % / 100 • Pb recovery • US$/lb
Pb) + (2000 • Zn % / 100 • Zn recovery • US$/lb
Zn).
- The metal price and recovery assumptions include a silver
("Ag") price of US$20/oz and recovery
of 95%; gold ("Au") price of US$1250/oz and recovery of 90%; a copper ("Cu")
price of US$3.15/lb and recovery of
80%; a lead ("Pb") price of US$1/lb
and recovery of 90%; and a zinc ("Zn") price of US$1/lb and recovery of 85%.
Yellow Rose Mineral Resource Estimate
The Mineral Resources for the Yellow Rose Vein are classified as
Measured Mineral Resources for those blocks having a minimum of
three samples and three drillholes or channels which are within an
anisotropic search of 125 ft x 125 ft x 50 ft within the vein. This
classification takes into consideration that there has been
sampling in workings around the Yellow Rose Main vein in addition
to drilling. Indicated Mineral Resources are those blocks having a
minimum of three samples and three drillholes or channels which are
within an anisotropic search of 250 ft x 250 ft x 50 ft within the
vein. Inferred Mineral Resources are those blocks having a minimum
of three samples and three drillholes which are a maximum
block-composite separation distance within an anisotropic search of
375 ft x 375 ft x 50 ft within the vein and related splays. All
results from channel samples and drilling at the Project that are
within the wireframes have been used in the Mineral Resource
Estimate. Copper was not estimated at Yellow Rose due to validation
concerns for the copper database. This data was hand entered from
historical assay certificates and there were too many data entry
errors for inclusion at this time. With additional, data review and
data entry corrections, there is potential to add this data to the
Mineral Resource Estimate. Note that tons are short imperial
tons.
Mineral Resource at the Yellow Rose at a Cut-off of
US$150/t* as at April 18, 2014
Area
|
Category
|
Tons
|
Ag
(opt)
|
Au
(opt)
|
Pb
(%)
|
Zn
(%)
|
Contained
Metal
|
Ag
(M oz
)
|
Au
(oz)
|
Pb
(M
lb)
|
Zn
(M
lb)
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Measured
|
215,300
|
10.08
|
0.034
|
1.71
|
1.69
|
2.17
|
6,400
|
7.37
|
7.28
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Indicated
|
100,700
|
10.92
|
0.036
|
1.96
|
1.74
|
1.10
|
4,000
|
3,95
|
3.5
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Measured &
Indicated
|
316,100
|
10.35
|
0.035
|
1.79
|
1.71
|
3.27
|
10,490
|
11.31
|
10.78
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Inferred
|
38,100
|
11.01
|
0.025
|
1.69
|
0.92
|
0.49
|
700
|
1.28
|
0.701
|
- Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have
demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or
any part of the Mineral Resources estimated will be converted into
Mineral Reserves.
- The Mineral Resource estimates include Inferred Mineral
Resources that are normally considered too speculative geologically
to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable
them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. There is also no
certainty that Inferred Mineral Resources will be converted to
Measured and Indicated categories through further drilling, or into
Mineral Reserves, once economic considerations are applied. Mineral
resource tonnage and contained metal have been rounded to reflect
the accuracy of the estimate, and numbers may not add due to
rounding.
- *Cut-off is based on a minimum total recovered metal based
on a mining and milling cost provided by Silver Star Resources LLC
of $150/t and diluted to a minimum
mining width of 3 feet.
- Recovered block model metal value = (Ag oz/t • Ag
recovery • US$/oz Ag) + (Au oz/t • Au recovery •
US$/oz Au) + (2000 • Pb % / 100 • Pb recovery • US$/lb
Pb) + (2000 • Zn % / 100 • Zn recovery • US$/lb
Zn).
- The metal price and recovery assumptions include a silver
("Ag") price of US$20/oz and recovery
of 95%; gold ("Au") price of US$1250/oz and recovery of 90%; a lead ("Pb")
price of US$1/lb and recovery of 90%;
and a zinc ("Zn") price of US$1/lb
and recovery of 85%.
Mine Plan Resource:
Mine Plan Resources are a smaller subset of the larger SRK
Mineral Resource Estimates and were determined by applying mining
and economic constraints to the Mineral Resource Estimates. The
Mine Plan Resources are based on a NSR cut-off grade of
US$ 130 per ton for design purposes
and applying a marginal cut-off grade of US$
50 per ton for reporting based on the design. These numbers
include a 90% mining recovery to the designed stope wireframes in
addition to 15% unplanned waste dilution within stopes. Additional
development of 5% to 10% was applied based on development type to
account for detail currently not in the design. Zero grade was used
for the waste dilution. The underground mine design process results
in a Mine Plan Resource of 888,283 tons (diluted) with an average
grade of 14.6 ounces of silver per ton, 0.02 ounces of
gold per ton, 2.26 percent lead, and 0.90 percent zinc. A summary
of the Mine Plan Resource is presented in the table below:
Mine Plan Resource Classification *
|
Description
|
Tons
(kt)
|
Ag
(oz/t)
|
Au
(oz/t)
|
Pb
(%)
|
Zn
(%)
|
Virginius
|
Measured
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicated
|
369.8
|
19.68
|
0.03
|
2.91
|
0.83
|
Measured +
Indicated
|
369.8
|
19.68
|
0.03
|
2.91
|
0.83
|
Inferred
|
310.9
|
12.43
|
0.02
|
1.98
|
0.69
|
Yellow
Rose
|
Measured
|
141.6
|
8.38
|
0.02
|
1.28
|
1.31
|
Indicated
|
45.2
|
11.29
|
0.01
|
2.21
|
1.63
|
Measured +
Indicated
|
186.86
|
9.08
|
0.02
|
1.51
|
1.39
|
Inferred
|
20.7
|
5.19
|
0.01
|
1.05
|
0.73
|
*Includes Measured, Indicated, and Inferred reported using a
marginal cut-off grade of US$50/t.
The PEA is preliminary in nature and is based on a resource
model that contains Measured, Indicated and Inferred Mineral
Resources. Inferred Mineral Resources are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic considerations
applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral
Reserves and there is no certainty that the PEA will be
realized.
Mining:
The Revenue Silver Mine is accessed from the Revenue Tunnel, a
7,400 foot (2.26 km) long tracked adit that intersects the various
vein systems identified in the mine and terminates at the Virginius
Vein. There has also been 5,600 feet (1,707 km) of horizontal
drifting on the Virginius and Yellow Rose Veins from the historical
mining activity and development work. These workings have been in
large part rehabilitated, and serviced with track, water supply,
compressed air, ventilation and electricity to support mining
activities. Track mounted electric locomotives are used to convey
personnel and supplies to the working areas and to tram ore and
waste rock to the mill and surface, respectively. An approximately
710 foot (216 metre) deep internal winze (shaft) was also sunk to
access four additional lower levels of the Virginius Vein and would
require rehabilitation for use.
The Revenue Silver Mine veins are narrow and contain high grades
that are mined using narrow vein mining methods common to the area
with a focus on minimizing dilution and maintaining grade control.
The PEA uses shrinkage methods using a minimum mining width of 3
feet. Design criteria for the stopes include: a maximum stope
length of 125 feet, 6 foot Rib pillars, 7.5 foot Crown pillars at
the surface, and 12.5 foot Sill pillars between levels. Additional
external dilution is estimated to range between 10% and 20% (about
4 to 10 inches) during shrinkage stoping. New footwall access
drives are set-back from vein by four times mined vein thickness.
Underground Mining Costs for the Revenue Mine are presented in the
table below:
Revenue Mine Underground Mining Cost Summary
Type
|
LOM Cost
(US$000s)
|
US$/t-ROM
|
US$/t
oz-Ag
|
Development with
Rail
|
1,665
|
1.37
|
0.14
|
Development without
Rail
|
10,058
|
8.25
|
0.84
|
Virginius
Stoping
|
24,383
|
20.00
|
2.03
|
Virginius Incremental
Truck Haul
|
1,118
|
0.92
|
0.09
|
Yellow Rose
Stoping
|
7,767
|
6.37
|
0.65
|
Standard Roybal
Raises
|
6,010
|
4.93
|
0.50
|
Reinforced Roybal
Raises
|
59
|
0.05
|
0.00
|
Alimak
Raises
|
552
|
0.45
|
0.05
|
Scram
Drift
|
4,477
|
3.67
|
0.37
|
Rehabilitation
|
1,183
|
0.97
|
0.10
|
Total
|
$57,272
|
$46.98
|
$4.76
|
Milling and Processing
The mill is situated in an underground excavation to minimize
the surface mine footprint. The crushing and grinding plant and
flotation circuits were designed by CH2M Hill and built with
primarily new equipment. The plant was designed initially for a
rate of 300 tons per day, but was built with oversized key
components and will be expanded to 400 tons per day. Three
concentrates will be produced, a gravity gold concentrate, a
lead-silver flotation concentrate and a zinc-silver flotation
concentrate. The lead and zinc flotation concentrates will be
filtered and bagged prior to shipment to Teck Resources Limited for
processing at their smelter in Trail,
B.C. The gravity concentrate will be sold to Johnson Matthey and other refineries,
Preliminary metal recoveries from flotation were estimated from
previous metallurgical test work that was done for Sunshine Mining
and Ranchers and recent test work performed on grab samples
performed by Resource Development Inc. for Star. Test work for the
recovery of gravity gold was performed on grab samples by FL Smidth
Knelson for Star. The recoveries used for the study are shown
in the NSR Calculation Inputs table shown below:
NSR Calculation Inputs
Lead
Con
|
Met
Recovery
|
Zinc
Con
|
Met
Recovery
|
Gravity
|
Met
Recovery
|
Total
|
Recovery
|
Zinc
|
54%
|
Zinc
|
31%
|
Zinc
|
0%
|
Zinc
|
85%
|
Lead
|
85%
|
Lead
|
0%
|
Lead
|
5%
|
Lead
|
90%
|
Silver
|
92%
|
Silver
|
1%
|
Silver
|
2%
|
Silver
|
95%
|
Gold
|
87%
|
Gold
|
1%
|
Gold
|
2%
|
Gold
|
90%
|
The flotation concentrates will be purchased under an off take
agreement with Teck Resources and processed at the Trail Smelter in
British Columbia.
All tailings will be filtered to allow for water recovery that
will be recycled back to the mill. The filtered tailings will be
dry stacked and placed in a permitted impoundment facility which
will eliminate the need for a tailings pond.
Environment and Community:
The site is fully permitted for production. The Company's
due-diligence has revealed no historic concerns or issues with the
mine site and operations. The required closure bond is in place
with state authorities. The mine is situated in a historic mining
district and has received strong community support. The majority of
the workforce has been sourced from the local area and Fortune
looks to continue to maximize the use of local resources.
The company is in the process of integrating the current
management team with Fortune. Additional capital spending is
planned to support mine development, ensuring the mill achieves
concentrate grade targets, and realizes a number of opportunities
to increase revenue.
Disclosure of Differences:
The PEA referred to herein and reflected in the SRK Technical
Report is an updated economic analysis of the project based on the
Mine Plan Resources and updated economic criteria. Variances
between the information that was disclosed in the Company's news
release, dated May 9, 2014 are based
on the Company's internal models. The differences are shown in the
table below:
Differences Between May 9, 2014
In-House and PEA Economic Analysis
Parameter
|
May 9, 2014
In-House
|
July 23, 2014
PEA
|
LOM Average Annual
Silver Mine Production
|
1.78 million
ounces
|
1.86 million
ounces
|
Cash cost Silver Net
of By Products prior to Freight and TC/RC
|
US$
8.02/oz
|
US$
6.62/oz
|
Breakeven Free Cash
Flow Silver Price
|
US$
12,42/oz
|
US$
13.56/oz
|
Mine Life
|
13-Years
|
8-Years
|
Most of these variances between the SRK PEA and the in-house
estimates disclosed in the May 9,
2014 news release reflect small changes based on updated
information. The only significant change relates to the estimate
for the mine life, which dropped from 13 to 8 years. This reflects
the fact that the previous Company estimates were based on the
total Mineral Resource Estimate that were factored to include
mining criteria such as pillars and external dilution. The 8-year
mine life reflected in the SRK PEA conversely, is based on the Mine
Plan which applies additional mining and economic constraints to
the resource. Additional definition drilling is required to support
continuity of resource blocks where current widespread drilling
indicates there should be continuity of the resource.
Conclusions:
- The Revenue Silver Mine continues the commissioning process
having shipped its first concentrate and is targeting a 400 tons
per day production rate.
- The high silver grades and by-product credits for gold, lead,
zinc and copper support a low C1 cost of US$
10.28 per ounce of silver inclusive of freight and smelter
treatment and refining charges.
- The average annual ROM silver mine is expected to be 1.86
million ounces before recovery, plus by-product credits.
- There is potential to increase the estimated 8-year mine life;
by extending the Mine Plan Resource into areas where there are
Mineral Resources identified but insufficient drill hole date to
define mining stopes; by extending the two main veins systems
beyond the current Mineral Resource Estimate; by identifying
resources in 6 other mineralized veins intersected by the main
access tunnel; and expanding production to other mines in an
historic silver mining district.
About Fortune Minerals:
Fortune is a diversified North American mining and development
company. Fortune operates the Revenue Silver Mine in Colorado and is developing the vertically
integrated NICO gold-cobalt-bismuth-copper project that is
comprised of a proposed mine and mill in the Northwest Territories ("NT") that will produce
a bulk concentrate for shipment to a refinery in Saskatchewan for processing to high value
metal and chemical products. Fortune is also developing the Arctos
anthracite metallurgical coal project in British Columbia and owns the Sue-Dianne
copper-silver-gold deposit and other exploration projects in the
NT. Fortune is focused on outstanding performance and growth of
shareholder value through assembly and development of high quality
mineral resource projects.
This press release contains "forward-looking information" and
"forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable
Canadian and United States
legislation, respectively (collectively, "forward looking
information". This forward-looking information includes
statements with respect to, among other things, the anticipated
completion of the acquisition of 100% of the Revenue Silver Mine
("RSM"); the anticipated IRR, NPV, cash costs and mine life for the
RSM; the planned ramp-up of the mill at the RSM to process an
anticipated 400 tons per day; and the potential to increase the
resources at and mine life of the RSM . Forward-looking information
is based on the opinions and estimates of management as well as
certain assumptions at the date the information is given
(including, in respect of the forward-looking information contained
in this press release, assumptions regarding: the Company's ability
to fund the next staged payment for the RSM acquisition from
external sources and additional staged payments from the mine's
cash flow and/or external sources; production and costs of the RSM
being in line with estimates; the mill having the ability to
process at a rate of 400 tons per day; the ability of the Company
to expand production in the future; the ability of the Company to
obtain the necessary funds to undertake required capital
investments in the RSM; and other assumptions set out elsewhere in
this press release. However, such forward-looking information is
subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors
that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from
those projected in the forward-looking information. These factors
include the inherent risks involved in the exploration and
development of mineral properties, the risk that the Company may
not be able to arrange the necessary financing to complete the
acquisition of 100% of the RSM in accordance with its contractual
obligations; the risk that the Company may not be able to increase
production at the RSM mill to 400 tons per day; unexpected
technical delays and associated timing delays in the ramp-up of the
mine and associated production of silver; the risk that operating
and/or capital costs may be materially higher than
anticipated; the risk of substantial decrease in the price of
silver or other precious metals; potential loss of key personnel;
potential discrepancies between actual and estimated production;
potential discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral
resources or between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries;
potential labour shortages; the risk of mining accidents; the
risk of changes in applicable laws or regulations; and other
factors. In addition, the risk factors described or referred to in
Fortune's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2013, which is available on the
SEDAR website, should be reviewed in conjunction with the
information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned
to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information because
it is possible that predictions, forecasts, projections and other
forms of forward-looking information will not be achieved by the
Company. The forward-looking information contained herein is made
as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to
update or revise it to reflect new events or circumstances, except
as required by law.
SOURCE Fortune Minerals Limited