TSX: TML
OTCQX: TSRMF
Positive Results for the PFS with
Post-tax NPV of $425 million
and 30.1% IRR at Spot Prices
TORONTO, Feb. 22,
2023 /CNW/ - Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML)
(OTCQX: TSRMF) ("Treasury" or "the Company") is
pleased to announce the results of the Pre-feasibility Study (the
"PFS"), prepared in accordance with National Instrument
43-101 – Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects
("NI 43–101"), for its 100%-owned Goliath Gold Complex
(the "Project" or "GGC") located in the Wabigoon
Greenstone Belt in northwestern Ontario, which includes the Goliath
("Goliath"), Goldlund ("Goldlund") and Miller
("Miller") deposits. All dollar figures are expressed in
Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.
PFS Highlights:
- Positive Economics – Unlevered post-tax net present
value at a 5% discount rate ("NPV") of $336 million and post-tax unlevered internal rate
of return ("IRR") of 25.4%, using a long-term gold price of
US$1,750 per ounce and an exchange
rate of US$1.00 to C$1.34.
- Increased Production – Average annual production
increased from 79,000 ounces to 90,000 ounces per year, with peak
production increasing from 119,000 ounces to 128,000 ounces (year
2), compared to the 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment
("PEA") [1] for the Project. Total ounces produced increased
from 1.065 million ounces to 1.175 million ounces, with increased
production in the first nine years of mine life.
- Initial Mineral Reserve Declared – Proven and Probable
Mineral Reserve of 1.3 million ounces gold (30.3 million tonnes at
1.3 g/t Au).
- Low Capital ("Capex") Intensity Project – Estimated
Initial capital of $335 million,
including a 30% increase to process plant capacity compared to the
PEA, with life of mine capital of $552
million including closure costs and salvage values and a
post-tax payback period of 2.8 years.
- Competitive Costs and Profitability – Cash costs of
US$820/oz, All-In Sustaining Costs
("AISC") of US$1,008/oz and
annual EBITDA and free cash flows of $145
million and $106 million,
respectively, over the first five years of production. Life-of-mine
free cash flows of $869 million, cash
costs of US$935/oz and AISC of
US$1,072 on a by-product basis.
- Optimization work to commence to unlock further value
towards a Feasibility Study.
________________________________
|
1 For
more information on the PEA, see the Company's technical report
entitled "N.I. 43-101 Technical Report & Preliminary Economic
Assessment of the Goliath Gold Complex" and dated effective January
28, 2021, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Mineral
resources that are not mineral reserves have not demonstrated
economic viability. The PEA is preliminary in nature in that it
includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative to have economic considerations applied to them and
should not be relied upon for that purpose.
|
Jeremy Wyeth, President and CEO of
Treasury Metals Inc., commented: "This PFS released by the Company
supports the values from the PEA. We are pleased with the results,
which in some cases exceed the values from the PEA, with the
addition of more detailed engineering work completed in the PFS.
The PFS shows strong base-case economics, with great leverage to
higher gold prices, in spite of current short-term inflationary
pressures. The mine plan has grown from the PEA and the higher
throughput has allowed us to get economies of scale to maintain
these solid economics. We believe that additional optimization work
will assist us in unlocking further value into the Feasibility
Study and we will continue with exploration activities to look for
opportunities to extend and expand the mine plan. I am pleased that
the Board has approved that we move forward into value engineering
and a Feasibility Study."
Pre-Feasibility Study Summary
This independent PFS was developed by Ausenco Engineering Canada
Inc. with collaboration from SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd., Minnow Environmental Inc., WSP
Canada Inc. and Stantec Inc. These firms provided mineral resource
and mineral reserve estimates, design parameters and cost estimates
for mine operations, process facilities, waste and tailings
storage, permitting, reclamation, equipment selection and operating
and capital expenditures.
Table 1: Summary of Project Economics
Financial Summary
and Analysis
|
General
|
Gold Price/Silver
Price
|
US$/oz
|
$1,750/$21
|
Exchange
Rate
|
US$:C$
|
$1.34
|
Mine Life
|
years
|
13.0
|
Total Mill Feed
Tonnes
|
kt
|
30,318
|
Strip Ratio
|
|
3.11
|
Production
|
Mill Head Grade
LOM
|
g/t
|
1.30
|
Mill Recovery
Rate
|
%
|
92.77 %
|
Total Mill Ounces
Recovered
|
koz
|
1,175
|
Total Annual Average
Production
|
koz
|
90
|
Operating
Cost
|
Mining Cost
|
C$/t Milled
|
$32.83
|
Processing
Cost
|
C$/t Milled
|
$11.34
|
G&A Cost
|
C$/t Milled
|
$3.54
|
Total Operating
Costs
|
C$/t Milled
|
$47.71
|
Cash Costs*
|
US$/oz
|
$935
|
AISC**
|
US$/oz
|
$1,072
|
Capital
Cost
|
Initial
Capital
|
C$M
|
$335
|
Sustaining
Capital
|
C$M
|
$198
|
Closure Costs &
Salvage Value
|
C$M
|
$19
|
Financial
Pre-tax
|
NPV
|
C$M
|
$469
|
IRR
|
|
29.3 %
|
Payback
|
years
|
2.8
|
Financial
Post-tax
|
NPV
|
C$M
|
$336
|
IRR
|
|
25.4 %
|
Payback
|
years
|
2.8
|
*Cash costs consist of
mining costs, processing costs, G&A and refining charges and
royalties. Calculated on a by-product basis. See notes on Non-IFRS
Financial Measures for more details.
|
**AISC includes cash
costs plus sustaining capital. Calculated on a by-product basis.
See notes on Non-IFRS Financial Measures for more
details.
|
Mineral Reserves
The PFS is based on the combined open pit and underground
Measured and Indicated portion of the Goliath Gold Complex Mineral
Resource Estimate, as released on April 14,
2022 (see Table 3 below). The Proven and Probable Mineral
Reserves for the Project are estimated at 30.3 million tonnes at an
average grade of 1.3 g/t Au for 1.3 million ounces of contained
gold as outlined in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Goliath Gold Complex Mineral Reserve
Estimate
Goliath Gold
Complex
|
Type
|
Classification
|
Tonnes (kt)
|
Au (g/t)
|
Au (koz)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Ag (koz)
|
Open Pit
Goliath
|
Proven
|
3,969
|
1.05
|
134
|
3.22
|
410
|
Probable
|
5,580
|
0.67
|
119
|
2.20
|
395
|
Proven &
Probable
|
9,549
|
0.83
|
254
|
2.62
|
805
|
Open Pit
Goldlund
|
Proven
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Probable
|
16,256
|
1.19
|
621
|
–
|
–
|
Proven &
Probable
|
16,256
|
1.19
|
621
|
–
|
–
|
Open Pit
Miller
|
Proven
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Probable
|
738
|
1.03
|
24
|
–
|
–
|
Proven &
Probable
|
738
|
1.03
|
24
|
–
|
–
|
Underground
Goliath
|
Proven
|
596
|
3.96
|
76
|
16.73
|
321
|
Probable
|
3,180
|
2.85
|
292
|
5.85
|
598
|
Proven &
Probable
|
3,776
|
3.03
|
368
|
7.56
|
918
|
Total
|
Proven
|
4,565
|
1.43
|
210
|
4.98
|
731
|
Probable
|
25,574
|
1.28
|
1,057
|
1.20
|
993
|
Proven &
Probable
|
30,319
|
1.30
|
1,267
|
1.77
|
1,724
|
1.
|
Mineral Reserves are
founded on and included within the Mineral Resource estimates, with
an effective date of January 17, 2022.
|
2.
|
Mineral Reserves were
developed in accordance with CIM Definition Standards
(2014).
|
3.
|
Open pit Mineral
Reserves incorporate 10%, 7% and 9% dilution for Goliath, Goldlund
and Miller, respectively. Open pit Mineral Reserves include 1% loss
for Goliath and Miller, no losses are included for Goldlund.
Goliath underground Mineral Reserves include 5% dilution and 0%
loss for development. For stopes at Goliath underground, the
Mineral Reserves include 15% dilution (both downhole and up hole
stopes) and 90% (downhole) and 80% (up hole) recovery.
|
4.
|
Open pit Mineral
Reserves are reported based on open pit mining within designed pits
above cut-off values of C$15.22/t, C$16.00/t and C$23.63/t for
Goliath, Goldlund and Miller, respectively. Goliath underground
Mineral Reserves are reported based on underground mining within
designed underground stopes above an in-situ cut-off value of
C$124.00/t. The cut-off values are based on a gold price of
US$1,550/oz Au, a silver price of US$22, transportation costs of
C$5/oz Au, payability of 99% Au and 97% Ag, LOM average gold
recoveries of 94.2% for Goliath, 94.3% for Goldlund and 94.0% for
Miller, and a silver recovery of 60% for Goliath.
|
5.
|
Underground Mineral
Reserves following Year 13 have been removed from the LOM plan and
thus are excluded in the Mineral Reserve table above. Some low
grade Goldlund material above cut-off is not fed to the plant and
therefore not included in the Mineral Reserves.
|
6.
|
The qualified person
for the open pit Mineral Reserve estimate is Colleen MacDougall,
P.Eng; and the qualified person for the underground Mineral Reserve
estimate is Sean Kautzman, P.Eng, both are SRK Consulting (Canada)
Inc. employees.
|
7.
|
Rounding may result in
apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade and contained
metal.
|
Mineral Resources
The Treasury geology team worked with SRK Consulting
(Canada) Inc. to select the best
modelling approaches for each deposit. Improved geological models
were constructed for each deposit to support the block model
updates. The goal for the geological models and block models was to
ensure each deposit was as well represented as possible. Specific
attention was placed on capturing the higher-grade mineralization
while not allowing those grades to mistakenly influence the
surrounding lower-grade halos.
Table 3: Goliath Gold Complex Mineral Resource
Estimate
Goliath Gold
Complex
|
Type
|
Classification
|
Cut-off
|
Tonnes
|
Au (g/t)
|
Au (Oz)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Ag (Oz)
|
Open Pit
|
Measured
|
0.25 / 0.3
|
6,223,000
|
1.20
|
239,500
|
4.70
|
940,600
|
Indicated
|
0.25 / 0.3
|
58,546,000
|
0.82
|
1,545,000
|
2.53
|
1,878,500
|
Meas+Ind
|
0.25 / 0.3
|
64,769,000
|
0.86
|
1,784,500
|
2.99
|
2,819,100
|
Inferred
|
0.25 / 0.3
|
32,301,000
|
0.73
|
754,900
|
0.80
|
85,200
|
Underground
|
Measured
|
2.20
|
170,000
|
6.24
|
34,100
|
22.34
|
122,100
|
Indicated
|
2.20
|
2,772,000
|
3.59
|
320,000
|
7.08
|
580,800
|
Meas+Ind
|
2.20
|
2,942,000
|
3.74
|
354,100
|
8.04
|
702,900
|
Inferred
|
2.20
|
270,000
|
3.21
|
27,900
|
4.06
|
6,300
|
Total
|
Measured
|
|
6,393,000
|
1.33
|
273,600
|
5.17
|
1,062,700
|
Indicated
|
|
61,318,000
|
0.95
|
1,865,000
|
2.98
|
2,459,300
|
Meas+Ind
|
|
67,711,000
|
0.98
|
2,138,600
|
3.42
|
3,522,000
|
Inferred
|
|
32,571,000
|
0.75
|
782,800
|
0.84
|
91,500
|
1.
|
Mineral Resources were
estimated by ordinary kriging by Dr. Gilles Arseneau, associate
consultant of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., Mineral Resources were
prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Definition
Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (2014) and the
CIM Estimation of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves Best
Practice Guidelines (2019). This estimate of Mineral Resources may
be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title,
taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues.
Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have
demonstrated economic viability.
|
2.
|
Mineral Resource
Estimate effective date: January 17, 2022.
|
3.
|
Goliath Open Pit
Mineral Resources are reported within an optimized constraining
shell at a cut-off grade of 0.25 g/t gold that is based on a gold
price of US$1,700/oz, a silver price of US$23/oz, and a gold and
silver processing recovery of 93.873*Au(g/t)^0.021 and 60%
respectively.
|
4.
|
Goldlund Open Pit
Mineral Resources are reported within an optimized constraining
shell at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t gold that is based on a gold
price of US$1,700/oz and a gold processing recovery of
90.344*Au(g/t)^0.0527.
|
5.
|
Miller Open Pit Mineral
Resources are reported within an optimized constraining shell at a
cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t gold that is based on a gold price of
US$1,700/oz and a gold processing recovery of
93.873*Au(g/t)^0.021.
|
6.
|
Goliath Underground
Mineral Resources are reported inside shapes generated from Deswik
Mining Stope Optimiser (DSO) at a cut-off grade of 2.2 g/t
gold that is based on a gold price of US$1,700/oz, a silver price
of US$23/oz, and a gold and silver processing recovery of
93.873*Au(g/t)^0.021 and 60% respectively.
|
7.
|
Goldlund Underground
Mineral Resources are reported inside DSO shapes at a cut-off grade
of 2.2 g/t gold that is based on a gold price of US$1,700/oz
and a gold processing recovery of 90.344*Au(g/t)^0.0527.
|
8.
|
Gold and Silver assays
were capped prior to compositing based on probability plot analysis
for each individual zones. Assays were composited to 1.5 m for
Goliath, 2.0 m for Goldlund and 1.0 m for Miller.
|
9.
|
Excludes unclassified
mineralization located within mined out areas.
|
10.
|
Silver grade and ounces
are derived from the Goliath tonnage only.
|
11.
|
Goliath Open Pit and
Goldlund/Miller cut-off grades are 0.25 g/t and 0.30 g/t,
respectively.
|
12.
|
Mineral resources are
inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
|
13.
|
All figures are rounded
to reflect the estimates' relative accuracy, and totals may not add
correctly.
|
Operations
Mining
The PFS contemplates both open pit and underground mining from
the Goliath deposit and open pit mining at the Goldlund and Miller
deposits concurrently. The operations will feed a single
processing facility located at Goliath at 6,460 tpd or 2,358 ktpa.
Goldlund and Miller feed will be hauled by contractor in highway
trucks to Goliath.
The open pit operations will be conventional drill, blast, load,
and haul. Loading will be undertaken on 10 m benches with one
11 m3 excavator and along
with two 6 m3 excavators
which will be used with 63 t haul trucks in the pit. Mining will
commence at Goliath with one year of pre-production and two years
of production. Production will move to Goldlund in Year 2 until
Year 7. The final three stages of Goliath will be mined in Years 7
to 9. Miller will be mined in Years 8 and 9. High grade (HG) feed
will be fed preferentially throughout the mine life, with lower
grades used to fill the plant to capacity. Mining from the pits
will end in Year 9, after which the plant will be fed from the low
grade (LG) stockpiles from Goliath and Goldlund until the end of
mine life, Year 13. Total material movement from the open pit
operations average 14 Mtpa for the first eight years.
Underground mining will be conducted using a long hole open
stoping (LHOS) method following a longitudinal retreat approach,
with stopes extracted in a bottom-up sequence. The mining fleet
will be supplied and operated via a contractor and will consist of
modern mobile equipment typically used in narrow-vein LHOS
scenarios. Development will begin after the Goliath open pit has
started, with production nearest the crown pillar targeted early in
the life of mine (LOM) such that those stopes are extracted and
backfilled prior to deposition of tailings in the open pit. First
ore is achieved in Year 1 with sustained commercial production
attained in Year 3. The peak annual ore tonnage is scheduled for
Year 7, with a steady decline in production in successive
years as the number of active working faces decreases. After mining
ceases in Year 13, it will enter closure stage, with approximately
3.8 Mt of ore processed from the underground mine.
Table 4: Segmented Production Schedule and Selected Financial
Metrics
Annual
Averages
|
Year
1-5
|
Year
6-9
|
Year
1-9
|
Year
10-13
|
LOM
|
Recovered Gold
Ounces
|
koz
|
116
|
101
|
109
|
48
|
90
|
Head Grade -
Gold
|
g/t
|
1.71
|
1.42
|
1.58
|
0.69
|
1.3
|
Recovered Silver
Ounces
|
koz
|
78
|
80
|
79
|
82
|
80
|
Head Grade -
Silver
|
g/t
|
1.76
|
1.75
|
1.76
|
1.79
|
1.77
|
Cash Cost*
|
US$/oz Au
|
$820
|
$996
|
$892
|
$1,156
|
$935
|
AISC**
|
US$/oz Au
|
$1,008
|
$1,081
|
$1,037
|
$1,176
|
$1,072
|
EBITDA
|
C$M
|
$145
|
$102
|
$126
|
$38
|
$99
|
Sustaining
Capital
|
C$M
|
$29
|
$11
|
$21
|
$1
|
$15
|
Post-tax FCF
|
C$M
|
$106
|
$66
|
$88
|
$18
|
$67
|
*Cash costs consist of
mining costs, processing costs, G&A and refining charges and
royalties. Calculated on a by-product basis. See notes on Non-IFRS
Financial Measures for more details.
|
**AISC includes cash
costs plus sustaining capital. Calculated on a by-product basis.
See notes on Non-IFRS Financial Measures for more
details.
|
Metallurgical Recoveries
The testwork provided was analysed and several options for
process routes were reviewed in the initial stages of the
pre-feasibility study. Based on the analysis, a conventional leach
and carbon-in-leach (CIL) process route was chosen as the most
suitable for the deposit and project economics. Gold
recoveries include a deduction of 0.6% for soluble and plant
loss. Silver recoveries are estimated at 60%.
Table 5: PFS Gold Recoveries
Deposit
|
Average
Recovery
|
Goliath
|
94.6 %
|
Goldlund
|
89.5 %
|
Miller
|
94.0 %
|
Total
|
92.8 %
|
Processing
The process plant was designed using conventional processing
unit operations to treat up to 6,460 tpd (2.36 Mt/a) based on an
availability of 8,059 hours per year or 92%. The crushing plant
section design is set at 67% availability.
Ore is hauled from the mine to the primary crushing facility
equipped with an apron feeder, grizzly feeder, and jaw crusher. The
crushed ore will be conveyed to the secondary scalping screen,
where undersize material will bypass the secondary cone crusher
while oversized material will be crushed. The two streams will
combine and be conveyed to the covered stockpile. The crushed ore
will be ground by a SAG mill followed by a closed-circuit ball mill
with hydro-cyclone classification. The cyclone feed pump will feed
the cluster of hydro-cyclones and second feed pumps. The gravity
circuit will be comprised of one scalping screen and a centrifugal
batch concentrator. The scalping screen undersize will feed to the
centrifugal concentrator, and the concentrate will be collected and
subsequently leached by the intensive cyanidation reactor circuit.
The scalping screen oversize, gravity concentrator tailings, and
the intensive cyanidation reactor tailings will recirculate to the
cyclone feed pump box. The cyclone overflow will flow to the
high-rate pre-leach thickener prior to the conventional leach and
CIL circuit with a final grind size of 80% passing 85 µm. The
cyclone underflow will report back to the ball mill.
Gold and silver adsorbed in the CIL circuit will be recovered
onto activated carbon and eluted using an AARL carbon elution
circuit followed by electrowinning in the gold room. The
gold-silver electrowinning sludge will be dried in an oven and
mixed with fluxes and smelted in a furnace to pour gold doré
bars.
Carbon will be reactivated in a
carbon regeneration kiln before being returned to the CIL circuit.
CIL tails slurry will be treated in cyanide destruction using the
SO2/O2 air process before reporting to a final tailings
thickener. Thickener underflow is pumped to the tailings
storage facility while tailings thickener overflow reports to
process water.
Tailings Management
The tailings management design was completed by SLR based on
thickened tailings storage. There are two storage approaches for
the project:
- A tailings storage facility (TSF) is designed for the storage
of 18.5 Mt of thickened non-segregating tailings in an on-site
facility, and;
- In-pit tailings deposition within the exhausted Goliath pit
consisting of 9.4 Mt occurring during years 10-13.
The remainder of tailings generated will be used as material for
site reclamation, and for generation of paste backfill for the
underground mine.
Contact water will be collected in ditches and ponds and be used
to provide mill make up water. Surplus collected water will be
discharged to the environment following water treatment, as
required to meet applicable water quality standards.
Capital and Operating Costs
Capital Costs
The total initial capital cost for the Project is estimated to
be $335 million, including
$35 million for contingencies. Total
sustaining costs are estimated to be $217
million over the life of the mine, including closure costs
and salvage values.
Mining initial capital costs were developed by SRK Consulting
(Canada) Inc. based on the PFS
mine plan. Pre-production was assumed with an owner purchased and
operated fleet with contract haulage. Capital costs on leased
mining equipment are represented in initial capital where the lease
payments or deposits occur within the project construction period
and in sustaining capital where they occur during the operating
period.
Sustaining capital comprises primarily of underground
development during operations, mining equipment leases/purchases
and site infrastructure relating to mining and TSF management.
Table 6: LOM Capital Costs
Initial Capital
Costs ($ millions)
|
Mining equipment and
Infrastructure
|
$16
|
Pre-production
mining
|
$51
|
Processing
Plant
|
$99
|
Infrastructure
|
$79
|
Project
Indirects
|
$24
|
Project Delivery and
Owners Costs
|
$31
|
Contingency
|
$35
|
Total Initial
Capital
|
$335
|
Sustaining Capital
Costs ($ millions)
|
Mining
Equipment
|
$42
|
Underground Mine
Development
|
$91
|
Mining
Infrastructure
|
$23
|
TSF
|
$42
|
Closure and reclamation
costs
|
$29
|
Salvage
Value
|
($10)
|
Total Sustaining
Capital
|
$217
|
Operating Costs
Mine operating costs are estimated to be $4.22/t mined (open pit) and $61.23/t mined (underground), with unit costs
estimated by SRK Mining Consulting (Canada) Inc. based on 2022 quotes and database
costs. Processing costs have been estimated by Ausenco from first
principles using 2022 prices for reagents and other inputs. G&A
costs are based on benchmark salaries for staff and other costs
from Ausenco databases. On-site accommodations and some warehousing
and general administrative office costs are not included in the
estimates given the site's proximity to the town of Dryden, ON, and the expectation that these
services would be available locally.
Table 7: LOM Operating Cost
Item
|
Value
|
Units
|
Tonnes Mined, excluding
pre-strip
|
131.4
|
Mt
|
Tonnes Milled,
LOM
|
30.3
|
Mt
|
Payables
Ounces
|
1.175
|
Moz
|
Mining
Costs
|
$995
$4.22
$61.23
$32.83
|
C$M
C$/tonne mined
(OP)
C$/tonne mined
(UG)
C$/tonne
milled
|
Processing &
Water Treatment
|
$344
$11.34
|
C$M
C$/tonne
milled
|
Mining
Transportation
|
$119
$7.00
|
C$M
C$/tonne
transported
|
G&A
|
$107
$3.54
|
C$M
C$/tonne
milled
|
Total
|
$1,447
$47.71
|
C$M
C$/tonne
milled
|
Au Off-Site Costs,
Refining and Transport
|
$5.00
|
C$/oz
|
Silver
Credit
|
$29
|
C$M
|
Royalties
|
$51
|
C$M
|
Total Cash
Costs*
|
$935
|
US$/oz
|
Sustaining, Expansion,
Closure Capital
|
$217
|
C$M
|
Total
AISC*
|
$1,072
|
US$oz
|
*By-product basis. See
notes on Non-IFRS Financial Measures
|
Financial Analysis
At a US$1,750 gold price and a
US$:C$ exchange rate of $1.34, the
Project generates a post-tax NPV of $336
million and a post-tax IRR of 25.4%. Payback on initial
capital is 2.8 years. Pre-tax, the NPV is $469 million, with a 29.3% IRR and a payback of
2.8 years. The valuation of the Project is discounted to
July 1, 2023.
At spot metals prices and exchange rates (US$1,845 gold, US$22.00 silver, US$:C$ exchange rate of
$1.355), the Project generates a
post-tax NPV of $425, with a post-tax
IRR of 30.1% and a 2.5 year payback period. Assuming a US$1,550 gold price, the Project would generate a
post-tax IRR of 16.6% and generates a positive return on a post-tax
basis above a gold price of US$1,250/ounce. At the end of the capital period,
the Project would have a post-tax NPV of $711 million at the base case gold price.
The PFS assumes the Company exercises its right to repurchase
50% of the 2.2% Net Smelter Returns Royalty that the Company sold
to Sprott Resources Streaming and Royalty Corp for US$20 million in April
2022 and 0.5% of the 1.5% Net Smelter Returns Royalty that
the Company sold to First Mining Gold Corp. in August 2020 as part of the purchase of Tamaka
Gold Corporation. In addition, several other smaller royalties
across the property package are assumed to be repurchased. The cost
of the repurchase of these royalties are excluded from project
level economic analysis.
Table 8: Sensitivity Analysis NPV and IRR
Gold Price
$/oz
|
|
$1,550
|
$1,650
|
$1,750
|
$1,850
|
$1,950
|
Pre-tax NPV
(C$M)
|
$244
|
$357
|
$469
|
$581
|
$693
|
Post-tax NPV
(C$M)
|
$178
|
$257
|
$336
|
$414
|
$493
|
Pre-tax IRR
|
19.1 %
|
24.4 %
|
29.3 %
|
33.9 %
|
38.4 %
|
Post-tax IRR
|
16.6 %
|
21.1 %
|
25.4 %
|
29.6 %
|
33.5 %
|
Pre-tax payback
(years)
|
3.7
|
3.2
|
2.8
|
2.5
|
2.3
|
Post-tax payback
(years)
|
3.8
|
3.2
|
2.8
|
2.5
|
2.3
|
Table 9: Valuation Sensitivities to Certain Operating Parameters,
post-tax, unlevered
|
|
-20 %
|
-10 %
|
0 %
|
10 %
|
20 %
|
Operating
Cost
|
IRR
|
32.1 %
|
28.8 %
|
25.4 %
|
21.8 %
|
17.9 %
|
|
NPV (C$M)
|
$479
|
$407
|
$336
|
$264
|
$192
|
Initial Capital
Cost
|
IRR
|
34.2 %
|
29.4 %
|
25.4 %
|
22.1 %
|
19.3 %
|
|
NPV (C$M)
|
$400
|
$368
|
$336
|
$303
|
$271
|
|
|
-10 %
|
-5 %
|
0 %
|
5 %
|
10 %
|
$C:$US
F/X
|
IRR
NPV (C$M)
|
33.4%
$490
|
29.3%
$409
|
25.4%
$336
|
21.8%
$269
|
18.4%
$209
|
Environmental and Permitting Assessment
The Goliath Project, Goldlund Mine Project and Miller Project
are three distinct project properties and will go through their own
permitting processes as each site is developed. The Goliath Project
site is prepared to move into the next permitting phase, which will
be supported by the substantial baseline information gathered
during the environmental assessment process.
Environment baseline data collection for the Goldlund Mine
Project and Miller Project sites was initiated in 2021, which built
upon basic scoping level aquatic information gathered in 2017. To
date, baseline environmental studies have been conducted addressing
aspects of surface water quality, aquatic resources (including
sediment quality, benthic invertebrate community, fish community
and fish habitat), hydrology, hydrogeology and groundwater quality,
terrestrial resources, and geochemistry.
Provincial permitting will typically involve acquisition of
environmental permits and approvals primarily from the Ministry of
the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), and the Ministry of Mines
(MINES). Typical provincial environmental approvals are expected to
be required for construction and operation of each of the three
Project sites, including: Mine Closure Plan; Forest Resource
Licenses; Environmental Compliance Approval – Industrial Sewage
Works for contact water management, treatment and discharge;
Environmental Compliance Approval for air and noise emissions;
Permits to Take Water; Work Permits and Land Use Permits for
construction of roads, water crossings, work on/near shorelines and
watercourse realignments.
A federal Fisheries Act Authorization and an amendment to
Schedule 2 of the Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations
will be required for Goliath Project citing of site infrastructure
and the TSF.
As proposed in the PFS, the Goliath Mill ore input capacity has
increased to the rate of approximately 6,500 t/day. In
consideration of the Impact Assessment Agency's Physical Activities
Regulation, Section 19, (c),(d), if mine and mill rates exceed
5,000 t/day, but the area of mine or mill operations does not
increase greater than 50%, a new environmental assessment is not
required.
Community Consultations
The Company has actively engaged local and regional communities,
First Nations and other stakeholders to gain an understanding of
their issues and interests, identify potential partnerships, and
build social acceptance for the three Projects. Stakeholders
involved in Project consultations to date include those with a
direct interest in the Project, and those who provided data for the
baseline studies. The involvement of stakeholders will continue
throughout the various Project stages.
Non-Indigenous public interest groups were identified as part of
past, present and future consultation and engagement efforts. This
includes the Village of Wabigoon,
City of Dryden, Town of Sioux Lookout and other regional
partners and stakeholders.
The three Project sites are located within the Treaty 3 (1873)
area of Ontario, which affords
hunting, trapping and fishing rights and protections, and it has
been shared with Treasury that there are areas within the GGC
property boundaries for the exercise of aboriginal and treaty
rights. The Company is committed to working collaboratively with
Indigenous and regional communities to ensure informed and engaged
dialogue throughout the life of the Projects.
Additional Information
Following the release of the PFS, Treasury will undertake
optimization studies prior to the commencement of a Feasibility
Study.
NI 43-101 Technical Report
Treasury expects to file on SEDAR within 45 days of this news
release the Technical Report for the PFS prepared in accordance
with the requirements of NI 43–101, including a description of the
updated Mineral Resource Estimate and the Mineral Reserve Estimate.
For readers to fully understand the information in this news
release, they should read the Technical Report in its entirety,
including all qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that
relate to the PFS. The Technical Report is intended to be read as a
whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of
context.
PFS Review and Conference Call
Treasury will host a conference call to discuss the PFS results
for the Goliath Gold Complex. The details are set out below:
To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may
register and enter your phone number at
https://emportal.ink/3Sm7VHz to receive an instant automated
callback.
Conference Call Participant Details:
Date:
Thursday, February 23, 2023,
9:30am ET
Confirmation #:
56905857
Local:
Toronto: 416-764-8650
North American Toll Free:
888-664-6383
RapidConnect
URL:
https://emportal.ink/3Sm7VHz
Audience
URL:
https://app.webinar.net/16oVeGnjRPY
Please copy and paste this URL from this email-
do not click and copy from your browser address bar.
Participants will be able to listen in to the call.
Qualified Persons
Floyd Varley, P. Eng,
Maura Kolb, M.Sc., P.Geo., Director
of Exploration and Adam Larsen, P.
Geo., Exploration Manager, are each considered a "Qualified Person"
for the purposes of NI 43-101 and have reviewed and approved the
scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release
on behalf of Treasury.
QA / QC
The Company has implemented a quality assurance and quality
control (QA/QC) program to ensure sampling and analysis of all
exploration work is conducted in accordance with the CIM
Exploration Best Practices Guidelines. The drill core is sawn in
half with one-half of the core sample dispatched to Activation
Laboratories Ltd. facility located in Dryden, Ontario. The other half of the core is
retained for future assay verification and/or metallurgical
testing. Other QA/QC procedures include the insertion of blanks and
Canadian Reference Standards for every tenth sample in the sample
stream. A quarter core duplicate is assayed every 20th
sample. The laboratory has its own QA/QC protocols running
standards and blanks with duplicate samples in each batch stream.
Additional checks are routinely run on anomalous values including
gravimetric analysis and pulp metallic screen fire assays. Gold
analysis is conducted by lead collection, fire assay with atomic
absorption and/or gravimetric finish on a 50-gram sample. Check
assays are conducted at a secondary ISO certified laboratory (in
this case AGAT Laboratories located in Mississauga, Ontario) following the completion
of a program.
Data Verification
The Qualified Persons ("QPs") for the mineral resource and
mineral reserve estimates visited the site on July 7 and 8, 2021. During this visit, collar
locations were verified, as were the core storage, security and
sampling techniques and the assay lab was visited. The database
provided to the QP by the Company was verified against original
certificates provided by the assay laboratory and only minor
corrections were made to the database based on the checks.
Check assays and twinned holes were previously completed, as
well as check assays done based on the QP's recommendations. The QP
concluded that the Goliath Gold Complex database is suitable for
mineral resource and mineral reserve estimation. Historical
drillings were statistically validated and did not show a material
bias. Therefore, the QP has concluded that all past drilling is not
biased and suitable for the mineral resource and mineral reserve
estimate.
In the opinion of the QP responsible for the preparation of the
Technical Report, the data, assumptions, and parameters used to
estimate mineral resources and mineral reserves, and to develop the
metallurgical model, the economic analysis, and the PFS are
sufficiently reliable for those purposes.
Non-IFRS Financial Measures
The Company has included various references in this document
that constitute "specified financial measures" within the meaning
of National Instrument 52-112 Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures
Disclosure of the Canadian Securities Administrators, such as, for
example, Free Cash Flow, EBITDA, Total Cash Cost and All-In
Sustaining Cost. None of these specified measures is a standardized
financial measure under International Financial Reporting Standards
("IFRS") and these measures might not be comparable to similar
financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Each of these
measures are intended to provide additional information to the
reader and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute
for measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Certain non-IFRS
financial measures used in this news release and common to the gold
mining industry are defined below.
Cash Costs and Cash Costs Per Ounce
Cash Costs are reflective of the cost of production. Cash Cost
reported in the PFS include mining costs, processing & water
treatment costs, general and administrative costs of the mine,
off-site costs, refining costs, transportation costs and royalties.
Cash Costs per Ounce is calculated as Cash Costs divided by payable
gold ounces.
All-in Sustaining Costs and All-in Sustaining Cost Per
Ounce
AISC is reflective of all of the expenditures that are required
to produce an ounce of gold from operations. AISC reported in the
PFS includes cash costs, sustaining capital, expansion capital and
closure costs, but excludes corporate general and administrative
costs and salvage. AISC per Ounce is calculated as AISC divided by
payable gold ounces.
Free Cash Flow
FCF deducts capital expenditures from net cash provided by
operating activities. Management believes this to be a useful
indicator of our ability to operate without reliance on additional
borrowing or usage of existing cash. Free cash flow is intended to
provide additional information only and does not have any
standardized definition under IFRS and should not be considered in
isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared
in accordance with IFRS. The measure is not necessarily indicative
of operating profit or cash flow from operations as determined
under IFRS. Other companies may calculate this measure
differently.
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and
Amortization (EBITDA)
EBITDA excludes from net earnings, income tax expense, financing
costs, finance income and depreciation. Management believes that
EBITDA is a valuable indicator of our ability to generate income by
producing operating cash flow to fund working capital needs,
service debt obligations, and fund capital expenditures. Management
uses EBITDA for this purpose.
About Treasury Metals Inc.
Treasury Metals Inc. is a gold-focused company with assets in
Canada. Treasury's Goliath Gold
Complex, which includes the Goliath, Goldlund and Miller deposits,
is located in Northwestern
Ontario. The deposits benefit substantially from excellent
access to the Trans-Canada Highway, related power and rail
infrastructure and close proximity to several communities,
including Dryden, Ontario. The
Company also owns several other projects throughout Canada, including the Weebigee-Sandy Lake Gold
Project JV, and grassroots gold exploration property Gold Rock.
Treasury is committed to inclusive, informed and meaningful
dialogue with regional communities and Indigenous Nations
throughout the life of all our Projects and on all aspects,
including creating sustainable economic opportunities, providing
safe workplaces, enhancing social value and promoting community
well-being.
The Goliath Gold Complex is located in Treaty #3 (1873), and on
land that has been used and occupied since time immemorial by the
Anishinaabe Peoples. Treasury recognizes the unique connection
between Indigenous Peoples and lands and how mining can affect this
connection in various challenging ways. The Company recognizes the
collective rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples in line with
the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Treasury is committed to understanding and respecting local
communities' cultural heritage, rights and norms. We seek to
develop meaningful partnerships and dialogue with the communities
associated with our Project to contribute to social and economic
participation and benefits-sharing.
To view further details about Treasury, please visit the
Company's website at www.treasurymetals.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This news release includes certain "forward-looking
information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively,
forward-looking statements") within the meaning of Canadian and
United States securities
legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections
and interpretations as at the date of this news release. Any
statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations,
beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events
or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as
"expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted",
"management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate",
"plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates",
"potential", "feasibility", "believes" or "intends" or variations
of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events
or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to
occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may
be forward-looking information and are intended to identify
forward-looking information.
This news release contains the forward-looking information
pertaining to, among other things: the PFS providing a robust base
case assessment for developing GCC as an open pit and underground
mining operations; the results of the engineering work being
undertaken on the project; reliance on third-parties for
infrastructure, including power lines the timing and progress of
the mine permitting process; the results of the PFS, including NPV,
IRR, production, tax-free cash flows, capex, AISC, milling
operations, average recovery; completion of value engineering and a
Feasibility Study; job creation; the key assumptions, parameters
and methods used to estimate the mineral resource estimate relating
to the PFS; the prospects of GCC being a highly-profitable gold
mine; the ability of the Company to obtain project financing (if at
all); the prospects, if any, of the GCC gold deposit; timing and
ability of the Company to file a technical report for the PFS
disclosed in this news release; the trend of grade increase;
expansion of the deposit; upgrading an inferred mineral resource to
a measured mineral resource or indicated mineral resource category;
future drilling at GCC; the significance of historic exploration
activities and results. Such factors include, among others, risks
relating to the ability of exploration activities (including drill
results) to accurately predict mineralization; the timing and
ability, if at all, to obtain permits; the PFS' reliance on
third-parties for infrastructure critical to build and operate the
project, including power lines; our ability to obtain power for the
project, if at all or on terms economic to the Company; the status
of third-party approvals or consents; errors in management's
geological modelling; the ability of the Company to complete
further exploration activities, including (infill) drilling;
property and royalty interests in the Goliath Gold Complex; the
ability of the Company to obtain required approvals; the results of
exploration activities; risks relating to mining activities;
the United States/Canadian dollar
exchange rate; the global economic climate; metal (including gold)
prices; dilution; environmental risks; community and
non-governmental actions and the additional risks described in the
Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the Canadian
securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR profile
at www.sedar.com. Although the forward-looking information
contained in this news release is based upon what management
believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions,
the Company cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers
of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent
with such forward-looking information, as there may be other
factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or
intended, and neither the Company nor any other person assumes
responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such
forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake, and
assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking
statements or forward-looking information contained herein to
reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by
law.
Cautionary Note to United States Investors
The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of
applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result, reports
information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and
estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources in accordance
with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by
Canadian National Instrument NI 43-101. As such, the information
included in this news release concerning mineral properties,
mineralization and estimates of Mineral Reserves and Mineral
Resources may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by
U.S. public companies subject to the reporting and disclosure
requirements of U.S. regulators. Historical results or
pre-feasibility models presented herein are not guarantees or
expectations of future performance.
SOURCE Treasury Metals Inc.