Treasury Metals Inc.’s (TSX: TML) Goliath Gold Project in northwestern Ontario has a good chance of becoming that province’s next mine, given its grade and CAPEX. The company is currently advancing its optimization studies and will complete a new resource estimate and definitive feasibility study sometime this year.
In the middle of what has been one of the most challenging natural resource markets in recent memory sits one gold project with a good chance of becoming Ontario’s next gold mine.
Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML) is developing its Goliath Gold Project located in the northwestern part of that province. The company’s current gold resource, based on a November 2011 resource estimate, stands at 1.7 million ounces (760,000 Indicated and 940,000 Inferred) at an average gold grade of 2.87 grams per tonne (g/t).
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Perhaps the most appealing aspect of this project, though, in addition to the grade is its CAPEX, which is estimated at $100 million based on gold production of 70,000 ounces to 90,000 ounces per year for a 10-year plus mine life.
Existing infrastructure seems to be a giant part of why Goliath’s CAPEX is so low. The property has road access, existing power lines, and the nearby city of Dryden (about halfway between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg) has a Canadian Pacific Rail terminal.
Treasury Metals completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) in August 2012, which estimates a$144 million after-tax NPV (using a 5% discount rate), 32.4% IRR, and a 2.8 year payback period based on a US$1375 per ounce gold price for this project.
The company is currently conducting a drill program on its property, the results of which will likely boost Goliath’s estimated gold resource. On May 5, 2014, for example, Treasury Metals announced drill results that included 12.25 meters of 4.05 g/t, in addition to 6.7 meters of 5.39 g/t at a vertical depth of 60 meters from surface.
“At surface in the open pit area we’re finding new ore in areas outside the current PEA pit shell area showing pretty good grades with fairly wide intersections,” said Treasury Metals’ CEO Martin Walter, adding that the property has a C Zone that lies about 30 meters behind the Main Zone so that in the open pit the company is converting a lot of waste material potentially into ore, which he believes should lower the stripping ratio and reduce the costs as well as possibly extend the open pit mine life, and potentially increase the mineral resource.
Its C Zone is wider than the Main Zone and Treasury Metals has found what it calls a “new high-grade shoot there.” The C Zone also comes to surface and has had little drilling done on it in the past by previous owners, which included Teck Resources, Corona Gold, and Laramide Resources.
Treasury Metals continues to drill its C Zone in addition to conducting infill drilling on its Main Zone to convert more of its Inferred resource into the Indicated category. The company is also engaged in earlier stage exploration work outside the resource to look for other potential targets with open-pit type material. This includes its Norman property. On the development side, Treasury Metals is advancing its optimization studies, which includes the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Mine Optimization and Process Study. The company also plans to complete a new resource estimate and will complete a definitive feasibility study sometime this year.
Greg Ferron, Treasury Metals Vice President of Corporate Development, said the company is funded to complete the work it has outlined to date but may look to bring on a strategic investor later in the year should the market conditions warrant such a move.
The biggest risk to this project appears to be in the potential weakness of the gold price itself along with a market environment in which resource project financing has been constrained. Treasury Metals has about 74 million shares outstanding and, at its current market price of $0.35 a share, is trading at the lower end of its 52-week range.
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About Treasury Metals:
Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML) is a Canadian gold exploration and development company focused on its 100% owned Goliath Gold Project. The Project has access to first-rate infrastructure and is located near Dryden in northwestern Ontario. Treasury Metals is advancing Goliath through the Canadian permitting process for mining production at its open-pit gold mine and 2,500 tpd processing facility. Subsequent underground operations will be developed in the latter years of mine life. Key programs slated for completion in 2014 are further drilling and exploration, feasibility and continuation of the permitting process. Established in 2008, Treasury Metals operates corporate headquarters in Toronto and a Project Office at the Goliath Gold Project. Treasury Metals is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “TML.”More information can be found on Treasury Metals Inc.’s website at www.treasurymetals.com
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