Jan 10 2017
Amarillo Gold Corp. ("Amarillo") is pleased to announce that it has commenced an update of the 2011 Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on the Posse deposit at its Mara Rosa Project in central Brazil.
The PFS update will be done NI 43-101 in accordance to NI 43-101 guidelines and based on the recent resource estimate (News Release July 21, 2016). SRK Consulting ("SRK") has been selected to carry out the study, using their Belo Horizonte based team. ONIX Engineering & Consulting also base in the Belo Horizonte area have been retained to provide cost estimations on the equipment and plant.
Since the PFS on Posse by Coffey Mining (News Release Nov 28, 2011) a number of criteria have changed which the Company considers warrant an updated economic model. In addition to renewing external inputs SRK will include a recalculation of the reserve figure given that the resource update increased the combined measured and indicated ounces and the Pit shape will differ due to changes of the pit slope based on the 2013 geotechnical study and other factors. Optimization studies will also be carried out, using various equipment types, scheduling and stockpiling scenarios.
Table one summarizes some of the key factors that need to be considered for the new study and how they compare to 2011. Some will be positive like the USD:BRL exchange rate and steeper footwall slopes in the planned pit, other factors such as the need to line the tailings dam and higher energy prices will increase costs, whereas the gold price has remained fairly neutral. We await the results of this study to see how all these factors effect the overall economic model.
Table 1: 2011 PFS criteria compared with the current update in progress (1):
SRK have indicated that the base case gold price to be used in the updated economic model will remain at US$1,200 per ounce, this will allow easy comparison between the studies, likewise a spread of gold prices will be given in a sensitivity analysis similar to the 2011 PFS. The same mill throughput of 2.5 million tonnes a year will also be used.
With regard to mining costs a 2nd scenario where a contract fleet would be used rather than an owners fleet has also been requested as part of the new study.
After release of the PFS update, expected in the first quarter of 2017, SRK will be retained to evaluate further measures to reduce CAPEX such as using a smaller plant throughput or staged builds, after which time Amarillo will seek tenders to engineering consulting firms to complete as feasibility study.
This release has been in reviewed and accepted for its technical content by the Qualified Person for the Company, Frank Baker, a metallurgist with over 40 years experience, and a member of the AusIMM and IOM3.