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Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX: HRZ) (“Horizon” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding Toll Milling Agreement (“TMA”) with FMR Investments Pty Ltd (“FMR”) to treat 200kt of Horizon ore from the Cannon underground project, or other deposit, commencing in the December 2024 Quarter.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Binding TMA has been executed with FMR, which owns the Greenfields Mill located northeast of Coolgardie and 30km southwest of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in WA
- Horizon will arrange contract mining and hauling of ore from Cannon for ore processing at FMR’s 1.0Mtpa Greenfields Mill, located ~67km by road from the Cannon Project
- An agreed 200kt of ore will be processed over a period of eight months, commencing in the December 2024 Quarter
- The TMA contains competitive ore treatment rates with the payment structure as follows:
- Horizon is responsible for delivery of each stockpile to the Greenfields Mill ROM near Coolgardie
- Payment of processing costs must be made before the value of the processed and refined gold at the Perth Mint is transferred from FMR’s metal account to Horizon
- If the delivery schedule is missed Horizon will forfeit its allocated tonnes for that month and from the overall 200kt allocation
- An Ore Reserve for Cannon has already been established including forecast economics for the ore to be processed via a Toll Milling Agreement 1
- Cannon is fully environmentally permitted (with last mining in 2017) with pre-production activities are already underway, including dewatering of the open pit in preparation for underground mining
- The TMA has flexibility that Horizon can treat Horizon ore other than Cannon, including Horizon’s own current resources or those acquired through the proposed merger with Greenstone Resources Limited, provided sufficient notice is provided to FMR
Commenting on the toll milling agreement, Chief Executive Officer Mr Grant Haywood said: 2
“We are very pleased to have converted our 200,000 tonne allocation with FMR into a formal Toll Milling Agreement, and look forward to working closely with them as ore deliveries will commence later this calendar year. This agreement is in addition to our 1.4Mt ore sale agreement with Paddington announced a week ago. Together this will see us generating cash flow from two fronts in this fantastic gold price environment before the end of 2024.”
Figure 1: Horizon’s project locations, regional geology and surrounding infrastructure
Next Steps 1
- AMC Consultants has been engaged and undertaken a review of the Cannon Ore Reserve and will progress the revised key financial outcomes for the June 2024 Quarter
- Finalise engagement with underground mining and haulage contractors to finalise tenders for Cannon
- Complete the proposed merger with Greenstone Resources to enhance the long-term production profile with development ready high-grade projects
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Horizon Minerals Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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Horizon Minerals
Investor Insight
Horizon Minerals’ near-term cash-flow potential and its significant land package in the prolific Western Australian goldfields with considerable exploration upside position the company to positively leverage the current bull gold market opportunity.
Overview
Horizon Minerals (ASX:HRZ) is an ASX-listed emerging mid-tier gold mining company focusing on a portfolio of highly promising gold projects located in the world-class Western Australian goldfields. The recent merger with Greenstone has added nearly 0.5 million ounces (Moz) of high-grade resource to Horizon, taking its total tally to 1.8 Moz, and will result in Horizon Minerals holding a land package of 939 sq km in the Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie district.
The merger brings near-term cash-generating opportunities and adds greater scale to its baseload assets (Boorara) with the high-grade Burbanks deposit. Horizon’s dual-track strategy involves generating immediate cash flows by leveraging a pipeline of development-ready production assets and concurrently advancing the cornerstone assets, Boorara and Burbanks, which have a combined resource inventory of 914 koz at 1.7 grams per ton (g/t) gold with potential to support a profitable, long-life operation.
The recent ore sale agreement with Paddington Gold is encouraging and increases confidence in the management’s ability to generate near-term cash flows. Under the agreement, 1.4 million (Mt) will be processed over a period of 22 months, commencing in September 2024 quarter. The agreement allows Horizon to capitalize on high gold prices to generate significant cash flows.
Horizon is also progressing with other projects, including the Cannon gold project and Penny’s Find underground mine, and actively exploring for new discoveries in the Western Australian Goldfields, targeting gold and other commodities such as nickel-cobalt, silver-zinc, PGEs and lithium across its extensive land holdings. Additionally, Horizon holds a significant stake in one of the world’s largest vanadium projects via its investment in Richmond Vanadium Technology, which is listed on the ASX.
Company Highlights
- Horizon Minerals is an emerging mid-tier gold producer with an extensive portfolio of highly promising gold projects located in the world-class Western Australian goldfields.
- The recently announced merger with Greenstone Resources will establish Horizon as a mid-tier gold producer in the Western Australian Goldfields. The combined entity will boast a resource base of 1.8 Moz and enhance Horizon’s portfolio by combining two complementary cornerstone gold assets — Burbanks and Boorara (combined resource of 914,000 oz).
- Horizon is also progressing with other projects, including the Cannon and Penny’s Find underground mines, and bringing the Boorara open pit into production.
- Amidst the current record gold prices, Horizon seeks to capitalize on this opportunity by advancing its substantial resource endowment towards development, thereby generating cash flow.
Key Projects
Boorara Gold Project
The Boorara gold project is located 15 km east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the Western Australian goldfields. Over the past decade, a substantial amount of reverse circulation and diamond drilling has been carried out at Boorara. The project includes a JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate (MRE) by Optiro (now Snowden Optiro), which reported a total of 11.03 Mt grading at 1.26 g/t gold, amounting to 448,000 ounces.
The company views Boorara as a substantial baseload feed source that could be enhanced by lower tonnage, higher-grade feed to sustain a standalone milling facility. This is where the recent acquisition of Greenstone becomes important. Boorara can be supplemented by higher-grade feed from Greenstone’s Burbanks deposit to support an integrated operation.
Boorara is fully environmentally permitted and ready for development, which is expected to commence within 2024.
Burbanks Gold Project
The Burbanks gold project is situated 9 km southeast of Coolgardie, Western Australia. The project encompasses the Burbanks Mining Centre and more than 5 kilometers of the highly promising Burbanks Shear Zone, historically the most significant gold-producing structure within the Coolgardie Goldfield. Previous underground production at Burbanks has surpassed 420,000 oz to date.
Burbanks currently hosts a total resource of 6.1 Mt @ 2.4 g/t gold for 466 koz, including underground of 1.2 Mt @ 4.4 g/t gold for 168 koz. Burbanks is underexplored and remains open in all directions for future growth.
Cannon Underground Project
The Cannon gold project is located 30 km east-southeast of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. It is a fully permitted project with a pre-feasibility study completed in 2022, which shows strong project economics with a free cash flow of AU$10.1 million over the mine's life. The company has finished commissioning a dewatering pipeline and a pumping system, representing a major milestone in the advancement of its Cannon Underground project. Discussions with mining contractors and potential JV mining partners are underway. First ore production from the Cannon Project is expected to commence in Q4 2024.
Penny’s Find
Penny’s Find is about 50 km northeast of Kalgoorlie in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, near the company’s wholly-owned Kalpini gold project. It comprises a granted mining lease and other associated leases covering 91 hectares. The mineral resource estimate updated in December 2023 boasts 63,000 ounces of gold in the indicated and inferred category. A pre-feasibility study for exploitation using underground mining methods is currently underway. This study will include mine design and financial analysis.
Rose Hill
Rose Hill is 0.5 km southeast of Coolgardie and 35 km west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, on the western edge of the Archean Norseman-Menzies Greenstone Belt. The current JORC 2012 resource at Rose Hill contains 93,300 oz , comprising an open-pit mineral resource of 0.3 Mt grading 2.0 g/t gold for 18,400 oz, and an underground mineral resource of 0.5 Mt grading 4.6 g/t gold for 74,900 oz. Nearly 70 percent of the resource is in the measured and indicated JORC categories.
Kalgoorlie Regional
Horizon owns several promising tenements within the Kalgoorlie region. These project areas include the greater Boorara-Cannon project area, Lakewood, Binduli-Teal project area, Kalpini, Balagundi-Kanowna South and Black Flag.
Coolgardie Regional
Horizon manages several promising tenements within the Coolgardie region, including Rose Hill, Brilliant North and Yarmany.
Management Team
Ashok Parekh – Non-executive Chairman
Ashok Parekh has over 33 years of experience advising mining companies and service providers in the mining industry. He has spent many years negotiating mining deals with publicly listed companies and prospectors, leading to new IPOs and the initiation of new gold mining operations. Additionally, he has been involved in managing gold mining and milling companies in the Kalgoorlie region, where he has served as managing director for some of these firms. Parekh is well-known in the West Australian mining industry and has a highly successful background in owning numerous businesses in the Goldfields. He was the executive chairman of ASX-listed A1 Consolidated Gold (ASX:AYC) from 2011 to 2014. He is a chartered accountant.
Jon Price – Non-Executive Director
Jon Price boasts over three decades of experience in the mining sector having served in Australia and abroad. During his roles, he has covered every facet of the industry, including exploration, development, construction, and mining operations. He has held roles in various gold and advanced mineral operations, notably serving as the general manager of the Paddington gold and St Ives gold operations in the Western Australian goldfields. He is a metallurgist and also holds a Masters in Mineral Economics from the Western Australian School of Mines.
Chris Hansen – Non-executive Director
Chris Hansen is a multidisciplinary metals and mining professional, combining core technical fundamentals with a strong finance and project development mind-set. Having initially focused on building a solid technical foundation with industry majors such as Fortescue Metals Group and Barrick Gold, Hansen later joined a pre-eminent London-based mining private equity fund developing robust investment skills, project development expertise, market knowledge and strong industry relations. Since returning to Australia, Hansen has leveraged his experience in both public and private markets, most recently having led mining business development activities for one of Australia’s largest private investment groups. He holds a BSc in geology from the University of Auckland, and an MSc in Mineral Economics from Curtin University.
Grant Haywood – Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
Grant Haywood brings over three decades of experience in both underground and open-cut mining operations. During his career, he has served in senior leadership capacities in various mining companies, guiding them from feasibility through to development and operations. His experience spans various roles within junior and multinational gold mining companies, predominantly in the Western Australian goldfields, including positions at Phoenix Gold, Saracen Mineral Holdings, and Gold Fields. He is a graduate of the Western Australian School of Mines (WASM) and has also earned a Masters in Mineral Economics from the same institution.
Julian Tambyrajah – Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Julian Tambyrajah is an accomplished global mining finance executive with more than 25 years of industry expertise. He is a certified public accountant and chartered company secretary. He has served as CFO of several listed companies including Central Petroleum (CTP), Crescent Gold (CRE), Rusina Mining NL, DRDGold, and Dome Resources NL. He has extensive experience in capital raising, some of which includes raising US$49 million for BMC UK, AU$122 million for Crescent Gold and AU$105 million for Central Petroleum.
Glenn Poole – Chief Geologist
Glenn Poole is a geologist with 15 years’ experience in exploration and production environments, having principally worked within orogenic gold systems for several major mining companies in Western Australia. Poole brings extensive experience in structurally controlled narrow vein gold and sulphide-associated gold deposits. He has previously held senior management roles with major Australian gold producer, Northern Star, during which time, he played a pivotal role in the identification and definition of new ore resources and mining fronts at both the Paulsens and Kundana operations. Most recently, Poole was the senior geologist at Firefly Resources (ASX:FFR), principally responsible for setting exploration strategy and leading the definition of the maiden JORC 2012 resource at Yalgoo. Poole holds a Bachelor of Science Geology & Geography from The University of Otago, and a Master of Business Administration from La Trobe University.
Development Contract for Underground Exploration Drill Drive Awarded to Barminco
Highlights:
- Development contract for the underground exploration drill drive at the Dalgaranga Gold Project awarded to Barminco Limited.
- The contract, which is valued at ~$18.3 million, provides for 2,350m of development to deliver twin decline access for the establishment of underground drilling platforms to in- fill and extend mineralisation within the Never Never, Pepper, Four Pillars and West Winds areas.
- The drill drive has also been designed to support future mine production activities.
- All regulatory mining approvals are now in place and all major support services have been engaged to facilitate the commencement of construction in the current quarter.
- Surface exploration drilling at Dalgaranga will shortly re-commence, with rigs arriving on site later this month.
Figure 1: Long Section of the Never Never Gold Deposit and the Pepper, Four Pillars and West Winds Gold Prospects looking east. Proposed exploration drill drive design in black.
The contract, which is valued at ~$18.3 million including an allowance for fuel and contingencies, provides for 2,350m of development to deliver twin decline access for the establishment of underground drilling platforms to in-fill and extend mineralisation across the Never Never, Pepper, Four Pillars and West Winds deposits.
All of these steeply-plunging, high-grade gold zones are located along a single 800m-long, semi- continuously mineralised north-south stratigraphic horizon (see Figure 1). The exploration drill drive has been designed to run parallel and adjacent to this horizon to provide underground drill platforms to more effectively define these existing deposits and prospects, as well as explore for further high-grade shoots and provide critical underground infrastructure as Spartan develops its future mine plan.
Construction of the drill drive is on-track to commence in the September Quarter, with all regulatory mining approvals and support services in place. In addition, the Company has established an experienced on- site project team to manage and oversee the development and construction process. Establishment of the drill drive, and an initial underground drilling programme, is fully funded from the Company’s existing cash reserves.
Management Comment
Spartan Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Simon Lawson, said: “We are delighted to have Barminco on board to complete the construction of this new drill drive, which represents a very exciting initiative that will enable us to drill from platforms located right alongside our high-grade deposits and targets. This will provide for cheaper, more accurate and quicker drilling to continue to accelerate our Resource growth and conversion to Ore Reserves.
“All of the high-grade deposits and prospects discovered at Dalgaranga over the past two years remain open at depth – with mineralisation at the Never Never deposit now defined to beyond 1km below surface – and we’re very excited to get the underground rigs in place to help determine just how deep this high- grade mineralisation extends.
“Importantly, the drill drive is being constructed using the same dimensions as a standard underground mine development, ensuring it can be incorporated into our infrastructure planning for the future re- commencement of mining operations.
“Construction of the drill drive is set to kick-off later this Quarter and is expected to take approximately 10 months to complete. In addition, we will also shortly re-commence surface drilling programs, targeting the Pepper, Four Pillars, West Winds and other near-surface anomalies, ensuring plenty of exciting news- flow for shareholders in the months ahead.”
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Spartan Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Aurum Resources
Investor Insights
Aurum Resources offers a compelling value proposition with a highly prospective gold asset in an emerging gold region and a cost-effective exploration strategy.
Overview
Aurum Resources (ASX:AUE) is a mineral exploration company primarily focused on gold through its flagship Boundiali gold project located in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
Côte d'Ivoire's gold mining sector is experiencing significant growth and development, with several key projects contributing to the country's economic expansion. The overall gold mining sector in Côte d'Ivoire is supported by substantial investments in infrastructure and exploration.
Geopolitically, Côte d'Ivoire outperforms most developing countries in the world in political, legal, tax and operational risk metrics. Additionally, Côte d'Ivoire continues to make notable strides in its political stability and Absence of Violence and Terrorism Index.
Aurum is led by a board and management team with considerable experience and a track record of success in the mining industry and a history of creating shareholder value.
Company Highlights
- Aurum Resources is a precious metals company with exploration prospects in the same greenstone belt as the Syama (11.5 Moz), Sissingué (1.0 Moz), Tongon (5.0 Moz) and Kone Gold (4.5 Moz) deposits of West Africa.
- Upcoming catalysts include a maiden mineral resource estimate expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The company believes mineralization is open at depth and along strike and highlights the existence of numerous gold mineralization targets within the large land holding of Aurum’s Boundiali Gold Project.
- Aurum operates its own drill rigs, allowing the company to significantly reduce its exploration costs relative to peers.
- Management has a track record of creating value for shareholders from exploration through to project development, mine construction and gold production.
- Strong leverage to increasing gold prices that will benefit from a declining interest rate environment and rising global geopolitical risk factors.
- Well funded for greater than 12 months and over 100,000 metres diamond drilling programs and metallurgical study
Key Project: Boundali Gold Project
The Boundiali gold project in Cote d’Ivoire is located within the Boundiali Greenstone Belt, which hosts Resolute’s Syama gold operation (11.5 Moz) and the Tabakoroni deposit (1 Moz) in Mali. Neighbouring assets also include Barrick’s Tongon mine (5 Moz) and Montage Gold’s Kone project (4.5 Moz).
The Boundiali project area covers the underexplored southern extension of the Boundiali belt, where a highly deformed synclinal greenstone horizon traverses finer-grained basin sediments, and to the west, Tarkwaian clastic rocks lie in contact with a granitic margin. The project benefits from year-round road access and excellent infrastructure.
The first stage of drilling at Boundiali occurred in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 for both the BM and BD tenements (BM1 and BM2; BD1, BD2 and BD3 targets) and was designed to test below-gold-in-soil anomalies oriented along NE trending structures. Having completed its initial exploration program, Aurum is now ramping up and undertaking a scout and step-back diamond drilling campaign with plans to increase its drilling fleet to include six rigs targeting a drilling rate of ~10,000 metres per month. The company expects to drill more than 45,000 metres of diamond core at Boundali to support an inaugural mineral resource estimate that is anticipated by the end of 2024.
Drilling costs are estimated at US$45 per metre, as Aurum owns all of its drilling rigs and employs its operators, representing a significant value proposition relative to peers who use commercial drilling companies that charge upwards of $200 per meter. The company believes there is potential for multi-million ounce gold resources to be defined with hundreds thousands meters of drilling over years within the Boundiali Gold Project’s land holding areas.
The Boundiali gold project comprises four contiguous granted licenses: PR0808 (80 percent interest), PR0893 (80 to 88 percent interest), PR414 (100 percent interest), and PR283 (70 percent interest). Historic exploration at PR0893 includes 93 AC drill holes and four RC holes. Airborne geophysical surveying, geological mapping and extensive soil sampling have also been performed at PR0893, while PR0808 has had 91 RC holes drilled for 6,229 metres along with geochemical analysis and modeling. Detailed geochemical sampling and drilling at PR414 revealed three strong gold anomalies and returned impressive high-grade results.
Management Team
Troy Flannery – Non-Executive Chairman
Troy Flannery has more than 25 years’ experience in the mining industry, including nine years in corporate and 17 years in senior mining engineering and project development roles. He has a degree in mining engineering, masters in finance, and first class mine managers certificate of competency. Flannery has performed non-executive director roles with numerous ASX listed companies and was the CEO of Abra Mining until October 2021. He has worked at numerous mining companies, mining consultancy and contractors, including BHP, Newcrest, Xstrata, St Barbara Mines and AMC Consultants.
Dr. Caigen Wang – Managing Director
Dr. Caigen Wang founded Tietto Minerals (ASX:TIE), where he led the company as managing director for 13 years through private exploration, ASX listing, gold resource definition, project study and mine building to become one of Africa’s newest gold producers at its Abujar gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a bachelor, masters and PhD in mining engineering. He is a fellow of AusIMM and a chartered professional engineer of Institution of Engineer, Australia. Wang has 13 years of mining academic experience in China University of Mining and Technology, Western Australia School of Mine and University of Alberta, and over 20 years of practical experience in mining engineering and mineral exploration in Australia, China and Africa. Other professional experience includes senior technical and management roles in mining houses, including St. Barbara, Sons of Gwalia, BHP Billiton, China Goldmines PLC and others.
Mark Strizek – Executive Director
Mark Strizek has nearly 30 years’ experience in the resource industry, having worked as a geologist on various gold, base metal and technology metal projects. He brings invaluable geological, technical and development expertise to Aurum, most recently as an executive director at Tietto Minerals’, which progressed from an IPO to gold production at the Abujar gold project in West Africa. Strizek has worked as an executive with management and board responsibilities in exploration, feasibility, finance and development-ready assets across Australia, West Africa, Asia and Europe.
Diamond Drilling Program Expanded and High-Grade M1 Intercept Returned
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Drilling activities along the ‘Golden Corridor’ progressing well; current Reverse Circulation (RC) program complete (28 holes for 5,024m) and diamond tails program expanded to 2,500m (approx. 1,900m complete across 19 holes).
- Represents the first diamond drilling undertaken at the 2.3km-long Ricciardo deposit, and the nearby M1 deposit, by any operator in ten years.
- Assay results for the first diamond hole at M1 (infill focus) were significantly higher grade than expected:
- 8.9m @ 8.93 g/t Au from 156m, incl. 2m @ 23.83 g/t from 158.3m
- M1 offers clear high-grade extension potential, which is planned to be a focus of further drilling in H2 2024.
- Diamond holes drilled beneath the Silverstone Central pit (Ricciardo), in an area with no historical drilling, returned:
- 7m @ 2.59 g/t Au from 229m, incl. 1m @ 10.81 g/t Au from 233.7m
- 4.6m @ 1.20 g/t Au from 235m
- Extensional RC drilling under the Eastern Creek pit (Ricciardo) returned:
- 7m @ 2.54 g/t Au from 170m, incl. 1m @ 7.48 g/t from 172m
- 9m @ 1.42 g/t Au from 180m
- Ricciardo and M1 both sit in the 25km-long ‘Golden Corridor’ at Golden Range, which hosts six discrete deposits (18 historic pits) that are all open at depth and possess immediate growth potential.
- Diamond drilling set to be completed in mid-August, with all assays expected by mid-September and update of the Ricciardo MRE targeted for Q4 2024.
- Further growth-focussed drilling of the ‘Golden Corridor’ planned for H2 2024.
The results reported in this release are for a further eight (8) of the diamond holes and the first nine (9) of the RC holes drilled in the current program (representing all outstanding results received to date). Results for the first four (4) diamond holes were previously reported (refer WA8 ASX release dated 3 July 2024). The new results continue to demonstrate the outstanding Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) growth potential that exists at Ricciardo, M1, and along the broader ‘Golden Corridor’ trend.
Figure 1: The Golden Range and Fields Find Projects. Mines and projects within trucking distance of the Warriedar tenure are shown. The location of the Ricciardo deposit within the 25km-long ‘Golden Corridor’ at Golden Range is annotated.
M1 deposit
The M1 deposit is located 7km north of the Ricciardo deposit, and right alongside the existing processing plant (refer Figure 2); within the 25km long Golden Corridor trend.
Initial results have been returned from diamond tails drilled at the M1 deposit, with significant intersections returned in both holes. The holes were planned to test the existing MRE model,
Figure 2: The Golden Corridor within the Golden Range Project. The M1 deposit is located 7km north of the Ricciardo deposit. The image on the LEFT is gravity over shaded residual magnetic RTP.
potential parallel lodes and gaps within the MRE area. This drilling represents the first time this deposit has been revisited and drilled since 2013.
Hole M1RC191 was drilled in the centre of the modelled resource area and returned significantly higher grade than expected (refer Figure 3). This is an excellent result and aids Warriedar in the larger goal of building high-priority MRE areas for rapid development.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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