A gold-focused emerging gold producer with a clear pathway to production growth, Brightstar Resources presents a compelling investment case driven by its mining and development hubs strategy and a district-scale resource opportunity.
The price of gold stays strong. In April 2024, the yellow metal’s price passed US$2,400 per ounce for the first time. The reason is multifaceted. The world teeters on the brink of a severe recession while some markets attribute the increase to safe haven rush. Amidst ballooning interest rates, bank failures and falling bond yields, demand for gold continues to rise. At this precise moment, gold is simultaneously an excellent portfolio diversifier and a compelling hedge against ongoing inflation — particularly if one invests in the right company.
Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) aims to be that company. An emerging mining and development company, Brightstar occupies a strategic land position of roughly 1,200 square kilometers in the Sandstone Greenstone Belt, 300 square kilometers in the Laverton Tectonic Belt and 80 square kilometers of the Menzies Shear Zone.
The company also owns an existing processing facility that can potentially provide tremendous shareholder value in a low-capital cost restart scenario.
That plant, once fully refurbished and operational, could prove a key differentiator for the company, enabling fast gold production at a low capital cost. This is especially noteworthy given that many other gold companies trading on the ASX are largely focused on greenfield exploration and development. Even once those companies discover a promising resource, mining and processing facilities would still need to be built, undertakings which can incur significant upfront capital costs and take several years.
Brightstar's Laverton gold assets are all centered on a 100 percent-owned 300-square-kilometer tenure in the Laverton Tectonic Zone and all within 70 kilometers of the Laverton Processing Plant. Additionally, all resources within this zone are open along strike and at depth. Only minor drilling programs have been conducted in recent years, paving the way for significant exploration upside with the potential for further regional and greenfields discoveries.
Brightstar also owns 100 percent of the Menzies Gold Project, a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of roughly 20 kilometers along the Menzies Shear Zone and adjacent to the Goldfields Highway.
In 2023 and 2024, the company announced a mineral resource upgrade to the Cork Tree Well deposit (Laverton gold project) and also delivered two maiden mineral resource estimates at the Link Zone and Aspacia deposits (Menzies gold project). This has grown the total group MRE by approximately 150 koz gold through organic exploration.
The company has also acquired 100 percent of the shares and options of Linden Gold Alliance, a gold producer, developer and explorer with existing mineral resources of 350 koz @ 2.1 g/t gold near Brightstar in the Laverton district. Brightstar’s MRE has reached 1.1 Moz gold across the Menzies and Laverton projects, with an additional 0.35 Moz gold in resources added after the successful acquisition of Linden Gold Alliance.
In August 2024, Brightstar entered into a scheme implementation deed to acquire 100 percent of Alto Metals (ASX:AME), which owns the Sandstone gold project located in East Murchison. The project has a current mineral resource of 1.05 Moz of gold at 1.5 g/t.
Brightstar also completed the acquisition of the gold rights at the Montague East gold project (MEGP) from Gateway Mining Limited (ASX:GML). The project is located 70 km from the Sandstone gold project. The acquisition adds a further 9.6 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 0.5 Moz gold to Brightstar’s JORC Mineral Resource Estimate, giving the company a total mineral endowment of 38.3 Mt @ 1.6 g/t gold for 2.0 Moz gold.
The acquisition of the MGEP from Gateway Mining and 100 percent of Alto’s shares creates a third district-scale resource base for the company called the Sandstone Hub. Upon consolidation of the Laverton, Menzies and Sandstone hubs, Brightstar’s mineral resources would reach 3 Moz at 1.5g/t gold.
Subsequent to the deal with Alto Metals, Brightstar entered into a $4 million drill-for-equity agreement with Topdrill to aggressively advance the consolidated Sandstone gold project. The deal strengthens Brightstar's financial capacity to fulfill its multi-hub exploration and development strategy, which includes the Menzies, Laverton and Sandstone hubs.
Brightstar’s Laverton hub is comprised of the Cork Tree Well, Beta and Alpha project areas with the addition of the Second Fortune gold mine and the Jasper Hills projects.
The Menzies Hub comprises a tenement holding of a contiguous land package of granted mining leases over a strike length of more than 20 km. The majority of deposits hosted along the Menzies Shear Zone are located adjacent to Goldfields Highway in Menzies (130km north of Kalgoorlie).
The consolidated Sandstone project is over 100 km from existing third-party milling operations in the Murchison. This third processing hub boasts Alto’s Sandstone project with a mineral resource of 1.05 Moz at 1.4 g/t gold and Gateway’s Montague gold project with a mineral resource of 0.5 Moz @ 1.6 g/t gold.
Brightstar aims to fast-track the development timetable through:
Situated close to Brightstar's existing mineral assets at Laverton, the Brightstar Processing Plant provides the company with a considerable operational head start over its peers.
Gold doré bars (BTR005 – BTR016) poured on 9 March 2024
Alex Rovira is a qualified geologist and an experienced investment banker having focused on the metals and mining sector since 2013. Rovira has experience in ASX equity capital markets activities, including capital raisings, IPOs and merger and acquisitions.
Richard Crookes has over 35 years’ experience in the resources and investments industries. He is a geologist by training having previously worked as the chief geologist and mining manager of Ernest Henry Mining in Australia.
Crookes is managing partner of Lionhead Resources, a critical minerals investment fund and formerly an investment director at EMR Capital. Prior to that he was an executive director in Macquarie Bank’s Metals Energy Capital (MEC) division where he managed all aspects of the bank’s principal investments in mining and metals companies.
Andrew Rich is a degree qualified mining engineer from the WA School of Mines and has obtained a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Rich has a strong background in underground gold mining with experience predominantly in the development of underground mines at Ramelius Resources (ASX:RMS) and Westgold Resources (ASX:WGX).
Ashley Fraser is an accomplished mining professional with over 30 years experience across gold and bulk commodities. Fraser was a founder of Orionstone (which merged with Emeco in a $660-million consolidation) and is a founder/owner of Blue Cap Mining and Blue Cap Equities.
Jonathan Downes has over 30 years’ experience in the minerals industry and has worked in various geological and corporate capacities. Experienced with gold and base metals, he has been intimately involved with the exploration process through to production. Downes is currently the managing director of Kaiser Reef, a high grade gold producer, and non-executive director of Cazaly Resources.
Matthew Bowles is a senior corporate finance executive with extensive public corporate advisory, private equity and capital markets experience in the resources sector. Bowles has successfully negotiated domestic and cross border corporate funding, joint venture and M&A transactions for a number of ASX listed companies in Africa, the Americas and Australia. He was previously chief development officer for a West African focused ASX listed company. He commenced his career with Rio Tinto, working in corporate and commercial roles for nine years, before moving to London to work in banking and finance. Since his return to Australia, Bowles has held senior roles with global advisory firms, focusing on the resources sector. Bowles holds a Bachelor of Business, is a member of CPA Australia and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
Dean Vallve holds technical qualifications in geology & mining engineering from the WA School of Mines, an MBA, and a WA First Class Mine Managers Certificate. Vallve was previously in senior mining and study roles at ASX listed mid-cap resources companies Hot Chili (ASX:HCH) and Calidus Resources (ASX:CAI).
(TheNewswire)
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Vancouver TheNewswire January 30, 2025 Element79 Gold Corp. (CSE:ELEM) (OTC:ELMGF) (FSE:7YS) ("Element79 Gold", the "Company") is providing a series of corporate updates regarding the multiple initiatives is has underway, including:
Bi-Weekly MCTO Status Update
Lucero Project, Community Update
Clover Project Status Update
Update on Synergy Metals Corp Plan of Arrangement Spin Out Transaction
Bi-Weekly MCTO Status Update
a biweekly default status update in accordance with National Policy 12-203 – Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203").
In a press release dated January 2 nd , 2025 and further advised on the 16 th , the Company announced (the "Default Announcement") that it submitted an application to the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC"), the Company's principal regulator, for a management cease trade order ("MCTO") in connection with the Company's delay in filing its audited annual financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2024, and the management's discussion and analysis and related CEO and CFO certificates for the period (collectively, the "Required Documents") which were required to be filed on or before December 30, 2024.
The MCTO was issued by the BCSC on January 2, 2025. It prevents the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer from trading in the Company's securities but does not affect the ability of other shareholders, including the public, to trade in the securities of the Company. The MCTO remains in effect until the Company files the Required Documents and the BCSC's Executive Director has revoked the MCTO. The Company continues to work diligently with its auditors and expects to file the Filings as soon as possible and in any event no later than February 28, 2025, as is required for compliance with the BCSC MCTO order.
The Company confirms that since the date of the Default Announcement: (a) there has been no material change to the information set out in the Default Announcement that has not been generally disclosed; (b) there has been no failure by the Company in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203; (c) there has not been, nor is there anticipated to be, any specified default subsequent to the default which is the subject of the Default Announcement; and (d) there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed.
The Company confirms that it will continue to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains delayed in filing the Required Documents.
Lucero Project, Community Update
The Element79 Gold Corp team remains committed to strengthening its relationship with the communities that form up the greater Chachas region (the "Community"), earning its role as a trusted ally through promoting mutual development of the Lucero mine project and the Community as a whole. Building up to the end of 2024, after receiving approval from the Community at large on October 6 in the Huarocopalca annex, the Company previously presented in writing agreements that await a counterproposal from the Community. The Company awaits receipt of the counterproposal prior to the upcoming April General Assembly, allowing time to understand and further discuss the objective of obtaining long-term surface rights authorization to commence exploration and mining activities at that meeting.
Additionally, the Company is waiting for further data from the Lomas Doradas (local artisanal mining) Association regarding the sixty-five (65) REINFOS that Element79 us willing to support in their formalization process within the Company's mining concessions at Lucero.
The Community has an upcoming annual anniversary on February 14 th , wherein it has requested a modest donation from the Company to help support the costs of the celebration. As part of Element79's Social Responsibility policy, we are fully committed to supporting the community's traditions and customs through donations that are reciprocated, allowing in exchange, an interim 7-day period surface access to the mining concessions with trained personnel, extraneous to other long-term contract negotiation, as soon as possible in 2025. Simliar to 2023 campaigns, this access period would grant the Company access to conduct water and soil sampling, mine data collection, and verification of coordinate points, which are necessary to formalize mining contracts for Lomas Doradas members and to advance the REINFO formalization process.
Clover Project Update
The Company updates that it has just received a notice from the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") stating that various claims, previously referred to as the Clover project (the "Clover Project") in Elko County, Nevada, have been forfeited by the Company and it has also learned through its own research that the claims have been over-staked by a third-party. Since acquiring the Clover project, the Company had made various site visits and had been working with other areas of the BLM relative to bonding, historical environmental work and drilling permitting, as well as had made payments to maintain the Clover Project's status prior to the BLM annual deadline. The Company believes its claim was cancelled incorrectly and it is reviewing any and all remedies to challenging this decision with the Interior Board of Land Appeals.
Update on Synergy Metals Corp Plan of Arrangement Spin-Out Transaction
The Company has received a closing agenda from its counsel and as the signing of the transaction documentation as reported on January 13, 2025, it is both preparing updated financial reporting documents for Synergy Metals Corp and awaiting updated financial documents from amalgamator company, 1425957 BC Ltd. to complete the submission package to the BC Courts and BCSC for approvals. Further updates on this progress will be provided in due course through the completion of the Plan of Arrangement transaction.
About Element79 Gold Corp.
Element79 Gold is a mining company actively exploring and developing its portfolio of assets, including the high-grade, past-producing Lucero project in Arequipa, Peru, and properties along the Battle Mountain Trend in Nevada. The Company also holds an option to acquire the Dale Property in Ontario and is advancing the plan of arrangement spin-out process for its majority owned subsidiary, Synergy Metals Corp.
For further details on this announcement and the Company's projects, please visit www.element79.gold
Contact Information
For corporate matters, please contact:
James C. Tworek, Chief Executive Officer
E-mail: jt@element79.gold
For investor relations inquiries, please contact:
Investor Relations Department
Phone: +1.403.850.8050
E-mail: investors@element79.gold
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press contains "forward‐looking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward‐looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made considering management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the completion of the Spin-Out Arrangement, the completion of the Amalgamation, the completion of the Concurrent Financing, the Company's business strategy; future planning processes; exploration activities; the timing and result of exploration activities; capital projects and exploration activities and the possible results thereof; acquisition opportunities; and the impact of acquisitions, if any, on the Company. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. As such, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, assumptions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward‐looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward‐looking statements".
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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