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Manuka Resources Limited Investor Kit
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Manuka Resources Limited
Overview
Manuka Resources Limited (ASX:MKR) is an ASX-listed mining company focused on gold and silver-gold projects in the Cobar Basin, one of Australia’s most prolific producers of base and precious metals. The company has 100 percent ownership of two fully permitted precious metals projects in the Cobar Basin - the Mt Boppy gold mine and Wonawinta silver project. In addition, MKR owns the Taranaki VTM iron sands project in New Zealand.
The company revealed a phased strategy focused on delivering maximum value to its shareholders. The first phase focuses on bringing back the Mt Boppy gold mine into production, and has released an optimised production plan for the mine restart. The second phase will involve restarting mining and production at the Wonawinta silver mine, while the third phase will see the development of the Taranaki vanadium titano-magnetite (VTM) project.
The Mt Boppy gold mine was historically one of the richest in NSW, Australia and produced ~500,000oz gold at an average grade of 15 grams per ton (g/t) gold. Accordingly, the company is very excited about its exploration potential.
The current focus is on establishing a processing plant at Mt Boppy and recommence on-site gold production from Q1 2025. The ore from the Mt Boppy mine was previously being processed at the 850,000 to 1 million tpa processing plant at Wonawinta, located nearly 150 kilometres south-west of Mt Boppy. This is about to change as MKR has determined that it could save significantly on transportation costs as well as production efficiencies by building an on-site processing plant at Mt Boppy, which will materially enhance the project economics.
MKR estimates the total cost of building the processing plant to be between AU$10 million and AU$15 million. Compared to this, the annual cost of hauling ore from Mt Boppy to Wonawinta is AU$6 million to AU$7 million (nearly 50 percent of the total capex). MKR anticipates Mt Boppy to deliver total EBITDA of >AU$90 million and cash flow of >AU$80 million over a five-year mine life. It is important to note that the current market capitalization of MKR is just AU$55.1 million, much lower than the anticipated five-year EBITDA and cash flow.
The initial five-year mine plan is largely focused on the screening and processing of gold-bearing waste material above ground on the Mt Boppy mine site. The company has been processing these wastes from June 2023 to December 2023 at its Wonawinta plant and now wants to optimize the process.
The cash flows from the Mt Boppy mine will be used to fund the restart of the Wonawinta silver mine, which is currently under care and maintenance. Wonawinta contains total resources of 38.8 million tons (Mt) at 42 g/t silver for 52.4 million ounces (Moz). Within this, there is a higher-grade component of 4.5 Mt at 97 g/t silver for 14 Moz. Manuka Resources is targeting a mineral resource update for Wonawinta in Q2 2024. The Wonawinta silver project will be the largest primary silver producer in Australia and expected to be back in silver production within 12 months.
The gold and silver market appears to be in an upward trend, with prices for both precious metals hitting their all-time high in 2024, which bodes very positively for MKR.
Company Highlights
- Manuka Resources is an ASX-listed mining company focused on exploring and developing gold and silver assets in the Cobar Basin in New South Wales, Australia.
- The company’s two principal assets – the Mt Boppy Gold Mine and the Wonawinta Silver Mine – are both located in the prolific Cobar Basin. In addition, MKR holds a 100 percent interest in the Taranaki VTM iron sands project, located in New Zealand.
- The primary focus is on bringing the fully permitted Mt Boppy mine back into production by Q1 2025. The company will establish an on-site processing plant at Mt Boppy and in turn free up the Wonawinta processing plant for silver production from the Wonawinta silver mine, which was being used to process Mt Boppy ore.
- The results of the recently completed sonic drill program coupled with an updated mineral resources estimate at Mt Boppy (100 percent increase in indicated gold ounces) improve confidence in the recommencement of gold dore production at Mt Boppy.
- A dedicated processing facility at Mt Boppy will improve the project economics and also allow for an additional revenue stream by freeing up the Wonawinta processing plant to process ore from the Wonawinta silver mine (placed on care and maintenance in February 2024).
- The cash flows from the Mt Boppy mine will be used to fund the planned restart of the Wonawinta silver mine.
- Elevated gold and silver prices should substantially benefit Manuka Resources, resulting in improved profitability and cash flows as it brings both its gold and silver projects into production.
Key Projects
Mt Boppy Gold Project
The Mt Boppy gold project comprises three mining leases, four gold leases and one exploration license, spanning an area of more than 210 sq km in the prolific Cobar Basin in New South Wales, Australia. The project was acquired by Manuka in 2019 and has a current mineral resource of 4.3 Mt at 1.19 g/t gold. This includes a combination of oxidized and transitional/fresh mineralization in the ground, as well as mineralized rock dumps and tailings.
Historically, Manuka Resources has processed its stockpiles and gold mineralized waste products through its Wonawinta processing plant. However, inefficiencies associated with trucking and processing ore at the distant Wonawinta plant has led the company to revise its strategy. It is now looking to construct a processing plant at Mt Boppy so that ore from the mine can be processed on-site. Mt Boppy has excellent infrastructure including a 48-person mine camp and is fully permitted for the proposed processing plant and on-site production.
As a precursor to the commencement of on-site production, Manuka Resources undertook a sonic drilling program at Mt Boppy to improve confidence in the mineral resource base. A 26-borehole, 506-meter sonic drilling evaluation program over the Mt Boppy rock dumps and dry tailings was completed in December 2023. The program led to a 100 percent increase in indicated resources compared to the previous estimate.
The updated mineral resource comprises 4.28 Mt at 1.19 g/t gold for 163 koz of contained gold, of which 82 percent is in the measured and indicated categories. A further high-grade subset of the resource (including open pit, rock dumps and tailings) comprising 1.8 Mt at 1.74 g/t containing 102 koz gold has been identified as a basis for future mine planning.
Following the results of the sonic drill program, MKR determined to establish a 200,000 tpa processing plant at Mt Boppy. The company estimates a five-year mine life and a total gold dore production of >48,000 oz over the initial mine life. The mine plan is fairly low in capex requirements with a total planned capital cost of AU$10 million to AU$15 million. Notably, the annual cost of ore haulage from Mt Boppy to Wonawinta plant is AU$6 million to AU$7 million. Thus, the on-site plant will offer significant cost savings and improve the project economics.
Manuka Resources anticipates Mt Boppy to deliver total EBITDA of >AU$90 million and cash flow of >AU$80 million over a five-year mine life.
Wonawinta Silver Mine Project
The Wonawinta silver mine project comprises one mining lease and seven exploration licenses spanning a total area of 920 sq. km. The Wonawinta project hosts a resource of 38.8 Mt @ 42.0 g/t silver, equating to 52.4 Moz contained silver. Within this there is a higher-grade component of 4.5 Mt at 97 g/t silver for 14 Moz silver.
The Wonawinta plant
The Wonawinta project is fully permitted with all the necessary infrastructure, including an 850,000 to 1 million tpa processing plant. The plant has been used for processing ore from Mt Boppy. The Wonawinta silver mine is currently under care and maintenance. The company is considering the possibility of resuming operations at Wonawinta, leveraging the improved silver price environment. Manuka is targeting a mineral resource update for Wonawinta by October 2024 and production in 2025.
Taranaki VTM Project
The Taranaki VTM project is located within New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, approximately 22 to 36 kilometres offshore, outside the 12 nautical mile boundary from the coastline. The project boasts a JORC resource of 3.2 billion tons at 10.17 percent iron oxide, 1.03 percent titanium dioxide and 0.05 percent vanadium oxide. It holds a mining license allowing initial extraction of 50 million tons annually, resulting in 5 million tons of VTM concentrate per year for 20 years (concentrate grade of 56 to 57 percent iron, 8.5 percent titanium dioxide and 0.5 percent vanadium pentoxide). At this extraction rate, the JORC resource provides approximately 60 years of potential mining inventory.
The project is anticipated to sit in the lowest quartile of the iron ore production cost curve. The next step for Manuka is to complete a bankable feasibility study on the project.
Management Team
Dennis Karp – Executive Chairman
Dennis Karp is a former commodities trader with nearly four decades of corporate experience. He started his career in 1983 and worked in HSBC until 1997 before moving to Tennant, one of Australia’s largest physical commodities trading companies with operations in Asia and Europe. He was a principal shareholder of Tennant Metals until 2010 and a managing director until December 2014. He founded ResCap in December 2014. Since then, he has participated in diverse resource projects and investment opportunities across base metals and bulk commodities. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town.
Alan Eggers – Executive Director
Alan Eggers has over 40 years of experience in the mining sector. He is a geologist and was the founder of Summit Resources, which became an ASX top 200 company and was acquired by Paladin Energy in 2007 for AU$1.2 billion. Throughout his career, he has held director positions at numerous companies. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Honours, and Master of Science degrees from Victoria University of Wellington. He is recognized as a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists and holds memberships in AusIMM and the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.
Anthony McPaul – Non-executive Director
Anthony McPaul possesses over 40 years of expertise in mining and mineral processing. He has overseen a diverse array of operational projects, spanning from base to precious metals, in both surface and underground mining operations. He has directly managed all facets of production and scheduling. He served in senior leadership roles at various companies, including CRA, Denehurst, MIM and, more recently, Newcrest. McPaul is currently the chairman of the NSW Minerals Council Board and Executive Committee, and he is also a member of the newly established Mineral Industry Advisory Council.
John Seton – Non-executive Director
John Seton is a lawyer with extensive experience in the mineral resources sector. He has served as director in several ASX and NZX listed companies. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University, Wellington, and a Master of Law (Honours) from the University of Auckland and is a chartered fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Haydn Lynch – Chief Operating Officer
Haydn Lynch has over 25 years of experience in M&A, capital markets and private equity. He has been involved in executing several domestic and cross-border transactions in various sectors including metals and mining, and industrials. He has held leadership roles in global investment banks, including Bankers Trust Australia, Investec Bank, RBC Capital Markets and Southern Cross Equities. He has undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from the University of Queensland and a Master in Commerce from the University of New South Wales.
Rod Griffith – Mining and Technical Consultant
Rod Griffith has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, both in Australia and internationally, working in senior management roles, including as chief operating officer and general manager. He has significant Central Western NSW experience with KBL Mining, Silver City Minerals, Girilambone Copper and Cobalt Blue, across a number of commodity groups and mining styles. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Surveying from the University of Newcastle, along with a postgraduate diploma in mining engineering from the University of Ballarat.
Phil Bentley – Chief Geologist
Phil Bentley has over 40 years of experience in the mining industry across New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia, holding senior geological roles as well as senior management and director positions. He has worked as a Chief Geologist at Randgold Resources and Randgold & Exploration, Global Head of Exploration at Trafigura Mining Services, and Principal Geologist Africa at CSA Global South Africa. He is a Qualified person under NI 43-101 (Canadia) and JORC (Australia) and is a Fellow of the South African Geological Society. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geology at Victoria University of Wellington. He also has a Masters of Science in Economic Geology at Victoria University of Wellington and a Master’s of Science in Mineral Exploration from Rhodes University, Grahamstown South Africa.
Ǫuarterly Activity Report 30 September 2024
Highlights
- Updated geological modelling with multiple intra-pluton porphyry copper centres close to surface identified from surface geochemical surveys within the Yataga Copper Project
- Porphyry centres concentrated along a structural belt have been identified as analogous to the Highland Valley Copper Mine, where a series of porphyry copper deposits host Canada’s largest open pit copper mine (production of >130kt in 2021)
- Termite mound sampling programmes have identified a combined area of 8km2 of copper-in- soil anomalism with significant potential for expansion
- 220-line km airborne electromagnetic survey complete with results pending
- 20+-line km ground based Pole-Dipole Induced Polarisation (PDIP) and Magnetotelluric (MT) Survey underway
- Geochemistry and geophysics programme results will feed into upcoming optimised drilling program planned for early 2025
- Acclaimed ǪLD geologist, Dr Gregg Morrison appointed as Technical Advisor to the Project
- $1.5M Placement underway through issue of 61M fully paid ordinary shares at $0.025 per share to sophisticated and professional investors
Located within the Georgetown mining district, EMU’s Georgetown tenements cover a richly endowed but under-explored area of Far North Ǫueensland with a history of significant mining activity and mineral discoveries.
EMU is earning an 80% interest in 3 exploration permits for minerals (EPM’s), covering 850km2 in the Georgetown mining district, Ǫueensland, under a Heads of Agreement and Joint Venture Agreement with Rugby Resources Ltd (TSXV:RUG). The district has a substantial mineral endowment with more than 1,000 mines, prospects and identified mineral occurrences.1
Figure 1. Georgetown Tenements Location
Definitions and Nomenclature
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This article includes content from EMU NL, 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.
Quarterly Activities Report for the Period Ending 30 September 2024
Key Highlights
- Reverse Circulation drilling commenced on the Ashburton Proterozoic unconformity uranium project in Western Australia. 7 drill holes were completed in the September Quarter for a total advance of 1028m.
- Equivalent U3O8 concentrations from this phase of Ashburton reverse circulation drilling have been calculated from downhole gamma surveys, and include:
- ARC001 6.98m @ 1,617 ppm eU3O8 from 101.84 meters
- ARC002 4.36m @ 2,205 ppm eU3O8 from 109.89 meters
- ARC003 3.96m @ 1,516 ppm eU3O8 from 86.89 meters
- ARC004 6.02m @ 801 ppm eU3O8 from 83.55 meters
- ARC006 3.45m @ 5,129 ppm eU3O8 from 137.62 meters incl 0.34m @ 16,050 ppm eU3O8 from 139.11 meters
- ARC007 1.30m @ 503ppm eU3O8 from 123.37 meters
- Drilling on the Ashburton Project is ongoing with RC and Diamond drilling during the December Quarter
- Two geophysical surveys (IP and magnetics) have been completed at Cerro Chacon in Argentina and the Company is awaiting the final interpretation.
- Auger drilling at Sierra Cuadrada highlights extensive areas of near surface uranium mineralisation: the largest being 6km long and 3km wide and remains open.
- Mineralisation varies in thickness from 0.5m to 4m, with an average thickness 1.5m.
- Multiple areas are being evaluated to identifying priority areas for follow up trenching, mapping and determination.
- An additional 39 tenement applications for uranium exploration have been lodged in Argentina totalling 1785km2. Tenements are located in the provinces of Rio Negro and Chubut. Tenements are prospective for sandstone hosted uranium mineralisation and include both hard rock and in-situ recovery targets.
- The Company has established an experienced in country team with the appointment of country manager, project managers and geologists for both gold and uranium.
Figure 1: Locality maps highlighting Piche’s Australian Projects in Western Australia and its Argentinean
Australia – Uranium - Ashburton Project
A reverse circulation drilling programme commenced on the Ashburton uranium project during the September Quarter. A total of 7 drill holes were completed during the quarter for a total advance of 1028m. The reverse circulation drilling is ongoing, and a diamond drilling programme will also commence early in the December Quarter.
The September Quarter drilling programme was undertaken at, and along strike of the Angelo A prospect where no exploration activities have been carried out in the last 40 years. The drilling programme was planned to confirm the results from previous exploration by drilling several twin holes, to test a revised model for the control of the uranium mineralisation and explore for extensions to the mineralisation identified between 1973 and 1984.
Results from the first seven reverse circulation drill holes completed have been received and six of those have returned significant high grade uranium mineralisation.
Drilling is targeting Proterozoic unconformity style uranium mineralisation, similar to that seen in two of the most significant uranium jurisdictions in the world: the Pine Creek Geosyncline in Australia and the Athabasca Basin in Canada.
Drilling was preceded by a detailed heritage clearance survey.
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This article includes content from Piche 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.
Antilles Gold Quarterly Report & Appendix 5B – 30 September 2024
DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN MINERAL RICH CUBA
Antilles Gold is participating in the development of two mines in Cuba to produce copper, gold, silver, and antimony, and in the exploration of potentially large porphyry copper properties, through a 50:50 joint venture with the Government’s mining company, GeoMinera.
The joint venture intends to fund the copper exploration from surplus cash flow expected to be generated by the near-term development of the proposed Nueva Sabana copper-gold mine.
- JOINT VENTURE
Minera La Victoria SA (“MLV”) was registered as a Cuban foreign joint venture mining company in August 2020 to develop the Country’s largest known gold deposit at La Demajagua on the Isle of Youth off the south-west coast.
MLV has since committed to progressively establishing itself as a broadly based mining company to develop previously explored mineral deposits controlled by GeoMinera. To date, the Nueva Sabana project and four concessions hosting porphyry copper prospects have been added to its portfolio.
Features of the Joint Venture include:
- A foreign Bank account will hold all proceeds from loans, and product sales, with the only funds remitted to Cuba being for local expenses, which will minimise Country credit risk.
- Antilles Gold nominates all senior management for the operations and exploration activities.
- Income tax rate of 15% waived for 8 years.
- No import duties on plant & equipment.
- Low entry cost for near term development of previously explored properties.
- Low operating costs.
- Association with GeoMinera ensures rapid permitting.
GeoMinera transferred a 900ha mining concession for the La Demajagua gold-antimony-silver open pit mine with 50,000m of historic drilling to the joint venture for US$13.5 million of MLV shares, and a 752ha concession covering the Nueva Sabana gold-copper oxide deposit, and the underlying El Pilar porphyry copper system for US$1.5 million of MLV shares.
A subsidiary of Antilles Gold is “earning-in” to a 50% holding in MLV by contributing US$15.0 million equity, of which approximately US$14.6 million had been invested to 30 September 2024, with the balance to be contributed in November 2024.
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This article includes content from Antilles Gold, 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.
TEM | Quarterly Report - Period Ending 30 September 2024
Key Points
- Corporate
- Rights Issue Completion
- Projects
- Yalgoo prospectivity analysis
- Yalgoo drilling commenced at Remorse
- FiveWheels geochemical and heritage surveys completed
Projects
Figure 01: TEM Projects and Commercial Interests
Yalgoo
Tempest’s flagship project is the Company’s holding in the Yalgoo region of Western Australia. Totalling more than 1,000km2 and located near high profile neighbours including: 29 Metals Ltd (ASX:29M) - Golden Grove Copper, Zinc, Gold, Silver Mine; Spartan Resources Ltd (ASX:SPR) - Yalgoo Gold Project; Silverlake (ASX:SLK) - Deflector and Rothsay Gold Mines, Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX:CMM) Gold, EMU NL (ASX:EMU) - Gnows Nest Gold Project; Tungsten Mining (ASX:TGN) - Mt Mulgine Project; Fenix (ASX:FEX) - Iron Ore Operations, and Karara and Sino Iron ore operations and more.
Figure 02: Yalgoo Projects Overview
Tempest has used data-driven processes to identify poorly or unexplored areas of highly prospective geology. This approach has had considerable success and includes the discovery of multiple instances of new mineralisation.
The project contains a number of different geological domains - though much of these have considerable overlap. Within these domains, exploration targets continue to be identified through ongoing exploration and data analysis and are being explored systematically according to prioritisation based on geological and other criteria.
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This article includes content from Tempest 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.
Manuka Resources Limited Investor Kit
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects