Minnova Corp.
TSXV:MCI
High Grade, Low CAPEX, Near-term Gold Production in Manitoba
High Grade, Low CAPEX, Near-term Gold Production in Manitoba
Minnova Corp. (TSXV:MCI) is working diligently to fast-track toward production at its wholly-owned PL Gold Mine located in Manitoba, Canada. Manitoba is a world class mining jurisdiction and hosts the Flin Flon – Snow Lake greenstone belt, one of the most prolific greenstone belts in Canada. The Flin Flon – Snow Lake greenstone belt has a long mining history of exploration and discovery success and boasts 30 past and currently producing mines.
The past-producing PL property includes the PL Gold Deposit, is fully-permitted for underground mining operations, and the satellite Nokomis Gold Deposit represents a future development opportunity to deliver additional production growth. The PL deposit has an underground mineral resource estimate of 206,800 ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated categories plus an Inferred Resource of 412,500 ounces of gold grading approximately 6.2g/t. Key existing infrastructure includes a 1,000 tpd mill and 7,000 meters of underground workings.
Minnova’s goal is to begin small-scale production in the near-term with a view toward generating cash to fund further expansion of the project and build more value for all stakeholders. “What makes us unique and separates us from our peers is our level of existing infrastructure which drives our very low capex,” said Gorden Glenn, President and CEO of Minnova. “Both the mill and the mining permit place us on a fast track to production with a very low CAPEX and no need to negotiate a toll milling agreement. In addition, the permit can be amended for future open pit operations and the current mill has sufficient enough capacity for an organic growth story at a very low cost.”
The 2014 Preliminary Economic Assessment( PEA) for the PL Gold Mine project outlines a 43,000 ounce per year operation over a ten-year mine life with an ultra-low estimated capital cost of C$25 million.
Minnova is planning a state-of-the-art commercial mining operation that benefits from the orebody’s shallow depth, with gold mineralization starting at surface and drill tested down dip to just over 300 meters (still open). The company is working with leading equipment manufactures specializing in designing equipment for narrow-vein mining, and specifically, the use of small, ultra-low / extra-low (ULP/XLP) electric and battery operated equipment which will allow Minnova to minimize mine dilution in stopes and reduce underground development requirements.
Upcoming catalysts for the property are in-fill drilling results at the existing PL deposit which is targeting an increase in the Measured & Indicated resources. “This current drill campaign is about further increasing the confidence level in the gold resource of the deposit,” said Glenn. The updated resource will support a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) which is targeted for completion in the spring of 2017. That study will be the catalyst for securing additional financing for the planned test mining and bulk sampling program as well as executing on the mill refurbishment. All of this growth is coming about in a compressed timeline of 12 to 18 months with commercial production projected to begin as early as the first half of 2018.
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