Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX: VTX) – Trading Halt

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce a further update on the Reward Gold mine start up.

HIGHLIGHTS

- All major components are now installed and fitted at the Reward Gold Mine Gravity Plant.

- Electrical fit out is well underway.

- Piping and water reticulation is ongoing.

- Tails lines are being laid to the dry sand stack location.

- Plant power up is planned for mid-December.

- General Manager and other key personnel have commenced employment.

- Ore Sorter structure is under construction and will be installed in January

- The plant will be commissioned on stockpiles located at the plant prior to the Ore Sorter installation.

- Road infrastructure upgraded.

- Portal entry and ore handling area refurbished and expanded.

- Vertex on track for January commissioning of the plant.

Mobilisation of the Gravity Plant from Ballart to site commenced earlier this month (as announced 13 November 2024), with all major components now onsite, installed and fitted at the Gravity Plant. Fitout of ancillary services (including electrical and water) is well underway, with completion and initial powering-up scheduled for mid-December 2024.

All Civil Works for this stage, including the upgrading and refurbishment of Road Infrastructure, portal entry and the ore handling area are also complete.

Ore Sorter and Forward Plan

Compelling results from Ore Sorting testwork (including a 337% increase in grade and 79% mass reduction) as announced on 25th July 2024, resulted in a decision to incorporate pre-concentration into the flow sheet and design for the Hill End project (as announced 11 September 2024). Construction of the Ore Sorter structure has commenced, with installation expected in January 2025. Installation of the Ore Sorter is not expected to delay plant commissioning, with initial processing of existing stockpiles located at the plant location to commence prior to installation and commissioning of the Ore Sorter.

Corporate and Financial

On 7 November 2024, Shareholders voted to approve the second tranche of the Company's 2-tranche share placement announced in mid-August 2024. All funds for the second tranche have been received and allotment is expected shortly.

The Company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for 29 November 2024 and resolutions include approval for the conversion of loan funds received under the capital-raising announced in October 2024. Various option issue approvals were granted in the 7 November Meeting and are being sought at the AGM and a prospectus for the issue of those options is being prepared.

On 27 May 2024 the Company announced that it had signed a terms sheet with Ocean Partners for a US$10M Prepayment Facility, subject to conditions precedent. Following on from the revised mine design and Gravity plant flow sheet, because of the decision to utilise an ore sorter, the capital expenditure required to develop the mine was significantly lowered. A facility of this size is no longer expected to be required by the Company and the parties have agreed that the proposed arrangement will not be completed, with no penalty to the Company. The Company is in negotiations with several parties in relation to a significantly smaller debt or prepayment facility.

Commenting on the progress, Vertex Executive Chairman Roger Jackson said: "We are very excited by the progress that has been made with the Gravity Gold plant installation at our mine ready Gold project.

The installation is well ahead of the time we had scheduled, which has helped recover the time lost due to weather with the civil construction. We are hopeful we can now power the plant up for testing in just a few weeks. We then can commission the plant with the gold ore stockpiles we have sitting at the plant.

I would commend Gekko and our Hill End team for their efforts with this installation."

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About Vertex Minerals Limited:  

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce an update on the Reward Gold mine start up, with the refurbished Gekko plant arriving this week along with a team of trades people to install and commission the plant. Further the site infrastructure has been redeveloped with a number of improvements to roads and tails line implemented.

HIGHLIGHTS

- Civils completed.

- Gekko have commenced mobilising the Gekko Gravity Gold plant from Ballarat to the Mine site.

- Recently purchased LM 90 Drill Rig has been mobilised from Kalgoorlie to the Mine site.

- Mobile fleet purchased and on site.

o Light vehicles, heavy 6wd truck, 4wd Dual cab light truck, Integrated tool carrier, underground loader, underground haul truck, excavator

- Fixed plant purchased and on site.

o Underground fans
o Transformers
o Fuel Infrastructure
o Replacement piping for slurry and water reclaim

- General Manager and Mine Manager has commenced employment on site.

- Road infrastructure upgraded.

- Portal entry and ore handling area refurbished and expanded.

- Vertex on track for January commissioning of the plant.

The Reward Gold Mine is well placed for a simple start -up:

- The new processing plant will be constructed adjacent to the underground mine portal (640 Level) and over the existing footprint of the existing plant.

- The 640 Level extends into the resource and no stripping required with the revised mine plan.

- Second egress in place with existing ladder way from 640 Level to surface.

- Some underground fleet and utility services are already owned by Vertex. With new fleet arriving.

- The New plant will be utilising the existing services and infrastructure:

o Gold Room
o Water systems
o Power generation
o Offices
o Change Rooms
o Workshop
o Storeroom
o Crib Room
o Jaw Crusher
o Access Roads
o Security System

Commenting on the progress, Vertex Executive Chairman Roger Jackson said: "We are very pleased with the progress so far with the redevelopment of the Reward Mine and the refurbishment of the Gravity Gold plant, given we have done this with a very small capital budget and a very wet season. I would like to acknowledge our team at Hill End, headed up by our Director Declan Franzmann and Maintenance Manger Jeff Williams who have worked tirelessly on this project to get it to this point.

Further I would like to express our gratitude to the efforts made by Gekko on their professionalism in taking a second-hand plant and refurbishing it to an excellent standard within a very short lead time.

We are now all-hands-on-deck to get ore into the plant and be producing gold bars in January."

About Vertex Minerals Limited:  

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited