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IRR Inform Resources Corp

0.495
0.00 (0.00%)
20 Dec 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type
Inform Resources Corp TSXV:IRR TSX Venture Common Stock
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 0.495 0.495 0.64 0 00:00:00

Benz Completes San Javier Project Preliminary Economic Assessment

22/05/2014 10:45pm

Marketwired Canada


NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE
SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN.


Benz Capital Corp. (the "Corporation" or "Benz") (TSX VENTURE:BZ) today
announced the results of an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA")
for the San Javier project (the "Project") located near the village of San
Javier, Sonora, Mexico. Benz has entered into an option agreement with Tusk
Exploration Ltd. pursuant to which it may acquire up to a 100% interest in the
Project (the "Transaction").


The PEA, prepared by JDS Energy and Mining Inc. ("JDS"),was initiated to apply
economic considerations to the Project's recently announced mineral resource in
order to convert it to a National Instrument 43-101 compliant ("NI 43-101") PEA
that estimates the Project's technical and economic potential.


Highlights



--  Mine life of eight and a quarter years with an average of 20 million
    pounds of payable copper production per year; 
--  Net present value ("NPV"), at a constant US$3.05/pound copper price and
    a 7.0% discount rate, of $67 million ("M"); 
--  Pre-Tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR"), at a constant US $3.05/pound
    copper price, of 23%, and Post-Tax Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of
    18%; 
--  Mineral Resources of 28.5 million tonnes grading 0.30% copper head grade
    (Acid Soluble + Cyanide Soluble), for a contained 192 million pounds of
    copper; 
--  Life of mine ("LOM") capital cost of $113 million, including 20% of
    contingency; 
--  LOM all-in cash cost of US$1.60/pound of payable copper (including
    project and the Mexican mining royalties); 
--  Pay-back period of 3 years. 



"The San Javier Project PEA represents a key milestone for Benz to complete its
detailed due diligence and continue developing the project towards full
feasibility study and construction. The PEA details an optimized mine plan with
strong cash flow considering any of the last four-years copper prices
scenarios," stated Miloje Vicentijevic, Benz President and CEO.


Assuming an average copper price of $3.05/lb, San Javier has an estimated $130 M
pre-tax cash flow, $67 M pre-tax net present value ("NPV") at a 7% discount rate
and an $82 M pre-tax NPV at a 5% discount rate. The PEA cash flow is presented
at the project level and does not include any other corporate obligation.


Mineral Resources

The mineral resource estimate which forms the basis of the PEA is as follows:



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Metric Tonnes    Cu (AS+CN) Grade        
Open Pit            Resource                 (M)                 (%)       %
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cerro Verde        Indicated               26.10               0.298     98%
                    Inferred                0.61               0.241      2%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Total                        26.71               0.297        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
La Trinidad        Indicated                0.00                          0%
                    Inferred                1.77               0.433    100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Total                         1.77               0.433        
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total              Indicated               26.10               0.298     92%
                    Inferred                2.38               0.384      8%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Total                        28.48               0.305    100%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes 8% of inferred mineral resources
in the mine plan that are considered too speculative geologically to have
economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized
as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the preliminary economic
assessment will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do
not have demonstrated economic viability.


Pit Optimization - Summary of Whittle Parameters/Inputs used for PEA



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item                                                            Unit   Value
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Metal Price                                                                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copper                                                        US$/lb    2.85
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Costs                                                                       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference Mining Cost                                US$/mined tonne    1.61
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing Cost                                     US$/milled tonne    3.31
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G&A                                                 US$/milled tonne    0.39
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing                                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acid Soluble Recovery                                              %      90
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cyanide Soluble Recovery                                           %      90
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Parameters                                                            
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pit slope angles                                            degrees     45
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mining Recovery                                                    %     100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Plant Throughput                                         Mtpa     3.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discount Rate                                                      %       8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Mine Planning

The San Javier mine plan is designed to recover a total of 28.5 million tonnes
of mineralized material containing 192 million lbs of copper over an eight year
period. Recovery of copper continues into year 9 as the leaching process is
completed. Key projected production schedule, at the mining rate of 10 kt per
day of plant feed material, are summarized below.




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Contained
                                                                   Leachable
Period                          Material Mined          Grade         Copper
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Resource    Waste       SR    AS+CN          Total
(year)                      Tonnes   Tonnes    W : R        %           Mlbs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-1                            0.88     3.15     3.61    0.433            8.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1                             3.50     5.93     1.69    0.408           31.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2                             3.50     5.94     1.70    0.309           23.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3                             3.50     5.96     1.70    0.335           25.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4                             3.50     4.46     1.28    0.283           21.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5                             3.50     3.00     0.86    0.260           20.1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6                             3.50     2.51     0.72    0.262           20.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
7                             3.50     2.50     0.72    0.258           19.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
8                             3.10     2.81     0.90    0.291           19.9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total                        28.48    36.26     1.27    0.305          191.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Mining Operations 

A standard truck and shovel, open pit mine plan was developed for the San Javier
Project to deliver 3.5 million tonnes of ore per year at a strip ratio of 1.27.
For a typical year the total material movement is about 7.6 million tonnes and
varies between 6 and 9.4 million tonnes. The mine will operate 24 hours per day
for 350 days per year. It is currently assumed that each day will consist of two
twelve hour shifts. Four mining crews will be required to cover the operation.


The mining operation will be conducted by conventional open pit mining methods,
including drilling and blasting the mineralized and waste rock, loading the
material with hydraulic shovels or wheel loaders, and hauling with fixed frame
mining trucks. Dozers, graders, and water trucks will maintain working areas at
the loading faces and waste dumps and also maintain haulage roads.


The mining equipment will be contractor owned operated.

Metallurgy and Processing

Testwork to date consisting of bottle roll and column tests have supported a
recovery of 90% of both Acid and Cyanide soluble Copper. A total recovery of 87%
was estimated to account for the scale factor to commercial production. Acid
consumptions have been estimated at 20 kg per tonne based on the column test
results.


Mill feed material is planned to be mined and processed at a rate of 10,000
metric tonnes per day. Primary crushing is planned to be done with a gyratory
crusher, followed by secondary and tertiary crushers to a final particle size of
80% passing 12 mm. Crushed material will be agglomerated with a solution
containing sulfuric acid and water and then placed on a lined single-use pad via
grasshopper conveyors. Pregnant solution containing the recovered copper will be
collected and processed through a solvent extraction plant where the copper will
be recovered from the leach solution into a recirculating organic stream.
Raffinate from the solvent extraction - electrowinning plant (SXEW) will be
recycled to the heap leach. Copper will be transferred from the loaded organic
stream by contact with a strip solution in the stripping section of the solvent
extraction plant. Copper cathode of high purity will be recovered from the
filtered strip solution by electrolysis.


Life of Mine Production and Processing Schedule



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parameter             Unit  Value     -2     -1      1      2      3      4 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROM Mined               Mt   28.5           0.9    3.5    3.5    3.5    3.5 
Waste Mined             Mt   36.3           3.2    5.9    5.9    6.0    4.5 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Mined             Mt   64.7    0.0    4.0    9.4    9.4    9.5    8.0 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plant Throughput      ktpd   10.0          10.0   10.0   10.0   10.0   10.0 
Strip Ratio            W:O   1.27          3.61   1.69   1.70   1.70   1.28 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade AS         %   0.23%         0.25%  0.28%  0.24%  0.29%  0.23%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade CN         %   0.07%         0.18%  0.12%  0.07%  0.04%  0.05%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Cathode                                                                  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu AS Recovered          %     87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%
                      Mlbs  126.2      0    4.2   19.1   16.3   19.8   15.5 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu CN Recovered          %     87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%
                      Mlbs   40.5      0    3.1    8.4    4.4    2.8    3.5 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payable Cu            Mlbs  166.6                 27.8   22.4   22.1   19.9 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Parameter             Unit  Value      5      6      7      8      9 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ROM Mined               Mt   28.5    3.5    3.5    3.5    3.1    0.0 
Waste Mined             Mt   36.3    3.0    2.5    2.5    2.8    0.0 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Mined             Mt   64.7    6.5    6.0    6.0    5.9    0.0 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Plant Throughput      ktpd   10.0   10.0   10.0   10.0   10.0        
Strip Ratio            W:O   1.27   0.86   0.72   0.72   0.90        
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade AS         %   0.23%  0.19%  0.18%  0.20%  0.22%       
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade CN         %   0.07%  0.07%  0.08%  0.06%  0.07%       
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Cathode                                                           
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu AS Recovered          %     87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%
                      Mlbs  126.2   12.5   12.4   13.4   13.0    0.0 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu CN Recovered          %     87%    87%    87%    87%    87%    87%
                      Mlbs   40.5    4.9    5.2    3.9    4.4    0.0 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Payable Cu            Mlbs  166.6   17.8   17.5   17.4   17.3    4.3 
---------------------------------------------------------------------



Capital Costs

The following table summarizes capital expenditures including sustaining capital
for leach pad expansion and closure costs. It is assumed that mining would be
done with an open pit mining contractor rather than an owner operated
production. Opportunities to further reduce initial capital cost may include the
incorporation of locally available used plant equipment.




                                                ----------------------------
                                                            Year            
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Area                                 Unit  Value     -2     -1      4      9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mine Development                    US$ M   6.21          6.21              
Mine Contract Mob/Demob             US$ M   0.24          0.24              
Plant and Infrastructure            US$ M  44.12   8.82  35.30              
Leach Pad                           US$ M  16.86   3.06   7.13   6.68       
Crush/Stack Initial Ore             US$ M   1.98          1.98              
Indirects                           US$ M  21.37   2.14  19.23              
Closure                             US$ M   3.00                         3.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Pre-Contingency Capital                                               
 Costs                              US$ M   93.8   14.0   70.1    6.7    3.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contingency (20%)                   US$ M   18.8    2.8   14.0    1.3    0.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Capital Costs                 US$ M  112.5   16.8   84.1    8.0    3.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Operating Costs

Average Life of Mine Unit Operating Costs by Major Area:



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Area                                                Unit       Cost Estimate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mining Cost                                $/tonne mined               $1.54
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Processing Cost                        $/tonne processed               $3.47
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SX-EW                                            $/Cu lb               $0.20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G&A                                    $/tonne processed               $0.44
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Operating Costs                  $/tonne processed               $8.30
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Economics

The following table summarizes the economic and production assumptions
associated with the PEA:




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Item                                                        Unit   LOM Value
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Price                                                    $/lb        3.05
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mineralized Material Mined                              M tonnes        28.5
Waste Mined                                             M tonnes        36.3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Mined                                             M tonnes        64.7
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plant Throughput                                            ktpd          10
Strip Ratio                                                  W:O        1.27
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade AS                                               %       0.23%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Head Grade CN                                               %       0.07%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recovery to Cu Cathode                                                      
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu AS Recovered                                            M lbs       126.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu CN Recovered                                            M lbs        40.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payable Cu                                                 M lbs       166.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cu Revenues from Cu Cathode                                    $       508.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freight Shipping & Refining                              $/Cu lb        0.03
                                                                            
                                                             M $        5.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Royalty Cost                                       % Gross Value        1.0%
                                                                            
                                                             M $        5.03
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NSR                                                          M $       498.2
                                                                            
                                                         $/tonne       17.49
                                                        $/pay lb        2.99
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Operating Costs                                        M $       236.3
                                                                            
                                                         $/tonne        8.30
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Operating Income                                         M $       261.9
                                                                            
                                                         $/tonne        9.20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EBITDA Royalty (7.5%)                                        M $        19.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Capital Costs                                          M $       112.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



The following table summarizes the economic key performance indicators
associated with the Cerro Verde and La Trinidad open pit designs, with the PEA:




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Pre-Tax    Net After-Tax      Pre-Tax    After-Tax   Pre-Tax   After-Tax
Cash Flow          Cash Flow       NPV 7%       NPV 7%       IRR         IRR
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(US$ M)              (US$ M)      (US$ M)      (US$ M)                      
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
129.7                   92.3         67.2         42.3     23.3%       18.1%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



Risk and Opportunities

The major risk areas identified in the PEA are



1.  Copper price. The economics are most sensitive to metal price and
    recovery; 
2.  Process recovery and acid consumption must be verified with additional
    Metallurgical testing; 
3.  Securing an adequate water supply; 
4.  Cyanide soluble copper recovery timing; 
5.  Capital overruns for the pad construction based on availability of
    suitable construction material.



Several opportunities to improve the project include:



1.  Optimization of the mine plan with additional input of geotechnical
    information to maximize pit slopes; 
2.  Reduction of capital costs by sourcing local capital equipment. 
3.  Location and definition of additional nearby resources to increase
    throughput. 
4.  Purchasing used equipment to reduce initial capital cost.



Technical Report

A NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report related to the mineral resources reported
herein, will be filed under Benz's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com within 45
days.


Quality Assurance and NI 43-101 Compliance

Wayne Corso, P.E., JDS VP Engineering and an independent "Qualified Person"
under NI 43-101 has verified the technical and scientific information and
prepared economic analysis included in this news release. There are no known
legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the
potential development of the Project.


Transaction Remains Conditional

At this time, the Transaction remains subject to a number of conditions and
approvals, including completion of due diligence investigations to the
satisfaction of Benz by June 15, 2014, acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange
and approval of the shareholders of Benz. 


About the Corporation

Benz is a junior mining company focused on the exploration and development of
mineral properties located in the Americas. Its strategic vision is to become a
profitable mining producer providing value for all stakeholders. For more
information, please refer to the Company's website at www.benzcapital.com.


This news release contains statements about the Corporation's expectations
regarding the Transaction and the Project that are forward-looking in nature
and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although the
Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking
statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them as actual
results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements and there can
be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that
could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in
forward-looking statements include failure to complete the Transaction for any
reason whatsoever, including that the shareholders and/or regulators may not
approve the Transaction, and the potential development of the Project to a
producing mine may not occur as planned or at all. The forward-looking
statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof, and
the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any
forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable
securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release
are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.


Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that
term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: 
Benz Capital Corp.
Miloje Vicentijevic
President and Chief Executive Officer
604.689.9266
604.689.9232 (FAX)
www.benzcapital.com

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