ARIS MINING ANNOUNCES POSITIVE PEA RESULTS FOR THE TOROPARU GOLD PROJECT
Get Alerts ARIS Hot Sheet
Join SI Premium – FREE
PEA confirms long-life, low-cost open pit gold operation in
Project Highlights
Low-Risk Development Strategy for a Large-Scale,
- Measured and indicated mineral resources of 126.9 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.30 grams per tonne (g/t) Au containing 5.3 million ounces (Moz) of gold and inferred mineral resources of 22.9 Mt at 1.6 g/t Au containing 1.2 Moz of gold. See Table 4 for more detailed technical disclosure.
- Conventional truck-and-shovel open pit operation with a strip ratio of 4.7 to 1 (waste to mill feed).
- Mill capacity of 7.0 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) – a scale that supports attractive investment returns and extends mine life to over 20 years.
Production and Economics
- Production of doré and copper concentrates containing 5.0 Moz gold, 4.9 Moz silver, and 260 million pounds (Mlb) of copper over the life-of-mine.
- Average annual life-of-mine gold production of 235 thousand ounces (koz).
- Low life-of-mine cash costs1 of
$826 /oz2 Au and all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) of$1,289 /oz2 Au. - Significant by-product credits from copper and silver.
Capital and Returns
- Base case gold price:
$3,000 /oz, supporting life-of-mine payable gold sales of$14.7 billion . - Initial construction capital of
$820 million , including pre-production costs and$96 million of contingency.- This reflects a
$38 million reduction in initial capital compared to a fleet-purchase scenario, as the$73 million cost of the initial mining fleet is reduced to approximately$35 million of upfront and construction-period payments under an OEM lease. The OEM leasing strategy ensures access to modern, well-supported equipment under comprehensive maintenance and parts-supply programs over the long +20 year mine life. - An additional
$138 million of committed funding from a historical precious metals streaming agreement, further reducing the upfront funding requirement to$682 million .
- This reflects a
- After-tax NPV5% of
$1.8 billion , IRR of 25.2%, and payback in 3.0 years from the start of operations. - Annual EBITDA averaging
$443 million over the life of the mine. - Strong leverage to higher gold prices, at
$3,600 /oz the NPV5% increases to$2.7 billion with IRR of 32.6%.
Figure 1 illustrates Toroparu's planned gold production and processed grade profile over the 21.3-year mine life outlined in the PEA. The average annual gold production is projected at 235 koz, peaking at 278 koz in Year 18, supported by a consistent milled gold grade ranging from 1.0 to 1.3 g/t. The long, steady production profile demonstrates the grade continuity of the deposit.
The open pit optimization and designs were based on a
To efficiently manage the owner-operated mining fleet over the Project's long life, the initial mining fleet—including excavators, dozers, haul trucks, and support equipment—is expected to be secured through Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) lease financing ahead of first production. Replacement equipment will be renewed on a scheduled basis under similar arrangements, ensuring access to modern, reliable, and well-supported equipment throughout the pre-production and 21.3-year operating periods. The OEM leasing and service agreements are expected to include comprehensive maintenance and parts supply programs, providing consistent technical support, minimizing downtime, and optimizing equipment availability and lifecycle performance across the Project's operations.
Plant commissioning will be supported by a large pre-production stockpile of approximately 6.1 million tonnes, representing most of the first year's mill feed. This stockpile, built during the construction period, provides a strong foundation for a smooth, low-risk start-up and consistent throughput as operations ramp up. With stockpiled mill feed available ahead of commissioning, processing is expected to reach nameplate capacity of 7.0 Mtpa within the first operating year, supporting reliable early cash flow and efficient optimization of plant performance.
The process flow sheet has been designed to efficiently recover copper as a flotation concentrate. In earlier project designs, the flotation circuit was deferred to reduce initial capital costs; however, by incorporating the flotation circuit from the outset, the current design effectively manages copper in the mill-feed while generating a valuable by-product that contributes positively to project revenues.
Technical Report Availability
A complete National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) compliant Technical Report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Toroparu Project,
Both projects demonstrate
Table 1 – Toroparu follows
|
Feature |
Toroparu (Aris Mining) |
|
|
Stage |
PEA completed, PFS underway |
Feasibility Study completed ( |
|
Mining method |
Open pit, conventional truck and shovel |
Open pit, conventional truck and shovel (81% of mill feed), and Underground, mechanized long hole open stoping with cemented rock fill (19% of mill feed) |
|
Open Pit Mineral Resources |
123.3 Mt at 1.28 g/t Au containing 5.1 Moz (measured and indicated), and 11.4 Mt at 1.13 g/t Au containing 0.4 Moz (inferred) |
73.0 Mt at 2.00 g/t Au containing 4.7 Moz (indicated), and 1.5 Mt at 1.06 g/t Au (inferred) |
|
Underground Mineral Resources |
3.6 Mt at 2.05 g/t Au containing 239 koz (measured and indicated), and 11.5 Mt at 2.07 g/t Au containing 763 koz (inferred) |
7.2 Mt at 3.09 g/t Au containing 718 koz (indicated), and 3.6 Mt at 2.93 g/t Au containing 337 koz (inferred) |
|
Open pit stripping ratio (waste to mill feed) |
4.7 |
6.8 |
|
Processing capacity |
7.0 Mtpa |
Life of Mine (LOM) average of 6.2 Mtpa |
|
Flowsheet |
Gravity, flotation & CIL & |
Gravity & CIL |
|
Products |
Doré and copper concentrates |
Doré |
|
Average annual gold production |
235 koz per year for 21.3 years |
350 koz per year for 12.3 years (reserves only) |
|
Average AISC/oz |
|
|
|
Life of mine production |
5.0 Moz gold, 4.9 Moz silver, and 260 Mlb of copper |
4.3 Moz gold (reserves only) |
|
Initial capital cost |
|
|
|
Key economic indicators |
At
NPV5%: IRR: 25.2% Payback period: 3.0 years
At
NPV5%: IRR: 25.5% Payback period: 2.8 years |
At
NPV5%: IRR: 35% Payback period: 2.1 years |
Table 2 – Toroparu economic evaluation sensitivity to gold price
|
Gold price Indicator |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax NPV5% ($M) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax IRR (%) |
16.6 % |
19.6 % |
22.5 % |
25.2 % |
27.7 % |
30.2 % |
32.6 % |
|
Payback period (years) |
4.4 |
3.7 |
3.3 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
2.5 |
2.3 |
The sensitivity analysis in Table 2 shows that at higher gold prices, returns increase substantially beyond the attractive levels of the base case scenario.
The base-case economic analysis includes a total initial funding contingency of
The economic analysis also includes the historic precious metals stream agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals International Ltd (Wheaton), originally entered into in 2013 and amended in 2015, when Toroparu was owned by Sandspring Resources Ltd., a single-asset junior developer. Under this agreement, Wheaton may elect to provide
Table 3 – Toroparu economic evaluation results
|
Key indicators |
Units |
Total |
|
Total gold produced over life of mine |
Moz |
5.0 |
|
Initial life of mine at milling rate of 7.0 Mtpa |
Years |
21.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Average annual life of mine gold production |
koz |
235 |
|
|
|
|
|
Life of mine average cash cost2 |
$/oz Au |
826 |
|
Life of mine average AISC2 |
$/oz Au |
1,289 |
|
|
|
|
|
Average annual life of mine EBITDA |
$M |
443 |
|
|
|
|
|
Summary cash flow for the life of mine ($M), at |
|
|
|
Revenue from payable gold sales |
|
14,677 |
|
Less: royalties |
|
1,193 |
|
Less: operating costs, net of by-product silver and copper |
|
4,043 |
|
Less: sustaining capital |
|
1,069 |
|
Operating margin |
|
8,372 |
|
Less: income tax |
|
2,174 |
|
After-tax cash flow |
|
6,198 |
|
Less: initial capital including pre-production costs, and |
|
820 |
|
Credit: construction funding, Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
(138) |
|
Less: other non-sustaining capital expenditures over LOM |
|
198 |
|
Less: closure costs |
|
35 |
|
Net cash flow, before losses from Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
5,283 |
|
Less: losses from Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
1,356 |
|
Net cash flow |
|
3,927 |
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax indicators, at |
|
|
|
NPV at 5% discount rate |
$M |
1,805 |
|
IRR |
% |
25.2 |
|
Payback period (from start of operations) |
Years |
3.0 |
|
After-tax indicators, at |
|
|
|
NPV at 5% discount rate |
$M |
2,664 |
|
IRR |
% |
32.6 |
|
Payback period (from start of operations) |
Years |
2.3 |
Table
4 - Toroparu mineral resources effective
|
Area |
Classification |
Tonnes Mt |
Grade gold (g/t) |
Grade silver (g/t) |
Grade copper (%) |
Contained gold (koz) |
Contained silver (koz) |
Contained copper (Mlb) |
|
Open pit |
Measured |
48.4 |
1.31 |
1.8 |
0.14 |
2,030 |
2,747 |
150 |
|
Indicated |
74.9 |
1.26 |
1.2 |
0.08 |
3,041 |
3,008 |
127 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
123.3 |
1.28 |
1.5 |
0.10 |
5,071 |
5,755 |
276 |
|
|
Inferred |
11.4 |
1.13 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
414 |
275 |
9 |
|
|
Underground |
Measured |
0.1 |
1.89 |
0.4 |
0.03 |
8 |
2 |
- |
|
Indicated |
3.5 |
2.05 |
0.7 |
0.05 |
231 |
74 |
4 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
3.6 |
2.05 |
0.7 |
0.05 |
239 |
76 |
4 |
|
|
Inferred |
11.5 |
2.07 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
763 |
263 |
10 |
|
|
Total |
Measured |
48.5 |
1.31 |
1.8 |
0.14 |
2,038 |
2,749 |
150 |
|
Indicated |
78.4 |
1.30 |
1.2 |
0.08 |
3,272 |
3,082 |
131 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
126.9 |
1.30 |
1.4 |
0.10 |
5,310 |
5,831 |
280 |
|
|
Inferred |
22.9 |
1.60 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
1,177 |
538 |
19 |
|
|
Notes: 1. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and have no demonstrated economic viability.
2. The mineral resource estimate was prepared under the supervision of or was reviewed by 3. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
4. Mineral resources were estimated using a gold price of 5. There are no known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources. |
||||||||
Endnotes
|
1. |
All references to Cash costs ($ per oz sold), AISC ($ per oz sold) and EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures in this document. These measures are intended to provide additional information to investors. They do not have any standardized meanings under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this document. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
Cash cost per ounce, and AISC per ounce are calculated inclusive of open pit mining costs; treatment, transport and refining costs; processing and surface costs; G&A and other costs; and are net of by-product credits for silver and copper. These metrics are calculated on a payable gold ounce basis. |
|
|
|
|
3. |
Sourced from Oko West Feasibility Study dated |
About Aris Mining
Founded in
Aris Mining operates two underground gold mines in
Additional information on Aris Mining can be found at www.aris-mining.com, www.sedarplus.ca, and on www.sec.gov.
Cautionary Language
Qualified Person and Technical Information
The Toroparu Gold Project Preliminary Economic Assessment titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Toroparu Project,
Vaughn Duke , Pr. Eng. PMP., Founding Partner and Director, Sound Mining International Limited- Jan Eklund, P.E., Process Consultant, LogiProc Pty. Ltd.
Pamela De Mark ,P.Geo ., Senior Vice President, Geology and Exploration, Aris Mining Corporation
Note that the PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Cash costs ($ per oz sold), AISC ($ per oz sold) and EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and ratios. These financial measures and ratios do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS or by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" or forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian and
Forward looking information and forward looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Aris Mining to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or forward looking statements, including but not limited to those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Aris Mining's annual information form dated
Although Aris Mining has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information or statements. The Company has and continues to disclose in its Management's Discussion and Analysis and other publicly filed documents, changes to material factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements and to the validity of the information, in the period the changes occur. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and Aris Mining disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aris-mining-announces-positive-pea-results-for-the-toroparu-gold-project-302597519.html
SOURCE Aris Mining Corporation
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- Direct Digital Holdings appoints Ohad Harlev to board of directors
- Keystone Acquisition closes $287.5 million IPO with over-allotment option
- TOMI secures regulatory approval for disinfection technology in Austria and Italy
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
PRNewswire, Press ReleasesRelated Entities
Earnings, Definitive AgreementSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!



Tweet
Share