Macusani Yellowcake Inc. (TSX VENTURE:YEL)(FRANKFURT:QG1) is pleased to announce the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment for its uranium properties located on the Macusani Plateau in the Puno District of southeastern Peru. The results from the PEA demonstrate that the Project has the potential to become a large, low-cost uranium mining operation. In addition, there remains excellent exploration potential to further expand the size of the existing Mineral Resource. The PEA was prepared by GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants Limited in conjunction with The Mineral Corporation and Wardell Armstrong International. All figures quoted are in US dollars.
Highlights of the PEA
-- Net Present Value ("NPV") at an 8% discount rate of $708 M pre-tax /
$417 M post-tax and an Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 47.5% pre-tax
/ 32.4% post-tax using a uranium price of $65/lb U3O8, considered as the
long-term price by many industry analysts. Capital payback has been
estimated at 2.9 years pre-tax / 3.5 years post-tax.
-- Cash operating costs during years 1-5 to average $19.45/lb U3O8 placing
it in the lowest quartile in the world using 2012 production figures.
Cash operating costs over entire mine life to average $20.57/lb U3O8.
-- Annual uranium production during operating years 1-5 to average 5.17 M
lbs of U3O8, which would have ranked the mine as the sixth largest
uranium mine in 2013. Life of mine ("LOM") annual U3O8 production are
estimated to average 4.30 M lbs over a 10 year mine life.
-- Initial capital expenditures ("CAPEX") to construct the mine and a 8.5 M
tonne per annum ("tpa") process plant have been estimated at $331 M.
Total sustaining capital costs for LOM are estimated at $228 M.
-- Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource of 47.9 M tonnes grading 253 ppm
U and containing 14.3 tonnes U3O8 (52.8 M short tons grading 0.598
lbs/ton U3O8 and containing 31.5 M lbs U3O8). Inferred Mineral Resource
of 40.5 M tonnes grading 286 ppm U and containing 13.6 tonnes U3O8 (44.6
M short tons grading 0.674 lbs/ton U3O8 and containing 30.1 M lbs U3O8).
“The completion of the PEA is a significant milestone for the Company on a number of levels.” said Dr. Laurence Stefan, CEO of Macusani Yellowcake Inc. “Firstly, the estimated production cost of $20.57/lb demonstrates that we have a Project that has the potential to be one of the lowest cost uranium producers in the world due to a low stripping ratio in the open pit operations, anticipated low acid consumption, and high process plant recoveries expected to be achieved in a short period of time. Secondly, the PEA demonstrates that the Macusani plateau has significant potential to become a major uranium producing district considering that only small areas have been explored to date. And finally, the PEA paves the way for further development of our Project and the completion of a Pre-Feasibility Study, which we expect to initiate in 2014.”
Potentially economic material for the Project will initially come from multiple target deposits including Colibri 2 & 3/Tupuramani, Chilcuno Chico, Quebrada Blanca, Corachapi and Triunfador 1. Conventional open pit and underground mining methods are proposed. The PEA contemplates the construction of a mine and centralized processing facility operating over a 10 year mine life at a throughput of approximately 23 400 tonnes per day. A heap leach would be used to extract uranium into an acidic aqueous leach solution and recovery would be achieved via ion exchange (“IX”) with a solvent extraction acid recovery circuit. IX technology is preferred as the simplest and most cost effective option considering the almost pure uranium mineralisation available within the Macusani rhyolites and the absence of any contaminants such as thorium, molybdenum and vanadium.
Table 1. Key production and financial parameters of the PEA
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Production Parameters
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Mine life 10 years
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Average annual potentially mineable tonnes 8.5 million tonnes
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Processing recovery rate 88%
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Open pit strip ratio 1 : 0.65
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Average grade 259 ppm U3O8
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Average annual production (LOM) 4.30 million lbs U3O8
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Average annual production (Operating Years 1-
5) 5.17 million lbs U3O8
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Financial Parameters
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Uranium price $65 / lb U3O8
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Average cost of production $20.57 / lb U3O8
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Start-up CAPEX $331 million
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Sustaining CAPEX $228 million
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Pre-tax Post-tax
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NPV (8% discount rate) $708 M $417 M
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IRR 47.5% 32.4%
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Payback period 2.9 years 3.5 years
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Contingencies
The base case financial projection includes a LOM contingency of $86.2 M. This includes $61.7 M for the initial capital expenditure (“CAPEX”) or approximately 32% of the total initial direct CAPEX.
Sensitivity Analysis
A sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the Project against variability in factors such as the price of uranium yellowcake, operating costs, capital costs, grade of the deposit and recovery rates. A chart illustrating key sensitivities and their relationship to the Project NPV and IRR can be found on the Company’s website: http://www.macyel.com/PEA2013/sensitivity-analysis/
Mineral Resources
In August 2013 the Company released updated NI 43-101 Mineral Resource estimates showing a 167% increase in the contained U3O8 in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource categories and a 9% increase in the Inferred Mineral Resources from totals previously reported. The updated Mineral Resource estimate is based on 600 bore holes totalling over 55 000m.
Table 2. Summary of Mineral Resource estimate (75ppm U cut-off)
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Colibri 2 & 3 /
Kihitian Tupuramani Corachapi Triunfador 1
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11.8 M lbs U3O8 14.7 M lbs U3O8 5.0 M lbs U3O8
@ 1.27 lbs @ 0.48 lbs @ 0.39 lbs
U3O8/ton U3O8/ton U3O8/ton
Measured & (8.4 M t @ 635 (27.9 M t @ 240 (11.6 M t @ 195
Indicated ppm U3O8) ppm) ppm U3O8) n/a
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17.4 M lbs U3O8 7.7 M lbs U3O8 1.9 M lbs U3O8 3.1 M lbs U3O8
@ 1.23 lbs @ 0.34 lbs @ 0.46 lbs @ 0.82 lbs
U3O8/ton U3O8/ton U3O8/ton U3O8/ton
(12.8 M t @ 615 (20.4 M t @ 170 (3.8 M t @ 230 (3.5 M t @ 409
Inferred ppm U3O8) ppm U3O8) ppm U3O8) ppm U3O8)
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(i) Conversion of U to U3O8 is 1 : 1.179.
Cautionary Note
Readers are cautioned that a PEA should not be considered to be a Pre-Feasibility or Feasibility Study. The PEA is preliminary in nature and uses Inferred Mineral Resources which are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. At this stage, the Mineral Resources cannot be converted to Mineral Reserves as the Project has not been demonstrated to be technically and economically viable to a sufficient level. There is no certainty that the results predicted by this PEA will be realized. The Mineral Resource estimates, upon which the PEA is based, could be materially affected by environmental, geotechnical, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant factors.
The Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”) technical report summarizing the results of the updated PEA will be filed on SEDAR and the Company’s website within 45 days of this press release.
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to preliminary economic assessment was prepared by or under the supervision of, or reviewed and approved by, Mr. Michael Short, B.E., CEng., FIMMM and Dr Thomas Apelt, PhD, CEng., MAusIMM, of GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants Limited, and/or Mr. Mark Mounde, BEng., CEng., MIMMM of Wardell Armstrong International, who are independent technical consultants to the Company and “Qualified Persons” under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release relating to the Mineral Resources was prepared under the supervision of, or reviewed and approved by Mr. David Young, B.Sc. (Hons), FGSSA, FSAIMM, FAusIMM, Pr Sci Nat (No 400989/83) of The Mineral Corporation that is an independent technical consultant to the Company and a “Qualified Person” under NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
About Macusani Yellowcake Inc.
Macusani Yellowcake Inc. is a Canadian uranium exploration and development company focussed on the exploration of its properties on the Macusani Plateau in southeastern Peru. The Company owns a 99.5% interest in concessions that cover over 90 000 hectares (900 km2) which are situated near significant infrastructure. Macusani Yellowcake Inc. is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ‘YEL’ and the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol ‘QG1’. The Company has 159 473 613 shares outstanding.
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