SPOKANE, WA, March 25 /CNW/ - Gold Reserve Inc. (TSX: GRZ - AMEX:GRZ) announced the completion of a CSA National Instrument 43-101 Report prepared by Pincock, Allen and Holt updating the Brisas gold copper resource and reserve estimates, capital and operating costs, and current project economics. The Company and SNC-Lavalin Inc. (SNC), the project's EPCM contractor, updated the capital costs for the NI 43-101 Report.
The Report utilizes $600 per ounce gold and $2.25 per pound copper for the base-case economic model, resulting in cash operating costs (net of copper byproduct credits) of $120 per ounce of gold. Total costs including cash operating costs, exploitation taxes, initial capital costs (excluding sunk cost), and sustaining capital costs are estimated at $268 per ounce of gold. Initial capital costs are currently estimated to be $731 million excluding working capital, critical spares and initial fills of approximately $53 million. All amounts are in U.S. dollars.
Doug Belanger, President of Gold Reserve stated, "We are very pleased with the results of this Report. Most notable is that estimated capital costs have only increased 14% from $638 million to $731 million. Considering that 25% of the increase in capital costs is due to project scope changes such as increasing the SAG mill size from 36 feet to 38 feet, the capital cost increase at Brisas is not as dramatic as the increases that the industry has recently been experiencing. This is a result of SNC's detailed engineering being 75% complete and the majority of the project's external infrastructure already in place. In addition, orders for long lead items have been placed for the gyratory crusher, pebble crushers, SAG and ball mills, mill motors, and initial construction equipment. As a result, the Brisas Project continues to demonstrate low projected operating costs, robust economics at conservative metal prices, excellent leverage and significant value at current metal prices. At gold prices of $900 per ounce and copper prices of $3.50 per pound, cash operating costs would be negative ($49) per ounce and total costs would be $117 per ounce (excluding sunk cost)."
The current operating plan assumes an open pit mine containing proven and probable reserves of approximately 10.2 million ounces of gold and 1.4 billion pounds of copper in 483 million tonnes of ore grading 0.66 grams of gold per tonne and 0.13% copper, at a revenue cutoff grade of $3.54 per tonne using a gold price of $470 per ounce and a copper price of $1.35 per pound. The operating plan anticipates utilizing conventional truck and shovel mining methods with the processing of ore at full production of 75,000 tonnes per day, yielding an average annual production of 457,000 ounces of gold and 63 million pounds of copper over an estimated mine life of approximately 18.25 years. The strip ratio (waste to ore) is estimated at 2.24:1.
The more important conclusions contained in the 2008 NI 43-101 Report compared to the 2006 NI 43-101 Report are summarized below.
Proven & Probable Reserve - 2008 43-101 Report
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Au Au Au Cu Cu
Reserve Tonnage Grade Grams Ounces Grade Cu pounds
Category (000's) g/t (000's) (000's) % Tonnes (000,000's)
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Proven 237,657 0.71 168,865 5,429 0.12 291,570 643
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Probable 245,050 0.61 149,288 4,800 0.14 338,545 746
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Total Ore 482,707 0.66 318,153 10,229 0.13 630,115 1,389
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Strip ratio (waste to ore) - 2.24:1
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Based on Internal Cutoff Using Revenue of $3.54/tonne ($470/oz Au,
$1.35/lb Cu).
Proven & Probable Reserve - 2006 43-101 Report
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Au Au Au Cu Cu
Reserve Tonnage Grade Grams Ounces Grade Cu pounds
Category (000's) g/t (000's) (000's) % Tonnes (000,000's)
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Proven 226,252 0.69 156,517 5,032 0.12 272,376 600
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Probable 258,398 0.64 166,628 5,357 0.13 334,397 737
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Total Ore 484,649 0.67 323,145 10,389 0.13 606,773 1,338
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Strip ratio (waste to ore) - 1.96:1
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Based on Internal Cutoff Using Revenue of $3.04/tonne ($400/oz Au,
$1.15/lb Cu)
Key Economic Parameters and Results 2008 2006
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Mill Through-Put Range (tonnes per day) 75,000 - 68,000 70,000
Metallurgical Recovery
Plant Recovery - Gold 83% 83%
Plant Recovery - Copper 87% 87%
Net Payable Metal - Gold 82% 81%
Net Payable Metal - Copper 83% 83%
Life of Mine Production (payable metals)
Gold (million ounces) 8.35 8.41
Copper (million pounds) 1,156 1,113
Average Annual Production
Gold (ounces) 457,000 456,000
Copper (million pounds) 63 60
Mine Life (years) 18.25 18.5
Initial Capital Cost ($million)(1) 2008(2) 2006
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Mine $ 59.0 $ 76.6
Mill 314.7 241.5
Infrastructure 67.8 65.8
Tailings management facility 38.3 23.8
Owner's Costs 63.4 55.6
Pre-Stripping 16.7 18.3
Indirect Costs (includes EPCM and Camp) 127.6 97.0
Contingency 43.8 59.4
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Total Initial Capital $ 731.3 $ 638.0
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(1) A value added tax (VAT) of approximately US$54 million is not
included in the current or previous capital cost estimates as it is
expected to be exonerated and/or recovered pursuant to Venezuelan tax
regulations. However, all IRR, NPV and total cost calculations
include a recovered VAT and sustaining capital.
(2) Capital costs were developed by SNC and Gold Reserve and detailed
engineering is approximately 75% complete. Initial capital costs
exclude working capital, critical spares and initial fills of
approximately $53 million. Life-of-mine sustaining capital
requirements are estimated at $269 million.
Base Case Economics 2008 2006
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Metal Prices
Gold per ounce $ 600 $ 470
Copper per pound $ 2.25 $ 1.80
Cash Operating Cost Per Ore Tonne
Mining and Dewatering $ 2.68 $ 2.08
Processing 3.00 2.59
General and Administrative 0.43 0.42
Transport and Freight 0.43 0.34
Smelting and Refining 1.08 1.02
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Total cash operating cost per tonne $ 7.62 $ 6.45
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Cost Per Ounce of Gold
Cash Operating Costs(1) $ 120 $ 126
Exploitation Tax 22 16
Capital Cost (initial, sustaining and sunk) 135 111
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Total Costs (including sunk costs)(1) $ 277 $ 253
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Total Cost (excluding sunk costs)(1) $ 268 $ 245
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Pre-Tax
Internal Rate of Return(2) 20.5% 15.4%
Net Present Value (NPV)
@ 0 % discount (billions) $ 2.77 $ 1.91
@ 5 % discount (billions) $ 1.29 $ 0.78
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(1) Net of copper by-product credit of $2.25 and $1.80 per pound for 2008
and 2006, respectively.
(2) The 2008 and 2006 after-tax IRR is 15.0% and 11.4%, respectively.
Brisas Project Gold and Copper Price Sensitivity
Pre-Tax
Cash -------------------------
Operating Total NPV NPV
Metal Prices Cost per Cost per @ 0% @ 5% Payback
Gold and Copper Ounce(1) Ounce(2) IRR%(3) millions millions Years(4)
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$900 Au/$3.50 Cu ($ 49) $117 38.1% $6,534 $3,408 2.8
$800 Au/$3.25 Cu ($ 21) $141 33.7% $5,501 $2,826 3.2
$700 Au/$2.75 Cu $ 50 $205 27.5% $4,137 $2,058 4.0
$600 Au $2.25 Cu $120 $268 20.5% $2,772 $1,289 5.3
$500 Au $1.75 Cu $190 $331 12.2% $1,412 $ 523 7.9
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(1) Net of copper by-product credit.
(2) Net of copper credit and excluding sunk costs.
(3) The after-tax IRR is 15.0% using $600 gold and $2.25 copper.
(4) Payback years relates to recovery of equity invested as the financial
model has been prepared on an after tax, un-leveraged equity only
basis.
Initial Capital Cost Variance (2008 versus 2006)
The initial capital cost for the Brisas Project is currently estimated to
be $731 million compared to the previous estimate of $638 million. The primary
variances are as follows:
- Mine costs decreased $17.6 million mostly due to lengthening the pre-
production period from 9 months to 17 months which coincides with the
construction period significantly reducing the amount of equipment
required for pre-stripping. This decrease was partially offset by
escalation in equipment prices.
- Mill costs increased $73.2 million primarily due to increasing the
size of the SAG mills, an increase in steel quantity and prices and
an escalation in equipment prices. The largest mill cost variances
are as follows:
- Flotation and grinding cost increased $49.2 million which includes
$23 million for increasing the diameter of the SAG mills from 36'
to 38' and approximately $10 million related to increased price of
the SAG mill motors.
- Costs related to cyanide destruction increased $5.2 million.
- Reagent facilities cost increased $5.2 million.
- Compressed air and water utilities increased $3.0 million.
- Tailings management facility cost increased $14.5 million due to
additional earthworks as a result of increased hauls for suitable
construction material.
- Owner's cost increase is $7.8 million mostly due to an increase in
site earthworks costs and additional environmental/social program
costs.
- EPCM cost increased $18.4 million due to additional work, management
support for extended work period, procurement efforts and increases
in currency exchange rates.
- Contingency costs decreased $15.6 million due to placing orders on
long lead items, advanced-staged project engineering, increased
estimation accuracy and receipt of vendor and contractor bids for
most project equipment and services.
Operating Costs Variance (2008 versus 2006)
Total cash operating costs are currently estimated at $7.62 per ore tonne
compared to the previous estimate of $6.45 per ore tonne. The primary
variances are as follows:
- Mining costs increased $0.60 to $2.68 per tonne. The increase is
primarily due to price escalations in explosives, operating supplies,
tire costs and an increase due to the change in the strip ratio
resulting from geotechnical pit slope studies conducted over the last
16 months.
- Processing costs increased $0.40 to $3.00 per tonne. The increase is
primarily due to price escalation of reagents, liners and grinding
media, and electrical demand and rate changes. The electrical rate
increased 5 percent to approximately $0.031 per kwh.
- Transportation and freight costs increased $0.09 to $0.43 per tonne
due to increased ocean vessel transportation costs for the gold-
copper concentrate.
- Smelting and refining costs increased $0.04 to $1.08 per tonne. These
costs are based on 2006 negotiated smelter terms, which incorporate a
sliding scale dependent on metal prices. The cost increase is due to
the price participation cost resulting from increased copper metal
price.
Preparation of the updated CSA National Instrument 43-101 Report
Pincock, Allen and Holt (PAH) was retained by Gold Reserve Inc. to prepare a new 43-101 Report for the Brisas Project in accordance with the Canadian Securities Act National Instrument 43-101. The revised Report includes the results of various studies that have been completed since the January 2005 Brisas Project Feasibility Study and the October 2006 NI 43-101 Report. The resource and reserve estimates were conducted in accordance with the Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, Form 43-101F1 and Companion Policy 43-101CP dated December 23, 2005. The Company and SNC developed the capital costs for the new Report.
The updated financial model was prepared on an un-leveraged (equity only) basis, provided for depreciation and amortization on a straight line and units of production basis, assumed a 34% Venezuelan corporate income tax rate, and excluded an inflation allowance.
Previous work by PAH on the Brisas Project includes the preparation and or review of the resource model, mine plans, resource and reserve estimates, and economic model for the 2005 Brisas Project Feasibility Study and the October 2006 NI 43-101 Report. In 2007 PAH updated the resource grade models to improve the local grade estimates based on recommendation by independent technical reviews. Also, in 2007 Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech) completed a slope stability analysis incorporating oriented core techniques to update recommendations for the open pit slope parameters. Marston & Marston Inc. (Marston) used the PAH resource model and Tetra Tech slope recommendations to develop a new mine design, production schedule and reserve estimate.
The Qualified Personnel for the March 2008 NI 43-101 Report are Susan Poos, Richard Lambert, and Richard Addison, all registered professional engineers, and Barton Stone, a professional geologist. This news release has been reviewed by the Qualified Personnel at PAH and Marston.
The 43-101 Report will be available to the public at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, as well as, the Company's website at www.goldreserveinc.com within 45 days of the date of this release.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Gold Reserve Inc.
A. Douglas Belanger, President
Gold Reserve Inc. is a Canadian company, currently developing its Brisas gold/copper project in Southeastern Venezuela. The Company currently has $133 million in cash and investments. Before full construction can proceed, the Company must obtain all required permits, authorizations and adequate financing.
Certain statements included herein, including those that express management's expectations or estimates of our future performance concerning the Brisas Project or the Choco 5 Exploration Project, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. We caution that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risks that may cause the actual financial results, performance, or achievements of Gold Reserve Inc. to be materially different from our estimated future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation, concentration of operations and assets in Venezuela; corruption and uncertain legal enforcement; requests for improper payments; regulatory, political and economic risks associated with Venezuelan operations (including changes in previously established legal regimes, rules or processes); the ability to obtain or maintain the necessary permits or additional funding for the development of the Brisas Project; in the event any key findings or assumptions previously determined by us or our experts in conjunction with our 2005 bankable feasibility study (as updated or modified from time to time) significantly differ or change as a result of actual results in our expected construction and production at the Brisas Project (including capital and operating cost estimates); risk that actual mineral reserves may vary considerably from estimates presently made; impact of currency, metal prices and metal production volatility; fluctuations in energy prices; changes in proposed development plans (including technology used); our dependence upon the abilities and continued participation of certain key employees; and risks normally incident to the operation and development of mining properties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.