Equinox Gold's Greenstone Project: On Schedule, On Budget All dollar amounts shown in United States dollars
Equinox Gold's Greenstone Project: On
Schedule, On Budget
All dollar amounts shown in United States dollars unless otherwise noted
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 1, 2023) -
Equinox Gold Corp.
(TSX: EQX)
(NYSE American: EQX) is pleased to provide an update on construction progress at its Greenstone
Project in Ontario, Canada. The Greenstone Project is being developed as a 60/40 partnership,
respectively, by Equinox Gold and Orion Mine Finance Group and will be one of the largest gold mines in
Canada, with average annual gold production of more than 400,000 ounces over the first five years and
more than five million ounces of gold over its initial 14-year mine life.
Greenstone Project construction progress is documented weekly in a photo gallery on Equinox Gold's
website at
www.equinoxgold.com
and select photos are included in this news release.
Recent Highlights
(at July 21, 2023 unless otherwise noted)
Schedule
- The Greenstone Project is 85% complete. A third independent quantitative risk
assessment completed in Q2 2023 concluded that the Greenstone Project remains on schedule to
pour gold in the first half of 2024.
Budget
- The Greenstone Project remains on track for a total spend of $1.23 billion. At June 30,
2023, $937 million (76%) of the budget had been spent (100% basis) with approximately $170
million remaining for Equinox Gold's share to fund through to project completion.
Facilities completed
- With construction of the following facilities completed, the operations team
has assumed responsibility for the permanent effluent water treatment plant, truck shop,
warehouse, sewage treatment plant, potable water treatment plant, pit and plant site fuel stations,
reagent storage, and site mixed emulsion (explosives) plant. The new Ministry of Transportation
patrol yard was turned over to the Ministry and dismantling of the old patrol yard is complete. The
natural gas pipeline to site has been commissioned and is operational.
Construction progress
- All major equipment is now on site. Mechanical installations are 75%
complete and electrical and piping installations are both 67% complete. Power plant construction
is complete and pre-commissioning commenced in Q2 2023. The Highway 11 relocation is
substantially complete and ahead of schedule, with handover planned for Q3 2023. With all
auxiliary facilities now handed over to operations, the remaining construction effort is focused on
completion of the process plant and tailings storage facility.
Pre-production mining
- The first two Epiroc Pit Viper 235 drill rigs and the eighth CAT 793F
haul truck were commissioned during the quarter. Mine pre-production activities have been
operating 24/7 since Q4 2022, with more than 10.6 million tonnes of material moved to date. The
current priority for mined material continues to be supplying waste rock for the tailings storage
facility and other construction activities. Mining of ore for the commissioning stockpile is expected
to commence in Q4 2023.
Commissioning and operational readiness
- The commissioning team and commissioning
plans are in place and operational readiness activities are underway.
Greg Smith, President & CEO of Equinox Gold, commented: "The Greenstone Project continues to
advance on budget and on schedule. With most ancillary facilities complete and transferred to the
operations team and construction activities 83% complete, our focus is shifting toward commissioning
and operational readiness as we advance to construction completion and first gold pour in the first half of
2024, and then achieving commercial production."
Results of Independent Quantitative Risk Assessment
Valency Inc., a global provider of construction project assurance solutions and quantitative risk
assessments, completed the Greenstone Project's second quantitative risk assessment ("QRA") during
Q2 2023. The QRA concluded that the schedule and budget remain achievable, and the Greenstone
Project remains on track to pour gold in the first half of 2024.
An update on Greenstone 2024 operating costs and production estimates will be reported in connection
with the Company's annual production and cost guidance in Q1 2024.
Greenstone Project Progress
Area
Progress to Date
(at July 21, 2023 unless otherwise noted)
Total Overall Progress
Overall project 85% complete and on schedule to pour gold in the first half of 2024
Detailed engineering complete
Procurement 87% complete
Construction 83% complete
Plant site earthworks 97% complete, concrete 93% complete, structural steel 89% complete, mechanical
installations 75% complete, piping installations 67% complete, electrical installations 67% complete
Safety
Strong health and safety performance with project-to-date Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate
1
at June 30,
2023 of 3.19 per million hours worked
Budget
Project remains on budget. At June 30, 2023:
76% of total cost spent ($937 M)
All purchase order and construction contracts for project completion in place
Inflationary pressures have been mitigated through favourable exchange rates and offsetting savings
opportunities, or absorbed through the $177 million contingency included in the construction budget
Process Plant
Process plant construction 75% complete
All major equipment delivered to site
Installation of various crushing and grinding equipment is advanced, including work on the ball mills and high
pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). Crusher retaining wall complete
Four of the six conveyors erected with the other two in process
Structures completed in the gravity tower, acid wash, elution and carbon regeneration areas. Gold room
concrete block walls completed with most electrical and mechanical equipment in place
A significant number of subsystems in the process plant will be mechanically complete by the end of Q3 2023
Tailings Facility and Water
Management
Tailings storage facility 80% complete with dams in the East and Southeast areas at the target elevation of
337.0 metres
Tailings and reclaim piping and pipeline corridor installation underway
Power Plant and Electrical
Pre-commissioning activities underway; on track to be commissioned in Q3 2023
Natural gas pipeline to site complete and operational
Site Infrastructure
Truck shop, warehouse, administration office, pit and plant site fuel stations, sewage treatment plant, potable
water treatment plant, site mixed emulsion (explosives) plant, and reagent cold storage buildings complete and
operational
Mobile Equipment and
Mining
Mine pre-production activities operating 24/7 and in line with plan, with more than 10.6 million tonnes of
material moved to date
Eight CAT 793F trucks, two Epiroc D65 drills, two Epiroc Pit Viper 235 drill, one Komatsu PC5500 shovel and
two Komatsu D375A-8 bulldozers on site
Infrastructure Repositioning
Highway 11 relocation ahead of schedule and near complete
Earthworks underway for the new Hydro One Geraldton Operating Centre; completion targeted for Q1 2024.
Planning for the Substation relocation in 2024 underway
Commissioning and
Operational Readiness
Commissioning team in place; managing power plant commissioning and preparing for process plant
commissioning activities to begin in Q4 2023
Plant operational readiness activities are focused on hiring, procedures, systems implementation, procurement
activities to support start up, and training
Recruitment on track with over 200 operations personnel hired to date
Capital spares purchases complete, ordering of operating spares well advanced
1
Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate is the total number of injuries excluding those requiring simple first aid treatment.
Remaining Project Milestones
Important construction milestones include:
Process plant steel erection underway: June 2022
Administration building complete: July 2022
Delivery and assembly of pre-production fleet of four trucks and excavators: Q2-Q3 2022
Permanent water effluent treatment plant ready for use: Q3 2022
Commence installation of gensets in power plant, power building enclosed: Q3 2022
Start of pre-production mining: Q3 2022
All main buildings enclosed: Q1 2023
Leach tanks installed: Q4 2022
Ball mills received and installed: Q1-Q3 2023
Highway 11 realignment complete: August 2023
Crushers installed: Q3 2023
Commence pre-commissioning of crushing circuit: Q4 2023
Power plant operational: Q4 2023
Tailing storage facility complete and ready for use: Q4 2023
Commissioning: Q1-Q2 2024
Gold pour: H1 2024
Equinox Gold Contacts
Greg Smith, President & CEO
Rhylin Bailie, Vice President, Investor Relations
Tel: +1 604-558-0560
Email:
Construction Photos
Project overview - July 21
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_001full.jpg
Plant site overview - July 21
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_002full.jpg
Crushers and crusher area retaining wall
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_003full.jpg
Conveyors between crusher and HPGR buildings
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_004full.jpg
East end - ball mills
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_005full.jpg
High pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) installation
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_006full.jpg
Pre-leach thickener
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_007full.jpg
Cable pulls on leach tanks
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_008full.jpg
West end - carbon in pulp area
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_009full.jpg
Power plant
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9355/175576_9d7fdfc8e4169a64_010full.jpg
Cautionary Notes
This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within
the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking
information in this news release relate to, among other things: the Company's ability to successfully
advance construction and achieve production at Greenstone; the Company's expectations regarding
construction timelines and costs for Greenstone, including its ability to manage inflationary pressures;
and the Company's expectations for the operation of Greenstone, including production capabilities
and future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements or information generally
identified by the use of the words "will", "advance", "progress", "on track", "on schedule", "on budget",
"remain", "plan", "continue", "expect", and similar expressions and phrases or statements that certain
actions, events or results "could", "would" or "should", or the negative connotation of such terms, are
intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Company believes that
the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and information are reasonable, undue
reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since the Company can give no
assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company has based these forward-
looking statements and information on the Company's current expectations and projections about
future events and these assumptions include: construction and development at Greenstone being
completed and performed in accordance with current expectations, including estimated capital costs;
prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services, and the impact of inflation on the
same, remaining as expected; the timely delivery and commissioning of equipment; availability of
funds for the Company's projects and future cash requirements; capital, decommissioning and
reclamation estimates; Greenstone Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates and the