Ivanhoe Mines announces a new Mineral Resource estimate for the Kipushi Mine that increases zinc-rich Measured and Indicated Resources by 16% and copper-rich Measured and Indicated Resources by 40% Zinc-rich Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources
July 30, 2018
Ivanhoe Mines announces a new
Mineral Resource estimate for the Kipushi Mine that increases
zinc-rich Measured and Indicated Resources by 16%
and copper-rich Measured and Indicated Resources by 40%
Zinc-rich Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources
increased to 11.8 million tonnes at 35.34% zinc,
containing 9.2 billion pounds of zinc, 8.7 million ounces of silver
and 24.4 million ounces of germanium
In addition, copper-rich Measured and Indicated
Mineral Resources increased to 2.3 million tonnes
at 4.03% copper, containing 204 million pounds of copper,
1.6 million ounces silver and 1.4 million ounces germanium
Southern Zinc now confirmed as significant new, high-value,
poly-metallic zone
New resource estimate to be incorporated into the pending
Definitive Feasibility Study
KIPUSHI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO – Robert Friedland, Executive Chairman of
Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN; OTCQX: IVPAF), and Lars-Eric Johansson, Chief Executive Officer,
announced today that an independently prepared estimate has resulted in a significant increase
in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources at the company’s high-grade, Kipushi zinc-
copper-silver-germanium mine.
The new Mineral Resource estimate is the first update to be issued for Kipushi since Ivanhoe
Mines published its initial, independent NI 43-101 estimate in January 2016.
The new Mineral Resource estimate has increased Kipushi’s Measured and Indicated zinc-rich
resources by 16%, from 10.2 million tonnes to 11.8 million tonnes, with an increase in zinc grade
from 34.89% to 35.34%. In addition, the mine’s Measured and Indicated copper-rich resources
have increased by 40% from 1.6 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes, with a slight increase in the
copper grade from 4.01% to 4.03%.
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Highlights of this updated estimate, prepared by the MSA Group, of Johannesburg, South
Africa, in compliance with CIM definition standards, are:
• Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources, primarily in the Big Zinc Zone, have
increased to 11.78 million tonnes at grades of 35.34% zinc, 0.80% copper, 23 grams per
tonne (g/t) silver and 64 g/t germanium, at a 7% zinc cut-off – containing an estimated 9.2
billion pounds of zinc.
• The zinc grade of Kipushi’s Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources is more than
twice as high as the world’s next-highest-grade zinc project, independently ranked by
Wood Mackenzie, an international industry research and consulting group, based on
contained zinc (Figure 1).
• Zinc-rich Inferred Mineral Resources total an additional 1.14 million tonnes at grades of
33.77% zinc, 1.24% copper, 12 g/t silver and 62 g/t germanium. The Inferred Mineral
Resources are contained partly in the Big Zinc Zone and partly in the Southern Zinc
Zone.
• Kipushi’s copper-rich Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources contained in the
adjacent Fault Zone, Fault Zone Splay and Série Récurrente Zone total an additional 2.29
million tonnes at grades of 4.03% copper, 2.85% zinc, 21 g/t silver and 19 g/t germanium,
at a 1.5% copper cut-off – containing 144 million pounds of copper. Copper-rich Inferred
Mineral Resources in these zones total an additional 0.44 million tonnes at grades of
3.89% copper, 10.77% zinc, 19 g/t silver and 55 g/t germanium.
• Ivanhoe’s 2017 drilling program has demonstrated that zinc and copper mineralization of
the Kipushi system remain open laterally and at depth.
The new Mineral Resource estimate incorporates Ivanhoe’s second phase of underground
drilling at Kipushi that was completed late last year, with a total of 9,706 metres drilled in 58
holes. Eight holes were drilled for metallurgy, 31 holes in the Southern Zinc and Big Zinc, five
holes in the Nord Riche and 14 holes in the Série Récurrente. The updated Mineral Resource will
be used in the preparation of the Kipushi Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS), which is expected to
be finalized later this year or early in 2019.
The DFS will update and refine the findings of the Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) issued last
December. Similar to the PFS, the DFS will focus on the initial mining of Kipushi’s Big Zinc
Zone. The planned return to production would establish Kipushi as the world’s highest-grade,
major zinc mine.
Infill drilling establishes Southern Zinc as high-value, poly-metallic zone
Infill and confirmation drilling in the Southern Zinc Zone has confirmed the high tenor of this
mineralized zone (tenor is the percentage of minerals that is actual metal to be extracted), which
is characterized by high zinc, copper, lead and silver grades. The poly-metallic style of
mineralization in the Southern Zinc is very similar to historical Kipushi production, with a clear
zonation of copper-rich to zinc-rich zones. Using a zinc cut-off of 7%, the Southern Zinc Zone
contains 0.88 million tonnes of Indicated Mineral resources at a grade of 24.5% zinc, 2.97%
copper, 1.95% lead and 75 g/t silver. Additional Inferred Mineral resources in this zone are 0.16
million tonnes at a grade of 24.37% zinc, 1.64% copper, 1.2% lead and 38 g/t silver.
Mr. Friedland said that the new resource estimate is very positive for mine planning purposes,
adding another 1.6 million tonnes of Measured and Indicated zinc-rich resources and, at the
same time, improving the overall zinc grade of the resources.
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“We have always believed that Kipushi held the potential to host significantly more high-grade
zinc, copper, silver and germanium resources than were initially reported in the mineral
inventory when we acquired our 68% interest in the mine in 2011,” Mr. Friedland said.
“Kipushi operated for more than 60 years as a high-grade copper mine, with significant
germanium production, before it was placed on care-and-maintenance in the 1990s. With
continued exploration success, we are confident Kipushi could remain in production for at least
several more decades.
“While our initial mine plan focuses on mining Kipushi’s exceptionally high-grade Big Zinc
Deposit, the adjacent Fault Splay and Southern Zinc zones are compelling, near-term
development targets as they have thick, zinc-rich mineralization zones grading up to 45% zinc.
In addition, the copper-rich zones offer further opportunities to expand and diversify the mine
plan once production recommences,” Mr. Friedland added.
Given the significant, very-high-grade zinc resource at Kipushi – which is rich in potential by-
product credits including copper, silver and germanium – and the ongoing exploration
campaign at Kipushi, Ivanhoe and the Gécamines technical team are continuing to investigate
additional downstream processing options.
Germanium is a strategic metal that is a key component of fibre-optic systems, infrared optics,
high-efficiency solar cell applications and light-emitting diodes. The current spot price of
germanium is approximately US$1,900 a kilogram (US$54 an ounce).
New estimate enhances the Mineral Resources available for Kipushi’s
Definitive Feasibility Study
The new Mineral Resource estimate was prepared in accordance with the 2014 CIM definition
standards, incorporated by reference into Canadian National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
The new estimate was based on the results of the 58 new drill holes completed at Kipushi by
Ivanhoe Mines in 2017, 84 drill holes completed by Ivanhoe Mines prior to 2016 and an
additional 107 historical holes drilled by Gécamines. Mineral Resource estimates were
completed below the 1,150-metre-level on the Big Zinc Zone, Southern Zinc Zone, Fault Zone,
Fault Zone Splay and Série Récurrente Zone. The Mineral Resources were categorized either as
zinc-rich resources or copper-rich resources, depending on the most abundant metal. The Big
Zinc and Southern Zinc zones have been tabulated using zinc cut-offs and are shown in Table 1;
the Fault Zone, the Fault Zone Splay and Série Récurrente Zone have been tabulated using
copper cut-offs and are shown in Table 2.
For the zinc-rich zones, the Mineral Resource is reported at a base-case cut-off grade of 7.0%
zinc and the copper-rich zones at a base-case cut-off grade of 1.5% copper. Given the
considerable revenue that could be obtained from the additional metals in each zone, MSA
considers that mineralization at these cut-off grades will satisfy reasonable prospects for
economic extraction.
The Kipushi Mine is adjacent to the town of Kipushi, approximately 30 kilometres southwest of
Lubumbashi and less than one kilometre from the Zambian border. The Kipushi Mine is
operated by Kipushi Corporation (KICO), a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (68%) and
Gécamines (32%), the DRC’s state-owned mining company.
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MOU signed with underground mining contractor Byrnecut
In December 2017, KICO signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Byrnecut Offshore
Proprietary Limited (Byrnecut), of Perth, Australia. The MOU relates to the potential engagement
of Byrnecut to provide underground mining services at Kipushi, including cost estimation,
contractor management, operational readiness and operational services.
The planned primary mining method for the Big Zinc Deposit in the PFS is sublevel long-hole,
open stoping, with cemented backfill. The crown pillars are expected to be mined once adjacent
stopes are backfilled using a pillar-retreat mining method. The Big Zinc Deposit is expected to
be accessed via the existing decline and without any significant new development. The main
levels are planned to be at 60-metre vertical intervals, with sublevels at 30-metre intervals.
Figure 1. World’s top 20 zinc projects, by contained zinc.
Source: Wood Mackenzie.
Note: All tonnes and zinc grades of the above-mentioned projects (except for Kipushi) are based on public
disclosure and have been compiled by Wood Mackenzie.
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Table 1. Kipushi zinc-rich Mineral Resource at 7% zinc cut-off grade,
effective date of June 14, 2018.
Zone Category
Tonnes Zn Cu Pb Ag Co Ge
(Millions) % % % g/t ppm g/t
Big Zinc
Measured 3.65 39.87 0.65 0.35 18 18 56
Indicated 7.25 34.36 0.62 1.29 19 12 53
Inferred 0.98 35.32 1.18 0.09 8 15 62
Southern
Zinc Zone
Indicated 0.88 24.52 2.97 1.95 75 6 188
Inferred 0.16 24.37 1.64 1.20 38 6 61
Total
Measured 3.65 39.87 0.65 0.35 18 18 56
Indicated 8.13 33.30 0.87 1.36 25 11 68
Measured
& Indicated 11.78 35.34 0.80 1.05 23 13 64
Inferred 1.14 33.77 1.24 0.24 12 14 62
Contained Metal Quantities
Zone Category
Tonnes Zn
Pounds
Cu
Pounds
Pb
Pounds
Ag
Ounces
Co
Pounds
Ge
Ounces
(Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions)
Big Zinc
Measured 3.65 3210.6 52.3 27.8 2.06 0.14 6.60
Indicated 7.25 5489.0 98.7 206.6 4.48 0.19 12.43
Inferred 0.98 764.0 25.5 1.9 0.26 0.03 1.96
Southern
Zinc Zone
Indicated 0.88 476.5 57.6 37.8 2.11 0.01 5.34
Inferred 0.16 86.7 5.8 4.3 0.20 0.00 0.32
Total
Measured 3.65 3210.6 52.3 27.8 2.06 0.14 6.60
Indicated 8.13 5965.5 156.4 244.4 6.59 0.20 17.77
Measured
& Indicated 11.78 9176.0 208.6 272.2 8.65 0.34 24.36
Inferred 1.14 850.7 31.3 6.2 0.46 0.04 2.28
Notes:
1. All tabulated data has been rounded and as a result minor computational errors may occur.
2. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves have no demonstrated economic viability.
3. The Mineral Resource is reported as the total in-situ Mineral Resource.
4. Metal quantities are reported in multiples of Troy Ounces or Avoirdupois Pounds.
5. The cut-off grade calculation was based on the following assumptions: zinc price of US$1.0/lb, mining cost of
US$50/tonne, processing cost of US$10/tonne, G&A and holding cost of US$10/tonne, transport of 55% zinc
concentrate at US$210/tonne, 90% zinc recovery and 85% payable zinc.
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Table 2. Kipushi copper-rich Mineral Resource at 1.5% copper cut-off grade,
effective date of June 14, 2018.
Zone Category
Tonnes Cu Zn Pb Ag Co Ge
(Millions) % % % g/t ppm g/t
Fault Zone
Measured 0.14 2.74 1.52 0.04 16 77 21
Indicated 1.22 4.11 3.32 0.09 21 96 30
Inferred 0.20 3.11 2.58 0.07 18 43 23
Série
Récurrenté
Indicated 0.93 4.14 2.43 0.02 23 50 4
Inferred 0.03 1.81 0.06 0.00 8 52 0.3
Offset Zone Inferred 0.21 4.91 19.84 0.01 21 107 93
Total
Measured 0.14 2.74 1.52 0.04 16 77 21
Indicated 2.15 4.12 2.94 0.06 22 76 19
Measured &
Indicated 2.29 4.03 2.85 0.06 21 76 19
Inferred 0.44 3.89 10.77 0.04 19 75 55
Contained Metal Quantities
Zone Category
Tonnes Cu
Pounds
Zn
Pounds
Pb
Pounds
Ag
Ounces
Co
Pounds
Ge
Ounces
(Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions) (Millions)
Fault Zone
Measured 0.14 8.5 4.7 0.1 0.07 0.02 0.09
Indicated 1.22 110.8 89.7 2.5 0.82 0.26 1.19
Inferred 0.20 13.4 11.1 0.3 0.12 0.02 0.14
Série
Récurrenté
Indicated 0.93 84.6 49.8 0.5 0.69 0.10 0.12
Inferred 0.03 1.3 0.04 0.0 0.01 0.00 0.00
Offset Zone Inferred 0.21 23.2 93.7 0.1 0.14 0.05 0.64
Total
Measured 0.14 8.5 4.7 0.1 0.07 0.02 0.09
Indicated 2.15 195.4 139.4 3.0 1.51 0.36 1.31
Measured &
Indicated 2.29 204.0 144.2 3.1 1.58 0.39 1.40
Inferred 0.44 37.9 104.9 0.4 0.27 0.07 0.78
Notes:
1. All tabulated data has been rounded and as a result minor computational errors may occur.
2. Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves have no demonstrated economic viability.
3. The Mineral Resource is reported as the total in-situ Mineral Resource.
4. Metal quantities are reported in multiples of Troy Ounces or Avoirdupois Pounds.
5. The cut-off grade calculation was based on the following assumptions: copper price of US$3.0/lb, mining cost of
US$50/tonne, processing cost of US$10/tonne, G&A and holding cost of US$10/tonne, 80% copper recovery and
96% payable copper.
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Figure 2. Generalized schematic section of Kipushi Mine. The Fault Zone (green),
Big Zinc Zone (yellow), Southern Zinc Zone (brown) and Fault Zone
Splay (dark green) are shown in the bottom left corner of the section.
Access to these zones will be via the decline (shown in red) leading
from the mine’s 1,150-metre level. The ore will be transported up the
decline and along the 1,150-metre level to the P5 Shaft, where it will be
crushed and hoisted to surface for processing.
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Figure 3. Vertical long section (looking west) showing Kipushi’s Big Zinc,
Série Récurrente, Southern Zinc and Fault zones, and the Fault Zone
Splay. Traces of the 58 holes drilled by Ivanhoe in 2017 are shown
in blue.