Montage Announces Updated Feasibility Study at Koné Gold Project After-Tax NPV of $1.1B and 31% IRR and Two New Satellites to be Advanced
Press
Release
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Montage Announces Updated Feasibility Study at Koné Gold Project
After-Tax NPV of $1.1B and 31% IRR and Two New Satellites to be Advanced
Vancouver, British Columbia — January 16, 2024 — Montage Gold Corp. (“Montage” or the
“Company”) (TSXV: MAU) (OTCPK: MAUTF) is pleased to announce the results of the Updated Definitive
Feasibility Study (the “UFS” or the “Study”) for the Koné Gold Project (“Koné Gold Project”, “Project”, or
“KGP”) located in Côte d’Ivoire, which now incorporates ore from the Gbongogo Main satellite deposit.
The UFS was prepared by Lycopodium Minerals Pty Ltd. in accordance with Canadian Securities
Administrators’ National I nstrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”).
Please note that all financial figures in this press release are in United States dollars, unless otherwise
noted.
Highlights
Significant Reserves and Production – A New Gold District in Côte d’Ivoire
− 4.01Moz of Probable Mineral Reserves
− 3.57Moz of gold produced over a 16-year mine life
− Years 1-3: Avg. annual production of 349,000 oz at 1.15g/t avg. head grade
− Years 1-8: Avg. annual production of 301,000 oz at 0.96g/t avg. head grade
− Peak production of 378,000 oz in year 3
Strong Financial Metrics – In an Increasing Cost Environment
− $1,089M after-tax NPV5% and 31% IRR at base case $1,850/oz gold price
− $1,456M after-tax NPV5% and 39% IRR at spot $2,050/oz gold price
− Years 1-3: Avg. AISC1 of $899/oz
− LOM AISC1 of $998/oz
− Capital payback period of 2.6 years
Optimizations Maintain Capital Efficiency – Further Improvements Expected
− Pre-production capital requirement of $712M (vs $544M from 2022 DFS)
− $126M reduction in sustaining capital vs 2022 DFS
− Net increase in LOM total capital requirements of 5% compared to 2022 DFS
− Several areas identified to optimize pre-production capital
Impact of Gbongogo Main Deposit
− Gbongogo Main represents 12% of Probable Reserves and contributes $350 M in pre-tax net
cash flow in first 3 years of operations
− Optimizes capital payback; demonstrates impact of satellite deposits
− Planned haul road opens 38km corridor for priority exploration
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KGP Construction Planned for Q4 2024
− Permitting process ongoing with all requisite approvals expected in Q3 2024
− Project financing process underway
Drilling to Continue in January on Next Satellite Deposit Targets – Diouma North and Petit Yao
− Diouma North is located 2km south of Gbongogo Main and <500m from planned haul road
− Recent Diouma North drilling included: 17.45m at 2.75g/t, 11m at 2.21g/t and 14m at 2.16g/t
− Petit Yao is located 3km from planned haul road
− Previous Petit Yao results included: 12m at 4.15g/t, 6m at 10.82g/t, and 3m at 15.51g/t
Rick Clark, Montage CEO commented,
“The completion of the UFS for the Koné Gold Project is the culmination of a business plan of target
identification, exploration, economic analysis, and development assessment and represents the hard
work, dedication, and expertise since 2009 of what is now the Montage team. I am extremely proud of
what this team has accomplished at the KGP since this opportunity was first recognized by Hugh Stuart
(President of Montage) while investigating growth projects for Red Back Mining in 2008-09.
“In the three years since Montage went public, we have evolved from an exploration company with a
1.5Moz Inferred Mineral Resource into a development company with Probable Mineral Reserves of +4Moz
and total Indicated Mineral Resources of nearly 5Moz. The KGP is now positioned to become the largest
gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire with an expected average gold production of 349,000 oz per year during the
initial 3 years of operations at an AISC of less than $1,000/oz, leading to a short payback on capital of
2.6 years.
“The primary objective of the UFS was to optimize the economics of the Koné Gold Project by
incorporating higher grade tonnes from Gbongogo Main. This change has materially de -risked the
financial parameters of the Project and demonstrates the significant impact of discovering higher
grade satellite deposits within the broad 2,259 sq. km property package held 100% by Montage. We will
now focus on repeating this success as we advance the next near -term satellite deposits within the
KGP, notably Diouma North and Petit Yao, both of which are in close proximity to the planned haul road.
“The success we have achieved to date with the Koné Gold Project highlights Côte d’Ivoire as a premier
jurisdiction for gold exploration and development. The combination of the geological endowment of
Côte d’Ivoire and the business focussed political will of the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, represents a
formula for mining success. Côte d’Ivoire is a partner in every respect in the development of its natural
resources and the Koné Gold Project is a perfect example of this. The construction of the KGP will be the
largest investment in a gold project in Côte d’Ivoire to date and we look forward to working with the
Government of Côte d’Ivoire to realize success for all stakeholders.”
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A summary of operating and financial metrics from the UFS are presented in Table 1 below along with
a comparison to the 2022 DFS. A summary model with annual projections over the project life has been
included as Appendix 1 to this Release.
Table 1 – UFS Summary Metrics
Metrics Units UFS 2022 DFS
Pit Optimization Gold Price $/oz $1,550 $1,250
Financial Model Base Case Gold Price $/oz $1,850 $1,600
Life of Mine years 16.0 14.8
Total Material Processed Mt 174.3 161.1
Contained Gold (Probable Reserves) Moz 4.01 3.42
Strip Ratio w:o 1.18:1 0.90:1
Average Annual Mining Rate Mtpa 42.4 35.0
Mill Throughput Mtpa 11.0 11.0
Average Head Grade, first 3 years Au g/t 1.15 0.93
Average Head Grade, first 8 Years Au g/t 0.96 0.81
Average Head Grade, LOM Au g/t 0.72 0.66
Processing Recovery, first 3 Years % 89.6% 91.1%
Processing Recovery, first 8 Years % 90.0% 90.3%
Processing Recovery, LOM % 89.0% 89.3%
Total Gold Production, LOM Moz 3.57 3.06
Average Gold Production, first 3 years koz/yr 349 285
Average Gold Production, first 8 years koz/yr 301 255
Average Gold Production, LOM koz/yr 223 207
Mining Cost Per Tonne Mined, LOM $/t, mined $3.22 $2.73
Mining Cost Per Tonne Processed, LOM $/t, processed $6.68 $5.20
Processing Cost, LOM (incl. rehandle) $/t, processed $8.94 $8.04
G&A, LOM $/t, processed $0.98 $0.93
Royalties, LOM $/t, processed $2.84 $1.97
Total Operating Costs, LOM $/t, processed $19.83 $15.89
Average AISC, first 3 years $/oz $899 $824
Average AISC, LOM $/oz $998 $933
Initial Capital Expenditure $M $712 $544
Sustaining Capital (incl. Closure) $M $165 $292
Total LOM Capital (incl. Closure) $M $877 $836
NPV5%, pre-tax (100%) $M $1,437 $992
Pre-tax IRR % 34.6% 39.6%
NPV5%, after-tax (100%) $M $1,089 $746
After-tax IRR % 31.0% 34.8%
Payback Period years 2.6 2.7
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Details
Koné Gold Project Overview
The Koné Gold Project is located approximately 470km north-west of Abidjan, the commercial capital
of Côte d’Ivoire. The Project comprises six exploration permits (PR262, PR748, PR842, PR879b, PR919 and
PR920) covering 1,801 sq. km and two applications covering a further 456 sq. km, for a combined total
of 2,259 sq. km.
The communities of Fadiadougou and Batogo lie 5km east and west respectively of the Koné resource
area and the village of Gbongogo is located 4km north- west of the Gbongogo Main resource. The
village of Dolourogoukaha will be impacted by the development pf the Gbongogo Main pit and will be
resettled outside the affected area. Beyond this, the Project area is largely devoid of habitation with
subsistence farming and cashew plantations being the dominant land use.
The nearest major centre is Séguéla, 80km to the south. The Project area is accessible year-round with
an asphalt highway within 300m of the proposed plant location.
Figure 1: Location of Koné Gold Project
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Drilling to Start in January at Next Satellite Deposit Targets
Exploration during Q4 2023 focussed on continued assessment of the numerous targets within the KGP
covered by the program in H1 2023 and several new areas of artisanal mining activity.
A key priority area is Diouma -Gbongogo-Korotou shear zone (Figure 2), a 15km strike length of soil
anomalism, artisanal mining and 9 targets drilled to some degree, with the Gbongogo Main pit and
planned haul road located at the south end.
In addition, Montage will be re-starting exploration at the Petit Yao target which sits 7km east of Koné
and just 3km southeast of the planned haul road.
Figure 2: Diouma-Gbongogo-Korotou Shear Zone and District Target Areas
The Diouma North prospect is located 2km south of Gbongogo Main, and less than 500m from the
planned haul road. As follow-up to reconnaissance and RC drilling in early 2023, Montage completed
three diamond core holes, with highlight intercepts including: 14m at 2.16g/t from 58m (GBDDH062);
and 17.45m at 2.74g/t from 79m and 11m at 2.21g/t from 127m (GBDDH064). Diamond drilling at Diouma
will re-commence by the end of January with an initial core programme which, if successful, will be
followed up with an RC programme with the aim of defining an initial resource by mid-2024. Results
presented in Table 2 below represent intercepts that have intersected the targeted mineralized area.
A complete set of previously unreleased results is included in Appendix 2 of this press release.
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Table 2: Highlight Drill Results from Diouma North
Hole From To Length Au
(m) (m) (m) g/t
GBRC065*
24 47 23 1.43
53 75 22 1.55
GBRC067* 51 59 8 7.39
GBRC070* 12 24 12 2.61
GBRC071* 79 94 15 3.84
GBRC073 7 21 14 1.73
GBDDH062 58 72 14 2.16
GBDDH064
78.85 96.30 17.45 2.74
127 138 11 2.21
* previously released intercepts.
The Petit Yao target sits approximately 7km east of the Koné deposit and 3km southeast of the planned
haul road. It was first identified in late 2019 by Montage geologists recognizing prospective volcanic
rocks in an area previously assumed to be un-prospe ctive. Drilling completed at Petit Yao includes
3,392m of RC and 681m of shallow aircore, with highlight intercepts shown in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Highlight Drill Results from Petit Yao
Hole From To Length Au
(m) (m) (m) g/t
MRCAC128* 0 12 12 4.15
MRPYRC030A* 37 43 6 10.82
MRPYRC039* 28 31 3 15.51
MRPYRC049* 35 39 4 8.31
* previously released intercepts.
In H1 2022, an IP survey was completed over Petit Yao, which clarified a strong northwest trend to the
underlying geology and has resulted in a re -interpretation which now extends over a strike of
approximately 900m. This new interpretation will be drill tested in Q1 2024.
Mineral Resources and Reserves Estimates
Recoverable Mineral Resources were estimated for the Koné and Gbongogo Main deposits by Matrix
Resource Consultants Pty Ltd. using Multiple Indicator Kriging (“MIK”).
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Koné Deposit
The Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for the Koné deposit has been re-stated based on an optimal
pit shell generated using cost inputs in line with the UFS and a gold price of $1,800/oz with an effective
date of 19 December 2023.
Table 4 shows the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimates at a range of cut-off grades.
Table 4 – Koné Mineral Resource Estimate
Cut-off Grade Indicated Inferred
Au g/t Mt Au g/t Au Moz Mt Au g/t Au Moz
0.1 286 0.50 4.60 37 0.3 0.36
0.2 229 0.59 4.34 25 0.5 0.40
0.3 170 0.70 3.83 16 0.6 0.31
0.4 130 0.81 3.39 10 0.7 0.23
0.5 100 0.92 2.96 7.0 0.8 0.18
0.6 78 1.03 2.58 5.0 0.9 0.14
0.7 61 1.14 2.24 3.0 1.1 0.11
0.8 47 1.25 1.89 2.0 1.2 0.08
Notes:
1. The MRE is reported on a 100% basis and is constrained within an optimal pit shell generated at a gold price of US$1,800/ounce.
2. The identified Mineral Resources are classified according to the “CIM” definitions of Indicated Mineral Resources and Inferred Mineral
Resources.
3. The MRE was prepared by Mr. Jonathon Abbott of Matrix Resource Consultants of Perth, Australia who is a Qualified Person as defined
by NI 43-101.
4. The estimate at 0.2g/t represents the base case or preferred scenario for Koné.
5. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
6. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
7. Figures are rounded to reflect the precision of the estimates.
Gbongogo Main Deposit
The Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for the Gbongogo Main deposit is constrained within an optimal
pit shell generated using cost inputs in line with the UFS and at a gold price of $1,800/oz with an
effective date of 19 December 2023.
Table 5 shows the Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource estimates at a range of cut-off grades.
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Table 5 – Gbongogo Main Indicated Mineral Resource Estimate
Cut-off Grade Indicated
Au g/t Mt Au g/t Au Moz
0.2 15 1.16 0.56
0.3 14 1.26 0.57
0.4 12 1.37 0.53
0.5 11 1.48 0.52
0.6 9.9 1.59 0.51
0.7 8.8 1.71 0.48
0.8 7.8 1.83 0.46
0.9 6.9 1.96 0.43
1.0 6.1 2.09 0.41
Notes:
1. The MRE is reported on a 100% basis and is constrained within an optimal pit shell generated at a gold price of US$1,800/ounce.
2. The identified Mineral Resources are classified according to the “CIM” definitions of Indicated Mineral Resources and Inferred Mineral
Resources.
3. The MRE was prepared by Mr. Jonathon Abbott of Matrix Resource Consultants of Perth, Australia who is a Qualified Person as defined
by NI 43-101.
4. The estimate at 0.5g/t represents the base case or preferred scenario for Gbongogo Main.
5. Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
6. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
7. Figures are rounded to reflect the precision of the estimates.
Combined Resources
Table 6 shows the combined resources based on the preferred cut off grades for each deposit.
Table 6 – Combined Resources
Cut-off Grade Indicated Inferred
Au g/t Mt Au g/t Au Moz Mt Au g/t Au Moz
Koné 0.20 g/t 229 0.59 4.34 25 0.5 0.40
Gbongogo Main 0.50 g/t 11 1.48 0.52 - - -
Total 240 0.63 4.87 25 0.5 0.40
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to reflect the precision of the estimates and include rounding errors.
The Mineral Reserve estimate was prepared by Carci Mining Consultants Ltd., dated as of January 15,
2024 and is presented below in Table 7.