Serengeti Announces Positive PEA Results: 21% IRR Pre-tax for Kwanika Copper-Gold Project
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NR: 2017-04
Serengeti Announces Positive PEA Results:
21% IRR Pre-tax for Kwanika Copper-Gold Project
Vancouver, B.C., April 03, 2017: Serengeti Resources Inc. (SIR: TSX-V; 34S: FSE) announces the completion of an
independent NI 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Asse ssment (“PEA”) for its 95% owned Kwanika copper-gold porphyry
project located in the Quesnel Trough of North-Central British Columbia, Canada. The results of the PEA demonstrate the
potential technical and economic viability of establishing a new copper-gold mine and mill complex on the property.
PEA Highlights:
- Pre-tax NPV7% of CDN $324 million, 21.1% IRR, 15 year mine life.
- Life of mine (LOM) metal production of 601 million pounds copper, 676,30 0 ounces gold, and 2.66 million ounces
silver in concentrates.
- Annual metal production of 50.4 million pounds of copper, 70,100 ounces of gol d, and 181,100 ounces of silver in
concentrates for the first eight years.
- Initial capital cost of CDN $476 million plus LOM sustaining capital of $37 million for a 15,000 tpd (5.4 million tpa)
mill and combined open pit, underground mining operation.
- Projected C1 (Direct cash cost of production per pound of copper net of gold, silver credits) of US$0.70/lb/Cu for
first eight years or US$1.20/lb LOM
“We are very pleased to have achieved this important milestone for the Kwanika project.” commented David W. Moore, Serengeti
President & CEO. “Kwanika represents an opportunity to develop a midsize green field copper-gold project in an excellent location
and proven jurisdiction. Furthermore there remains excellent potent ial to expand and upgrade the resources considered in this
study, both in the Central and South Zones. The results of this PEA have conf irmed what the partner ship believed was the
possibility for higher grade production from the Central Zone at Kwanika and the resultant posit ive impact on project economics .
Given the economic value we have demonstrated in this PEA, we expect our partners Daewoo Minerals Canada will elect to fund
the next $7 million expenditure to earn an additional 30% interest in the project and we look forward to working with them in
advancing the Kwanika project towards production” stated Moore.
PEA BASE CASE ECONOMIC RESULTS
Parameter Unit Base Case
Capital Cost CDN$ M $476
Sustaining Capital LOM CDN$ M $37
Average Op Cost/tonne CDN$ $21.15
Pre-Tax Net Revenue CDN$ M $710.1
Pre-Tax NPV7% CDN$ M $324.4
Pre-Tax IRR and Payback 21.1% and 3.7 years
Post-Tax Net Revenue CDN$ M $475.1
Post-Tax NPV7% CDN$ M $191.2
Post-Tax IRR and Payback 16.6% and 4.0 years
Metal Price Cu US$/lb $2.90
Au US$/oz $1,270
Ag US$/oz $19.00
Exchange Rate US$/CDN$ 0.77
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PEA SUMMARY PRODUCTION STATISTICS
Category Units First 8 Years LOM
Tonnes Milled Kt 43,201 78,855
Average Grade Cu % 0.466 0.381
Au g/t 0.539 0.357
Ag g/t 1.391 1.398
Metal Production Cu M lbs 403.462 600.635
Au Moz 0.561 0.673
Ag Moz 1.449 2.659
Throughput tpd 15,000
Mine Life Yrs 15
Net Cash Cost of
Production (C1)* per lb Cu US$ $0.70 $1.20
* Net Direct Cash Cost (C1) is an industry standard measure that represents the cash cost incurred at each processing stage, fr om mining through
to recoverable metal delivered to market, less net by-product credits.
Direct Cash Costs cover: Mining, ore freight and milling cost s; Mine-site administration and general expenses; Concentrate frei ght, smelting and
smelter general and administrative costs; Marketing costs (freight and selling).
Gold, Silver credits contribute 64.3% to revenue in the first eight years or 53.0% LOM at the Kwanika project.
The PEA prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Services (“MMTS”) is based on the resource model presented in the December
2016 NI43-101 technical report titled “Independent Technical Report for the Kwanika Copper-Gold Project Canada”, authored by
SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. (See NR 2017-01, January 4 th, 2017 or access the report through www.sedar.com for full details).
SRK’s Resource Estimate used a confining pit and underground shapes to define contiguous mineralization with reasonable
prospects for eventual economic extraction. The resource therein is shown in the following table:
MINERAL RESOURCE STATEMENT* KWANIKA CENTRAL ZONE
Category
Quantity
(x1000
Tonnes)
Cut -off
Cu Eq
(%)
Grade Contained Metal
Cu
(%)
Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Cu
(000's lb)
Au
(000's oz)
Ag
(000's oz)
Pit
Constrained
Indicated 101,500 0.13 0.31 0.32 0. 96 697,200 1,040 3,120
Inferred 31,900 0.13 0.17 0.14 0.59 118,500 140 610
Underground
Indicated 29,700 0.27 0.34 0.36 1.05 222,300 350 1,010
Inferred 7,900 0.27 0.23 0.17 0.68 39,800 40 170
MINERAL RESOURCE STATEMENT* KWANIKA SOUTH ZONE
Category
Quantity Grade Contained Metal
(x1000
Tonnes)
Cu
(%)
Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Mo
(%)
Cu
(000's lb)
Au
(000's oz)
Ag
(000's oz)
Mo
(000's lb)
Inferred 33,300 0.26 0.08 1.64 0. 01 191,400 80 1,760 7,470
* Pit constrained mineral resources are reported in relation to a conceptual Whittle pit shell and underground resources are re ported within the
area for potential underground development. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic vi ability. All
figures are rounded to reflect the relative accuracy of the estimate. All composites have been capped where appropriate.
** Pit constrained mineral resources are repor ted at a copper equivalent cut-off of 0.13% and underground resources are reporte d at 0.27%. The
cut-offs are based on prices of US$3.00 per pound of copper, US$1,300 per ounce of gold, US$20 per ounce of silver, US$9.00 per lb of
molybdenum and assumed recoveries of 89% for copper, 70% for gold, 75% for silver, and 60% for molybdenum.
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The MMTS mining study has focused on a higher grade core of the deposit and delineated combined open pit and underground
designs on the Central and South zones as follows:
Open Pit in Central and South zones
Zone Category Tonnage Cu Au Ag
(Kt) (%) (g/t) (g/t)
Central Indicated 11,752 0. 372 0.387 1.076
Inferred 208 0.278 0.170 0.785
South Inferred 24,819 0.265 0.076 1.630
Note: NSR cut-off used is Cdn$11.90/tonne with a provision for mining loss of 5% and dilution of 2%
Underground Delineated Resource on the Central zone as follows:
Zone Category Tonnage Cu Au Ag
(Kt) (%) (g/t) (g/t)
Block Cave Indicated 41,410 0. 455 0.522 1.364
Inferred 666 0.271 0.168 0.720
Note: To account for mining loss and dilution all material within the within stope shapes are included with no cut-off grade applied
The mine plan generates the following throughput over the 15 year operating mine life.
Mine Production /
Total tonnes milled (Kt) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t)
First 8 Years* 43,201 0.466 0.539 1.391
LOM 78,855 0.381 0.357 1.398
* Included in the LOM quantities
All mineralized material classified as Indicated (67%) and Inferred (33%) Mineral Resources has been considered in the
mine plan. The PEA is preliminary in nature and it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too
speculative geologically to have the economic consideration applied to them that would enable them to be characterized
as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability and
there is no certainty that the results of the PEA will be realized.
Economic Analysis
Economic evaluations were generated incorporating forecasts for metal prices and US$/CDN$ exchange rate. The Base Case is a
medium term forecast meant to be comparable to other recent Canadian projects. The Spot Price case is from March 1, 2017, and
the Alternate Case is 10% above the Base Case. Results are shown in the following table:
Parameter Unit Base Case Spot Price Alternate
Metal Price
Copper US$/lb 2.90 2.71 3.19
Gold US$/oz 1,270 1,258 1,397
Silver US$/oz 19.00 18.47 20.90
Exchange Rate US$/CDN$ 0.77 0.75 0.77
Economic Results (Pre-Tax)
Net Revenue CDN$ M 710.1 635.3 1,040.5
NPV5% CDN$ M 411.1 361.7 635.3
NPV7% CDN$ M 324.4 282.0 519.1
NPV8% CDN$ M 286.5 247.0 468.4
NPV10% CDN$ M 219.9 185.6 379.5
IRR % 21.1 19.6 27.8
Payback years 3.7 3.9 3.0
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Parameter Unit Base Case Spot Price Alternate
Economic Results (After-Tax)
Net Revenue CDN$ M 475.1 426.2 692.0
NPV5% CDN$ M 255.2 222.49 404.2
NPV7% CDN$ M 191.2 162.7 321.4
NPV8% CDN$ M 163.2 136.6 285.3
NPV10% CDN$ M 113.9 90.6 221.8
IRR % 16.6 15.3 22.1
Payback years 4.0 4.2 3.3
Project Development Plan
The proposed project is to develop a green-fields copper-gold-s ilver deposit with a combination of open pit and block cave
underground mining for the Central Zone and open pit mining for the South Zone combined with conventional milling and flotation
concentration methods. The production rate assumed is 15,000 tonnes per day with a forecast mine life of 15 years. Mineral
concentrate would be trucked approximately 190 kilometers to a ra il load-out facility in Fort St. James, rail to Prince Rupert, and
ocean transport to Asian smelters. Forestry Service Roads an d the existing Kemess mine power line which is connected to the
power grid, are in the local area which reduces the offsite infr astructure costs. A traditiona l tailings storage facility (TSF ) will be
augmented by using all open pit waste to buttress the dam to incr ease the factor of safety and a separate water storage dam and
water treatment plant are included, so that surplus water can be discharged safely to the environment and not stored in the TSF.
Forecast mine production statistics are summarized in the following table:
Metal
First 8 Years
Grade Recovery
% Total Metal Production Annual Metal Production
Copper (%) 0.466 91 403,462 K lbs 50,433 K lbs
Gold (g/t) 0.539 75 561.2 K oz 70.1 K oz
Silver (g/t) 1.391 75 1,449 K oz 181.1 K oz
Metal
LOM (Life of Mine)
Grade Recovery
% Total Metal Production Annual Metal Production
Copper (%) 0.381 89/91 600,635 K lbs 40,042K lbs
Gold (g/t) 0.357 70/75 676.3 K oz 45.1 K oz
Silver (g/t) 1.398 75 2,659 K oz 177.3 K oz
Assumed capital and operating costs for the operation are as follows (in CDN$):
- Initial capital of $476.2 million including open pit pre-strippi ng mining costs, the start of underground access development ,
and construction of the processing plant, site infrastructure, construction of a tailings storage facilty, access and power with
a contingency of $61.0 million
- LOM sustaining capital cost of $ 36.6 million is predominately for underground equipment when the Block Cave production
starts early in the operating schedule. Ongoing underground development is in cluded in operating costs. An additional
$46.3 million is also included in operating costs for final recl amation and closure. Future studies will develop a more cost
effective allocation of the costs of these activities, when more project details from the environmental studies, permitting
obligations, and progressive reclamation details are known.
Open pit operation and equipment will be contractor supplied and well as underground development. Underground operations will
be an owners’ team for mucking and hauling from the extraction level of the Block cave.
- Total weighted operating cost of $21.15/ tonne processed including: open pit mining $2.97 / tonne mined; LOM open pit
strip ratio of 1.69, underground block cave mining $11.73 / tonne mined; mill and tailings $9.00 / tonne; G&A $1.95 / tonne
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Recommendations for Further Work and Opportunities to Enhance Value
The independent consultants have recommended advancing the projec t to a higher level of study leading to a Pre-Feasibility
Study and eventually to a Feasibility Study. The immediate wo rk will require field work and data gathering for Pre-Feasibility
engineering and baseline environmental studies in preparation for consultation with First Nations, sustainability discussions w ith
local stakeholders and preparations for permit applications with re gulators. This will include additional drilling to improve t he
modelled resource classification, geotec hnical drilling, starting long duration wast e rock characterization studies, and backgr ound
environmental field surveys.
Furthermore as demonstrated by K-177 drilled in the course of the 2016 program, potential exists to significantly increase gold
and to a lesser extent, copper grades, within the high grade dom ain of the Central Zone by drilling additional holes oriented
perpendicular to the deposit’s E-W long axis. K-16-179 also opened up the NW corner of Central Zone for expansion and
deepening of this hole is recommended along with additional dri ll holes in this area. Finally the recent mine modelling as part of
the PEA has demonstrated that several areas of better grade exist below the currently planned South Zone pits which with
additional drilling could be brought into a future mine plan.
Daewoo Deal Terms
This PEA was completed as part of a program funded by Daew oo Minerals Canada, whereby Daewoo earned a 5% project
interest by paying Serengeti $400,000 and spending $800,000 on the project within the first year. Daewoo may earn an additional
30% interest in the project, by electing within 90 days of comp letion of the PEA report, to fund an additional $7 million over the
next two year period. Serengeti remains as project operator and is entitled to charge a 10% operator fee on expenditures beyon d
the initial $1.2 million. Serenget i is entitled to an NSR royalty if its project interest is diluted below 50% and also retain s the right
to enter into precious metal streaming transactions subject to certain off-take rights to Daewoo ( see NR 2016-03, April 6 th, 2016
for full details).
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure.
The Kwanika PEA was prepared by Moose Mountain Technical Se rvices (MMTS) under the direction of Jim Gray, P.Eng., a
Qualified Person (as defined under National Instrument 43-101) who is independent of Serengeti and has reviewed and approved
this news release. Marek Nowak, P. Eng. and Chad Yuhasz, P. Geo. of SRK Consulting (C anada) completed the NI 43-101
resource assessment report included in this PEA and are Qualified Persons and independent of Serengeti .
Experts contributing to this study include AMEC Consulting wh o produced a Caveability Assessment of the Kwanika Project and
SGS Metallurgical Services Ltd. who have conducted a preliminary metallurgical test program on the Central Zone.
An updated national Instrument 43-101 Technical Report on the Kwanika Project describing the results of the PEA will be filed on
SEDAR and be available on Serengeti’s website at www.serengetiresources.com within 45 days.
David W. Moore, P.Geo., Serengeti Resources Inc. President & CE O is the Company’s designated QP for this news release and
has reviewed and validated that the information contained in the release is consistent with that provided by the QP’s responsible
for the PEA.
About Serengeti Resources Inc.
Serengeti is a mineral exploration company managed by an experi enced team of professionals with a solid track record of
exploration success. The Company is cu rrently advancing its Kwanika copper-gold project in partnership with Daewoo Minerals
Canada and exploring its extensive portfolio of properties in the highly prospective Quesnel Trough of British Columbia. A number
of these other projects are available for option or joint venture and additional information can be found on the Company’s website
at www.serengetiresources.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
David W. Moore, P. Geo., President, CEO and Director
Cautionary Statement
This document contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian secu rities regulations. All stat ements other than
statements of historical fact herein, including, without limitat ion, statements regarding exploration plans and other future pl ans and objectives, are
forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate
and future events and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from our expectations as well as a comprehensive list of risk factors are disclosed in the Company ’s documents filed
from time to time via SEDAR with the Canadian regulatory agencie s to whose policies we are bound. Forward-looking statements a re based on
the estimates and opinions of management on the date the statem ents are made, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-
looking statements should conditions or our estimates change, other than as requir ed by law and readers are further advised not to place undue
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reliance on forward-looking statements. The information in this News Release related to the Kwanika Copper/Gold Project was de rived from the
PEA. Statements pertaining to projected revenues and cash flow s, quantity and grade of mineralized materials, estimated mineral prices are
forward-looking statements. The Compan y cautions that this PEA is preliminary in nature, and is based on technical and econom ic assumptions
which will be evaluated in further studies. The PEA is based on t he current (as at January 2017) Kwanika estimated resource mo del, which
consists of material in both the indica ted and inferred classifications. Inferred mi neral resources are c onsidered too specula tive geologically to
have technical and economic consi derations applied to them. The current basis of project information is not sufficient to conv ert the mineral
resources to mineral reserves, and mineral resources that ar e not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Accordingly,
there can be no certainty that the results estimated in the PEA will be realized.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations: Paradox Public Relations Tel: 514-341-0408 Toll free (in North America) 1-866-460-0408
Email [email protected]
Serengeti Resources Inc. 520 – 800 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6
Tel: 604-605-1300 Email: [email protected] Website: www.serengetiresources.com