Asante Gold Corporation (CSE:ASE |
GSE:ASG) (“Asante” or the “Company”) is
pleased to announce a progress update related to the planned
sulphide treatment plant and rerouting of the Bibiani-Goaso Highway
at the Bibiani Gold Mine (“Bibiani”). All dollar figures are in
United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Sulphide Plant Progress
Update
Installation of the sulphide plant is key to the
Company’s plans to grow gold production at Bibiani to more than
250,000 ounces per year. Cumulative production of 1.2 million
ounces of gold is anticipated over the next five years at lower
all-in sustaining costs (“AISC”), as detailed in the 2024 Bibiani
Technical Report (see May 1, 2024 press release). The plant is
planned for completion in the first quarter of 2025, at a total
capital cost of approximately $30 million. Once in operation, gold
recovery from sulphide ore processed at Bibiani is expected to
increase from 70% to approximately 92%, resulting in increased gold
production and lower AISC. On this basis, the estimated payback on
the sulphide plant is expected to be just four months.
The sulphide plant is a unit operation that will
be integrated with the existing process plant. It will include
rougher flotation to produce a sulphide concentrate that is 10% of
total process plant feed. This concentrate will be thickened and
reground to 25 microns in order to liberate gold that occurs at 35
microns or more. Following this, the material will be treated with
high-intensity leach, after which the tailings will be returned to
the main carbon-in-leach plant.
Installation of the sulphide plant continues to
advance on schedule and within budget, with civil works now 55%
complete. Long-lead time equipment was ordered in 2022, including
the flotation equipment, thickener, grinding mill and the
associated structural steel for the regrind section. Shipment of
these items will start in mid-August 2024, with delivery to the
Bibiani site starting in September 2024. In addition, other
relevant equipment including pumps, instrumentation, switchgear,
Aachen reactor, and leach tank agitators are being ordered at this
time. All other structural steel and platework for the project will
be fabricated in Ghana.
As far as energy needs are concerned, the
additional connected power load is approximately 3.5 megawatts,
with an operating load of 2.4 megawatts. Detailed engineering is
being progressed by Mining Process and Project Engineering (MPPE),
a Ghanaian engineering company. The Project Execution Plan has been
developed and issued by Jet-Rom, the Ghanaian project management
company, which estimates six months for completion.
When the sulphide plant is completed, Asante
expects to be producing approximately 20,000 ounces per month at
Bibiani, which is in line with the Company’s long-term planning for
the mine. Asante looks forward to the completion of the sulphide
plant as it works to improve and optimize its operating mines.
Rerouting of the Bibiani-Goaso
Highway
Traffic was redirected onto the new road
constructed to maintain access to Bibiani-Goaso Highway on June 3,
2024. This allowed closure of the portion of the road impacted by
the mine’s expansion plans. As previously announced (see press
release of June 13, 2024), rerouting the highway allows the Company
to access 170,000 ounces of contained gold from the main pit in the
next 12 months. This ore was previously inaccessible.
The Company completed its first pass of grade
control drilling on June 10, 2024 and started to deliver oxide ore
to the process plant on June 14, 2024. To date this oxide ore has
yielded gold recovery of approximately 85% through the process
plant.
In addition to improved gold recovery in the
short-term, mining south at the main pit of Bibiani defers full
processing of sulphide ore until the sulphide plant is completed.
This will allow Asante to recover approximately 92% of the gold in
the sulphide ore, compared to the current recovery rate of
approximately 70%.
Figure 1 – New road alongside Bibiani Pit
Figure 2 – Mining of newly accessible oxide ore in
the Bibiani Pit
Financial Initiatives
Asante has engaged Endeavour Financial to
conduct a comprehensive and non-dilutive financing initiative, to
strengthen the Company’s balance sheet and prepare it for further
advancement. At this stage, the initiative is well advanced and the
Company expects to report substantive news in the near term.
Qualified Person Statement
The scientific and technical information
contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by
David Anthony, P.Eng., Mining and Mineral Processing, President and
CEO of Asante, who is a “qualified person” under NI 43-101.
Non-IFRS Measures
This news release includes certain terms or
performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that are
not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards
(“IFRS”), including “all-in sustaining costs” (or “AISC”). Non-IFRS
measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under
IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures
employed by other companies. The data presented is intended to
provide additional information and should not be considered in
isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared
in accordance with IFRS and should be read in conjunction with
Asante’s consolidated financial statements. Readers should refer to
Asante’s Management Discussion and Analysis under the heading
“Non-IFRS Measures” for a more detailed discussion of how Asante
calculates certain of such measures and a reconciliation of certain
measures to IFRS terms.
About Asante Gold
Corporation
Asante is a gold exploration, development and
operating company with a high-quality portfolio of projects and
mines in Ghana. Asante is currently operating the Bibiani and
Chirano Gold Mines and continues with detailed technical studies at
its Kubi Gold Project. All mines and exploration projects are
located on the prolific Bibiani and Ashanti Gold Belts. Asante has
an experienced and skilled team of mine finders, builders and
operators, with extensive experience in Ghana. The Company is
listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the Ghana Stock
Exchange. Asante is also exploring its Keyhole, Fahiakoba and
Betenase projects for new discoveries, all adjoining or along
strike of major gold mines near the centre of Ghana’s Golden
Triangle. Additional information is available on the Company’s
website at www.asantegold.com.
About the Bibiani Gold Mine
Bibiani is an operating open pit gold mine
situated in the Western North Region of Ghana, with previous gold
production of more than 4.5 million ounces. It is fully permitted
with available mining and processing infrastructure on-site
consisting of a newly refurbished 3 million tonne per annum process
plant and existing mining infrastructure. Asante commenced mining
at Bibiani in late February 2022 with the first gold pour announced
on July 7, 2022. Commercial production was announced November 10,
2022.
For additional information relating to the
mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates for the Bibiani Gold
Mine, please refer to the 2024 Bibiani Technical Report filed on
the Company’s SEDAR+ profile (www.sedarplus.ca) on April 30,
2024.
For further information please
contact:
Dave Anthony, President & CEOFrederick
Attakumah, Executive Vice President and Country Director
info@asantegold.com+1 604 661 9400 or +233 303
972 147
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain statements in this news release
constitute forward-looking statements, including but not limited
to, production and all-in sustaining costs forecasts for the
Bibiani Gold Mine, exploration results and potential, development
programs, expansion and mine life extension opportunities, and
completion of plant upgrades. Forward-looking statements involve
risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual
results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of
any mineral deposits that may be located, the Company’s inability
to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations
required for its planned activities, the Company’s inability to
raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its
business strategies, and the price of gold. The reader is referred
to the Company’s public disclosure record which is available on
SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca). Although the Company believes that the
assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking
statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on
these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news
release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur
in the disclosed time frames or at all. Except as required by
securities laws and the policies of the securities exchanges on
which the Company is listed, the Company disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
LEI Number: 529900F9PV1G9S5YD446. Neither IIROC
nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available
at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d96d7af-5fcd-46a4-a294-b79349620418https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e9208b2f-7b75-400d-9415-296763630de5
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