Second quarter
2022 operational review
Serabi Gold plc (AIM:SRB, TSX:SBI), the
Brazilian-focused gold mining and development company,
is pleased to report a strong improvement
in production in the second quarter of 2022 and
provide a review of its development and exploration
activities.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Strong
improvement in production over the second quarter with 8,418 ounces
recovered, an increase of 19% on the first quarter with a 12%
improvement in processed gold grade.
- Year to date
production of 15,480 ounces and annual production guidance
maintained at 30,000 ounces.
- Excellent
progress at the Coringa project during the quarter with further
high grade ore mined from the underground development, with
ore-sorter test work returning very positive results and
metallurgical recoveries of 96% achieved through the Palito
processing plant.
- Discovery of Cu-Au-Mo porphyry confirmed at Matilda with
anomalous mineralisation encountered along the entire length of
three holes at average grades of over 0.2% copper equivalent (“Cu
Eq”)(1) as announced on 5 July 2022.
Mike Hodgson, CEO of Serabi,
commented:
“It has been an excellent quarter for Serabi
with significant progress on three fronts.
“We have seen a strong recovery in production
from the Palito operations with 8,418 ounces produced, a 19%
increase on Q1. This improvement has been driven by the measures we
implemented during the first quarter and is a testament to the hard
work of the operational team. We continue to optimise the Palito
operation and with the increased production this should improve our
unit costs going forward.
“Development at Coringa continues to progress
extremely well. The underground mine development is advancing to
plan and generating high grade ore that we are trucking to Palito.
Given the success of the ore sorting test work, we are now
undertaking internal studies to evaluate an incremental development
approach whereby we install a crushing plant and ore sorter at
Coringa to generate a higher-grade product to truck to Palito. Both
the crushing plant and ore sorter are required as part of the full
processing plant but installation now, as an interim step, will
allow us to increase our short-term production and revenue, and
therefore provide the opportunity to fund more of the development
from cash flow thereby reduce the level of future debt capital
required for the full plant construction.
“The exploration highlight for the quarter was
the receipt of multi-element assay results from the three holes
drilled at the Matilda Prospect confirming a porphyry discovery.
Each hole encountered anomalous mineralisation from top to bottom
including some zones of higher grade. We are working with external
porphyry experts to plan the next phase of exploration. In
parallel, we have received interest from a number of major mining
companies for further information. We will therefore evaluate the
best options for the Company to move the Matilda Prospect and other
regional targets forward over the coming months.
“It is an exciting time for the Company as we
see improved production from Palito, development at Coringa
progressing apace and a new porphyry discovery at Matilda. We look
forward to keeping all stakeholders updated as to the progress
across our exciting projects.”
(1) Copper equivalent grades
calculated using spot metal prices as at 29 June 2022 of Gold:
US$1,817/ ounce, Copper: US$3.81/ pound and Molybdenum: US$19.73/
pound.
OPERATIONAL
RESULTS
Total production for the second quarter of 2022
was 8,418 ounces, a strong increase of 19% on the first quarter
production (Q1 2022: 7,062 ounces). Total production for the first
half of 2022 was 15,480 ounces (H1 2021: 17,135 ounces).
Total ore mined during the quarter of 44,008
tonnes at 6.26 grammes per tonne (“g/t”) of gold, compared with
40,606 tonnes at 5.84 g/t for the first quarter of 2022. Total ore
mined during the first six months of 2022 of 84,614 tonnes at 6.06
g/t, compared with 83,423 tonnes at 6.71 g/t for the first half of
2021.
43,448 tonnes of run of mine (“ROM”) ore were
processed through the plant during the second quarter, with an
average grade of 6.43 g/t of gold a 12% grade improvement, compared
with 41,357 tonnes at 5.72 g/t in the first quarter. 84,845 tonnes
of ROM at 6.09 g/t were processed in the first half of 2022 (H1
2021: 85,141 tonnes at 6.67 g/t).
A total of 3,353 metres of horizontal
development has been completed during the quarter (Q1 2022: 2,938
metres)., of which 1,651 metres was ore development. The balance is
the ramp, cross cuts and stope preparation development.
SUMMARY PRODUCTION STATISTICS FOR 2022 AND
2021 |
|
|
Qtr 12022 |
Qtr 22022 |
YTD2022 |
Qtr 12021 |
Qtr 22021 |
Qtr 32021 |
Qtr 42021 |
Full Yr2021 |
Gold production (1) (2) |
Ounces |
7,062 |
8,418 |
15,480 |
8,087 |
9,048 |
9,035 |
7,678 |
33,848 |
Mined ore - Total |
Tonnes |
40,606 |
44,008 |
84,614 |
40,371 |
43,051 |
42,240 |
44,599 |
170,261 |
|
Gold grade (g/t) |
5.84 |
6.26 |
6.06 |
6.27 |
7.12 |
7.18 |
5.81 |
6.59 |
Milled ore |
Tonnes |
41,357 |
43,488 |
84,845 |
41,462 |
43,679 |
41,995 |
43,663 |
170,799 |
|
Gold grade (g/t) |
5.72 |
6.43 |
6.09 |
6.27 |
7.09 |
7.20 |
5.90 |
6.61 |
Horizontal development -Total |
Metres |
2,938 |
3,353 |
6,291 |
3,573 |
2,961 |
2,842 |
3,318 |
12,694 |
(1) The table may not sum due
to rounding.(2) Production numbers are subject to
change pending final assay analysis from refineries.
The second quarter of 2022 has seen mined grades
improve by 7% compared with the first quarter, most notably through
production mining improvements in the Julia vein on the Sao Chico
orebody. Mine development rates have also improved through the
introduction of the long awaited fleet ordered in 2021.
Mined grades from the Palito orebody have also
been encouraging. The Chico da Santa sector in Palito on levels
-60mRL, -80mRL and -100mRL has been particularly strong. The G3
vein on level 84mRL on G3 South area has also been re-opened and
advanced, this will hopefully open up the new G3 South mining
area.
Underground exploration drilling is ongoing into
the Chico de Santa zone below -140mRL, also in G3 Deep, below level
-54mRL and in the Senna sector at depth.
At the São Chico orebody, the deepest level,
-94mRL is being advanced, with the balance of production and
development coming from the Julia Vein on several levels between
level 0mRL and 100mRL, with minor stoping on upper level
216mRL.
CORINGA
DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
- Underground
development continues to generate high grade ore at Coringa with
over 280 metres of on-lode development completed. Selected channel
sample results include (see news release dated 22 June, 2022):
- 0.65 metres
@ 99.26g/t Au (SRR-320-042 - development 320_V3S)
- 0.42 metres
@ 116.18g/t Au (SRR-320-044 - development 320_V3S)
- 0.17 metres
@ 302.36g/t Au (SRR-340-031 - development 340_V3N)
- 0.55 metres
@ 46.53g/t Au (SRR-320-050 - development 320_V3S)
- 0.52 metres
@ 55.57g/t Au (SRR-340-039 - development 340_V3S)
- 0.22 metres
@ 123.62g/t Au (SRR-320-052 - development 320_V3S)
- 0.32 metres
@ 133.92g/t Au (SRR-340-042 - development 340_V3S)
- 0.50 metres
@ 68.59g/t Au (SRR-320-056 – development 320_V3S)
- Initial ore
sorting test work confirms amenability to ore sorting of Coringa
ore with a greater than three times improvement in grade.
- Metallurgical
recovery of 96.0% achieved from processing Coringa bulk sample
through the Palito processing plant.
- Following the
success of the initial development, internal studies are being
undertaken to evaluate a number of development opportunities for
Coringa. These include continuing to truck high grade ore to Palito
for processing and installing a crushing plant and ore sorter at
Coringa, as an interim step, to further upgrade the transported
material. This latter option has the benefit of enhancing gold
production and revenue and reducing the level of future external
capital required to fund the construction of the full plant.
EXPLORATION HIGHLIGHTS
Matilda Prospect
- Assay results
from the first-pass three-hole diamond drilling programme into the
Matilda Prospect confirm the discovery of a Cu-Au-Mo porphyry
system (see news release dated 5 July 2022). Anomalous
mineralisation was encountered along the entire length of each hole
with average grades of each hole over 0.2% copper equivalent (“Cu
Eq”)1:
-
234.20m @ 0.26% Cu
Eq (22-MT-001)
- 210.57m @
0.20% Cu Eq (22-MT-002)
- 250.75m @
0.23% Cu Eq (22-MT-003)
- Higher grade
copper equivalent intercepts include
- 7.55m @
0.52% Cu Eq from 57.00m
(22-MT-001)
- 21.00m @
0.44% Cu Eq from 113.00m including
7.85m @ 0.67% Cu Eq from 113.00m
and 3.60m @ 1.02% Cu Eq from
117.25m (22-MT-001)
- 19.08m @
0.51% Cu Eq from 215.12m (22-MT-001) and
open at depth
- 19.40m @
0.35% Cu Eq from 38.25m including
8.75m @ 0.43% Cu Eq from 38.25m
(22-MT-002)
- 4.45m @
0.57% Cu Eq from 77.30m (22-MT-002)
- 2.75m @
0.73% Cu Eq from 193.85m (22-MT-002)
- 37.05m @
0.37% Cu Eq from 43.40m including
2.50m @ 0.50% Cu Eq from 43.40m
(22-MT-003)
- 22.90m @
0.47% Cu Eq from 127.10m (22-MT-003)
- Drilling
targeted the high grade portion of a 2.5km by 1.2km Cu-Au soil
geochemical anomaly although the area with the highest magnetic
signature remains untested.
- Follow-up work
to initially focus on higher definition of magnetics and soil
geochemistry to help target the next drilling programme.
- Matilda
represents one of five compelling, zoned multi-element, soil
geochemical anomalies defined by the exploration team in recent
years along the margins of a 40km magnetic high.
- Independent
porphyry experts have been engaged to assist with further analysis
of the results to date and to assist with planning the next phase
of exploration. In parallel, interest has been received from a
number of major mining companies. Confidentiality agreements are
being put in place and site visits arranged.
FINANCE UPDATE
Cash balances at the end of June 2022 were
US$9.8 million with a further receipt of US$1.9 million for a sale
of copper/gold concentrate due to be received in early July. This
receipt was delayed from June due to a delay in the departure of
the vessel carrying the concentrate to the refinery.
This cash position includes the proceeds of a
US$5.1 million unsecured loan arrangement completed with a
Brazilian bank. The loan is repayable as a bullet payment on 12 May
2023 and carries an interest coupon of 6.6 per cent.
2022 PRODUCTION GUIDANCE
With 15,480 ounces produced by mid-year, the
Company remains on target to meet production guidance of 30,000
ounces.
The information contained within this
announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside
information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU)
No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
The person who arranged for the release of this
announcement on behalf of the Company was Clive Line, Director.
Enquiries
SERABI GOLD plcMichael
Hodgson t
+44 (0)20 7246 6830Chief
Executive m
+44 (0)7799 473621
Clive
Line t
+44 (0)20 7246 6830Finance
Director m
+44 (0)7710 151692
e
contact@serabigold.com
www.serabigold.com
BEAUMONT CORNISH
LimitedNominated Adviser & Financial
AdviserRoland Cornish / Michael
Cornish t
+44 (0)20 7628 3396
PEEL HUNT LLPJoint UK
BrokerRoss Allister / Alexander
Allen t
+44 (0)20 7418 9000
TAMESIS PARTNERS LLPJoint
UK BrokerCharlie Bendon/ Richard
Greenfield t
+44 (0)20 3882 2868
CAMARCOFinancial PRGordon
Poole / Emily
Hall t
+44 (0)20 3757 4980
Copies of this announcement are available from
the Company's website at www.serabigold.com.
See
www.serabigold.com for more information
and follow us on twitter @Serabi_Gold
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
The following is a glossary of technical
terms:
“Ag” |
means silver. |
“Au” |
means gold. |
“assay” |
in economic geology, means to analyse the proportions of metal in a
rock or overburden sample; to test an ore or mineral for
composition, purity, weight or other properties of commercial
interest. |
“CIM” |
means the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum. |
“chalcopyrite” |
is a sulphide of copper and iron. |
“Cu” |
means copper. |
“cut-off grade” |
the lowest grade of mineralised material that qualifies as ore in a
given deposit; rock of the lowest assay included in an ore
estimate. |
“dacite porphyry intrusive” |
a silica-rich igneous rock with larger phenocrysts (crystals)
within a fine-grained matrixi |
“deposit” |
is a mineralised body which has been physically delineated by
sufficient drilling, trenching, and/or underground work, and found
to contain a sufficient average grade of metal or metals to warrant
further exploration and/or development expenditures; such a deposit
does not qualify as a commercially mineable ore body or as
containing ore reserves, until final legal, technical, and economic
factors have been resolved. |
“electromagnetics” |
is a geophysical technique tool measuring the magnetic field
generated by subjecting the sub-surface to electrical
currents. |
“garimpo” |
is a local artisanal mining operation |
“garimpeiro” |
is a local artisanal miner. |
“geochemical” |
refers to geological information using measurements derived from
chemical analysis. |
“geophysical” |
refers to geological information using measurements derived from
the use of magnetic and electrical readings. |
“geophysical techniques” |
include the exploration of an area by exploiting differences in
physical properties of different rock types. Geophysical methods
include seismic, magnetic, gravity, induced polarisation and other
techniques; geophysical surveys can be undertaken from the ground
or from the air. |
“gossan” |
is an iron-bearing weathered product that overlies a sulphide
deposit. |
“grade” |
is the concentration of mineral within the host rock typically
quoted as grams per tonne (g/t), parts per million (ppm) or parts
per billion (ppb). |
“g/t” |
means grams per tonne. |
“granodiorite” |
is an igneous intrusive rock similar to granite. |
“hectare” or a “ha” |
is a unit of measurement equal to 10,000 square metres. |
“igneous” |
is a rock that has solidified from molten material or magma. |
“IP” |
refers to induced polarisation, a geophysical technique whereby an
electric current is induced into the sub-surface and the
conductivity of the sub-surface is recorded. |
“intrusive” |
is a body of rock that invades older rocks. |
“mineralisation” |
the concentration of metals and their chemical compounds within a
body of rock. |
“mineralised” |
refers to rock which contains minerals e.g. iron, copper,
gold. |
“Mo-Bi-As-Te-W-Sn” |
Molybdenum-Bismuth-Arsenic-Tellurium-Tungsten-Tin |
“monzogranite” |
a biotite rich granite, often part of the later-stage emplacement
of a larger granite body. |
“mt” |
means million tonnes. |
“ore” |
means a metal or mineral or a combination of these of sufficient
value as to quality and quantity to enable it to be mined at a
profit. |
“oxides” |
are near surface bed-rock which has been weathered and oxidised by
long term exposure to the effects of water and air. |
“ppm” |
means parts per million. |
“saprolite” |
is a weathered or decomposed clay-rich rock. |
“sulphide” |
refers to minerals consisting of a chemical combination of sulphur
with a metal. |
“vein” |
is a generic term to describe an occurrence of mineralised rock
within an area of non-mineralised rock. |
“VTEM” |
refers to versa time domain electromagnetic, a particular variant
of time-domain electromagnetic geophysical survey to prospect for
conductive bodies below surface. |
Assay ResultsAssay results reported within this
release include those provided by the Company's own on-site
laboratory facilities at Palito and have not yet been independently
verified. Serabi closely monitors the performance of its own
facility against results from independent laboratory analysis for
quality control purpose. As a matter of normal practice, the
Company sends duplicate samples derived from a variety of the
Company's activities to accredited laboratory facilities for
independent verification. Since mid-2019, over 10,000 exploration
drill core samples have been assayed at both the Palito laboratory
and certified external laboratory, in most cases the ALS laboratory
in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. When comparing significant assays with
grades exceeding 1 g/t gold, comparison between Palito versus
external results record an average over-estimation by the Palito
laboratory of 6.7% over this period. Based on the results of this
work, the Company's management are satisfied that the Company's own
facility shows sufficiently good correlation with independent
laboratory facilities for exploration drill samples. The Company
would expect that in the preparation of any future independent
Reserve/Resource statement undertaken in compliance with a
recognised standard, the independent authors of such a statement
would not use Palito assay results without sufficient duplicates
from an appropriately certificated laboratory.
Forward-looking statementsCertain statements in
this announcement are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking
statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use
of terms and phrases such as ‘‘believe’’, ‘‘could’’, “should”
‘‘envisage’’, ‘‘estimate’’, ‘‘intend’’, ‘‘may’’, ‘‘plan’’, ‘‘will’’
or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions,
including references to assumptions. These forward-looking
statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the
Directors’ current expectations and assumptions regarding the
Company’s future growth, results of operations, performance, future
capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and
sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business
prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect
the Directors’ current beliefs and assumptions and are based on
information currently available to the Directors. A number of
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the
results discussed in the forward-looking statements including risks
associated with vulnerability to general economic and business
conditions, competition, environmental and other regulatory
changes, actions by governmental authorities, the availability of
capital markets, reliance on key personnel, uninsured and
underinsured losses and other factors, many of which are beyond the
control of the Company. Although any forward-looking statements
contained in this announcement are based upon what the Directors
believe to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure
investors that actual results will be consistent with such forward
looking statements.
Qualified Persons StatementThe scientific and
technical information contained within this announcement has been
reviewed and approved by Michael Hodgson, a Director of the
Company. Mr Hodgson is an Economic Geologist by training with over
30 years' experience in the mining industry. He holds a BSc (Hons)
Geology, University of London, a MSc Mining Geology, University of
Leicester and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals
and Mining and a Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council of
UK, recognizing him as both a Qualified Person for the purposes of
Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and by the AIM Guidance Note on
Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, nor any other securities
regulatory authority, has approved or disapproved of the contents
of this news release
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