THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Riverside Resources Inc. (“Riverside” or the “Company”) (RRI.V) is pleased to announce it has closed its previously announced private placement. The placement was over-subscribed and the Company issued 17,488,875 units at a price of $0.16 per unit for gross proceeds of $2,798,220 instead of the 9,375,000 units ($1,500,000) originally contemplated.
Each unit consists of one common share and one whole common share purchase warrant (“Unit”). Each common share purchase warrant is exercisable into one common share for a period of two (2) years from closing at a price of $0.22 (“Warrant”). If, at any time after July 20, 2019, the closing price of the common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSX-V”) trades at a VWAP equal or greater than $0.45 for 10 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by disseminating a press release announcing the new expiry date whereupon the Warrants will expire on the 30th trading day after the date on which such press release is disseminated.
Management and insiders subscribed for 845,000 Units for $135,200 in total proceeds to the Company.
With respect to a portion of the funds raised in the private placement, the Company paid finders’ fees of $87,312 to Sprott Global Resource Investments Ltd., $20,076.80 and 12,000 Units to Haywood Securities Inc., 16,000 Units to Canaccord Genuity, and $1,280 to PI Financial Corp.
All securities issued pursuant to the private placement and as finders’ fees will be subject to a four-month hold period expiring on July 20, 2019.
The Company will use the proceeds of the financing to fund a focused drill program at the Cecilia Gold Project, additional project acquisitions and further target refinement on existing projects to advance towards new partnerships.
The securities being offered have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons without United States federal and state registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
About Riverside Resources Inc.:
Riverside is an exploration company driven by value generation and discovery. The company has fewer than 65M shares issued and a strong portfolio of gold-silver and copper assets in North America. Riverside has extensive experience and knowledge operating in Mexico and leverages its large database to generate a portfolio of prospective mineral properties. In addition to Riverside’s own exploration spending, the Company also strives to diversify risk by securing joint-venture and spin-out partnerships to advance multiple assets simultaneously and create more chances for discovery. Riverside has additional properties available for option, with more information available on the Company’s website at www.rivres.com.
ON BEHALF OF RIVERSIDE RESOURCES INC.
“John-Mark Staude”
Dr. John-Mark Staude, President & CEO
For additional information contact:
John-Mark Staude
President, CEO
Riverside Resources Inc. info@rivres.com
Phone: (778) 327-6671
Fax: (778) 327-6675
Web: www.rivres.com
Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking information. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology (e.g., “expect”,” estimates”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”). Such information involves known and unknown risks — including the availability of funds, the results of financing and exploration activities, the interpretation of exploration results and other geological data, or unanticipated costs and expenses and other risks identified by Riverside in its public securities filings that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2019 /NV Gold Corporation (TSX-V: NVX; OTC Pink: NVGLF) (“NV Gold” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce it has arranged a non-brokered private placement of units of the Company for gross proceeds of up to CDN$750,000 (the “Placement”).
“The Company and our technical team are looking forward to what is shaping up to be a busy and exciting 2019 within our Nevada portfolio. After reviewing our project portfolio, we will be finalizing our exploration strategy in the next couple of weeks and look forward to a focused 2019 exploration and drilling season with great excitement,”commented Peter A. Ball, President and COO of NV Gold.
The Placement is an offering of up to 6,250,000 units (the “Units”) at CDN$0.12 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Share and one-half of one Warrant exercisable at CDN$0.20 per share for 30 months from issue of the Units. A finder’s fee is payable on subscriptions by certain of the subscribers of 7% of the cash proceeds paid by such subscribers and warrants to purchase 7% of the number shares issuable to such subscribers in respect of their subscriptions for Units.
Closing of the Placement is conditional on acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The proceeds of the Placement will be used by the Company for the advancement of existing properties, potential acquisition new properties, and for general working capital.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
About NV Gold Corporation
NV Gold is a junior exploration company based in Vancouver, British Columbia that is focused on delivering value through mineral discoveries. Leveraging its highly experienced in-house technical knowledge, NV Gold’s geological team intends to utilize its geological databases, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with a portfolio of mineral properties in Nevada, to prioritize key projects for focused exploration programs.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Peter A. Ball
President and COO
For further information, visit the Company’s website at www.nvgoldcorp.com or contact:
Peter A. Ball, President & COO
Phone: 1-888-363-9883
Email: peter@nvgoldcorp.com
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward Looking Statements
This news release includes certain forward-looking statements or information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the proposed raising of CDN$750,000 and the proposed uses of such funds and other future plans and objectives of the Company, including exploration plans, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s plans or expectations include regulatory issues, market prices, availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions, timeliness of government or regulatory approvals and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation.
First pass drill program returns encouraging results TSX VENTURE SYMBOL: FUU
KELOWNA, BC, March 20, 2019 /CNW/ – FISSION 3.0 CORP. (“Fission 3” or “the Company“) is pleased to announce results from the first pass drill program at its Key Lake South properties (Karpinka Lake and Hobo Lake projects) in the south-east Athabasca Basin region of Saskatchewan, Canada. A total of ~1300m was drilled in eight completed holes, all of which encountered variably intense hydrothermal alteration and six holes with anomalous radioactivity. Of note, holes KL19-005, KL19-006 and KL19-007, drilled in the northern part of the extensive land package, encountered the most significant hydrothermal alteration and paleoweathering, which are considered important factors for hosting high-grade uranium mineralization and will be prioritized for follow up. With $6M in the treasury, Fission 3 is well poised to continue to explore on its extensive property portfolio.
Winter program at Key Lake complete: Eight holes in 1300.8m in the Key Lake South projects (Karpinka Lake and Hobo Lake) – located on the south-east region of theAthabasca Basin, 40 km south of the basin margin in a geological setting analogous to Fission Uranium’s Triple R deposit at PLS.
Drilling intercepted multiple anomalous and narrow radiometric anomalies and strong alteration: drill holes located in the northern area of the property (holes KL19-005, KL19-006 and KL19-007) have exhibited the strongest hydrothermal alteration and paleoweathering profile.
Prospective for high-grade mineralization: KL19-005 intersected over 100m of strong clay alteration and faulted rock, which is interpreted to represent a major structural dilation zone. Such settings are important in the genesis of structurally hosted uranium deposits as they provide a pathway for large amount of hydrothermal fluid flow and can develop traps for localizing mineralized fluids. Most of the Athabasca Basin’s major uranium deposits are situated in similar geological settings.
Cree Bay exploration upcoming: Fission 3.0’s ongoing portfolio exploration program will now move to Cree Bay, conducting ground geophysics surveys to assist with the planned summer drill program.
Ross McElroy, COO, and Chief Geologist for Fission, commented, “The drill program at Key Lake is the latest step in the ongoing exploration of our prospective uranium projects. With radioactivity and strong alteration in multiple holes, we are looking at very encouraging first pass results that warrant follow up drilling. The winter program will now progress with a ground geophysics DC resistivity survey on our Cree Bay property in the northeast basin area, as we focus on developing high-priority drill targets to be tested during the summer exploration program.” About Key Lake South: The Key Lake area is an important historic mining district. The Key Lake operations is owned by Cameco Corp. (83%) and Orano Canada Inc. (17%) and hosted the former Key Lake mine, which produced 208 million pounds of uranium between 1975 to 1997 and is home to one of the largest uranium mills in the world. The Key Lake mill processed ore from the McArthur River uranium deposit, until Cameco announced in 2018 that McArthur River mining would be suspended indefinitely due to low uranium prices. The area is considered highly prospective to discover significant new uranium occurrences.
The 100% owned Key Lake South Projects consist of two projects (Karpinka Lake and Hobo Lake) covering 19,377 ha in 42 mineral claims. The properties are located approximately 40km south of the historic Key Lake mine. The projects are geologically situated within the extremely prolific Wollaston-Mudjatic Transition Zone “WMTZ”, notable for hosting the majority of the major high-grade uranium deposits on the eastern side of the Athabasca Basin. To the north, the Key Lake Deposit is hosted within the northern portion of northeast-southwest trending litho-structural feature known as the Key Lake Shear Zone “KLSZ”. The KLSZ continues southward through the Karpinka Lake and Hobo Lake projects. Together the properties cover approximately 50km of trend of the KLSZ, where a number of geochemical uranium anomalies have been discovered and where a network of EM conductors exhibit structural complexity including off-sets, breaks, folding and other geophysical features such as gravity and resistivity lows. These features are often associated with uranium mineralization occurrences. Key Lake South Projects – Drilling Summary Table 1: Winter 2019 Key Lake South Drill Hole Summary
Property
Target
EM Conductor
Hole ID
Collar
* Down-hole Radiometric Highlights
with Mount Sopris 2PGA-1000 Natural
Gamma Probe
Overburden
Depth (m)
Total
Depth (m)
Azimuth
Dip
From (m)
To (m)
Width (m)
CPS Peak
Karpinka
Lake
Key Lake Shear Zone
FOR-B-2220
KL19-001
79
-75
99.9
100.2
0.3
743
18.0
149.0
111.3
111.9
0.6
884
114.9
115.3
0.4
984
126.5
126.8
0.3
948
129.4
131.8
2.4
1431
FOR-2
KL19-002
274
-50
53.5
53.8
0.3
1344
2.1
101.0
79.1
80.2
1.1
985
FOR-B-2220
KL19-003
257
-63
217.2
218.1
0.9
1492
15.3
251.0
220.3
220.6
0.3
693
KAR-3160
KL19-004
277
-54
69.1
70.0
0.9
1302
37.6
125.0
KL19-005
86
-61
No anomalous radioactivity
39.0
128.8
KL19-006
90
-52
No anomalous radioactivity
57.0
101.0
KL19-007
86
-67
113.7
114.3
0.6
840
29.0
152.0
118.7
119
0.3
595
N/A
KL19-008
271
-55
212.3
212.5
0.2
550
7.3
293.0
TOTAL
1300.8
KL19-001 KL19-001 was an angled drill hole oriented parallel to the intermittent, weak, calc-silicate hosted radioactivity intersected in historic hole RO-01. The purpose of KL19-001 was to test the radioactive calc-silicate from the top of bedrock down to a depth of approximately 150m. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 18.0m down hole and was comprised of variably clay, hematite, graphite and chlorite altered schist, cataclasite and calc-silicate. A strongly hematized calc-silicate was cored from 126.8m to 132.5m down hole which returned weak radioactivity up to 590 cps on a RS-125 handheld scintillometer. No other anomalous radioactivity was intersected, and the hole was terminated at a depth of 149.0m in weakly altered graphitic schist. KL19-002 KL19-002 was an angled drill hole targeting the Key Lake Shear zone (KLSZ) approximately 950m south of KL19-001. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 43.0 m down hole and was comprised of weakly altered orthogneiss and calc-silicate gneiss to a depth of 72.9m. From 72.9m to 80.3m a strongly sheared biotite-garnet gneiss was cored with a central 5.2mwide graphitic brittle-ductile fault zone. The hole was terminated at a depth of 101.0m in fresh orthogneiss. KL19-003 KL19-003 was an angled drill hole targeting the weakly radioactive calc-silicate approximately 75m below that intersected in KL19-001. The drill hole aimed to assess the variability in previously intersected calc-silicate thickness and radioactivity with depth, and to test for parallel radioactive calc-silicate lenses. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 15.3m down hole and was comprised of a thick sequence of biotite schist to a depth of 182.5m where a sheared, graphitic schist was intersected. A weakly radioactive calc-silicate lens was cored from 222.2m to 224.5m which returned up to 410 cps on a RS-125 handheld scintillometer. The hole was terminated at a final depth of 251.0m in fresh orthogneiss. KL19-004 KL19-004 was an angled drill hole testing the southern extent of a large left stepping electromagnetic conductor trace ~7km north of KL-001. This flexure is interpreted to reflect a dilational zone in the KLSZ caused by sinistral strike-slip movement. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 37.0m down hole and was comprised primarily of weakly hematite altered orthogneiss. An intercalacted sequence of weakly graphitic biotite-garnet schist and cataclasite was cored from 42.7m to 66.9m down hole. No anomalous radioactivity was intersected, and the hole was terminated at a depth of 125.0m in fresh orthogneiss. KL19-005 KL19-005 was an angled drill hole testing the same large, left stepping KLSZ VTEM conductor trace as KL19-004, approximately 1 km further to the north. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 39.0m down hole as was comprised of moderately to extremely bleached, clay, hematite, chlorite and graphite altered orthogneiss. A strongly graphitic, clay and chlorite altered cataclasite was intersected from 85.5m to 94.5m down hole. Thin limonitic fractures in the graphite altered orthogneiss at approximately 78m down hole returned elevated radioactivity up to 200 cps on the RS-125 handheld scintillometer. The hole was lost due to ground conditions at a depth of 128.8m in strongly chlorite and graphite altered orthogneiss. KL19-006 KL19-006 was an angled drill hole testing the up-dip projection of the graphitic cataclasite in hole KL19-005. Bedrock was intersected at depth of 56.0m down hole and was comprised of weakly clay and chlorite altered orthogneiss. The drill hole is interpreted to have overshot the graphitic cataclasite which down-dropped the bedrock surface to the east (normal faulting). No anomalous radioactivity was intersected and the hole was terminated at a depth of 101.0m in weakly chlorite and clay altered orthogneiss. KL19-007 KL19-007 was an angled drill hole testing the down-dip projection of the structural damage zone and strong alteration in KL19-005. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 29.0m down hole and was comprised of extremely clay and chlorite altered graphitic cataclasite, variably altered graphitic schist, biotite schist and orthogneiss. Weak elevated radioactivity up to 160 cps was recorded on the RS-125 handheld scintillometer at 119.0m hosted in intercalated quartzitic and graphitic schist. Apart from the upper cataclasite no structural damage zone was intersected below KL19-005 and the hole was terminated at a depth of 152.0m in fresh orthogneiss. KL19-008 KL19-008 was an angled drill hole testing for the northern extension of the historic DD-Zone where previous historic drilling returned up to 0.78% U3O8 over 0.5m. Bedrock was intersected at a depth of 7.3m down hole and was comprised of a thick intercalated sequence of graphite altered amphibolite and calc-silicate to a depth of 136.8m. Below 136.8m, the hole encountered weakly altered to fresh biotite-garnet schist and graphitic schist. A 0.20m granite intrusion at 90.5 m depth returned elevated radioactivity up to 540 cps. The hole was terminated at a depth of 293.0m in fresh biotite-garnet schist.
Natural gamma radiation in drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a Mount Sopris PGA-1000 Natural Gamma Probe and a hand-held RS-125 Scintillometer manufactured by Radiation Solutions. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials.
Samples from the drill core are split in half sections on site. Where possible, samples are standardized at 0.5m down-hole intervals. One-half of the split sample will be sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK. Analysis will include a 63 element ICP-OES, and boron.
All depth measurements reported, including radioactivity and mineralization interval widths are down-hole, core interval measurements and true thickness are yet to be determined. Cree Bay Exploration: In 2017 a ground DC Resistivity survey was completed in 2 separate grids centered on sections of strong conductivity interpreted from a historic airborne GEOTEM electromagnetic survey on what was then the Cree Bay property. Fission 3 subsequently staked additional ground to cover the most conductive part of this anomaly. The winter 2019 exploration work will thus continue to extend the ground geophysics survey over the anomaly, to determine the highest priority drill targets. The program will consist of a winter 21 line-km ground DC Resistivity survey and 2 lines of Moving Loop TDEM survey will be conducted during April to cover the most geophysically prospective area identified from a historic GEOTEM electromagnetic survey. About Cree Bay: The Cree Bay property, located 20km south of the town of Stony Rapids, consists of 16 claims totaling 14,080 ha and sits on the inside edge of the north-eastern Athabasca Basin. The property is located along the major SW-NE trending Virgin River Shear Zone. Locally the conductive corridor is bound by the Black Lake Fault to the north and East Channel Fault to the south. The historic Nisto uranium mine, is located ~7.5km to the northeast, along the Black Lake fault.
The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Ross McElroy, P.Geol. Chief Geologist and COO for Fission 3.0 Corp., a qualified person. About Fission 3.0 Corp.
Fission 3.0 Corp. is a Canadian based resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration and development of uranium properties and is headquartered in Kelowna, British Columbia. Common Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “FUU.” ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD “Ross McElroy” Ross McElroy, COO Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes “forward-looking information”, within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur”, “be achieved” or “has the potential to”. Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission 3.0 Corp. which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Fission 3 Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.
SOURCE Fission 3.0 Corp.
For further information: Investor Relations, Ph: 778-484-8030, TF: 844-484-8030, ir@fission3corp.com, www.fission3corp.com
Matt Gili the CEO, President, and Director of Nevada Copper (TSX: NCU | OTC: NEVDF) sits down with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable to discuss the value proposition of Nevada Copper, which is on target for U.S. production in Q4 2019. Mr. Gili, provides updates on the flagship Pumpkin Hollow Project, which hosts both an underground and open-pit deposits. We provide an overview on the supply an demand fundamentals on Copper, where a prudent speculator may position themselves to take advantage of the copper supply deficit.
VIDEO
AUDIO
TRANSCRIPT
Source: Maurice Jackson for Streetwise Reports (3/18/19)
Matt Gili, CEO of Nevada Copper, talks with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable about his company’s progress in beginning copper production by the end of the year.
Pumpkin Hollow
Maurice Jackson: Joining us for a conversation is Matt Gili, president, CEO and director of Nevada Copper Corp. (NCU:TSX), which is on target to U.S. copper production by Q4 2019.
Nevada Copper has a number of successes to share with reader. But, before you share the unique value preposition of Nevada Copper, Mr. Gili, for readers who may not be familiar with the supply and demand fundamentals regarding copper, please provide us with a 10,000-foot overview.
Matt Gili: When you look at the copper fundamentals, we see a very steady and predictable increase in demand of copper, modest amount, 1.5% per year. We see the move towards electrification of vehicles consuming more copper. We see other things that are offsetting that, but overall, a steady predictable 1.5% increase in the global demand for copper. Where the story really gets exciting, from the Nevada Copper standpoint, is with regards to the supply for copper. What we’re seeing is a lot of restrictions in future supply. We’re seeing a lot of difficulties on bringing on a future supply and backed up by work done by Wood Mackenzie and others, we’re projecting that by 2025, the world will be in a supply deficit of upwards of 6 million tonnes of copper per year. This just really supports what we’re doing in Nevada Copper in setting up the next copper mine. Maurice Jackson: Now that we have an overview of the supply and demand fundamentals for copper, Matt, let’s discuss how someone listening may position himself prudently as a beneficiary. For someone new to the story, can you give us a very quick overview of Nevada Copper?
Matt Gili: Certainly. Nevada Copper, who’s Nevada Copper? We have an asset in Nevada called Pumpkin Hollow. This is our chief asset. It consists of two deposits: an underground deposit and an open-pit deposit for copper. We’re currently in the construction phase for the underground project with production from that underground project coming online later this year. I think we’ll talk more about that later. Regarding the open pit, we’re currently in the process of wrapping up the prefeasibility study for the open pit. You’ll see that being published in April of this year. Then, we have a regional land package of well over 15,000 acres that we are looking at really understanding, really unlocking the full value from that land package. That’s really Nevada Copper, building a copper mine coming into production later this year, with a lot of expansion into an open-pit mine, as well as regional exploration.
Maurice Jackson: Let’s provide readers the latest updates on Nevada Copper, as the company has been very proactive on a number of fronts. Please provide us with an update on the construction progress. I would like to begin with the multi-million dollar question, are we on track to enter production in Q4 of this year? Matt Gili: Yes, Maurice, we are on track to enter production in Q4 of this year. We are very proud of that. The team’s doing a fantastic job. We have construction activities both on surface with Sedgman building the process plants, as well as underground cementation, both sinking shaft and doing lateral development on our main shaft. All that’s coming together very nicely. We are absolutely on track for commissioning of the plant in the fourth quarter of this year. Maurice Jackson: As Nevada Copper is preparing for production this year, have you increased your staffing to meet the growing demands? Matt Gili: That’s a really good question and yes, we have. We’ve increased our staffing. It’s an operational readiness question that you’re asking. This is where I want to stress to you and readers that this concept of operational readiness is foremost in our thoughts and how we’re planning for really becoming, not just building a great mine, but operating a great mine. When you look at the staffing, so far, our staffing, by design, is quite modest. We’re looking at a total workforce of Nevada Copper employees of around 30. That is because this is our model, a very lean, efficient operation. We utilize high-quality, expert service providers as necessary, to make sure that we are operating very efficiently. Maurice Jackson: Is Nevada Copper still actively recruiting and if so, what positions? Matt Gili: Yes, we are actively recruiting. Most of our positions open are technical and specialist positions, and would be part of the management team. I absolutely encourage anyone interested in what we’re recruiting for to contact the Nevada Copper website. You’ll see the complete listing of opening jobs there, as well as information on how to apply for any of these positions if you’re interested. Maurice Jackson: Pumpkin Hollow is unique in that you have both an underground and an open-pit mine. Let’s discuss exploration and expansion potential. What initiatives is Nevada Copper taking to optimize the full potential of the Pumpkin Hollow project?
Matt Gili: We are in the process of constructing the underground, which has a large amount of upside potential. We’ll really only explore that upside potential when we’re underground, after we’re in production. We really look forward to updates on that front in 2020, and the reason for that is very simple. It’s just much more efficient to drill out the prospective areas of the underground from the underground; the holes are shorter. It’s just much easier. That’s really where the underground sits right now, in a holding pattern as far as expansion potential. When you look at the open pit, that’s where a lot of great energy is going into expanding the open pit, understanding the open pit better, really getting that ore body knowledge to allow you to build a world-class operation. That is part of the PFS, which is coming out in April of this year.
That PFS will include the drilling campaign that we completed in 2018, the 26 hole drilling campaign. It will include those results in the resource model. That’s going to give you an even better idea of the full potential of the open pit. The real excitement that we have is with regards to the region itself, a large region, relatively unexplored, but with large amounts of historical copper production, as well as great physical outcroppings of copper mineralization. This is really where we’re going to focus our efforts during 2019, to really get a chance, now that we’ve tied up this land package, to understand what we have. Maurice Jackson: Speaking of the region, there was a regional survey conducted that led you to staking more land. Can you share the results with us?
Matt Gili: We staked a section a land that we refer to as the Teddy Boy Claims. This is about 5,700 acres of land to our northeast. We are very glad to have this in our portfolio. The criteria for that selection was we brought together experts on this region and experts in copper mineralization. They identified that as a really prospective area and where we should be really focused on. We’ve staked that land, secured it for our ability to explore over the next several years. Maurice Jackson: Does Nevada Copper plan to drill the new area at some point this year? Matt Gili: We plan on drilling this year. I really haven’t put out the entire drill program for 2019. We’re still pulling that together and analyzing where to best spend the monies we have available for exploration. We would like to drill that this year. Some more prospective holes, really not an in-depth blanket campaign, but probe a few really interesting areas over there and get a better idea for the drill campaign. Maurice Jackson: It’s one thing to have tonnage and grade, but you must equally have astute business acumen to make the numbers work. Now, Nevada Copper is in discussions regarding an ECA-backed project finance facility to further optimize the balance sheet, as well as lining up a working capital facility and further offtake agreements to improve the economics of Pumpkin Hollow. Please provide us with the details. Matt Gili: You kind of said it all. I can’t really provide you with any more details, but I can surely stress what you’ve just said, Maurice. We are in discussions with this export, credit agency style backed project financing. This is going to provide us the opportunity to substantially reduce the cost of our debt service, as well as attract strong and robust financial partners for potential future open-pit developments. Something we’re very excited about and it’s part of really creating Nevada Copper as a world-class company. Maurice Jackson: Let’s get into some numbers. Please share your capital structure.
Matt Gili: The capital structure is well defined. We have $8 million in long-term debt. We have $153 million of cash or cash equivalents. When you look at the financing package specifically for the underground, we’re fully financed, including the working capital facility to take us through operation ramp up. The inputs into that are an equity raise that we did in the middle of last year, as well as a streaming deposit with regards to a stream arrangement on the precious metals strictly from the underground deposit. We also have a $25-million subordinated debt package. Really a standby loan facility that we can use if necessary. Maurice Jackson: In closing, I have a multilayered question. What is the next unanswered question for Nevada Copper? When can we expect a response? What determines success? Matt Gili: I would not classify our successful completion of underground construction and bringing them in operation as an unanswered question. That is going to happen, and I’m very proud of the activities that have happened so far. The real unanswered question for the investors out there, is what is the true potential of the open pit? There’s been a lot of great work done, a lot of exploration done, last year. That’s all been incorporated. I’m really going to be excited when the PFS is released and we can share the details of the open pit potential with the public. They are going to be very impressed and they’re going to see the picture. They’re going to see what we see when we get so excited about Nevada Copper. Maurice Jackson: Speaking of the prefeasibility study, give us a timeline on that, sir. Matt Gili: We’ll release that in April. I’m being careful. I don’t want to be too specific. It will be in April of this year. Next month. Maurice Jackson: Mr. Gili, last question. What did I forget to ask? Matt Gili: Maurice, forget to ask? You’re always very thorough, so I wouldn’t say you forgot to ask anything. What I would say is I want to reiterate something that we at Nevada Copper have been thinking about over the last month. Unfortunately, for the world, the last month has been a month marred with tragedies, with risk and with unexpected events. What we’re really stressing, with Nevada Copper, is the risk management of Nevada Copper. We are an operation that is on private land. We’re not waiting for any permits. We’re not waiting for records of decision. We’re utilizing EPC contractors, who have that fixed price nature, reduced risks. We’re building a dry stack tailing facility. We’ll never have a wet tailing storage facility at Pumpkin Hollow. We’re doing this all with a proven, experienced team of mine builders and operators. Really wrapping that up, that concept of low risk, risk mitigation. We are going to build and operate the next mine and there’s very little risk to that execution. Maurice Jackson: Matt, if investors want to get more information about Nevada Copper, please share the website address.
Matt Gili: Absolutely, www.nevadacopper.com. We love to get your input. You’ll see our investor presentationsthere in our latest news. Let us know what you think. Maurice Jackson: For our audience, we wish to remind you that Nevada Copper trades on the TSX symbol, NCU, and on the OTC symbol NEVDF. For additional inquiries, please contact Richard Matthews at (877) 648-8266 or you may email RMatthews@nevadacopper.com. Nevada Copper is a sponsor and we are proud shareholders for the virtues conveyed in today’s message.
Last but not least, please visit our website, provenandprobable.com, for mining insights and bullion sales. You may reach us at contact@provenandprobable.com.
Matt Gili of Nevada Copper, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable. Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world. Disclosure:
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Ross McElroy the COO and Chief Geologist for Fission 3.0 (TSX.V: FUU | OTCQB: FISOF) sits down with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable to discuss the value proposition of Fission 3.0 and their Property Bank. In this interview Mr. McElroy provides the macro economics for uranium and how one may allocate their uranium holdings in a Uranium Project Generator with a Property Bank with projects located in high-grade uranium districts, with proven management and technical team that has a 20 year history of delivering success to shareholders.
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Original Source: https://www.streetwisereports.com/article/2019/03/16/prospect-generator-in-position-for-uranium-turnaround.html Maurice Jackson: Joining us for a conversation is Ross McElroy, the COO and chief geologist for Fission 3.0 Corp. (FUU:TSX.V; FISOF:OTC.MKTS): A Uranium Project Generator and Property Bank. Ross McElroy, glad to have you back on the program to share the value proposition of Fission 3.0. Before we begin, Ross, I’d like to begin with some basic fundamentals regarding uranium. For someone new to the uranium sector, what is uranium, and where is it used? Ross McElroy: Uranium is really all about energy. The way we use uranium is for nuclear fuel. That’s basically the fuel that runs reactors.
Globally nuclear power constitutes between 15% and 20% of the electrical requirements. That’s really where the majority of the uranium is used. There is some uranium that’s used for strategic purposes on a country by country basis, more for the Department of Defense reasons. But really, the vast, vast majority of uranium is used to fuel nuclear reactors. Maurice Jackson: Provide us with some metrics on how abundant uranium is in the Earth’s crust, and correlate that to the average grade that is found versus the grade that is needed to define an ore deposit in a future mine? Ross McElroy: Well, uranium is actually one of the most abundant elements in the Earth. It’s kind of ubiquitous. You’ll see it throughout the Earth’s crust; there is trace amounts of uranium present primarily in volcanic and igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks.
On a deposit level, there’s actually a number of uranium deposits around the world, in every continent on the planet and in many countries. On a global basis, the average grade of a uranium deposit worldwide is around 0.1 to 0.15% U308.
Now, if you compare that to say, the deposits in Canada, they’re orders of magnitude higher grade in Canada. We’re talking orders of magnitude that are 10 to 20 times that of the global grade.
Although I’ve given you the average grade, most of those deposits at those lower grades, the average grades are really uneconomic deposits. We need grades that are generally much higher than the 0.1%–0.15% if it’s going to be an economic deposit. And that’s what Canada has. Canada has very high-grade deposits, so the economic metrics are just that much more attractive in Canada. Maurice Jackson: Now that we’ve identified uranium’s utility, what can you share with us from a supply and demand perspective?
Ross McElroy: Well, it’s fairly simple to understand what the demand for nuclear energy is, in other words, uranium. We can just multiply the number of reactors around the world that are currently operating, and the known fuel consumption rate for a 1000 megawatt reactor is just under 500,000 pounds of uranium a year. If we look at the global reactors, there are around 450 reactors around the world. You can see that the need for uranium on an annual basis is around the realm of almost 200 million pounds of uranium. Maurice Jackson: How does the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, fit into this narrative? Ross McElroy: Japan historically, up until the Fukushima event in 2011, was one of the main users on a country basis worldwide. Japan I think consumed almost 20% of the world’s nuclear power, in other words, 20% of the world’s annual production of uranium was used to run the Japanese reactors.
In 2011, of course, we had the magnitude 9 earthquake followed by a tsunami, and that’s what damaged the Fukushima facility. Interestingly enough, even with that magnitude of an earthquake and the soon-to-follow tsunami, the reactor still did not breach. The housing that surrounded the reactor was damaged, and this is where some of the radiation leaks came from, but the reactor itself actually held, and so the damage was actually very, very limited and manageable.
What happened is overnight, Japan shut down all of its nuclear reactors, in other words, all 52 reactors I think they had working at that time, went offline. That caused disruption to the supply/demand situation globally.
What’s happened since then is Japan is slowly coming back on. Japan’s alternatives for power are pretty limited as the country doesn’t have very much of its own resources, if any at all. It imports whatever energy that it needs, be it in natural gas now, in nuclear.
It’s important for Japan to be able to operate these factories that they’re running. I mean, it’s an exporting country around the world, so it does have high energy requirements. It also has the requirements for inexpensive power.
Japan is coming back on to the scene as far as nuclear power. There are eight reactors that are currently back up and operating, and 17 reactors that are in the near-term licensing for approval to get them restarted again.
I think the bottom line is, prior to Fukushima, Japan depended on nuclear energy for at least 25% of its electricity demands. I think by the time 2030 approaches, Japan is supposed to be right back up to those same levels. The country is coming back on, it has always been an important major consumer of nuclear power. I think we’ll see it right back to the equation again in the very near future. Maurice Jackson: Uranium, next to gold, is known as the other yellow metal, and here’s why. Ross, let’s step back to the bull market in uranium. If one was selective with the uranium holdings, they would’ve had generational changes in their portfolio. What was the spot price during the last bull market?
Ross McElroy: Well, in 2002, uranium was around, I don’t know, about $15 a pound. This is on the spot market. That’s what uranium was trading for.
In 2003–2004, we really saw the lift off of the price of uranium. In fact, it peaked at 2007 to around $140 a pound. It went almost a 10-fold increase in the price of the commodity between 2003 and 2007. The peak at 140 didn’t last particularly long, but it had a slower decline until about 2008—2009, it stabilized, and then it peaked back up again.
Really, it was holding steady. I guess this is the point I would want to make, is that we were starting to see a steady state price of between $50 to $70 a pound, and then the Fukushima event hit that we talked about in 2011, and that really threw the whole pricing structure right out the window. We’ve been working on our recovery ever since. Maurice Jackson: What is the spot price for uranium today? Ross McElroy: Currently we’re about $28 a pound for uranium. It has recovered; we’re off the bottoms of $17, $18 a pound just a couple of years ago. Uranium is making its way back.
Maybe the important point here to note is we’re still at prices that the majority of mines around the world are not profitable. Even the lowest cost producers are really not operating in an environment where they can make money with uranium prices what they’re at right now.
What we’ve seen is that the supply is starting to be restricted as the producers are taking a lot of that uranium off market; they’re not supplying it to the utilities at this cheap price, because it’s not a working business model to lose money in the long run on the mining of the commodity.
We are seeing an improvement in the price of uranium, and it’s been about a year and a half in the making. It’s gone up from the $18 that I mentioned to about $28 a pound, but it certainly has a lot more room to move upwards even before we can start to get production back online to meaningful levels. Maurice Jackson: What is that spot price that companies right now, uranium companies I should say, for them to earn their cost of capital? Is the number around $60 for a spot price of uranium?
Ross McElroy: I believe you are correct. We’re seeing prices that globally, they have to be in the $60 to $70 a pound really to bring on any meaningful production.
One of the clues that I look at when we look at the best uranium mines out there, the lowest cost producers, those would be McArthur River deposit in Canada’s Athabasca Basin in Northern Saskatchewan. That is one of the best uranium mines in the world, certainly the largest highest-grade operating mine. Cameco took that offline because of the prices of uranium where they were at, they weren’t making any money on the mining of this deposit.
There are some indications that Cameco won’t turn that mine back on into being a producer until the price of uranium is somewhat north of $40, maybe $45. Something in that realm.
I don’t have an exact number there, but it does tell you that if you’re going to even bring back the best of those deposits, you really need prices that are something of $40 to $45. As we mentioned earlier, the price for many of the other deposits around the world are probably closer to $60 or $70. You can see, there’s still lots of room for improvement. Maurice Jackson: The current price of uranium does not support the fundamentals. What correlations do you see today that may exceed the returns from the last bull market? Ross McElroy: Well, it’s sort of an elastic situation. I think that the longer that we keep depressed prices, yet the demand is still there and growing, reactors are being built, the need to fuel these reactors, that’s not stopping.
In fact, it’s growing. You have the primary suppliers of uranium, i.e., the mines that are not supplying it, the longer that the prices are low, the more rapid that climb will be in the price of uranium when it does correct.
I think there’s a possibility, as I’ve heard some analysts call it, a violent reaction upwards to the price of uranium. I think we’re going to see some substantial price increases within some short vision of time, maybe a year or two or three. Something in that realm that I think will be quite meaningful.
We’ll see what happens, but the longer it stays depressed, the more likely and quicker the rise will be when it does come. Maurice Jackson: Ross, you’ve provided a compelling case on the fundamentals for uranium. I know readers may be asking, how will all of this demand for uranium be met? Mr. McElroy, please introduce us to Fission 3.0. Ross McElroy: Fission 3.0 is a uranium explorer. This is a company that we spun out of Fission Uranium Corp. (FCU:TSX; FCUUF:OTCQX; 2FU:FSE), our larger company, back in 2014 when we bought out our partner on the Patterson Lake project, and in so doing with that process from that arrangement, we spun out our non-core assets, the more grassroots exploration projects.
We’ve been able to build up an exploration portfolio, primarily focused in the Athabasca Basin. Remember, the Athabasca Basin is Canada’s only producing uranium field. That’s where the McArthur River deposit is, this is where Fission Uranium has the Triple R deposit. There’s some fantastic deposits out there.
That’s what we’re exploring for in Fission 3.0. We’re looking for the next high-grade uranium deposit in the Athabasca Basin. Maurice Jackson: You referenced that you’re a project generator. There’s a lot of ambiguity regarding project generators. Please share the virtues and why Fission 3.0 took on the project generator business model? Ross McElroy: Project generators are really all about sharing the risk. In our case, what we do very well is pick ground. We’ve been able to strategically stake ground in the Athabasca Basin, we’ve made discoveries on two of our properties, the first one in the company called Fission Energy that we made the discovery at our Waterbury Lake property, and later on in Fission Uranium Corp on our PLS property.
That have been situations where we’ve had joint-venture partners sharing the risks, sharing the costs with others. To use the model, what we do is we use our brands and other peoples’ money. That’s really what we’re good at, that’s basically the model that we have.
We have a very highly trained technical team that’s exceptional at picking out high-quality projects. We attract other people who are looking to get into the uranium business, looking to partner up with a team such as ours and join us for the ride to make a discovery.
It’s really all about sharing risk. That’s really what the project generator model does. It’s our land, and we partner with good quality people that can fund a project, and that’s how they earn into it as well. Maurice Jackson: Do you currently have a joint-venture partner? If yes, who and what are the terms of the relationship? Ross McElroy: We have had joint-venture partners in the past, and very successful ones. As I mentioned earlier on our Waterbury project, we had a partner with the Korean utility called KEPCO. It earned in by spending a certain amount of money on the property each year over the course of a three-year period.
What we did with that, we were able to make a discovery, using the money in that project, we made a discovery, built up the resource estimate on there, and eventually sold that asset. That was how our shareholders were able to take advantage of our monetizing on the property.
I guess we could say the same at the PLS project, which we now own 100% of it, but that was also a partnership. We shared in the risk early on and in the money early on with our partner. We eventually bought them out in 2014. That was another example of a successful joint venture partnership.
Each one of the deals would be a little bit different from each other. It is a model that we think works very well. I will note that in our property down in Peru as well, we have a partnership that we’re still looking to finalize the deal. This is one where another group has approached us, said it’s interested in the potential of a property down in Peru. It will spend a significant amount of money having us as the operator. Hopefully we’ll make a discovery down in Peru as well. Maurice Jackson: Well, you’ve just alluded to my next question. Fission 3.0 has 18 projects in its project bank. Now, it is strategically located in premier, high-grade uranium districts in Canada and Peru. Mr. McElroy, introduce us to the Fission 3.0 Project Bank (click here).
Ross McElroy: We have 18 properties in the Athabasca Basin. Our properties, we think that everywhere in the Athabasca Basin has the potential to host high-grade uranium projects.
One of the keys that we seek to identify are deposits that will be shallow. In other words, the closer a deposit is to surface, the easier it is to build a case that this could be a project that could go into production. It’s an easier mine to develop the closer it is to the surface.
Really deep deposits are challenging. They still exist, but they’re challenging. Eventually they cost more money to find and cost more money to get out of the ground. They’re just another level of challenge.
If you look at our 18 properties, they’re all in and around the edge of the Athabasca Basin, where we’ve had a great deal of success finding near-surface mineralization.
Our PLS project that hosts the Triple R deposit in Fission Uranium is a great example of a near-surface deposit. The mineralization starts at 50 meters below the surface, so 150 feet below the present-day surface is where the high-grade mineralization starts. That makes it a potentially open-pit deposit, which is generally low cost and gives you a lot of flexibility.
This is the sort of thing that we’re looking for in Fission 3.0. We’ve got very good properties that are in known mining districts, conversely, we have a good portfolio of ground around the southwest side of the basin where our PLS project in Fission Uranium is hosted, and also NexGen’s Arrow deposit, it’s all in that same area. We have the significant land package that surrounds that area.
We also have a good strategic land package in and around the Key Lake area on the southeast side of the basin. This has been, and still currently is the hot bed of uranium mining in Canada right now. This is the side of the basin where the McArthur River and Cigar Lake deposits are located.
McArthur shut down for economic reasons waiting for higher uranium prices. It was an operating mine up until about a year ago, and Cigar still is in operation. You’ve also got the Key Lake mine.
It’s a strategic area to have a good land package. We think there’s lots of opportunities in and around land in that area to make a new discovery.
And probably third for us is the land package that’s up in the northwest side of the basin, in the old uranium city Beaverlodge district where uranium mining in Saskatchewan first got started back in the 1950s and was the going concern back in the ’50s and the ’60s, I think there were about 52 operating mines up in that area, pretty small scale most of them, but still lots of high-grade uranium. That’s an area where we think that there’s still plenty of exploration potential.
Between all those areas, we’re going to be active and we’re going to be looking for the next high-grade uranium deposit in Saskatchewan. Maurice Jackson: Speaking of being active, is there active drilling going on right now in these projects? Ross McElroy: There is active drilling. We did drill in the southwest side of the basin. We were drilling in January on our PLN project. That project is just immediately north of Fission Uranium’s PLS project.
You’re really talking about the same area where the latest discoveries have been found, where you’ve got the Triple R deposit, you’ve got NexGen’s Arrow deposit. These are two of the best new deposits that have been found in the Athabasca Basin in the last 15 years.
We have a package around there called PLN, and we did drill six holes in there earlier this year. It has the potential to host another one of these fantastic deposits, so we are going to continue looking there. We see all the signs present that tell us that this is where we’ll make that discovery.
As we’re speaking right now, we’re drilling over in the Key Lake area that I described earlier. This is over on the southeast side of the basin, about 200 kilometers to the east of the PLS drilling. That is a program where we’ll drill probably eight or nine holes, just south of the Key Lake Mill and the old historical Key Lake deposits. There’s areas of activity there. We’ll continue drilling throughout the rest of 2019 on a number of our projects.
Fission 3.0 is active. We were able to raise some significant money early in the year, in late 2018. We’re going to be active. This is how we’ve been successful in the past, is by being aggressive, looking in places where people probably haven’t looked for a while or never even thought to look, and putting our technical team to work. Yes, you’ll see pretty good news flow out of Fission 3 this year. Maurice Jackson: Ross, let’s expand the narrative on the project bank portfolio and go south into Peru. What can you share with us there?
Ross McElroy: Peru is a really interesting area. Where our projects are is called the Macusani Plateau, located in southern Peru, near the Bolivian border. The Macusani Plateau has shown at least over 100 million pounds in near-surface uranium deposits.
There’s a company down there that’s quite dominant called Plateau Energy. Plateau has been able to stake a lot and consolidate a land package in the area, and consolidated all these old deposits. It has amassed around 100 million pounds of uranium in these uranium deposits.
However, even more significant, Plateau made a discovery of high-grade lithium in the same area, and in fact, that’s within five kilometers of our southern property boundary on our Macusani plains. Not only do we have the potential now to host near-surface uranium deposits, and we have shown in fact that we do have mineralization on our property for uranium, we’ve mapped it, we’ve drilled, we’ve trenched and found high-grade uranium, but now the potential’s there for hosting high-grade lithium.
This is really a new dimension that we have down in that area, that we wouldn’t have had say, two or three years ago when we were last down drilling. You’ve got uranium, and now we have lithium. It’s a very interesting up-and-coming area as well. Maurice Jackson: Switching gears, Fission 3.0 has the right projects in the right place at the right time. But that’s only part of the story. Equally important are the people that are responsible for increasing shareholder value. Mr. McElroy, please introduce us to your board of directors. Ross McElroy: Thank you, and I appreciate that. We do have a very successful team. Our founder of Fission 3.0 is also the same CEO and founder of Fission Uranium, and previously Fission Energy before that, and Strathmore.
Dev Randhawa has been involved in this company right from the get-go in its first iteration back in 1996, and also heading up Fission 3.0. Dev is the longest running CEO in the uranium sector.
Myself, I’ve been involved with Dev 12, 13 years now. We’ve had a great successful relationship. We’re able to raise money, raise attention, put that money to work, make discoveries, and basically build shareholder value right from the bottom up.
This is the group that I think, we’ve been able to deliver in the past, and we’re going to be able to deliver shareholder value as we move forward in this much improving uranium sector.
A lot of the same players that we’ve had all the way along, still keep also in the Fission 3 group. Maurice Jackson: Who is on your management team?
Ross McElroy: The management team is composed of our CEO Dev Randhawa and chairman. I am the chief operating officer, and also the chief geologist. We have maintained the same structure that we have in Fission Uranium, is the same that we have in Fission 3.0. It’s a fairly lean team. Phil Morehouse is president of Fission 3.0. We kept a pretty lean mean machine in Fission 3.
Don’t forget, we’ve had up until just recently in the last six months, it’s been a very quiet company, there hasn’t been a lot of exploration activities in the uranium sector. I think as we start to ramp up, with our level of activity increasing, we’ll start to draw more and more people into roles and developing roles within the company as we begin to be active, get out and start marketing the story more, get on the ground and back that up with real results, we’re going to continue to build our team. Maurice Jackson: Before we move on to your impressive technical team, in the natural resource basis, why is it wise to follow proven winners? Ross, you alluded to it earlier, you and CEO Dev Randhawa have a proven pedigree of success. How were shareholders rewarded as far as returns for their loyalty to sticking with your team? Ross McElroy: Well, if you owned the original company at the beginning, which would’ve been Strathmore Minerals, and you’d held on it to all the way throughout, over the last 20 years since about 1996, 97, you’d probably own about five different companies right now.
What’s happened is we’ve moved on to a new phase, we’ve made discoveries, advanced projects, sold different projects to different groups. What we’ve been able to do is form new companies, split off new companies in what they call a butterfly transaction.
You have shares in the new company, still maintain your shares in the old company, so you would’ve received essentially what would look like dividends in the way of different shares for five different companies since that time. The shareholders that have been loyal and sticking with us would’ve succeeded quite handsomely all the way along. Maurice Jackson: Your technical team is exceptional. I had an opportunity to meet them in the summer of 2016 at the site visit there. Please, introduce us to them. Ross McElroy: We’re very, very proud of this group. This has been the team we’ve had, the same core group of people with us since 2010. With that same group, we were able to make our discovery on the Waterbury Lake project, and then followed up in 2012 with the discovery of PLS. It’s the same group that is very core and important to us in Fission 3.0.
I do head up the team and the technical group, so I would be the team leader or chief geologist for the technical team. My right hand guy is Raymond Ashley, he’s the VP of exploration. Ray is an excellent geoscientist who I’ve had the pleasure to work with for over 30 years in this sector, so we’ve been working pretty close together. Definitely a proven mine finder.
We’ve basically held the same group of people together on the project managers, all the structural scientists, geochemists. We’ve kept the same core group together over the last almost 10 years or so.
To me, that’s really the key. You want a team that works together well, good chemistry with each other, the ability and the environment to think outside of the box. Really, the goal for each and every one of us is to responsibly make world-class discoveries. That’s what we’re all about.
We’ve got an excellent team. All the key people are listed on the website. You’ll be able to go there and see the roles of the various groups there in the technical team, but there’s about seven or eight of us that have been able to be what I consider the core team for the last decade or so. Maurice Jackson: Let’s get into some numbers. Please share your capital structure.
Ross McElroy: In Fission 3.0, we have 142 million shares outstanding. We were able to raise a significant amount. We have just under $7 million in the treasury right now, that’ll allow us to be active over the next two years or so. Maurice Jackson: What is your burn rate? Ross McElroy: The burn rate, because it’s exploration, it’s pretty discretionary spending. We have $7 million that we have in the treasury right now, that’ll certainly carry us over the next two to three years of pretty aggressive exploration spending on our key projects. We can dial that kind of number up, and we can dial it back as conditions warrant. That’s the benefit of being in exploration.
The burn rate is actually pretty minimal. In other words, we run a pretty lean shop as far as the number of management and corporate costs. Really, the majority of the costs are exploration spending, which is really entirely discretionary. Maurice Jackson: How much debt do you have? Ross McElroy: We have no debt. We’ve not taken on any debt. Basically, the money that we raise have been through equity share offerings. No debt in Fission 3.0. Maurice Jackson: Who are your major shareholders? What is their level of commitment? Ross McElroy: When we spun off Fission 3.0 back in December of 2014, it was the same shareholders that were shareholders of Fission Uranium, were the same shareholders in Fission 3.0. We would’ve had a lot of the same loyal, large shareholders, including JP Morgan, even investment from others that we’ve had along the way. It’s been the same loyal group.
We have significant new shareholders now with the financing that we did back in 2018, which was led by the Sprott Global Resources Group out of California. I think we have some new players back to the game, but we have a lot of shareholders that have been with us over the long haul.
These are people that have a good vision of the uranium sector. They know that the good times are around the corner. It’s a point that we believe really strongly, and we think that the sector is improving a great deal.
This is how our loyal shareholders are going to be rewarded, by being a much better market with an aggressive team like Fission 3.0, and the new shareholders will probably be long term loyal shareholders too if we’re successful and able to build value for them as well. Maurice Jackson: What is the float? Ross McElroy: Fully diluted, we have 227 million shares. We’ve got shares outstanding, we’ve got options and warrants that we’re a part of financing as well, so 227 million shares out in total. We trade around 240,000 shares a day, I think that’s our average volume. Maurice Jackson: Multi-layered question. What is the next unanswered question for Fission 3.0? When can we expect a response? What determines success? Ross McElroy: Well, we are going to be successful through work. We know that a better market should buoy the price up of everybody involved in the nuclear sector. They’re starting to get some life back in the exploration world.
Really, we’ve always built value by our success. We’ve been successful with making discoveries. We now have the money, we have the team, we’re putting them to work. I would look to us as being one of the most dynamic uranium explorers out there. That’s something that I think people can follow, they can see our news release cycle, they’ll see how we’re marketing our story, and just look at the results. I think they’ll speak for themselves.
We’re looking at our projects, we’ll be active throughout the calendar year. I think the news flow will be very strong and steady. People that are interested in following the company will always see that there’s a continuing narrative out there. We want to take advantage of this and improve the uranium market, the fact that we are well financed, and we have the properties that we want to explore. I think there’s a very good opportunity for readers to look at Fission 3.0 as a sector leader in the uranium exploration business. Maurice Jackson: Mr. McElroy, last question. What did I forget to ask? Ross McElroy: I think we’ve covered a lot of ground here, and a lot of important ground. One of the takeaways that I want readers to know is we really do believe in the nuclear sector. We think that we have turned the corner and that conditions are improving.
If people are looking to invest in the uranium sector, I think it’s important for them to look at a group that has done it before. Your track record is very indicative of what your future has the potential to look like. I always find myself, when I’m investing, I like to back teams with a proven track record.
We have that in our group. We’ve got an exceptional management team. We’ve done it before. We’ve been able to capitalize on our discoveries by selling assets. We have a unique technical team that has the ability to make discoveries.
So better sector, very good team. Strong management. Those are the ingredients we need to be successful. Maurice Jackson: Ross, for someone listening that wants to get more information about Fission 3.0, please share the website address. Ross McElroy: Our website address is www.fission3corp.com. Maurice Jackson: For direct queries email ir@fission3corp.com, or you may call (778) 484-8030. Fission 3.0 trades on the TSX:V, symbol FUU, and on the OTC, symbol FISOF.
For audience, we’ve been proud shareholders of Fission 3.0 since 2014. Last but not least, please visit our website, provenandprobable.com, for mining insights and bullion sales. You may reach us at contact@provenandprobable.com.
Ross McElroy of Fission 3.0, thank you for joining us today on Proven and Probable. Maurice Jackson is the founder of Proven and Probable, a site that aims to enrich its subscribers through education in precious metals and junior mining companies that will enrich the world. Disclosure:
1) Maurice Jackson: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: Fission 3.0. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. Proven and Probable disclosures are listed below.
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Gold recovered the $1,300 level and came off lows of the month as the dollar weakened and as Brexit jitters permeated investor sentiment. After regaining its highest level in two weeks the precious metal tested a resistance level of $1,307 an ounce. Spot gold for April delivery managed to settle above $1,309 an ounce in midweek trade but retreated below the $1,300 level as the U.S. currency strengthened on Thursday.
Concerns about the slowdown in global growth and the outcome over the U.S.-China tariff dispute are ongoing. Yet the broader market has come off recent lows and recovered from the Christmas Eve bear market of 2018. The Federal Reserve’s “patient” approach to interest rate hikes and the possibility of an “adjustment” to the unwinding of is balance sheet have supported the market turnaround.
It’s been a wild ride for gold and now the yellow metal may be past the inversion phase of the recent rollercoaster ride. U.S. economic data is lukewarm but supportive of the Fed’s current position on rate hikes.
On Wednesday, the U.K. Parliament rejected a no-deal Brexit. In a close decision, MPs voted to reject leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement. On Thursday, MPs will vote on delaying Brexit and request an extension to Article 50. If the vote passes and the EU agrees – the U.K. will not leave on March 29.
On this side of the Atlantic, U.S. equities continued to recover with the DJIA eyeing the so-called “golden cross” chart pattern. The benchmark equity average could see its 50-day moving average (DMA) cross above the 200-DMA. While the technical indicator could point to a long-term bull market, the breakout pattern is a lagging one and never a guarantee of future performance.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST IN GOLD MINING
Gold mining stocks can be an indicator of how the gold market is faring. The stocks are oftentimes seen as a way to get leveraged exposure to gold prices.
The biggest players in the sector are making headlines for mergers and venture announcements. Barrick Gold Corp and Newmont Mining Corp formed a joint venture in Nevada. Earlier this year, Newmont Mining acquired Goldcorp, creating the largest gold miner in the world. Several months ago Barrick Gold scooped up Randgold Resources.
In the aftermath of the 2011 commodity crash there were expectations of more mergers for the junior mining companies. The deals that took place among the gold miners in 2018 totaled over $59 billion but amounted to less than half the sum seen during the peak in 2011.
At the same time, there have been other notable deals recently including Newcrest Mining’s move into Canada. Newcrest and Imperial Metals agreed to a joint venture for a majority stake in a B.C. mine. Meanwhile, Newcrest also entered into a deal with Greatland Gold for a gold-copper project.
SEABRIDGE GOLD – IRON CAP GOLD AND COPPER RESOURCES AMPLIFIED
Seabridge Gold (TSX: SEA) (NYSE: SA) is a development stage company based in Toronto, ON. The company’s main projects include the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) property in British Columbia, the Courageous Lake property in the Northwest Territories, the Iksut Property located in NW B.C.
Seabridge evaluates, acquires and is involved in the exploration and development of gold properties in North America and has other resource projects on the continent. The Snowstorm Project is located in Nevada at the intersection of the main gold trends in the northern region on the U.S. state.
The KSM project is one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold projects in the world. Seabridge Gold recently announced an updated independent mineral resource estimate for its Iron Cap deposit. This deposit is one of four gold and copper porphyry deposits within the KSM project. Worthy of note is that the project is 100% owned by Seabridge.
The company updated its resource estimate for its Iron Cap project that boosts the project’s indicated resource by 460,000 ounces gold and 177 million pounds copper. In turn the project’s inferred resource is expanded by 7.45 million ounces gold and 4 billion pounds copper.
Rick Rule, president and CEO of Sprott U.S. Holdings spoke with Seabridge Gold’s CEO, Rudi Fronk for a brief interview segment. After the latest Iron Cap update, Fronk remarked that the new estimate could lead to the company prioritizing the deposit ahead of others in the overall project plan:
The “exploration success at Iron Cap … gives us greater flexibility to optimize project economics. Iron Cap is closer to infrastructure than Kerr and Sulphurets and its development could be faster and less costly … Iron Cap clearly has the size and grade to justify early inclusion in the mining sequence.”
Fronk says the Iron Cap “resource additions … have met our annual corporate objective of increasing gold ownership on a per share basis. In 2018, our shares outstanding increased by approximately 3.6 million shares resulting from new financings to fund our programs plus other share issuances.”
Seabridge Gold has a market capitalization of nearly $1 billion.
Listen to Rick Rule’s interview with Seabridge Gold’s Chairman and CEO, Rudi Fronk. To hear Fronk’s thesis on gold and learn about Seabridge’s track record and global resources:
Rick Rule | How Far Will The Next Upturn In Commodities Go? David Stockman | Americans Living On Borrowed Time James Rickards: Runway For Gold Opens Up On Anticipated Tailwinds James Rickards: Will Gold Pop When The Fed Throws In The Towel? The Quest For The Next 100-Bagger
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This report contains forward-looking statements which reflect the current expectations of management regarding future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Wherever possible, words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, and similar expressions have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management’s current beliefs with respect to future events and are based on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements involve significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. These factors should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this document are based upon what management currently believes to be reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual results, performance or achievements will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this presentation and Sprott does not assume any obligation to update or revise.
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Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author’s as of the date of this commentary, and are subject to change without notice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be an offer or solicitation for the sale of any financial product or service or a recommendation or determination by Sprott Global Resource Investments Ltd. that any investment strategy is suitable for a specific investor. Investors should seek financial advice regarding the suitability of any investment strategy based on the objectives of the investor, financial situation, investment horizon, and their particular needs. This information is not intended to provide financial, tax, legal, accounting or other professional advice since such advice always requires consideration of individual circumstances. The products discussed herein are not insured by the FDIC or any other governmental agency, are subject to risks, including a possible loss of the principal amount invested.
Generally, natural resources investments are more volatile on a daily basis and have higher headline risk than other sectors as they tend to be more sensitive to economic data, political and regulatory events as well as underlying commodity prices. Natural resource investments are influenced by the price of underlying commodities like oil, gas, metals, coal, etc.; several of which trade on various exchanges and have price fluctuations based on short-term dynamics partly driven by demand/supply and also by investment flows. Natural resource investments tend to react more sensitively to global events and economic data than other sectors, whether it is a natural disaster like an earthquake, political upheaval in the Middle East or release of employment data in the U.S. Low priced securities can be very risky and may result in the loss of part or all of your investment. Because of significant volatility, large dealer spreads and very limited market liquidity, typically you will not be able to sell a low priced security immediately back to the dealer at the same price it sold the stock to you. In some cases, the stock may fall quickly in value. Investing in foreign markets may entail greater risks than those normally associated with domestic markets, such as political, currency, economic and market risks. You should carefully consider whether trading in low priced and international securities is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Sprott Global, entities that it controls, family, friends, employees, associates, and others may hold positions in the securities it recommends to clients, and may sell the same at any time.
As we evaluate different sectors, we consider a wide swath of factors, such as what they’ve done over the last year, how they typically perform in this type of political and fiscal policy environment and even if the particular time of the year has an effect. To be completely transparent, we considered utilities and REITS, which this week broke out to record highs. The technician in us says the breakout should carry those sectors higher, in part because they benefit from the Federal Reserve taking a more dovish stance on raising interest rates. Our only trepidation is that if we start seeing signs of greater economic strength, traders might turn their backs on these sectors, causing the run to turn over.
Rather than talk about what we didn’t select to discuss this month (apologies…we couldn’t leave out that commentary), we’d like to advise investors to keep an eye on the energy sector, which is a collection of stocks spanning energy businesses like oil, gas, consumable fuel, renewable/alternative, services and equipment. For starters, March has historically been a solid month for the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:XLE), the benchmark ETF for energy plays. According to CXO Advisory data, XLE has been the best performing SPDR ETF in March since the SPDR ETFs began trading 20 years ago. So far, XLE is up 1.12% this month, compared to its average return of 2.9%.
Even better, XLE is also the top performer in April at 3.7%. If that trend will continue, the energy sector will add to a solid 2019 to date, where it is ahead by about 15% through Wednesday. That’s a nice recovery after energy was the S&P 500’s worst performing sector in 2018 with XLE shedding 18.2%.
In fairness, a lot of the gain has been at the hands of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), as the two oil stalwarts cumulatively comprise more than 40% of XLE’s weight (XOM: 23.36%, CVX: 19.72%). Both stocks are up more than 10% in 2019, carrying XLE higher.
Since printing $107 in June 2014, spot oil prices fell off a cliff, plummeting as low as $26.05 in February 2016 before turning things around. The clear culprit for the steep drop was oversupply, a problem that looms globally today. On the strength of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies going to great lengths to curb output and support oil prices, spot crude climbed back to a $40-$55 range for more than a year before making the next leg up in November 2017 to swell to a high of $76.90 in October 2018. Subsequently, another collapse occurred, driving oil back down to a low of $42.36 in December. Another recovery has ensued in 2019, lifting oil prices back to the upper $50’s.
While energy stocks are frequently bootstrapped to the price of a barrel of oil, we expect a little bit of a slingshot effect based on fundamentals, not oil prices, in the future. This is due to the fact that earnings actually grew in the energy sector in 2018, but the market failed to reflect the expansion. To that point, there has been no improvement in valuation metrics between current levels and when oil was bottoming near $26 a barrel in 2016. In fact, XLE trades at a slightly lower valuation than the 15x trailing 12-month earnings that it did back when oil bottomed in February 2016.
In addition to oversupply, there are other factors that have a choke hold on confidence in the oil and gas industry. Namely, regulation is a concern. Eldar Sætre, CEO of Equinor, Norway’s biggest energy company, acknowledged this on Monday at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference, noting that environmental issues threaten the industry and that O&G companies must unitedly take a progressive approach to combat emissions and pollution.
So, with a large shortfall in demand versus supply and environmental issues that can’t be rapidly corrected, why are we bullish on energy? The answer is: “just for right now.” We’re looking at the sector for the next six weeks of so and we’ll have to see what happens come summer (the driving season) and reassess gasoline inventories to get a better understanding on potential market direction. What we are also banking on is history and the fact that the energy sector has typically been an outperformer March and April.
This dive into the sector uncovered many beaten down companies in the small or microcaps space that have languished with the sell-off in energy at the end of last year. It’s fair to say that energy plays abound in the microcap space, but we recommend sticking to those generating revenue, whether it be a producer like the three below or a services company like Profire Energy (NASDAQ:PFIE).
Broadly speaking, there is no shortage of companies that can be argued as value plays given depressed valuations as Wall Street questions the energy sector at the moment.
Jericho Oil Corp. (OTCPK:JROOF) (TSX-Venture:JCO), is focused on domestic, liquids-rich unconventional resource plays, located primarily in the oil-prone Meramec and Osage formations in the Anadarko basin STACK Play of Oklahoma, a region trumpeted by some as the next great U.S. oil play. To that point, majors likes ExxonMobil, Chesapeake Energy, Sandridge Energy and Chaparral Energy continue to put considerable capital resources in and around Jericho’s STACK acreage position. Jericho has assembled an interest in 55,000 net acres across Oklahoma, including an interest in ~16,000 net acres in the STACK Play. The Tulsa-based company recently released preliminary 2018 full-year partnership production, which hit a record high of approximately 297,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), up 33% from 2017’s total. Furthermore, Jericho cut operating expenses by 30% to about $17.00/BOE. At 42 Canadian cents per share, JCO is commanding a market cap of just $54 million.
Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NYSE American:NOG), which runs a non-operator model, also delivered record results in 2018. The company controls leasehold of approximately 157,000 net acres targeting the Williston Basin Bakken and Three Forks formations in North Dakota and Montana, and approximately 93% of its total acreage position was developed, held by production or held by operations. During Q4, production increased 117% over the prior year and 36% over the prior quarter, averaging a record of 36,258 BOE per day. Furthermore, lease operating expenses and general and administrative expenses were each down 26% per BOE from the prior year. For all of 2018, production increased 73% year-over-year, averaging a record 25,555 BOE per day. The company was profitable, generating net income of $143.7 million, or 61 cents per diluted share, reversing from a net loss of 15 cents per diluted share in 2017. Shares of NOG got more than halved from a 52-week high ($4.49) in October to an eight-month low at $1.87 in December. The stock is trying to make up some lost ground, trending back into the mid-$2 range as it closes in on a $1 billion market cap.
Lonestar Resources US (NASDAQ:LONE) is another that recently pumped out more oil than it had ever before in a quarter. Lonestar is an independent oil and natural gas company, focused on the development, production and acquisition of unconventional oil, NGLs (natural gas liquids) and natural gas properties in the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas. The company has accumulated approximately 78,193 gross (57,491 net) acres in what it believes to be the formation’s crude oil and condensate windows. For the fourth quarter, Lonestar reported an 81% increase in net oil and gas production to 13,152 BOE per day, compared to 7,272 BOE per day for the three months ended December 31, 2017. The company’s record production volumes exceeded its guidance of 12,600 – 12,800 BOE/D and were 80% crude oil and NGL’s on an equivalent basis. Lonestar reported net income of $75.2 million during 4Q18 compared to a net loss of $17.6 million during 4Q17, while citing certain non-recurring items in the big gain. Excluding those items, Lonestar’s adjusted net income for 4Q18 was $5.4 million, or $0.22 per basic common share. Lonestar has reiterated its previously-issued 2019 production guidance of 13,700 to 14,700 BOE per day for 2019, which equates to production growth of 27% over 2018 levels. Last July, shares of LONE traded as high as $11.24 before diving to a low of $3.41 in December. Shares are currently trading at $4.27, equarting to a market capitalization of approximately $105 million.
As we approach the middle of March, it’s time to share the latest construction update and site photos. Once again, we remain on track to enter production in Q4 of this year.
(Main shaft headframe, east north vent shaft headframe and surrounding works)
East Main Shaft
We have completed the utilities and ventilation infrastructure down the entire length of the main production shaft to supply power and air to the 2850 and 2770 levels. With the installation of utilities complete, work has resumed on lateral development at the 2770 and 2850 levels. Excellent progress has been made during the last few months with over 600ft of lateral development now complete. Underground infrastructure, including a temporary powder magazine, temporary shop, sumps and mucking bays, has either been completed or is in the process of development.
Up next: Complete lateral development to the bottom of the East North Ventilation shaft on the 2850 level and start full face mechanized lateral development on the 2770 level.
(Mucker and vent bag during lateral development)
East-North Vent Shaft
The East North ventilation shaft has been completed and commissioned. Strong progress has been made during the learning curve for sinking and vertical development has advanced over 260 feet from surface.
Up next: Continue to sink shaft while meeting scheduled development targets. Set up the Alimak mining method at the bottom of the East North Ventilation shaft to begin excavation of the bottom 300 feet and the loading pockets. Surface Works Excellent progress has been made on the surface process plant as follows:
SAG mill foundation has been completed and the pedestal rebar is being installed
The regrind mill foundations have been set and poured
Conduits for the Ball, SAG, Regrind mills have been completed
Water tank has been formed and concrete poured
Conduit and initial concrete slab have been completed for the Thickener Tank
Equipment procurement is over 60% complete.
Additionally, the tender process for the administration and change room building is complete and we are entering into final negotiations.
The detailed requests for quotations have been issued to multiple firms for the paste backfill plant. Up next: Completion of engineering works and the majority of equipment procurement. Additional foundation works for the process plant. Commencement of construction of the admin/dry building. Receipt of bids for the paste backfill plant.
(Vertical formwork for SAG mill foundation)
(Vertical formwork for SAG mill foundation)
(Process fresh water tank)
Additional Information
For further information please visit the Nevada Copper corporate website (www.nevadacopper.com) and visit our Pumpkin Hollow virtual tour.
NEVADA COPPER CORP.
Matthew Gili, President and CEO
Further information call:
Rich Matthews
VP Marketing and Investor Relations
Nevada Copper Corp
rmatthews@nevadacopper.com
1 (877) 648-8266 – Work | (604) 355-7179 – Mobile www.nevadacopper.com
Vancouver, British Columbia, March 13, 2019 (Globe Newswire) – Irving Resources Inc. (CSE:IRV) (“Irving” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce all necessary work permits have been received for its drill crew, and it has commenced diamond drilling at its Omu Gold Project in Hokkaido, Japan. Drilling is being conducted by Mitsui Mineral Development Engineering Co., Ltd. (“MINDECO”) and Rodren Drilling International Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba. The first target that will be tested is the Omu Sinter, an 8-20 meter thick terrace of silica that was deposited within an ancient hot-spring pool.
Irving discovered the Omu Sinter in late 2016, and subsequent prospecting resulted in collection of spot rock chip samples grading up to 14.6 gpt Au and 50.8 gpt Ag along with strongly elevated arsenic (676 ppm), mercury (>100 ppm), antimony (1,675 ppm) and selenium (93 ppm), all elements associated with hot spring mineralization (please refer to the Company’s news release dated September 21, 2017 for further details). Geophysical data, including drone-based magnetics and gravity, collected in late 2017 revealed evidence of a prominent north-south structural zone under Omu Sinter, a potential conduit for hydrothermal fluids that once fed the hot spring (please refer to the Company’s news release dated January 22, 2018 for further details).
Irving has eight initial holes planned to test areas underneath the sinter terrace for feeder structures that could potentially host epithermal gold-silver veins. Holes will be inclined and drilled to depths of 300-425 meters to test the prospective boiling zone, the part of a hot spring system in which potentially high-grade mineralization can be deposited. Planned holes are staggered over approximately 1.2 km of strike along the targeted structural zone. Should results from these first eight holes prove promising, Irving has an additional 15 holes fully permitted to further test this important target.
Omu Sinter (also known as Otoineppu mine), is the first target of Irving’s 2019 Omu exploration program. Drilling at Omui mine site, where Irving has identified three robust drill targets (Honpi, Nanko and Sakinyama), will commence in approximately 2-3 months following completion of trench and bulk sample work at Omui. Irving also plans to expedite baseline work including soil sampling and geophysical surveys at its new Hokuryu West target so that drill targets can be outlined there later this year.
“We are delighted to commence drilling at our Omu Gold Project,” commented Akiko Levinson, President and Director of Irving Resources. “Drilling at Omu Sinter is just the beginning of a long list of exploration objectives Irving has at Omu this year. In a few months, we will be trenching, bulk sampling and diamond drilling our three high priority targets at the nearby Omui mine site. We also plan aggressive follow-up field-work at our newly discovered high-grade Hokuryu West target so that it can be readied for drilling. This year is shaping up to be a very busy one for Irving.”
Quinton Hennigh (Ph.D., P.Geo.) is the Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is a technical advisor and director of Irving Resources Inc. About Irving Resources Inc.:
Irving is a junior exploration company with a focus on gold in Japan. Irving also holds, through a subsidiary, Project Venture Agreements with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for joint regional exploration programs in the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Malawi and the Republic of Madagascar. JOGMEC is a government organization established under the law of Japan, administrated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and is responsible for stable supply of various resources to Japan through the discovery of sizable economic deposits of base, precious and rare metals.
Additional information can be found on the Company’s website: www.IRVresources.com. Akiko Levinson, President & Director
For further information, please contact: Tel: (604) 682-3234 Toll free: 1 (888) 242-3234 Fax: (604) 641-1214 info@IRVresources.com Forward-looking information
Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the mineral resource exploration industry as well as Irving having sufficient cash to fund any planned drilling and other exploration activities. THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.
Exploration and Drilling Update at the Eastern Borosi Project in Nicaragua
March 13, 2019 Vancouver, British Columbia: Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX-V: CXB) (the “Company” or “Calibre”) is pleased to provide an update for the 2019 exploration and drilling program on the Eastern Borosi Gold-Silver Project in Nicaragua (the “Project”). Exploration and drilling on the Project is currently being funded by Calibre’s joint-venture partner, IAMGOLD Corporation (“IAMGOLD”). Highlights
The 2019 drilling program consisting of an estimated 6,000 metres of diamond drilling has commenced and the first two drill targets consist of follow-up drilling on two successful high-grade Au-Ag discoveries from 2018 where drill intercepts include;
1.55 metres grading 54.68 g/t Au and 3,957 g/t Ag (179.11 AuEq) on the San Cristobal gold-silver vein-structure
4.38 metres grading 13.22 g/t Au and 9.5 g/t Ag (13.37 AuEq) from the Main structure on the La Luna gold-silver vein-structure and a second intercept in the same drill hole of 4.45 metres grading 4.96 g/t Au and 151.5 g/t Ag (7.29 AuEq) from a newly discovered Sulphide-Rich Zone.
President and CEO Greg Smith stated: “It is exciting to be starting the 2019 program at the Eastern Borosi Project, with follow-up drilling at the high-grade San Cristobal and La Luna gold-silver vein systems. Further, a series of high priority discovery drill targets with no previous drilling will be tested as part of the 2019 program.” 2019 Exploration and Drilling Program
The 2019 exploration program was initiated in January 2019 with target definition and advancement work consisting of soil and rock sampling as well as follow-up trenching designed to prioritize additional drilling targets for 2019. This work is advancing a series of targets defined by previous exploration and includes on-strike extensions to existing deposits and new areas which have not been previously drill tested.
The drilling program commenced in March 2019 and the first set of drill holes consist of follow-up drilling on two successful high-grade discoveries from the fourth quarter of 2018 – San Cristobal and La Luna (see table below).
Hole
ID
Mineralized
Zone
From
m
To
m
Length
(m)
AuEq
(g/t)
Au
(g/t)
Ag
(g/t)
Pb
(ppm)
Zn
(ppm)
SC18-002
San Cristobal
94.31
95.86
1.55
115.56
54.68
3,957
4,649
9,788
LL18-020
La Luna
Main Structure
127.16
131.54
4.38
13.37
13.22
9.5
70
158
Sulphide Zone
155.36
159.81
4.45
7.29
4.96
151.5
52,210
54,630
Notes: 1. Intervals are core lengths; true width are estimated to be 80-90% of core lengths. 2. Length weighted averages from uncut assays. 3. Grams per tonne (g/t) gold equivalent (AuEq) calculated using $1,300/oz Au and $20/oz Ag.
At San Cristobal, the follow-up drilling includes along-strike and down-dip step outs spaced at approximately 75 metre centers. At La Luna, drilling will test the lateral and vertical extensions of the Main Structure and Sulfide Zone structure.
Additional drilling is planned for the first half of 2019 on the Riscos de Oro SW extension target, approximately one kilometre south-west of the Riscos de Oro Deposit, part of a more than four kilometer trend, where previous soil and rock geochemistry, trenching, and linear topographic features provide a priority drill target.
The 2019 exploration and drilling program includes plans to complete an estimated 6,000 metres of diamond drilling, concurrent with target generative and advancement work. The drilling metres are projected to be evenly split between follow-up drilling and first pass discovery drilling.
In addition to the drilling, generative exploration is underway, including targeted soil sampling and surface rock sampling, over areas where previous work outlined anomalous gold and silver often associated with base metals. The results of the first six months will be reviewed and priority targets tested with first pass, discovery oriented, drilling in the second half of 2019. IAMGOLD / Calibre – Eastern Borosi Project
A 2018 resource estimate for the Project (see news release dated April 3, 2018) by Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. estimated an Inferred Mineral Resource totaling 4.42M tonnes grading 5.72 g/t AuEq (4.93 g/t Au and 80 g/t Ag) containing 812,000 ounces AuEq. Exploration to date has outlined kilometres of highly prospective mineralized structures located in a historic gold-silver mining district.
IAMGOLD has completed the First Option having made US$450,000 in payments to Calibre and completed US$5 million in expenditures and has earned a 51% interest in the Project. IAMGOLD has entered the Second Option with the right to earn a further 19% in the Project (by completing additional cash payments totalling US$450,000 and further exploration expenditures totaling US$5 million) having paid the first and second installments of US$150,000 each and funding the on-going 2019 work program. The total potential investment by IAMGOLD to earn a 70% interest in the Project is US$10.9 million. Calibre Mining Best Practice
Calibre is committed to best practice standards for all exploration, sampling and drilling. Drilling was completed by independent firm Continental Drilling. Analytical quality assurance and quality control includes the systematic insertion of blanks, standards and duplicates. Samples are placed in sealed bags and shipped directly to Bureau Veritas Lab in Managua, Nicaragua for sample preparation and then to Vancouver, Canada for 50 gram gold fire assay and ICP-MS multi element analyses. The technical content in this news release was read and approved by Gregory Smith, P.Geo, President and CEO of the Company who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. About Calibre Mining Corp.
Calibre owns a 100% interest in over 518 km2 of mineral concessions in the Mining Triangle of Northeast Nicaragua including the Primavera Gold-Copper Project and Santa Maria Gold Project. Additionally, the Company has optioned to IAMGOLD (176 km2) and is party to a joint venture on the 33.6 km2 Rosita D gold-copper-silver project with Rosita Mining Corporation and Century Mining. Calibre’s resources total 2.44 million AuEq ozs of Inferred Resources in four deposits on the Borosi gold-silver projects – see web site for details. Major shareholders of Calibre include gold producer B2Gold Corp, Lukas Lundin and management. Calibre Mining Corp.
“Greg Smith” Greg Smith, P.Geo.
President and CEO
For further information contact:
Ryan King
604 628-1012 www.calibremining.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate” “plans”, “estimates” or “intends” or stating that certain actions, events or results “ may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Safe Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented constitutes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements including but not limited to those with respect to the price of gold, potential mineralization, reserve and resource determination, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of Calibre to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. View in PDF Format
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