Anglo Asian Mining plc / Ticker: AAZ / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining
14 August 2017
Anglo Asian Mining plc
Ugur Gold Deposit - JORC Mineral Resource and Reserves
Anglo Asian Mining plc ("Anglo Asian" or "the Company"), the AIM listed gold, copper and silver producer, is pleased to announce the Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves estimated in accordance with the JORC (2012) code for the Ugur gold deposit ("Ugur") located at the Company's Gedabek licence area ("Gedabek") in Western Azerbaijan. The resource estimate, which has exceeded the Company's initial expectations, will provide significant upside to the current production from Gedabek. Ugur is on track to commence production in September 2017.
Ugur JORC (2012) Mineral Resource and Reserves
· Total Mineral Resource of 199,000 ounces of gold and 1,049,000 ounces of silver
· Measured plus Indicated Mineral Resource of 172,000 ounces of gold and 884,000 ounces of silver
· Proven plus Probable Reserves of 147,000 ounces of gold and 808,000 ounces of silver
Development Update
· Road between the Ugur deposit and the Company's processing facilities is complete
· Top soil pre-strip and storage commenced late July 2017
· Condemnation drilling completed for final siting of surface infrastructure
· Mining and haulage of ore to the processing facility stockpile planned to commence before end August 2017
· Commencement of processing ahead of schedule with first production planned in September 2017
Anglo Asian CEO, Reza Vaziri, said "I am very pleased that the JORC total mineral resource estimate for Ugur of 199,000 ounces of gold is in excess of our initial estimates of 195,000. This mineral resource is a valuable addition to our mineral resources at Gedabek. The mineral reserves of 147,000 ounces of gold, or over 70 per cent. of the total mineral resource, is also highly encouraging. Development work is continuing well and I look forward to reporting the first production of gold from the Ugur deposit which is targeted for next month."
Anglo Asian Group Director of Geology & Mining, Stephen Westhead, said "The anticipated commencement of mining and processing of Ugur ores in September 2017 represents a significant step in the development programme of Gedabek. This is an excellent achievement given that the first exploration drill hole at Ugur was only completed in September 2016. It demonstrates the ability of Anglo Asian to leverage its adaptable on-site processing facilities with Gedabek's significant exploration potential. The completion of the Ugur JORC resource and reserves estimates forms part of the development strategy of the resource base for the deposits and exploration assets of Gedabek."
Background to the Ugur deposit
Anglo Asian's in-house exploration team defined a new mineral occurrence in 2016 named "Ugur" (meaning "good luck" or "success" in the Azeri language) from geological mapping and surface sampling methods. Ugur is located three kilometres north-west from the Company's processing facilities at Gedabek. Since the discovery of Ugur, the Company has extensively explored the deposit to define its resource and reserves.
The deposit comprises an oxide gold-rich zone to a depth varying between 50 to 60 metres. The area covered by this drilling and proposed open pit outline is 350 metres (east-north-east) by 250 metres (north-north-west).
JORC (2012) Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves Statements
The mineral resource and reserves are prepared in accordance with JORC (2012), which is the current edition of the JORC Code. After a transition period, the 2012 edition came into mandatory operation from 1 December 2013.
Mineral Resource
Mineral Resource |
Tonnage (millions) |
Gold Grade (g/t) |
Silver Grade (g/t) |
Gold (ounces) |
Silver (ounces)* |
Measured |
4.12 |
1.2 |
6.3 |
164,000 |
841,000 |
Indicated |
0.34 |
0.8 |
3.9 |
8,000 |
44,000 |
Measure and Indicated |
4.46 |
1.2 |
6.2 |
172,000 |
884,000 |
Inferred |
2.50 |
0.3 |
2.1 |
27,000 |
165,000 |
Total |
6.96 |
0.9 |
4.7 |
199,000 |
1,049,000 |
* does not add due to rounding.
Mineral Reserves
Mineral Reserves |
Tonnage (millions) |
Gold Grade (g/t) |
Silver Grade (g/t) |
Gold (ounces) |
Silver (ounces) |
Proved |
3.37 |
1.3 |
7.2 |
142,000 |
779,000 |
Probable |
0.22 |
0.8 |
4.1 |
5,000 |
29,000 |
Proved and probable |
3.59 |
1.3 |
7.0 |
147,000 |
808,000 |
The Proved and Probable Ore Reserves estimate is based on that portion of the Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource of the deposit within the scheduled mine designs that may be economically extracted, considering all "Modifying Factors" in accordance with the JORC (2012) Code.
Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve Estimation
Anglo Asian, together with the mining and geological consulting group Datamine International ("Datamine"), prepared the JORC (2012) resource and reserves estimation of the Ugur deposit. This was following the completion of 55 "phase one" reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes totalling 1,842 metres, 50 core drill holes totalling 6,355 metres, and 33 infill RC drill holes totalling 2,766 metres that supplemented initial surface outcrop and channel sampling. The detailed mineral resource and reserves estimates are set out in Appendix 1. A glossary of terminology related to the mineral resource and reserves estimate and other information is set out in Appendix 2. A full JORC report will be available on the Company website by end September 2017.
Note that the diagrams presented as part of Appendix 1 (JORC 2012, Table 1 - Ugur deposit) can be accessed via the following link: http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8283N_-2017-8-11.pdf
Ugur Mine Development
Condemnation drilling to prove the absence of mineralisation below proposed areas of infrastructure, including the waste dump areas, soil storage areas and lay down area for office facilities and mechanical workshops is now complete. Work is progressing as planned on constructing all necessary infrastructure. This includes mine/geology/medical and HSEC offices, hygiene facilities, mechanical workshop, lubricants and spares stores, a weighbridge and diesel store. The weighbridge will be located at the intersection of the mine access road and the haul road to the plant, while other building infrastructure will be located about 500 metres from the open pit boundary designated in accordance with blasting regulations.
The construction of a 4.6 kilometre road between the Ugur deposit and the Company's processing facilities that commenced in May 2017 is complete.
Pre-stripping of the top soil has commenced. Mining by conventional shovel and truck haulage to an Ugur stockpile near the processing facilities is planned to start mid-August 2017, with processing commencing in September 2017.
Competent Person Statement
The information in the announcement that relates to exploration results, minerals resources and ore reserves is based on information compiled by Dr Stephen Westhead, who is a full-time employee of Anglo Asian Mining with the position of Director of Geology & Mining, who is a Fellow of The Geological Society of London, a Chartered Geologist, Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists, Member of The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Member of the Institute of Directors.
Stephen Westhead has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves'. Stephen Westhead consents to the inclusion in the announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
Stephen Westhead has sufficient experience, relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that he is undertaking, to qualify as a "competent person" as defined by the AIM rules. Stephen Westhead has reviewed the resources and reserves included in this announcement.
The information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Targets, Exploration Results, Mineral Resources or Ore Reserves is based on information compiled by Dr Stephen Westhead, a Competent Person who is a Member or Fellow of a 'Recognised Professional Organisation' (RPO) included in a list that is posted on the ASX website from time to time (Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Geological Society and Member of the Institute of Material, Minerals and Mining). Dr Stephen Westhead is a full-time employee of the company.
Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure
Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 until the release of this announcement.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit or contact:
Reza Vaziri |
Anglo Asian Mining plc |
Tel: +994 12 596 3350 |
Bill Morgan |
Anglo Asian Mining plc |
Tel: +994 502 910 400 |
Stephen Westhead |
Anglo Asian Mining plc |
Tel: +994 502 916 894 |
Ewan Leggat |
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP Nominated Adviser and Broker |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 |
Soltan Tagiev |
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP |
Tel + 44 (0) 20 3470 0470 |
Lottie Brocklehurst |
St Brides Partners Ltd |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
Susie Geliher |
St Brides Partners Ltd |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
Notes: About Anglo Asian Mining plc
Anglo Asian Mining plc (AIM:AAZ) is a gold, copper and silver producer in Central Asia with a broad portfolio of production and exploration assets in Azerbaijan. The Company has a 1,962 square kilometre portfolio, assembled from analysis of historic Soviet geological data and held under a Production Sharing Agreement modelled on the Azeri oil industry.
The Company developed Azerbaijan's first operating gold/copper/silver mine, Gedabek, which commenced gold production in May 2009. Gedabek is an open cast mine with a series of interconnected pits. The Company also operates the high grade
Gadir underground mine which is co-located at the Gedabek site. The Company has a second underground mine, Gosha, which is 50 kilometres from Gedabek. Ore mined at Gosha is processed at Anglo Asian's Gedabek plant.
Gold production for the year ended 31 December 2016 from Gedabek totaled 65,394 ounces with 1,941 tonnes of copper also produced. Gedabek is a polymetallic deposit and its ore has a high copper content, and as a result the Company produces copper concentrate from its Sulphidisation, Acidification, Recycling, and Thickening (SART) plant. Anglo Asian also produces a copper and precious metal concentrate from its flotation plant, which is processing tailings from the agitation leach plant.
Anglo Asian is also actively seeking to exploit its first mover advantage in Azerbaijan to identify additional projects, as well as looking for other properties in order to fulfil its expansion ambitions and become a mid-tier gold and copper metal production company.