Anglo Asian Mining plc / Ticker: AAZ / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining
14 March 2019
Anglo Asian Mining plc
Gedabek Open Pit - JORC Mineral Resources and Reserves Reports
Full JORC Reporting now released together with Life of Mine Estimate
Anglo Asian Mining plc ("Anglo Asian" or the "Company"), the AIM listed gold, copper and silver producer, is pleased to announce the release of complete Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves reports, estimated in accordance with the JORC (2012) code, for the Gedabek open pit located at the Company's Gedabek licence area ("Gedabek") in Western Azerbaijan (the "JORC Reports").
These JORC Reports provide supplementary information to the announcement and JORC Table 1 release of 18 September 2018, including a life of mine schedule for the Gedabek open pit. The resource estimate is based on a robust geological model, which benefits from information gathered during the mining of the deposit, recent geological work and exploration drilling.
Gedabek JORC (2012) Mineral Resource and Reserves
· Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves classified according to the JORC Code are now completed giving detailed back-up to information released on 18 September 2018
· Life of Mine scheduled until 2024 taking into consideration blending of ores from other mines
· Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves for the Gedabek open pit unchanged from those previously released
The Gedabek open pit JORC Mineral Resources Report can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8105S_2-2019-3-13.pdf
The Gedabek open pit JORC Ore Reserves Report can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/8105S_1-2019-3-13.pdf
Mine Development Update
· Mining excavation capacity has been increased by the addition of two new excavators purchased by a Company mining contractor.
· The optimisation programme for the improvement of fragmentation during blasting has yielded positive results as reflected in the improved mining cycle times and reduced choking of the protective grizzly grid ahead of the jaw crushers.
· Exploration drilling continues on the margins of the Gedabek open pit targeting copper mineralisation for possible future expansion.
· Drilling from both surface and underground is planned to test the deeper down dip extension of the open pittable mineralisation for possible future underground mining.
JORC (2012) Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves Statements
The mineral resource and reserves are prepared in accordance with JORC Code (2012), which is the current edition of the JORC Code. The resources and reserves stated below are in-situ.
Mineral Resources
Gold (+ Copper) Mineral Resources (Cut-off grade ≥ 0.3g/t gold) |
|
|
|
Mineral Resource |
Tonnage |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
|
(Mt) |
Grade (g/t) |
Grade (%) |
Grade (g/t) |
('000 ounces) |
('000 Tonnes) |
('000 ounces) |
Measured |
18.0 |
0.9 |
0.2 |
8.3 |
532 |
38.0 |
4,800 |
Indicated |
11.1 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
5.6 |
264 |
15.7 |
2,011 |
Measured+Indicated |
29.1 |
0.9 |
0.2 |
7.3 |
796 |
53.7 |
6,811 |
Inferred |
8.5 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
5.0 |
189 |
9.7 |
1,361 |
Total |
37.6 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
6.8 |
986 |
63.4 |
8,172 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copper Mineral Resource (Additional to Gold Mineral Resource) (Cut-off grade copper ≥0.3%) and gold <0.3 g/t)) |
|
Mineral Resources |
Tonnage |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
|
(Mt) |
Grade (g/t) |
Grade (%) |
Grade (g/t) |
('000 ounces) |
('000 Tonnes) |
('000 ounces) |
Measured |
5.3 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
2.1 |
21 |
26.3 |
356 |
Indicated |
0.9 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
1.6 |
3 |
4.4 |
48 |
Measured+Indicated |
6.2 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
2.0 |
24 |
30.7 |
404 |
Inferred |
0.5 |
0.1 |
0.4 |
1.5 |
1 |
1.9 |
23 |
Total |
6.7 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
2.0 |
25 |
32.6 |
426 |
Ore Reserves
Ore Reserves |
Tonnage |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
Gold |
Copper |
Silver |
|
(Mt) |
Grade (g/t) |
Grade (%) |
Grade (g/t) |
('000 ounces) |
('000 Tonnes) |
('000 ounces) |
Proved |
10.9 |
0.89 |
0.29 |
8.83 |
311 |
31.9 |
3,084 |
Probable |
1.2 |
0.82 |
0.34 |
9.52 |
32 |
4.1 |
373 |
Proved+Probable |
12.1 |
0.88 |
0.30 |
8.90 |
343 |
36.0 |
3,457 |
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.
Anglo Asian Group Director of Geology & Mining, Stephen Westhead, said "These resource and reserves reports provide further valuable information relating to mineralisation and ores from the Gedabek open pit only. This information is complementary to the maiden Gadir resource and reserve statements which are also being published today.
"Importantly, the reserves provide sufficient mine life for continued evaluation of the Gadir to Gedabek underground mine potential, and an exploration window to bring further mineralisation to resource and reserve level from the pipeline of known mineral deposits and occurrences from within the Gedabek contract area."
Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimation
Anglo Asian, together with the mining and geological consulting group Datamine International, prepared the resource and reserves estimation of the Gedabek deposit. This work followed the completion of the recent reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes and core drill holes that supplemented surface outcrop and channel sampling. The total number of exploration drillholes drilled by the Company, since the commencement of exploration in 2007, is 738 with a total of 104,967 metres drilled. The Mineral Resources and Ore Reserve estimation parameters per Table 1 of the JORC code are set out in Appendix one. A glossary of terminology related to the mineral resource and reserves estimate and other information is set out in Appendix two.
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.
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 |
Susie Geliher |
St Brides Partners Ltd |
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
Gaby Jenner |
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's main operating location is the Gedabek contract area ("Gedabek") which is a 300 square kilometre area in the Lesser Caucasus mountains in western Azerbaijan. The Company developed Azerbaijan's first modern operating gold/copper/silver mine at Gedabek which commenced gold production in May 2009. Mining at Gedabek was initially from its main open pit, which 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. In September 2017, production commenced at the Ugur open pit mine, a recently discovered gold ore deposit at Gedabek. 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.
The Company produced 83,736 gold equivalent ounces ('GEOs') for the year ended 31 December 2018. Gedabek is a polymetallic ore deposit that has gold together with significant concentrations of copper in the main open pit mine, and an oxide gold-rich zone at Ugur. The Company therefore employs a series of flexible processing routes to optimise metal recoveries and efficiencies. The Company produces gold dore through agitation and heap leaching operations, copper concentrate from its Sulphidisation, Acidification, Recycling, and Thickening (SART) plant and also a copper and precious metal concentrate from its flotation plant. A second dedicated crusher line has been commissioned and is now in operation for the flotation plant to enable it to operate independently of the agitation leaching plant.
The Company has forecast metal production for FY 2019 of between 82,000 to 86,000 gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs"). Of the forecast production for FY 2019, between 28,000 to 30,000 GEOs is in the form of copper and gold flotation concentrate.
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.