TVI Pacific Reports Pilot Plant Metallurgical Test Work Results For
Its Balabag Gold-Silver Project, Philippines
TSX: TVI OTCQX: TVIPF
Initial Results Confirm Balabag Deposit Highly Amenable To
Leaching
Gold and silver recoveries average 93% and 90%,
respectively
Demonstrated effectiveness of carbon in leach circuit
("CIL")
Amenability of CIL over other processing could translate into
lower
capex
Pilot Plant testing continues to focus on optimizing process
efficiencies
CALGARY, June 26, 2013 /CNW/ - TVI Pacific Inc. (TSX:
TVI) (OTCQX: TVIPF) ("TVI" or the "Company") announced today
that its Philippine operating
affiliate, TVIRD has established a pilot plant at its nearby
Canatuan
mine site to carry out metallurgical test work on samples of
the
different types of mineralization at Balabag, the initial
results of
which are reported herein. The establishment of a pilot plant
marks
another key step forward for the Balabag project, located
approximately
75 kilometres east-northeast of TVI's Canatuan copper-zinc mine on
the
island of Mindanao, Philippines.
The principal objectives of the pilot plant test work are to
confirm the
results obtained in previous laboratory cyanide leaching tests,
optimize the metallurgical processing under an environment that
more
closely resembles actual operations, provide design parameters
for
engineering, and to start training personnel in operations and
metallurgical process control.
Initial results from the first 30 tonnes of sample material grading
4.8
g/t Au and 212 g/t Ag indicated average overall recoveries of 93%
for
gold and 90% for silver after 36 hours leach time (Figure 1).
The
sample material analysed represents different types of vein
mineralization distributed throughout the deposit. The results to
date
validate Balabag test material's amenability to leaching as
determined
from prior laboratory scale tests. Results also demonstrate
the
effectiveness of carbon-in-leach ("CIL") over both
carbon-in-pulp
("CIP") and Merrill-Crowe recovery processes in processing the
test
material.
The one metric ton per day pilot plant initially had been operated
for
21 days simulating CIP plant operations. After some reconfiguration
in
the circuit, it was operated for three days simulating actual CIL
plant
conditions. The amenability of CIL over CIP processing could
translate
into a lower capex due to shorter leach times and elimination of
the
unit operations associated with the Merrill-Crowe section of
the
planned plant. Pilot test work will continue to produce
sufficient
loaded carbon for design purposes while evaluating variabilities
of
potential ore grades and further optimizing the process
efficiencies.
"These initial metallurgical test work results are very
encouraging,"
said Cliff James, Chairman and
President of TVI Pacific Inc.
"Confirmation of metal recoveries in this larger-scale pilot plant
will
help establish the recoveries of gold and silver that can be
achieved
in a commercial process."
The results from this test work will be incorporated into the
detailed
planning for the construction of the plant, which is expected
to
commence as soon as an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC)
is
granted by the Environmental Management Bureau and approval is
received
of the Declaration of Mining Project Feasibility, by the
Philippine
Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of the Environment
and
Natural Resources.
About the Balabag Project
The Balabag epithermal gold and silver project is located within an
area
covering approximately 52 square kilometres (20 square miles) and
is
situated approximately 75 kilometres (47 miles) east-northeast of
TVI's
Canatuan mine.
The Balabag NI 43-101 technical report dated June 23, 2012,
and entitled
"NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Balabag Gold
Project, Zamboanga
Province, Philippines" is
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on TVI's website
at www.tvipacific.com. The technical report, which
incorporates results of drilling
completed to the end of June 2011, provides estimates of an
indicated
mineral resource of 1.78 million tonnes averaging 2.34 grams per
tonne
of gold and 72.3 grams per tonne of silver containing 134,262
ounces of
gold and 4,148,196 ounces of silver. The Company continues to
conduct
exploration work with the goal of expanding the resource.
Qualified Person
Yulo Perez, Chief Operations Officer
of TVI Resource Development
(Phils.), Inc. (TVIRD), Fellow AusIMM, is the qualified person
under NI
43-101 who has approved the scientific and technical information
in
this news release.
About TVI Pacific Inc.
TVI Pacific Inc. is a publicly-traded Canadian company that is
focused
on the production, development, exploration and acquisition of
resource
projects in the Philippines and
Southeast Asia. TVI produces
copper and
zinc concentrates from its Canatuan mine. TVI is a
partner/operator in
several joint venture projects in the
Philippines and Papua New
Guinea
and also has an interest in an offshore Philippine oil
property.
The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved
of the
information contained herein.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain
forward-looking information (referred to herein as
"forward-looking
statements"). Forward-looking statements are often, but not
always,
identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan",
"intend",
"estimate", "scheduled", "expect", "may", "will", "should", or
similar
words suggesting future activities or outcomes. Forward-looking
statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
could
cause actual events or outcomes to differ materially from those
anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Those risks
and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, TVI's plans
to
implement the development of its Balabag gold-silver project;
and
certain other risks identified elsewhere in TVI's public
filings,
including, without limitation, those risk factors set forth in
TVI's
Annual Information Form dated March 19,
2013. Accordingly, readers
should not place undue reliance upon the forward-looking
statements
contained in this news release and such forward-looking
statements
should not be interpreted or regarded as guarantees of future
outcomes.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are
made
as of the date hereof and TVI does not undertake any obligation
to
update publicly or to revise any of the included
forward-looking
statements, except as required by applicable Canadian securities
law.
The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly
qualified
by this cautionary statement.
SOURCE TVI Pacific Inc.
Image with caption: "Pilot Plant at Canatuan mine site,
Philippines (CNW Group/TVI Pacific
Inc.)". Image available at:
http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130626_C3371_PHOTO_EN_28519.jpg
Image with caption: "Figure 1 - Balabag Leach Kinetics: CIL vs
CIP (CNW Group/TVI Pacific Inc.)". Image available at:
http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130626_C3371_PHOTO_EN_28520.jpg