This announcement contains
inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the UK version
of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 which is part of UK law by virtue of
the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended ("MAR"). Upon
the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information
Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the
public domain.
21 October 2024
Nativo Resources
Plc
("Nativo"
or the "Company")
Operational Update: Tesoro
Gold Mine
Initial vein material
recovered from Bonanza shaft yields high grade assay results up to
27g/t
Nativo Resources plc (LON:NTVO),
which has interests in precious metals mining and production in
Peru, provides the following update on the Tesoro Gold Concession
("Tesoro"), in southern Peru, which is held by the Company's
50%-owned Peruvian joint venture, Boku Resources SAC
("Boku").
Boku continues with the mine
development plan in preparation for production and has now
increased operations at the Bonanza mine's first shaft ("Bonanza")
to three shifts per day, which has seen progress accelerate. The
principal shaft now extends to over 22m in depth, following closely
the orientation of the Bonanza vein. The northwest and southeast
sub level galleries, at 10m depth, have been developed and
currently extend horizontally to over 14m to the NW and 20m to the
SE, following the strike of the vein system
respectively.
In keeping with the heterogeneous
development of the mineralised vein, which pinches and swells both
horizontally and vertically as is common for mesothermal quartz
vein gold deposits, the mine development plan has been optimised
for preparation of future multiple blocks, with each block
averaging 20m long by 20m in height. The Company expects the
optimised plan will both accelerate, and ultimately increase
production. The revision means each block is estimated to contain
172t of vein material, with the first block in preparation expected
to average grades of between 6g/t to 12g/t Au with some areas of
the block reaching 27g/t.
Boku now believes that the gold
oxidation zones could extend to up to 200m in depth, with a
neighbouring ASM operation extending to over 150m vertically,
meaning there could be potential for six to eight vertical blocks
per horizontal gallery at Bonanza. However, any such development of
the mine to this depth would require upgrading and mechanisation of
mine infrastructure to facilitate clean air circulation and the
movement of people and rock material.
Vein material brought to surface as
part of mine preparations undertaken in September and October,
measured over 22t after sorting. This material is derived from the
preparation of the shaft and galleries and does not represent what
will be achieved during the "production phase". The recovered
material has been analysed at a local metallurgical laboratory
(Minares SAC), with the results yielding an average grade of
between 6g/t and 12g/t Au and maximum results returning over 27g/t
for the bulk samples.
The vein material recovered so far
will be stockpiled at the central camp until we finalise terms with
a local producer, most likely once we establish steady production
in December.
Initial revenue will be reinvested
to accelerate mine development and optimise gold
production.
Looking ahead, Boku plans to
increase again the number of shifts working at Bonanza from three
to six, accelerating mine development and scaling production
volumes, potentially achieving between 8t and 12t of vein material
per day. The current development plan includes deepening the
principal shaft and opening a second, then third shaft at Bonanza,
followed by opening a second mine at La Dorada. The development at
La Dorada will be similar to Bonanza.
Across Tesoro, Boku has identified
three further vein corridors for ASM mining operations. The veins
have existing ASM shafts, which have been sampled and analysed,
returning results with high-grade gold concentrations, similar to
Bonanza and La Dorada. These vein corridors are mapped to extend
for up to 1km each and can be exploited with multiple shafts, i.e.,
similar to the mining plan for Bonanza and La Dorada.
The overall development plan for the
concession forecasts achieving an aggregated daily production rate,
across all operations, of between 38.5t and 64t per day of vein
material by December 2025.
As announced on 13 September 2024,
the Company plans to scale gold production, establish a gold ore
processing plant for its own and third party vein material, and, in
the medium-term, to expand its operations to the exploitation of
gold rich tailings deposits.
Stephen Birrell, Chief Executive Officer of Nativo,
commented:
"Tesoro continues to be an extremely exciting project for
Nativo. I am pleased to report on high-grade assay results of
initial vein material recovered from Bonanza, with findings
demonstrating impressive grades of up to 27g/t.
We
look forward to working with Boku to accelerate mine development
operations and increase production capacity, which will be
supported by the reinvestment of expected revenues from gold
sales."
For
further information please contact:
Nativo Resources
Stephen Birrell, Chief Executive
Officer
|
Via Vigo Consulting
nativo@vigoconsulting.com
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Zeus (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker)
James Joyce
James Bavister
Isaac Hooper
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Tel: +44 (0)20 3829 5000
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Peterhouse Capital limited (Joint Broker)
Duncan Vasey
Lucy Williams
Rose Greensmith
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Tel: +44 (0)20 7469 0930
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Vigo Consulting (Investor Relations)
Ben Simons
Peter Jacob
Anna Sutton
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Tel: +44 (0)20 7390
0234
nativo@vigoconsulting.com
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About Nativo Resources plc
Following the partial divestment of
its assets in Argentina, Nativo entered into a 50:50 joint venture
in Peru in July 2024 with an experienced local partner for precious
metals (gold/silver) mining and processing of gold ore (own and
third party production) and the cleaning of known tailings deposits
containing Measured and Indicated resources of gold and silver.
Through the JV, known as Boku Resources, Nativo has secured an
opportunity to scale operations in Peru, owning 50% of the
production and resources.
Initially, Boku is establishing
formalised artisanal and small mining operations on its 100% held
Tesoro Gold concession, southern Peru, targeting early cash flow
generation by Q4 2024. The Company plans to establish its own gold
ore processing plant and, longer-term, to pursue its low capex
strategies to appraise and exploit tailings deposits to recover
gold, and develop the Ana Lucia Polymetallic concession.
Qualified Persons Statement
The scientific and technical information contained within this
announcement has been reviewed and approved by Dr Alberto Rios
Carranza, a geologist with over 27 years' experience, who holds a
doctorate cum laude awarded by the Polytechnical University of
Madrid, Spain and who has published or co-authored over 17
scientific papers on the mineralisation across Peru. Alberto is a
member of the Geological Society of Peru, the Colombian Society of
Geology and the Institute of Mining Engineers of Peru. He is a
Qualified Person as defined by the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and
Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009.
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Glossary
Au
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gold
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ASM
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Artisanal and small
mining
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g/t
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grams per tonne
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Km
|
kilometers
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m
|
meters
|
t
|
tonnes
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