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Vancouver, June 20, 2023 – Sabre Gold Mines Corp. (TSX: SGLD, OTCQB: SGLDF) (“Sabre Gold” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce it has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) on the 100% owned Copperstone Mine (“Copperstone” or “Project”) in Arizona, USA. The study has resulted in robust post-tax economics which, due to pre-existing infrastructure on surface and underground, result in both low initial capital and an overall low capital intensity ratio on a per ounce basis. The project benefits from its significant tax assets and recently reduced royalty encumbrance while also having potential for resource expansion and further exploration success.
The Preliminary Economic Assessment supports a high-grade gold underground mining operation at Copperstone producing an average of 40,765 payable oz gold per year for just over a 5-and-a-half-year mine life. Sabre Gold management worked with Hard Rock Consulting, LLC (“HRC”) to complete the PEA, which included comprehensive reviews of the construction, operations and costs, to provide confidence for potential project commencement and completion within budget and schedule. Trade off studies will continue on initial capital items and initial earthworks will commence as soon as the Company moves towards a formal construction decision. The Company will also continue to have discussions with potential providers of initial construction capital.
In accordance with National Instrument 43-101, the Company has engaged HRC to complete a technical report in support of the PEA, which will be filed on SEDAR within 45 days of this news release. The Company notes that mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Company notes that a preliminary economic assessment is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic consideration applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized.
The PEA base case assumes a gold price of $1,800 per oz and the PEA also presents project sensitivities using a range of spot gold prices between $1,600 to $2,000 per oz. All currency references herein are in US$.
Highlights from the Preliminary Economic Assessment
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- Consistent Production – Models an underground mine operation that will process 198,000 tonnes of ore at 544 tonnes per day (“tpd”) over the 5.6-year mine life (“LOM”).
- Excellent Payback Period – The mine plan sequences the high-grade portions of the resource in early years to optimize grade and cash flow resulting in a payback period of less than 2 years and generating nearly $90m in after-tax cumulative undiscounted cash flow.
- Low Initial Capital – Significant site infrastructure, such as pre-existing tailings and processing facilities, surface buildings and rehabilitated underground development allow for reduced upfront construction cost and low initial capital per payable gold ounce produced over the LOM.
- Fully Licensed and Permitted – Permits are in place for initial construction and subsequent operation of the project as well as the necessary water and surface rights. Minor modifications required for the revised mine plan and flow sheet as a result of the PEA will be addressed as required in the coming months by the Company...."