TNR royalty property Batidero acquired by Lundin
2022-04-28 15:39 ET - News Release
Mr. Kirill Klip reports
TNR GOLD UPDATE ON BATIDERO I AND II PROPERTY ROYALTIES OF LUNDIN MINING'S JOSEMARIA COPPER-GOLD PROJECT
Lundin Mining Corp. has completed a plan of arrangement pursuant to which Lundin acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Josemaria Resources Inc., and Josemaria Resources became a subsidiary of Lundin. TNR Gold Corp. holds a 7-per-cent net profit interest royalty (NPR) on the Batidero I and II properties of the Josemaria copper-gold project located in San Juan, Argentina, that is owned by Josemaria Resources.
In its news release dated April 28, 2022, Lundin stated:
"The addition of the Josemaria project to Lundin Mining's portfolio solidifies our position as a leading base metals producer with high-quality copper exposure and significant growth. We look forward to building upon the excellent reputation of Josemaria Resources in San Juan and Argentina," said Peter Rockandel, Lundin Mining President and CEO, "We are excited to lead the project through the remaining stages of development and into production to create significant value for all stakeholders."
Josemaria Project Update
As announced by Josemaria Resources on April 11, 2022, the Mining Authority of San Juan, Argentina has approved the Environmental Social Impact Assessment for the Josemaria Project, marking a significant milestone in the project's permitting process. Lundin Mining and the Josemaria project team are working with the national and provincial authorities to progress the project through the next stages of development. Discussions regarding commercial agreements and securing of additional sectoral permits are ongoing and anticipated later this year prior to a definitive construction decision.
The Josemaria project is progressing through basic engineering with procurement of long-lead equipment, including securing key items of crushing and processing. Study work is ongoing, including updating of cost estimates to be reflective of current conditions and evaluation of potential scope changes compared to plans envisaged in the Josemaria Resources 2020 Feasibility Study ("NI 43-101 Technical Report, Feasibility Study for the Josemaria Copper-Gold Project, San Juan Province, Argentina" dated November 5, 2020 (the "Josemaria Resources 2020 Feasibility Study")). Lundin Mining aims to complete an updated Technical Report for the project in the fourth quarter of 2022. While this work has not yet concluded, the Company expects the initial capital expenditure estimate of the project to be greater than $4 billion. Effective post-closing, the Company intends to spend up to $300 million to advance the project ahead of a construction decision in the second half of 2022, including engineering, commitments for long lead items, preconstruction activities and drilling. As part of the updated Technical Report, Lundin Mining plans to complete new Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates. Approximately 20,600 meters of drilling have been completed on the project since the most recent 2020 Josemaria Resources mineral estimates and 35,000 meters of additional drilling are planned to be completed ahead of the new estimates.
About Lundin Mining
Lundin Mining is a diversified Canadian base metals mining company with operations and projects in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Portugal, Sweden and the United States of America, primarily producing copper, zinc, gold and nickel."
Kirill Klip, TNR's Chief Executive Officer commented, "Our 7% NPR holding on the Batidero I and II properties of the Josemaria Project held by Lundin Mining represents future growth potential for our royalty portfolio. We are also investigating potential new acquisitions while our main focus remains on the development of the Shotgun Gold Project in Alaska. The essence of our business model is to have industry leaders like Ganfeng Lithium, McEwen Mining and Lundin Group as operators on the projects that will potentially generate royalty cash flows to contribute and develop a significant long-term value for our shareholders."