Name: Endako mine.

Location: The Endako mine is located about 850 km north of Vancouver, Canada.
Controlling company: The mine is operated as a joint venture between Thompson Creek (75%) and the Japan-based Sojitz Corporation (25%), which was formed through the business integration between the Nichimen Corporation and the Nissho Iwai Corporation.

Brief history: In 1927, two Fraser Lake residents, Charles Foote and Alfred Langley, found fragments of mineralised boulders scattered along a ridge, south-west of Endako. Thirty years passed before sufficient exploration revealed the presence of a significant molybdenum orebody. Endako Mines was incorporated in June 1962 and in August of the same year, Placer Development entered into an option agreement with Endako. Clearing and construction began in March 1964 and the project was completed in May 1965. In 1971, Endako Mines amalgamated with Placer Development and became a division of Placer Dome Canada. Poor economic conditions worldwide and a deterioration in global molybdenum markets led to the suspension of operations in 1982, although Endako maintained a continuous supply of product from its inventory. Mining and concentrating were resumed at reduced capacity in 1986. By early 1989, mining and milling had returned to full production of 28 000 t/d. Thompson Creek Mining and Nissho Iwai Moly Resources formed a joint venture (JV) and acquired the operations from Placer Dome in 1997. In April 2008, the company began an expansion and modernisation project that would increase the mill capacity to 55 000 t/d. The expansion project was suspended in December 2008 in response to the economic downturn and resumed in August 2009.

Brief description: The Endako mine includes the, Endako, Denak East and Denak West openpits; a mill and a roasting facility. The Endako pit was the focus of mining activity for many years. In January 2008, mining activity shifted entirely to the Denak West pit and, during that year, the corporation moved the in-pit crusher from the Endako pit to an area between the Denak West and Denak East pits, and began installing an overland conveyor from that location to the mill. The conveyor started transporting ore to the mill in March 2009. Plans call for the creation of a single pit by mining the walls between the three existing pits.

Products: Molybdenum.

Mining method: Openpit.

Major infrastructure and equipment: Three electric rotary drills are used to sink 320 mm holes 16 m deep, which are loaded with a blasting agent. The broken ore and waste rock are loaded onto haulage trucks using four electric shovels. Nine haulage trucks of 172 t capacity carry ore to the crusher and waste to the dumps. The crushed ore is ground finer in the rod mills and ball mills, with the addition of water and reagents. The molybdenum is recovered through a concentrator that processes ore through crushing, grinding and flotation circuits into molybdenum disulfide concentrate, and a multiple-hearth roasting facility that converts the concentrate into technical-grade molybdenum oxide.

Geology: The Endako molybdenum deposit is hosted by the Endako phase of the Francois Lake plutonic suite. Laminated quartz-molybdenite veins host molybdenite mineralisation, which crosscut pre-ore granite dykes and stockwork quartz veins.

Reserves: Total proven and probable reserves as at December 31, 2012, were 336.6-million tons, with a molybdenum grade of 0.046%.

Resources: Total measured and indicated resources as at February 14, 2011, were 59.5-million tons, with a molybdenum grade of 0.038%.

Prospects: In March 2012, the Thompson Creek completed the mill expansion project at its Endako mine. The mill expansion project included the construction of a new mill, replacing the existing mill constructed in the 1960s. The new mill is designed to meet ore-processing capacity of 55 000 t/d. Commissioning of the new semiautogenous/ball mill and rougher flotation circuit were completed in early January, followed by ramp-up to commercial production beginning February 1, 2012. The remaining construction work on the regrind circuit and the pebble crusher was completed in late March. The existing 45-year old mill at the site has been shut down and will be left on care and maintenance.

Contact person: Director of investor relations and corporate responsibility, Pamela Solly.

Contact details:
Thompson Creek Metals
Tel +1 303 7623526
Email psolly@tcrk.com
http://www.thompsoncreekmetals.com