Name of the Project
Nyanzaga gold project.

Location
Lake Victoria Goldfields region, north-west Tanzania.

Project Owner/s
OreCorp.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study (PFS) has confirmed a robust project and has determined that a concurrent openpit and underground mine schedule represent the optimum mining sequence.

The openpit will deliver the base load of mineralised material over the life-of-mine and is expected to deliver about 1.75-million ounces of contained gold over its 12-year mine life – an increase of 25%, or 350 000 oz of gold, on the scoping study assessment.

Underground mining will start in Year 1, from a boxcut outside the openpit, and is expected to produce about 1.16-million ounces of contained gold, including underground development material. The underground deposit will be developed to a depth of 800 m below surface, with the deposit remaining open at depth. Detailed metallurgical testwork in the PFS has confirmed gold recovery of 88% through a conventional four-million-tonne-a-year carbon-in-leach processing plant – an increase of 3% on the scoping study figure.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Preproduction capital costs are estimated at $287-million, which includes a $33-million contingency. The change in capital from the $248-million in the April 2016 scoping study is largely because of the change in the mine schedule, resulting in an increased prestrip of 7.1-million tonnes, increasing the cost of the prestrip from $14-million to $36-million.

The process plant capital cost has increased by about $11-million, resulting from the reduced grind size (P80 of 75 μm, compared with P80 of 106 μm) and the inclusion of additional processing equipment to improve plant availability and operability. The higher initial capital cost, compared with the scoping study estimate, is offset by the increased average yearly life-of-mine (LoM) production and overall LoM ounces while retaining consistent capital intensity. Consistent with the scoping study, the capital estimate is based on a contractor mining scenario and, therefore, excludes capital for a mining fleet.

Planned Start/End Date
Project construction is targeted to start in the third quarter of 2023, with first production due in the first quarter of 2025.

The company initially reported that the completion date for the definitive feasibility study (DFS) was targeted for the end of the second quarter of 2022, with front-end engineering design targeted for the fourth quarter of t2022, and breaking ground for the second quarter of 2023.

Latest Developments
OreCorp has received indicative debt funding proposals for the development and construction of its Nyanzaga gold project.

Discussions with major European, African and Tanzanian banks have delivered nonbinding expressions of interest to provide debt finance of more than $400-million for the project, more than the $300-million debt target set by OreCorp in consultation with its financing advisers Auramet International.

The company is continuing discussions with several other financial institutions, including global export credit agencies, as it progresses to secure syndicated debt funding for the project.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
OreCorp +61 8 9381 9997.