Name of the Project
Pumpkin Hollow copper project.

Location
The property is located near Yerington, Nevada, in the US.

Project Owner/s
Nevada Copper.

Project Description
A technical report has described the Pumpkin Hollow property and its advancement based on a phased development approach of the underground and openpit deposits as standalone projects.

The prefeasibility study (PFS) proposes the development of the openpit project independently from the underground mine currently under construction.

The openpit study envisages a phased operation, with an initial mining rate of 37 000 t/d (years 1 to 6), later expanding to 70 000 t/d (years 7 to 9). Peak production is forecast at 111 000 t/y, or 244-million pounds a year.

The proposed openpit project plan includes additional drilling in areas that have mineralisation open within the pit boundary, which are currently inferred resources, as well as areas where the boundary of mineralisation remains open. The openpit has been designed to be a conventional truck-and-shovel operation, with a combination of hydraulic and electric cable shovels and haul trucks.

The openpit has a mine life of 19 years.

Processing will be undertaken through a conventional flotation concentration plant and will comprise crushing and grinding circuits, followed by a flotation process to recover and upgrade copper, gold and silver from the
feed material.

The 5 000 t/d underground project will produce about 60-million pounds of copper in the first five years of operations, as well as 9 000 oz of gold and 173 000 oz of silver.

Over the underground project’s 13.5-year mine life, it will average 50-million pounds of copper a year, 8 000 oz/y of gold and 15 000 oz/y of silver.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The openpit operation has an estimated pretax net present value (NPV), at a 7.5% discount rate, of $1.04-billion and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 23%, with a payback of 4.5 years. Together the underground and openpit operations have a pretax NPV, at a 7.5% discount rate, of $1.32-million and an IRR of 24%.

Capital Expenditure
Initial capital expenditure for the openpit is estimated at $627-million.

Planned Start/End Date
Initial production from the underground mine is forecast for the end of 2019.

The timing of the openpit construction and operations remains flexible.

Latest Developments
The Pumpkin Hollow processing plant has produced its first copper, making the mine the first new copper producer in the US in the last decade.

Pumpkin Hollow expects its first shipment of concentrate and first revenue in the coming weeks, owner Nevada Copper has said.

CEO Matt Gili has said that it is a “transformational moment” for Nevada Copper, which only 16 months ago took a construction decision.

Ramp-up of the underground mine to full commercial production remains under way and will continue into the first half of 2020. The underground operation will produce 65-million pounds a year of copper-equivalent at an all-in sustaining cost of $1.86/lb, with possibilities for an expansion.

Its current mine life is 13.5 years of reserves, with a further 636-million pounds of inferred resources.
 
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Golder Associates, Sedgman and Tetra Tech Inc (openpit PFS and technical report).

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Nevada Copper Corp, email info@nevadacopper.com.