Name of the Project
Pumpkin Hollow openpit copper project.

Location
The Pumpkin Hollow property is located within the Walker Lane mineral belt of Western Nevada, in the US.

Client
Nevada Copper.

Project Description
A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has proposed developing the Pumpkin Hollow openpit project independently from the underground mine. The project has measured and indicated resources of 397-million tonnes grading 0.48% copper and 0.51% copper equivalent. The openpit mineralised material is found in the North and South deposits.

The PEA envisages a conventional truck-and-shovel operation with a combination of hydraulic and electric cable shovels and haul trucks. The mine plan has been phased and developed to minimise preproduction stripping to deliver material as soon as possible and provide an attractive life-of-mine (LoM) grade profile for the first five years with a grade average of 0.57% copper (0.61% copper equivalent).

Mining will initially take place in select areas of the shallower South pit while access is being opened to the higher-grade North pit, which is the focus of the main part of the LoM, before the South pit material comes on line towards the tail.

The mine will produce 37 000 t/d for the first seven years (Phase 1), before expanding to 70 000 t/d for the remaining 13 years of production (Phase 2). Haul trucks will deliver material to a primary crusher, with discharge from the crusher conveyed to a coarse stockpile adjacent to the mill.

The proposed treatment technology is conventional flotation con-centration. The processing plant will consist of crushing and grinding circuits, followed by a flotation process to recover and upgrade copper and silver from the feed material. The Pumpkin Hollow opencut mine will produce 177-million pounds a year of payable copper over its 20-year LoM.

The 5 000 t/d Pumpkin Hollow underground project currently under construction will produce 60-million pounds of copper in the first five years of operations, as well as 9000 oz of gold and 173 000 oz of silver. Over the entire 13.5-year LoM, yearly output will average 50-million pounds of cop-per, as well as 8 000 oz of gold and 150 000 oz of silver.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has a pretax net present value, at a 7.5% discount rate of $1.17-billion and an internal rate of return of 21%.

Value
In line with Nevada Copper’s strategy of incremental production expansions that can be achieved with low capital intensity and short lead times, the openpit development plan comprises two phases. The initial phase will cost $592-million to build a mine and plant with a 37 000 t/d capacity and the second phase will require $447-million to increase capacity to 70 000 t/d in Year 8 of the LoM.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Nevada Copper, tel +1 604683 8992, fax +1 604681 0122 or email info@nevadacopper.com.