Cerrado Gold Reports NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Minera Don Nicolas Mine in Santa Cruz, Argentina

In This Article:

  • After Tax NPV5% of US$111 Million at US$2,100/oz Au price

    • After Tax NPV5% of US$153 Million at Spot prices1

  • Average annual production targeted at approx. 56,000 Gold Equivalent Ounces ("GEO")2

  • Life of Mine Average annual EBITDA of US$49 Million and FCF of US$25 Million

    • LOM average EBITDA of US$64 Million and FCF of US$29 Million at Spot prices1

  • Mine life of 5 years, from April 2024 based on existing Resources

  • Average Cash Costs of US$863/oz; Avg AISC US$1,144/oz

  • No Material Upfront Capital Expenditures required

  • Updated Mineral Resource Estimate contains 490,000ozs of Measured and Indicated Resources and 121,150 ozs of Inferred Resources with potential upside from continued drilling & resource expansion

1. Spot prices; Au: US$2,400/oz and Ag:US$29/oz
2. GEO calculated by multiplying recovered silver ounces by (25/2100)

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 6, 2024 / CERRADO GOLD ("Cerrado" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of a NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") and an updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for its Minera Don Nicolas mine located in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The work was completed by GeoEstima SpA. The final report is to be completed and available on SEDAR+ by 20th September 2024.

Mark Brennan, CEO of Cerrado Gold commented "The results of the PEA support the near-term operational performance we are targeting for Minera Don Nicolas. These results support our view that MDN is set to enter a period of stable operations, generating robust cash flows enabling the reduction of debt and enhancing the overall financial strength of Cerrado. When combined with the expected receipt of US$45MM in total cash payments for the recent sale of our Brazilian asset over the next two years, Cerrado will be well positioned for strong future growth. For the next few years, MDN will be focused on growing resources to extend the mine life and leverage the value of our existing operations. We continue to view MDN as early in its exploration life and see the potential for a world-class multi-deposit district moving forward."

PEA Summary Results

PEA Base Case1

Average Annual Gold Equivalent Production (ounces)

55,869

Mine life (years) - Mine Plan start Date 1 April 2024

5.0

Total Gold Equivalent Production (ounces)

279,345

NPV @ 5% discount rate (millions, after-tax)

$ 111

NPV @ 8% discount rate (millions, after-tax)

$ 105

Gold Price (US$/oz)

2,100.0

Silver Price (US$/oz)

25.0

Average Annual EBITDA

$ 49.2 M

Average Annual FCF

$ 25.2 M

Capital Costs

Initial capital expenditure (Initial Capex)

$ 0 M

Sustaining capital expenditures

$ 9.5 M

Reclamation cost

$ 7 M

Salvage Value

$ 3.3 M

Operating Costs

Total cash cost (per ounce sold) 2

864

Mine-site all-in-sustaining cost (per ounce sold) 3

1,146

Notes:
1. Sprott Streaming Agreement has been excluded from this analysis
2. Before royalties and after by-product credits
3. Include C1 cash costs, plus royalties plus sustaining capital

Mineral Resource Estimate

The PEA is based on the updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE), prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, completed by GeoEstima, with an effective date of April 1st, 2024, as presented below. It should be noted that Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. This update reflects not only those resources assumed to be mined in the PEA but also other defined resources within the greater MDN property. Estimation of depleted satellite Mineral Resources was validated by Cerrado's Qualified Persons ("QPs"), as defined in NI 43-10, keeping estimation parameters from the previous technical report (SRK 2020), and using updated drilling data bases and constraining pit shells.