Integra Resources Corp. (“Integra” or the “Company”) (TSXV:
ITR; NYSE American: ITRG) is pleased to announce results
for the maiden Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) and updated
resource estimate for each of the Wildcat Project (“Wildcat”) and
Mountain View Project (“Mountain View”) (together, “Wildcat &
Mountain View”) located in western Nevada. The PEA demonstrates the
potential for a low-cost, high-margin, heap leach gold-silver
operation with a phased development and production strategy and
robust economics. The average annual production of Wildcat &
Mountain View and the DeLamar Project on a combined basis is
expected to exceed 200kozs of gold equivalent (“AuEq”),
demonstrating one of the largest heap leach production profiles
among precious metal developers in the Great Basin.
The Company will host a PEA focused webinar on
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 8:00am PST/11:00am EST. The webinar
will feature a presentation from Integra’s President, CEO and
Director, Jason Kosec, as well as a live Q&A session. A
recording of the webinar will be available on Integra’s corporate
website. To register for the webinar, please use the following
link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qTXgGycAQLOBbTxXBN2B6A
Wildcat & Mountain View PEA
Highlights:
-
After-tax NPV(5%) of US$309.6 million (“M”)
(C$408.6M1) and 36.9%
after-tax IRR using base case metal prices
of US$1,700/oz gold (“Au”) and US$21.50/oz silver
(“Ag”)
-
After-tax NPV(5%) of US$442.1M
(C$583.6M1) and 49.7%
after-tax IRR using spot metal prices on June 27, 2023 of
US$1,920/oz Au and US$22.00/oz Ag
-
Wildcat & Mountain View generate combined annual
production of ~94koz AuEq from year 1-5 with average annual
production of 80koz AuEq over the 13 year Life-of-Mine
(“LOM”)
-
LOM payable metals from Wildcat & Mountain View of
1,043koz AuEq
-
LOM site level cash costs of US$882/oz AuEq on a co-product
basis; LOM site level all-in sustaining cash costs (“AISC”) of
US$973/oz AuEq on a co-product basis
-
Year -1 initial capex of US$115M to begin operations at
Wildcat
-
Average Au Recovery of 71.4% at Wildcat and 77.1% at
Mountain View
-
Low combined LOM strip ratio of 1.21 (Wildcat standalone
strip ratio of 0.28)
-
Total net free cash flow generated of US$485M over the LOM
with average net annual free cash flow of US$46M from year
1-13
-
The updated mineral resource estimate at Wildcat &
Mountain View demonstrates growth of +23% and +49% respectively
compared to the previous mineral resource estimates dated November
2020:
-
2021-2022 drilling at Wildcat & Mountain View allowed
the Company to convert the majority of the previous resource
estimate from the Inferred (“Inf.”) category to the Indicated
(“M&I”) category
-
Wildcat Project: 746koz Au and 6,438koz Ag (829kozs AuEq)
in M&I (59,872,806 tonnes at 0.39 g/t Au and 3.34 g/t Ag) and
210koz Au and 1,980koz Ag (235kozs AuEq) in Inf. (22,455,848 tonnes
at 0.29 g/t Au and 2.74 g/t Ag)
-
Mountain View Project: 578koz Au and 3,402koz Ag (622kozs
AuEq) in M&I (28,750,517 tonnes at 0.63 g/t Au and 3.68 g/t Ag)
and 60koz Au and 244koz Ag (63kozs AuEq) in Inf. (4,155,502 tonnes
at 0.45 g/t Au and 1.83 g/t Ag)
-
The PEA results complement the 2022 Pre-feasibility Study
for the DeLamar Project in southwestern Idaho, which demonstrated a
base case after-tax NPV(5%) of US$314M and a 33% after-tax
IRR2
(1) CAD:USD FX rate
of 1.32(2) See NI 43-101 technical report titled: “Technical Report
and Preliminary Feasibility Study for the DeLamar and Florida
Mountain Gold – Silver project, Owyhee County, Idaho, USA”, dated
March 22, 2022 with an effective date of January 24, 2022 available
under Integra Resources’ SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and EDGAR
profile at www.sec.gov; Gold price assumption: US$1,700/oz Au;
Silver price assumption is US$21.50/oz Ag
Integra’s President, CEO & Director,
Jason Kosec commented: “the updated resource estimate and
PEA for Wildcat & Mountain View demonstrate two high-margin,
low-cost, heap leachable gold and silver deposits with a strong
combined production profile, low pre-production capex and robust
economics. The PEA strengthens Integra’s position in the Great
Basin as a multi-asset developer with a pathway to become a 200,000
ounce per year gold-silver producer. To date, the Company has
successfully defined a large resource base at Wildcat &
Mountain View despite being constrained to 5-acres of surface
disturbance. The Company has submitted an Exploration Plan of
Operations for both Wildcat & Mountain View to the Bureau of
Land Management which, when received, will allow for significantly
increased resource expansion drilling through planned step-out
drill holes. Resource growth at Wildcat & Mountain View has the
potential to further enhance the economics and mine life
demonstrated in the PEA results announced today.”
George Salamis, Executive Chairman of
Integra, added: “the PEA is the first major milestone
following the successful merger of Integra and Millennial Precious
Metals. The next major catalysts for the Company includes an
updated resource estimate for the DeLamar Project that will
incorporate gold-silver mineralized stockpile material drilled
during the 2022-2023 winter field season, as well as the filing of
the DeLamar Mine Plan of Operations in Q4 of this year. The Mine
Plan of Operations represents a major milestone for the project and
a significant step towards permitting and de-risking the DeLamar
Project.”
The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes
inferred mineral resources that are too speculative geologically to
have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them
to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that
PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral
reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Project Economics - Sensitivity to Gold
and Silver Prices
Table 1 illustrates a range of metal price
scenarios to evaluate the after-tax economics of Wildcat &
Mountain View. As shown, Wildcat & Mountain View operations
remain viable in the downside commodity price scenario and also
show robust economics in the upside case.
Table 1: After-Tax NPV, IRR and Payback
Sensitivity Table (US$M)
$/oz Au |
$/oz Ag |
NPV (5%) |
NPV (7.5%) |
NPV (10%) |
IRR |
Payback |
$1,450 |
$18.34 |
$155.0 |
$114.4 |
$82.4 |
21.2% |
3.7 |
$1,500 |
$18.97 |
$186.0 |
$141.4 |
$106.3 |
24.4% |
3.5 |
$1,550 |
$19.60 |
$216.9 |
$168.4 |
$130.0 |
27.6% |
3.3 |
$1,600 |
$20.24 |
$247.6 |
$195.2 |
$153.6 |
30.7% |
3.2 |
$1,650 |
$20.87 |
$278.4 |
$222.0 |
$177.3 |
33.7% |
3.1 |
$1,700 |
$21.50 |
$309.6 |
$249.3 |
$201.2 |
36.9% |
3.0 |
$1,750 |
$22.13 |
$340.5 |
$276.3 |
$225.0 |
39.9% |
2.8 |
$1,800 |
$22.76 |
$371.4 |
$303.2 |
$248.7 |
42.9% |
2.6 |
$1,850 |
$23.40 |
$401.9 |
$329.8 |
$272.2 |
45.9% |
2.5 |
$1,900 |
$24.03 |
$432.5 |
$356.4 |
$295.6 |
48.8% |
2.4 |
$1,950 |
$24.66 |
$463.1 |
$383.1 |
$319.1 |
51.7% |
2.3 |
Production and Cash Flow
Profile
The PEA outlines a profitable heap leach
operation with a phased development approach that sees production
beginning at Wildcat and expanding to Mountain View in year 8. A
phased development approach allows the Company to utilize one fleet
for mining and processing equipment resulting in significantly
reduced total capital requirements. In total, the approximately
30,000 tonnes per day (“tpd”) heap leach operation at Wildcat and
16,000 tpd heap leach operation at Mountain View is expected to
process 99.5 million tonnes (“Mt”) of mineralized material and
produce 1,043koz AuEq (1,018koz Au and 1,933koz Ag) over the
13-year LOM.
The average annual LOM production at Wildcat
& Mountain View is expected to be 80koz AuEq per year which,
assuming base case metal prices of US$1,700/oz Au and US$21.50/oz
Ag will generate total net free cash flow LOM of US$485M and
average annual free cash flow of US$46M from year 1-13.
Figure 1: Wildcat & Mountain View
Production Profile
Figure 2: Wildcat & Mountain View
Cash Flow Profile
Technical Inputs and
Assumptions
Each of Wildcat & Mountain View will have
its own heap leach pad and waste rock facility. The mining
equipment and fleet will be moved between the two projects to
provide efficient operations and value optimization. Wildcat &
Mountain View will share an Adsorption/Desorption/Recovery (“ADR”)
plant located first at Wildcat and then moved to Mountain View in
year 8, at which point the loaded carbon from production years 8
and 9 at Wildcat will be trucked to Mountain View for processing.
Mining will be done using 90 tonne (“t”) haul trucks and 200t and
250t shovels. Material will be crushed to 9 millimeters (“mm”) at
Wildcat and 19mm at Mountain View using a three-stage crushing
circuit. No agglomeration is expected to be required at either
project.
Table 2: Standalone Project
Inputs
Mining |
Wildcat |
Mountain View |
Total Tonnage Mined (kt) |
89,909 |
130,279 |
Total Mineralized Material (kt) |
69,974 |
29,548 |
Strip Ratio (Waste: Mineralized) |
0.28 |
3.41 |
Contained |
|
|
Contained Gold (koz Au) |
823.1 |
521.8 |
Contained Silver (koz Ag) |
7,065.8 |
3,037.2 |
Contained Gold Equivalent (koz AuEq) |
912.4 |
560.2 |
Processing & Grade |
|
|
Processing Throughput (ktpd) |
30.0 |
16.0 |
Average Gold Grade (g/t Au) |
0.38 |
0.57 |
Average Silver Grade (g/t Ag) |
3.25 |
3.30 |
Production |
|
|
Heap Leach Recovery |
|
|
LOM Average Gold Recovery (%) |
71.4% |
77.1% |
LOM Average Silver Recovery (%) |
18.0% |
20.0% |
Payable Metals |
|
|
LOM Gold Payable (koz Au) |
604.2 |
414.0 |
LOM Silver Payable (koz Ag) |
1,308.1 |
624.8 |
LOM Gold Equivalent Payable (koz AuEq) |
620.8 |
421.9 |
Table 3: Technical Inputs and Financial
Assumptions for Combined Operation
Mining |
Wildcat & Mountain View |
Total Tonnage Mined (kt) |
220,187 |
Total Mineralized Material (kt) |
99,522 |
Strip Ratio (Waste: Mineralized) |
1.21 |
Mine Life |
13.0 |
Contained |
|
Contained Gold (koz Au) |
1,344.9 |
Contained Silver (koz Ag) |
10,103.0 |
Contained Gold Equivalent (koz AuEq) |
1,472.7 |
Production |
|
Heap Leach Recovery |
|
LOM Average Gold Recovery (%) |
73.7% |
LOM Average Silver Recovery (%) |
18.6% |
Payable Metals |
|
LOM Gold Payable (koz Au) |
1,018.2 |
LOM Silver Payable (koz Ag) |
1,932.8 |
LOM Gold Equivalent Payable (koz AuEq) |
1,042.6 |
Average Annual Gold Payable (koz Au) |
78.3 |
Average Annual Silver Payable (koz Ag) |
148.7 |
Average Annual Gold Equivalent Payable (koz AuEq) |
80.2 |
Costs per Tonne |
Wildcat & Mountain View |
Mining Costs (US$/t mined) |
$1.82 |
Mining Costs (US$/t processed) |
$4.02 |
Processing Costs (US$/t processed) |
$3.59 |
G&A Costs (US$/t processed) |
$0.58 |
Total Site Operating Cost (US$/t processed) |
$8.19 |
Cash Costs |
|
LOM Cash Cost, net-of-silver by-product ($/oz Au) |
$862 |
LOM Cash Cost, co-product ($/oz AuEq) |
$882 |
LOM AISC, net-of-silver by-product ($/oz Au) |
$956 |
LOM AISC, co-product ($/oz AuEq) |
$973 |
LOM AIC, net-of-silver by-product ($/oz Au) |
$1,162 |
LOM AIC, co-product ($/oz AuEq) |
$1,175 |
Capital Expenditure |
|
Wildcat Initial Capex (US$M) (1) |
$115.1 |
Mountain View Initial Capex (US$M) |
$49.2 |
Expansion Capex (US$M) (2) |
$49.2 |
Sustaining Capex / Equipment Financing (US$M) |
$84.4 |
Reclamation Cost (US$M) |
$21.7 |
Salvage Value (US$M) |
($12.1) |
Bonding Cash Collateral Return (US$M) |
($2.2) |
Total Capital (US$M) |
$305.3 |
Economic Assumptions |
|
Gold Price (US$/oz) |
$1,700 |
Silver Price (US$/oz) |
$21.50 |
FX Rate (CAD/USD) |
1.3 |
Project Economics |
|
After-Tax IRR (%) |
36.9% |
After-Tax NPV5% (US$M) |
$309.6 |
After-Tax NPV5% (C$M) |
$408.6 |
Payback Period (years) |
3.0 |
Yr1-13 Average Annual Net Free Cash Flow (US$M) |
$45.9 |
Yr1-13 Total Net Free Cash Flow (US$M) |
$596.7 |
LOM Total Net Free Cash Flow (US$M) |
$485.1 |
(1) Includes initial working capital and
reclamation bonding(2) Includes Wildcat and Mountain View heap
leach expansion capex
Capital & Operating
Costs
The total site costs including mining,
processing and G&A for Wildcat & Mountain View are
US$8.19/t processed over the LOM. The LOM site level cash costs
net-of-silver by-product for Wildcat & Mountain View are
US$862/oz Au and US$882/oz AuEq on a co-product basis. The site
level AISC, which includes heap leach expansion capital for Wildcat
in year 2 and Mountain View in year 9, is US$956/oz Au on a
by-product basis and US$973/oz AuEq on a co-product basis. The
all-in cost (“AIC”) for Wildcat & Mountain View is US$1,162/oz
Au on a by-product basis and US$1,175/oz AuEq on a co-product basis
and includes Wildcat & Mountain View initial capital
expenditure, heap leach expansion capital, sustaining capital,
reclamation and closure costs.
Table 4: Operating Cost, AISC and AIC
Breakdown
|
Per Tonne |
LOM Operating Costs (US$) |
Mined |
Processed |
Mining |
$1.82 |
$4.02 |
Processing |
|
$3.59 |
G&A |
|
$0.58 |
Total Site Costs |
|
$8.19 |
|
|
|
|
US$/oz Au |
US$/oz AuEq |
LOM Cash Costs, AISC & AIC Breakdown |
By-Product |
Co-Product |
Mining |
$393 |
$384 |
Processing |
$351 |
$343 |
G&A |
$56 |
$55 |
Total Site Costs |
$801 |
$782 |
Transport & Refining |
$6 |
$6 |
Royalties & Production
Taxes (1) |
$97 |
$94 |
Total Cash Costs |
$903 |
$882 |
Silver By-Product Credits |
($41) |
- |
Total Cash Costs Net of Silver by-Product |
$862 |
$882 |
Expansion Capital (2) |
$48 |
$47 |
Sustaining Capital |
$35 |
$35 |
Closure Costs Net of Residual
Value |
$10 |
$9 |
Site Level All-in Sustaining Costs |
$956 |
$973 |
Non-Sustaining Capital
(3) |
$207 |
$202 |
Site Level All-in Costs |
$1,162 |
$1,175 |
(1) Includes private royalties and state-level
cash taxes(2) Expansion capital includes heap leach expansion at
Wildcat in year 2 and Mountain View in year 9(3) Non-Sustaining
Capital includes initial capital at Wildcat and Mountain View and
equipment leasesNote: Costs may not reconcile exactly due to
rounding
The total pre-production capex for Wildcat is
estimated at US$115M. A phased development approach results in
expansion capital of US$31M in year 2 at Wildcat to expand the heap
leach pad. In year 7, initial capital for Mountain View of US$49M
is required for the heap leach pad and processing facility.
Expansion capital of US$18M to increase the heap leach capacity at
Mountain View is required in year 9. Other capital required
throughout the LOM of US$92M includes financed mining equipment,
sustaining capital, reclamation (net of residual value) and
bonding.
Table 5: Wildcat & Mountain View
Project Capital Cost Breakdown
Capital Cost Breakdown (US$M) |
Wildcat |
Mountain View |
Combined |
Wildcat Initial Capital (Y-1) |
|
|
|
Heap Leach Pad |
$26.7 |
$0.0 |
$26.7 |
Processing |
$65.5 |
$0.0 |
$65.5 |
Initial Cash Bonding |
$2.2 |
$0.0 |
$2.2 |
Contingency |
$20.6 |
$0.0 |
$20.6 |
Total Wildcat Initial Capital |
$115.1 |
$0.0 |
$115.1 |
|
|
|
|
Mountain View Initial Capital (Y7) |
|
|
|
Heap Leach Pad |
$0.0 |
$12.5 |
$12.5 |
Processing |
$0.0 |
$27.0 |
$27.0 |
Contingency |
$0.0 |
$9.7 |
$9.7 |
Total Mountain View Initial Capital |
$0.0 |
$49.2 |
$49.2 |
|
|
|
|
Expansion Capital (Y2-13) |
|
|
|
Heap Leach Pad |
$24.6 |
$14.8 |
$39.4 |
Contingency |
$6.4 |
$3.4 |
$9.8 |
Total Expansion Capital |
$31.0 |
$18.2 |
$49.2 |
|
|
|
|
Other Capital (Y1-13) |
|
|
|
Mining Equipment |
$34.7 |
$13.8 |
$48.4 |
Sustaining Capital |
$21.0 |
$15.0 |
$36.0 |
Reclamation |
$11.1 |
$10.7 |
$21.7 |
Bonding Cash Collateral Return |
($2.2) |
$0.0 |
($2.2) |
Residual Value |
$0.0 |
$0.0 |
($12.1) |
Total Other Capital |
$64.5 |
$39.4 |
$91.9 |
|
|
|
|
TOTAL CAPITAL |
$210.6 |
$106.8 |
$305.3 |
Note: Figures in the table include a ~25%
contingency on processing facilities and heap leach pads (excluding
working capital)
Additional Information
Mining
As contemplated in the PEA study, approximately
200 mining, processing, maintenance, and general administrative
workers are expected to be employed directly by Wildcat &
Mountain View in peak years. In addition, Wildcat & Mountain
View will contribute to the state and federal governments through
taxation.
The PEA utilizes a phased development and mining
approach with open pit mining beginning at Wildcat and moving to
Mountain View in year 8. The Wildcat Project will produce over a
7-year period at a rate of approximately 30,000 tpd. Starting in
year 5, pre-stripping as well as a mineralized material stockpiling
program will commence at Mountain View. In year 7 and 8, all fixed
and mobile infrastructure will move from Wildcat to Mountain View.
In year 8, the majority of fixed and mobile equipment will be
allocated for mining at Mountain View in conjunction with heap
leaching only at Wildcat. Mountain View will process an average of
16,000 tpd over a 6-year period, followed by one year of remnant
heap leaching.
The average waste to mineralization strip ratio
at Wildcat is 0.28 and is 3.41 at Mountain View. The LOM strip
ratio for Wildcat & Mountain View is 1.21 with approximately
220Mt of total material moved. At Mountain View, most of the waste
material is quaternary alluvium that does not require drilling or
blasting. The alluviums can be moved with surface equipment and
represent approximately 72Mt of the 101Mt of waste material at
Mountain View. A cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t Au will be used at
Wildcat & Mountain View.
Integra contemplates conducting open pit mining
at Wildcat & Mountain View using an owner-operated,
conventional mine fleet that includes production drill rigs for
mineralization definition and blasting. The operation will share
mining equipment and a fleet that includes ~28 to ~33 cubic meter
hydraulic shovels (200t and 250t shovels) and ~12 cubic meter front
end loaders with 90t haul trucks. The Company intends to optimize
equipment use by moving equipment, after a rebuild program, from
Wildcat to Mountain View as production declines at Wildcat and
ramps up at Mountain View in years 7 and 8.
Heap Leach Metallurgy
The PEA includes conventional heap leaching for
the processing and recovery of gold and silver. A heap leach pad
will be located at both Wildcat and Mountain View with a shared ADR
plant located first at Wildcat and then moved to Mountain View.
Mineralized material will be crushed to 9mm at Wildcat and 19mm at
Mountain View using three stage crushing and will be placed on the
pad using traditional conveyor and grasshopper stacking systems. At
both projects, gold and silver will be leached using a low
concentration sodium cyanide solution and recovered using an ADR
plant to produce doré on site.
At Wildcat, 70Mt of mineralized material will be
placed on the heap leach pad. The average gold and silver
recoveries are 71.4% Au and 18.0% Ag resulting in total payable
sales of 604koz Au and 1.3Moz Ag. At Mountain View, 30Mt of
mineralized material will be placed on the heap leach pad. The
average gold and silver recoveries are 77.1% Au and 20.0% Ag,
resulting in total payable ounces of 414koz Au and 625koz Ag.
Wildcat & Mountain View Project
Resource Estimates
The following table highlights the updated
resource estimates for Wildcat & Mountain View that were used
in the PEA study. The updated resource estimates were completed by
William Lewis of Micon International Limited.
Table 6: Wildcat & Mountain View
Mineral Resources
|
|
Wildcat |
|
|
Tonnes |
g/t Au |
oz Au |
g/t Ag |
oz Ag |
g/t AuEq |
oz AuEq |
Oxide |
Indicated |
59,872,806 |
0.39 |
746,297 |
3.34 |
6,437,869 |
0.43 |
829,152 |
Inferred |
22,455,848 |
0.29 |
209,662 |
2.74 |
1,980,129 |
0.33 |
235,146 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mountain View |
|
|
Tonnes |
g/t Au |
oz Au |
g/t Ag |
oz Ag |
g/t AuEq |
oz AuEq |
Oxide |
Indicated |
22,007,778 |
0.57 |
401,398 |
2.46 |
1,738,448 |
0.60 |
423,772 |
Inferred |
3,579,490 |
0.44 |
50,716 |
1.43 |
165,049 |
0.46 |
52,840 |
Transition |
Indicated |
2,804,723 |
0.66 |
59,676 |
6.56 |
591,868 |
0.75 |
67,293 |
Inferred |
215,815 |
0.40 |
2,750 |
3.77 |
26,184 |
0.44 |
3,087 |
Non-Oxide |
Indicated |
3,938,017 |
0.92 |
116,970 |
8.46 |
1,071,521 |
1.03 |
130,760 |
Inferred |
360,198 |
0.58 |
6,679 |
4.57 |
52,955 |
0.64 |
7,361 |
Total |
Indicated |
28,750,517 |
0.63 |
578,044 |
3.68 |
3,401,836 |
0.67 |
621,826 |
Inferred |
4,155,502 |
0.45 |
60,145 |
1.83 |
244,188 |
0.47 |
63,288 |
(1) Mineral Resources that are not Mineral
Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.(2) William
Lewis, P.Geo, and Alan S J San Martin, AusIMM(CP), of Micon
International Limited have reviewed and validated the Mineral
Resource Estimate for Wildcat & Mountain View. Both are
independent “Qualified Persons”, as defined in National Instrument
43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”).
(3) The estimate is reported for open-pit mining scenario and with
reasonable assumptions. The cut-off grade of 0.15 g/t Au was
calculated using a gold price of US$1,800/oz, mining costs vary
from US$1.5/t to US$2.4/t (depending on material type and project
location), processing cost of US$3.1/t and US$3.7/t, G&A costs
of US$0.4/t to US$0.5/t, and metallurgical gold recoveries varying
from 30% to 86%. Gold equivalent in the Resource Estimate is
calculated by g/t Au + (g/t Ag ÷ 77.7).(4) Rounding as required by
reporting guidelines may result in apparent discrepancies between
tonnes, grades, and contained metal content. (5) The estimate of
mineral resources may be materially affected by geology,
environment, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical,
marketing, or other relevant issues.Mineral
Resource
As part of the PEA, Integra completed an updated
resource estimate for Wildcat & Mountain View. This resource
update incorporates drilling from the 2021-2022 drill programs and
is based on a new geological interpretation for both the
lithological and oxidation models. In addition to new drilling,
which included twinning of historical drill holes, the relogging
and re-assaying of the available historical data provided enough
information to upgrade most of the resources into the Indicated
category. Classification of the resources was interpreted manually
considering various information such as geology, grade and recovery
continuity as well as interpolation parameters and drilling
spacing. The Company utilized a general guideline of 50m by 50m
spacing for the Indicated resource and 100m by 100m for the
Inferred resource. The resources were then constrained using
Lerchs-Grossmann pit optimization to respect the definition of
reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The updated resource
estimate saw an increase in total in-pit AuEq ounces driven
primarily by the drilling that took place in 2021-2022 which
allowed for the re-interpretation of the oxidation profile at
Wildcat and a better constraint of the high-grade breccia body at
Mountain View, new geotechnical parameters and metallurgical
recoveries, and a higher Au price assumption. As a result of this
geological and modeling work, approximately 80% of the resources
for Wildcat & Mountain View are now classified as
Indicated.
The Company utilized the resource estimate block
model described above as a basis for the PEA study, however,
additional ‘modifying factors’ were considered for the PEA. These
factors included Au prices and pit designs, among others. The
modifying factors in the PEA led to a substantial difference
between the mineral resource estimate and the PEA production
plan.
Wildcat & Mountain View: Future
Opportunities and Value Enhancements
Through the course of conducting exploration and
various studies related to the PEA work, the Company has identified
several prospective measures to grow the mineral resource estimate
at Wildcat & Mountain View and enhance future economics:
- Exploration
Upside:Wildcat has significant exploration potential. To
date, exploration at Wildcat has been constrained by a 5-acre area
of surface disturbance with regard to drill permitting. In late
2022, the Company filed for an Exploration Plan of Operations
(“EPO”) that would increase the surface disturbance to 400-acres.
This increased area of disturbance would allow the Company to test
drill ready targets outside the current resource boundary.In
November 2022, a surface sampling and mapping program identified
several new mineralized targets outside the proposed PEA pit area
at Wildcat. This increased the mineralized footprint from ~1.5
kilometres (“km”) by 1.5 km to ~3.0 km by 2.0 km and identified
multiple high-priority drill ready targets that have the potential
to increase the resource at Wildcat.
- Metallurgy:Through
metallurgical test work completed for the PEA, the Company has
identified areas where further optimization could potentially
increase recoveries and/or lower costs. At Wildcat, further
optimizing crush size while focusing on better solution
permeability has the potential to increase gold recoveries on the
heap leach pad. At Mountain View, recoveries are less sensitive to
crush size suggesting the potential to decrease crushing
requirements and lower costs.
- Mining
Upside:Short haulage distances and the use of conveyor
systems has helped reduce the mining costs at Wildcat &
Mountain View. Additional sequencing optimization at Wildcat has
the potential to further maximize in-pit dumping and provide future
cost savings. Further metallurgical testwork to better define the
mineralized material blending requirements could also have a
positive impact on the annual production profile. Studies are also
underway at Wildcat to evaluate the potential of generating power
on the downward conveying of material from the open pit to the heap
leach pad. The potential power generated could reduce plant
operating costs.
Next Steps
Based on the positive results of the PEA,
Integra will continue to de-risk Wildcat & Mountain View
through baseline and technical studies in the areas of hydrology,
geotechnical and metallurgy. Once the EPO is received, the Company
is expected to undertake an exploration drill program to grow the
resource at the Wildcat & Mountain View which could increase
the mine life and further enhance the robust economics outlined in
the PEA.
The PEA was prepared by Micon International
Limited of Toronto, Canada and included contributions from Forte
Dynamics, NewFields and Convergent Mining. The PEA is preliminary
in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are too
speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to
them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves.
There is no certainty that PEA results will be realized. Mineral
resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated
economic viability.
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information
contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by
Raphael Dutaut, Ph.D (P.Geo), Integra’s Vice President, Exploration
and Tim Arnold (PE, SME), Integra’s Chief Operating Officer. Both
individuals are “Qualified Persons” (“QP”) as defined in NI 43- 101
– Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
The scientific and technical information
contained in this news release has also been verified and approved
by the following “Qualified Persons” within the meaning of NI
43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects: Richard
Gowans, P.Eng, Micon International Limited (metallurgy and mineral
processing, environmental, permitting and social considerations),
Andrew Hanson, P.E., NewFields Project & Construction
Management (heap leach infrastructure), Chris Jacobs, CEng, MIMMM,
Micon International Limited (economic analysis), William Lewis,
P.Geo, Micon International Limited (mineral resource estimation),
Deepak Malhotra, Director of Metallurgy, Forte Dynamics
(infrastructure), and Ralston Pedersen, P.E., Convergent Mining,
LLC (mining).
About Integra Resources
Integra is one of the largest precious metals
exploration and development companies in the Great Basin of the
Western USA. Integra is currently focused on advancing its
three-flagship oxide heap leach projects: the past producing
DeLamar Project located in southwestern Idaho and the Wildcat
Project and Mountain View Project located in western Nevada. The
Company also holds a portfolio of highly prospective early-stage
exploration projects in Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. Integra’s
long-term vision is to become a leading USA-focused mid-tier gold
and silver producer.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jason KosecPresident, CEO and Director
CONTACT INFORMATION
Corporate Inquiries: ir@integraresources.comCompany website:
www.integraresources.comOffice phone: 1 (604) 416-0576
Forward Looking and Other Cautionary
Statements
Certain information set forth in this news
release contains “forward‐looking statements” and “forward‐looking
information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities
legislation and applicable United States securities laws (referred
to herein together as “forward‐looking statements”). Except for
statements of historical fact, certain information contained herein
constitutes forward‐looking statements which includes, but is not
limited to, statements with respect to: the future financial or
operating performance of the Company and Wildcat & Mountain
View; results from work performed to date; the estimation of
mineral resources; the realization of mineral resource estimates;
the development, operational and economic results of the PEA for
the Wildcat and Mountain View deposits, including cash flows,
revenue potential, staged development, capital expenditures,
development costs and timing thereof, extraction rates, life of
mine projections and cost estimates; timing of completion of a
technical report summarizing the results of the PEA; magnitude or
quality of mineral deposits; anticipated advancement of the mine
plans for Wildcat & Mountain View; exploration expenditures,
costs and timing of the development of new deposits; costs and
timing of future exploration; the completion and timing of future
development studies; estimates of metallurgical recovery rates;
anticipated advancement of Wildcat & Mountain View and future
exploration prospects; requirements for additional capital; the
future price of metals; government regulation of mining operations;
environmental risks; the timing and possible outcome of pending
regulatory matters; the realization of the expected economics of
Wildcat & Mountain View; future growth potential of Wildcat
& Mountain View; and future development plans. Forward-looking
statements are often identified by the use of words such as “may”,
“will”, “could”, “would”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “expect”,
“intend”, “potential”, “estimate”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “plans”,
“planned”, “forecasts”, “goals” and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and
assumptions made by management and considered reasonable at the
time such statements are made. Assumptions and factors include: the
Company’s ability to complete its planned exploration programs; the
absence of adverse conditions at Wildcat & Mountain View; no
unforeseen operational delays; no material delays in obtaining
necessary permits; the price of gold remaining at levels that
render Wildcat & Mountain View economic; the Company’s ability
to continue raising necessary capital to finance operations; and
the ability to realize on the mineral resource and reserve
estimates. Forward‐looking statements necessarily involve known and
unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance
and financial results in future periods to differ materially from
any projections of future performance or result expressed or
implied by such forward‐looking statements. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to: general business,
economic and competitive uncertainties; the actual results of
current and future exploration activities; conclusions of economic
evaluations; meeting various expected cost estimates; benefits of
certain technology usage; changes in project parameters and/or
economic assessments as plans continue to be refined; future prices
of metals; possible variations of mineral grade or recovery rates;
the risk that actual costs may exceed estimated costs; geological,
mining and exploration technical problems; failure of plant,
equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour
disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in
obtaining governmental approvals or financing; the speculative
nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks
of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from
government authorities); title to properties. Although the Company
has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual
actions, events or results to differ materially from those
described in the forward-looking statements, there may be other
factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as
anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are advised to study
and consider risk factors disclosed in Integra’s annual report on
Form 20-F dated March 17, 2023 for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2022, and Millennial Precious Metals’ management’s discussion
and analysis dated April 28, 2023 for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2022.
There can be no assurance that forward‐looking
statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update
forward‐looking statements if circumstances or management’s
estimates or opinions should change except as required by
applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements
contained herein are presented for the purposes of assisting
investors in understanding the Company’s plans, objectives and
goals and may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
forward‐looking statements. This news release also contains or
references certain market, industry and peer group data which is
based upon information from independent industry publications,
market research, analyst reports and surveys and other publicly
available sources. Although the Company believes these sources to
be generally reliable, such information is subject to
interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due
to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the
voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other inherent
limitations and uncertainties. The Company has not independently
verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in
this news release and accordingly, the accuracy and completeness of
such data is not guaranteed.
Cautionary Note for U.S. Investors
Concerning Mineral Resources and Reserves
National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects is a rule of the Canadian
Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all
public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical
information concerning mineral projects. Technical disclosure
contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with
NI 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and
Petroleum Classification System. These standards differ from the
requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
and resource information contained in this press release may not be
comparable to similar information disclosed by domestic United
States companies subject to the SEC's reporting and disclosure
requirements.
All references to “$” in this news release are
to U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.
Cautionary Note Regarding Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
Alternative performance measures in this news
release such as “cash cost”, “AISC” “free cash flow” are furnished
to provide additional information. These non-GAAP performance
measures are included in this news release because these statistics
are used as key performance measures that management uses to
monitor and assess performance of Wildcat & Mountain View, and
to plan and assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of
mining operations. These performance measures do not have a
standard meaning within International Financial Reporting Standards
(“IFRS”) and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to
similar data presented by other mining companies. These performance
measures should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for
measures of performance in accordance with IFRS.
Cash Costs
Cash costs include site operating costs (mining,
processing, site G&A), refinery costs and royalties, but
excludes head office G&A and exploration expenses. While there
is no standardized meaning of the measure across the industry, the
Company believes that this measure is useful to external users in
assessing operating performance.
All-In Sustaining Cost
Site level AISC include cash costs and
sustaining and expansion capital, but excludes head office G&A
and exploration expenses. The Company believes that this measure is
useful to external users in assessing operating performance and the
Company’s ability to generate free cash flow from potential
operations.
All-In Cost
Site level AIC includes AISC level costs and
also includes initial capital and equipment finance costs
associated with initial capital. The Company believes that this
measure is useful to external users in assessing the Company’s
overall ability to generate free cash flow from potential
operations.
Free Cash Flow
Free cash flows are revenues net of operating
costs, royalties, capital expenditures and cash taxes. The Company
believes that this measure is useful to the external users in
assessing the Company’s ability to generate cash flows from the
Project.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for
the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available
at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d0b9616-0582-4a83-ac7f-919246a12001
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c89bdd9b-61a7-4ec3-ab15-37b6c10dc003
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