The El Creston molybdenum deposit located in the State of Sonora, 175 kilometres south of the US Border boasts excellent infrastructure with close proximity to power, roads and railway. A semi-desert climate allows for year round development. In addition a custom molybdenum roaster is located approximately 105 kilometres from the property by road.
M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation of Tucson, Arizona ("M3") completed an independent Pre-feasibility Study of the El Creston molybdenum deposit in February, 2009. The study estimated production, capital and operating cost parameters and project economics with the primary results listed below.
The Main zone of the deposit contains 249,948,000 pounds of molybdenum and 158,831,000 pounds of copper in a proven and probable mineral reserve of 146,705,000 tonnes grading 0.077% Mo and 0.049% Cu. at a 0.037% Mo-equivalent* cut-off grade**.
| Category |
Tonnes(000's) |
Mo (%) |
lbs Mo (000's) |
Cu (%) |
lbs Cu (000's) |
| Proven Reserves |
44,736 |
0.079 |
78,024 |
0.053 |
52,217 |
| Probable Reserves |
101,968 |
0.076 |
171,924 |
0.047 |
106,614 |
Proven and probable reserves |
146,705 |
0.077 |
249,948 |
0.049 |
158,831 |
Highlights of Pre-feasibility Study
(Based on $15/lb Mo, $1.75/lb Cu)
- An after tax Net Present Value ("NPV") of $306 million at an 8% discount rate;
- An Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 20.2% and capital payback of 3.6 years from initial production;
- An annual molybdenum and copper production of approximately 20 million pounds and 12 million
pounds respectively from processing of 40k tonnes per day of ore;
- Direct costs, inclusive of copper byproduct credits, of US$5.74 per lb of Mo- equivalent;
- An estimated initial capital expenditure of $576.2 million.