Kaminak Gold Corporation announces positive feasibility study results on Yukon Coffee Gold Project

A feasibility study has been completed on the Coffee Gold Project, owned by Kaminak Gold Corporation. — Photo courtesy Kaminak

Kaminak Gold Corporation (“Kaminak” or the “Company”) (KAM: TSX-V) is pleased to announce the results of a Feasibility Study prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) for the Company’s 100% owned Coffee Gold Project (the “Coffee Project”) located 130 km south of Dawson City in Yukon Territory, Canada. The Feasibility Study indicates that the Coffee Project represents a robust, rapid pay-back, high margin, ten year open pit mining and heap leach project that works in the current gold price environment. As such, Kaminak intends to move forward into mine permitting to support mine construction, which is planned for mid-2018. The Company is well financed ($28 million as of September 30, 2015) to undertake an aggressive work-plan in 2016 to meet these objectives.

A graphic of the proposed route from Dawson City to the Coffee Gold Project in the Yukon, owned by Kaminak Gold Corporation. — Photo courtesy Kaminak

At a gold price of US$1,150/oz and an exchange rate of C$1.00 to US$0.78, the Coffee Project base case estimate (the “Base Case”) generates an after-tax net present value (NPV) at a 5% discount rate of C$455 million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 37%. The proposed mine will operate over an initial ten year mine-life with average annual gold production in excess of 200,000 ounces for the first five years (excluding the initial 3 month ramp-up period), and average annual life-of-mine gold production of 184,000 ounces. Initial capital expenditure to fund construction and commissioning is estimated at C$317 million, with a life-of-mine capital cost of C$478 million (including C$60 million in closure costs). The all-in sustaining cash costs (as defined per World Gold Council guidelines, less corporate G&A) is estimated to be US$550 per ounce of gold produced. The project is expected to have a significant impact on Yukon’s GDP, generating over $2 billion of gross revenue and contributing 480 permanent, high paying jobs.

Eira Thomas, Kaminak President and CEO commented: “This feasibility study firmly establishes the Coffee Project as one of the world’s best undeveloped gold projects by value and margin that works in the current gold-price environment. The Coffee Project further benefits from being a simple, open pit, heap leach mining opportunity, situated near infrastructure that delivers low all in sustaining costs and pays back capital in under two years”. She further noted, “Kaminak feels privileged to be working in the pro-mining jurisdiction of Yukon where we enjoy strong relations with all levels of government, including our local First Nations, with whom we have worked alongside, collaboratively since 2010.”

With the results of the Feasibility Study now in hand, Kaminak will begin advancing the Project through the permitting process in Yukon. The Project will be subject to an environmental and socio-economic assessment under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA), administered by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB). Kaminak has assembled a team of experts to assist the Company in the development of a Project Proposal which the Company plans to submit to YESAB in Q3 2016. Once through YESAB's adequacy review, the Company will submit applications for a Quartz Mining Licence and Water Licence, the two major licences required for the construction and operation of a mine.