Alacer Gold Signs $350 Million Project Finance Facility

TORONTO, June 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alacer Gold Corp. (“Alacer” or the “Corporation”) (TSX:ASR) and (ASX:AQG) is pleased to announce the signing of the previously announced $350 million senior secured project finance facility (“the Facility”) with BNP Paribas (Suisse) SA, ING Bank A.S., Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking and UniCredit Bank Austria AG. The Facility has an 8-year term, interest rates of LIBOR plus 3.5% to 3.95%, no mandatory hedging requirements and no early repayment penalties. Advances under the Facility are subject to customary conditions precedent including execution of security documentation. The agreement will be posted on SEDAR.

As part of the continuing de-risking efforts, the Corporation is pursuing a prudent and simple gold hedging program for a portion of the oxide gold production during the sulfide plant construction period. Revenue from gold production during this period will be used to fund the plant construction costs.

Cutfield Freeman & Co Limited and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as advisors to Alacer on the transaction.

About Alacer

Alacer is a leading intermediate gold mining company, with an 80% interest in the world-class Çöpler Gold Mine in Turkey operated by Anagold Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (“Anagold”), and the remaining 20% owned by Lidya Madencilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. The Corporation’s primary focus is to leverage its cornerstone Çöpler Mine and strong balance sheet to maximize portfolio value, maximize free cash flow, minimize project risk and, therefore, create maximum value for shareholders.

Alacer is actively pursuing initiatives to enhance value beyond the current mine plan:

• Çöpler Oxide Production Optimization – expansion of the existing heap leach pad to 58 million tonnes continues to advance. All required land use permits for the Heap Leach Pad Phase 4 expansion have been received. The Corporation continues to evaluate opportunities to optimize and extend oxide production beyond the current reserves, including a new heap leach pad site to the west of the Çöpler Mine.
  
• Çöpler Sulfide Project – the Sulfide Project will deliver long-term growth with robust financial returns and adds over 20 years of production at Çöpler. The Sulfide Project will bring Çöpler’s remaining life-of-mine gold production to 4 million ounces¹ at All-in Sustaining Costs² averaging $645 per ounce. The Environmental Impact Assessment and all required land use permits for construction have been approved. Detailed information regarding the Çöpler Sulfide Project can be found in the Press Release dated May 12, 2016 entitled “Alacer Gold Announces Çöpler Sulfide Project Approval” (“The Sulfide Project Update Press Release”) available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Corporation’s website.
  
• The Corporation continues to pursue opportunities to further expand its current operating base and to become a sustainable multi-mine producer with a focus on Turkey. The systematic and focused exploration efforts in the Çöpler District, as well as in other regions of Turkey are progressing. Yakuplu Southeast, Yakuplu East, Yakuplu North and Bayramdere are the main focus in the Çöpler District, which are shallow, oxide targets with favorable metallurgy and have the potential for rapid development. In the region, evaluation work is advancing and an update on the Dursunbey Project in western Turkey will be provided in Q3 2016.

Alacer is a Canadian corporation incorporated in the Yukon Territory with its primary listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Corporation also has a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange where CDIs trade.

Cautionary Statements

Except for statements of historical fact relating to Alacer, certain statements contained in this MD&A constitute forward-looking information, future oriented financial information, or financial outlooks (collectively “forward-looking information”) within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may be contained in this document and other public filings of Alacer. Forward-looking information often relates to statements concerning Alacer’s future outlook and anticipated events or results and, in some cases, can be identified by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “estimate”, “projects”, “predict”, “potential”, “continue” or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.

Forward-looking information includes statements concerning, among other things, preliminary cost reporting in this document, production, cost and capital expenditure guidance; ability to expand the current heap leach pad, development plans for processing sulfide ore at Çöpler; results of any gold reconciliations; ability to discover additional oxide gold ore, the generation of free cash flow and payment of dividends; matters relating to proposed exploration, communications with local stakeholders and community relations; negotiations of joint ventures, negotiation and completion of transactions; commodity prices; mineral resources, mineral reserves, realization of mineral reserves, existence or realization of mineral resource estimates; the development approach, the timing and amount of future production, timing of studies, announcements and analysis, the timing of construction and development of proposed mines and process facilities; capital and operating expenditures; execution of the amended credit facility; ability to draw under the credit facility and satisfy conditions precedent including execution of security and construction documents; economic conditions; availability of sufficient financing; exploration plans; receipt of regulatory approvals and any and all other timing, exploration, development, operational, financial, budgetary, economic, legal, social, regulatory and political matters that may influence or be influenced by future events or conditions.

Such forward-looking information and statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including, but not limited in any manner to, those disclosed in any other of Alacer’s filings, and include the inherent speculative nature of exploration results; the ability to explore; communications with local stakeholders and community and governmental relations; status of negotiations of joint ventures; weather conditions at Alacer’s operations, commodity prices; the ultimate determination of and realization of mineral reserves; existence or realization of mineral resources; the development approach; availability and receipt of required approvals, titles, licenses and permits; sufficient working capital to develop and operate the mines and implement development plans; access to adequate services and supplies; foreign currency exchange rates; interest rates; access to capital markets and associated cost of funds; availability of a qualified work force; ability to negotiate, finalize and execute relevant agreements; lack of social opposition to the mines or facilities; lack of legal challenges with respect to the property of Alacer; the timing and amount of future production and ability to meet production, cost and capital expenditure targets; timing and ability to produce studies and analysis; capital and operating expenditures; economic conditions; availability of sufficient financing; the ultimate ability to mine, process and sell mineral products on economically favorable terms and any and all other timing, exploration, development, operational, financial, budgetary, economic, legal, social, regulatory and political factors that may influence future events or conditions. While we consider these factors and assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to us, they may prove to be incorrect.

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information and statements. Forward-looking information and statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and our projections about future events. Actual results may vary from such forward-looking information for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties disclosed in Alacer’s filings at www.sedar.com and other unforeseen events or circumstances. Other than as required by law, Alacer does not intend, and undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect, among other things, new information or future events.

¹ Alacer has an 80% controlling interest of the Çöpler Gold Mine.

² All-in Sustaining Costs is a non-IFRS financial performance measure and has no standardized definitions under IFRS. For further information and detailed reconciliation, please see the “Non-IFRS Measures” section of the MD&A for three months ended March 31, 2016.

For further information on Alacer Gold Corp., please contact:
Lisa Maestas – Director, Investor Relations at +1-303-292-1299