Trevali Completes First Blast on Production Adit and Provides Construction Update at the Halfmile Mine Project in New Brunswick, Canada
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/16/11 -- Trevali Mining Corporation ('Trevali' or the 'Company') (TSX: TV)(OTCQX: TREVF)(BVLAC: TV) is pleased to provide an update on the status of the underground access and development program currently underway at its Halfmile Zinc-Lead-Silver-Copper Deposit in New Brunswick, Canada. The Company has been constructing the Halfmile deposit civil works since March of 2011 and is on track to production in the third quarter of 2011.
'The support of the First Nations, local communities, workforces and contractors, and our major shareholder - Xstrata Zinc, has been instrumental in keeping the Company's project on track for third quarter production and to take advantage of the Brunswick 12 mill for initial planned toll milling operations,' stated Paul Keller, Trevali's Vice President of Operations. 'We look forward to and welcome continued support from the Province, which enable Trevali to become a major new employer in northern New Brunswick.'
The availability of skilled contractors and construction crews has greatly aided Trevali in executing its business plan in a timely and professional manner by keeping the mine development project on track - progress to date includes:
-- Site clearance of trees and grubbing the mine site area for offices,
shops and fuel stations as well as ore and waste storage pads and the
mine access portal (Figure 1).
-- Construction and completion of a fully serviceable 3-kilometre access
road (Figure 1).
-- Drilling and blasting has commenced on the portal excavation and rock
support of the portal walls will begin mid-June (Figure 2).
-- Following extensive testing, indicating that the waste rock will be non-
acid generating (Acid-Base Accounting - ABA), approval has been given to
store the portal rock at the site prior to use as back-fill.
-- Tendering process is complete and key long lead-in items have been
ordered including offices, a water treatment plant (supplied by Veolia
Water Solutions), and Caterpillar generators have been secured with on
site deliveries acceptable to meet the start-up schedules.
-- The underground contractor, Alex MacIntyre and Associates Ltd., has
secured major underground mining equipment, including fans, scooptrams,
jumbo drill, service trucks, and the majority of the larger equipment
has been delivered to New Brunswick ready to be delivered to the site.
-- The ground support crews have mobilized to the site to begin the portal
rock wall support work.
To view Figures 1 and 2, click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/TREVF616Fig1andf2.pdf
MINE PLANNING
Underground mine design work has progressed with Wardrop Engineering supporting the project under supervision from the Trevali management team.
Modified designs and schedules for the underground have been developed in conjunction with Wardrop and SRK geotechnical teams to develop a cut and fill design to provide stable openings and maximize ore recovery while providing hanging-wall support. The new designs have eliminated the need for consolidated backfill, except above sill pillars for sill pillar recovery. The backfill will be dry rock fill which eliminates scheduling conflicts associated with curing cycles using cemented backfill and will decrease anticipated Opex costs. Preliminary scheduling indicates planned ore production is on track for the third quarter of this year.
SGS Lakefield have been retained to further test and refine the Halfmile mineralization for grinding, reagent optimization and precious metal reporting in the Brunswick 12 mill circuit under the direction of an external consultant metallurgical specialist. The Company is currently finalizing the Toll Milling and Offtake agreement with Xstrata Zinc and is confident the process will be accomplished in the near future (upon receipt of SGS Lakefield metallurgical data).
ABOUT TREVALI MINING CORPORATION
Trevali is advancing two polymetallic deposits to production in Canada and Peru - the Halfmile and Santander projects respectively. In Canada, Trevali has the Halfmile and Stratmat polymetallic deposits near Bathurst, New Brunswick, and the Ruttan copper-zinc deposit in northern Manitoba. Mine development is underway at Halfmile with a proposed production at a rate of 2,000-tonnes-per-day anticipated to commence in 2011. In Peru, the Company has the Santander zinc-lead-silver mine project and the Huampar silver mine both located in the Central Peruvian Polymetallic Belt.
At Santander, in conjunction with Glencore International A.G., mine commissioning and production is anticipated to commence at 2,000-tonne-per-day in late 2011 with full production to follow immediately thereafter. Additionally through its subsidiary Trevali Renewable Energy Inc., Trevali is undertaking a significant upgrade of its wholly-owned Tingo run-of-river hydroelectric generating facility along with transmission line upgrades and extensions to allow, in addition to supplying power to the mining operation on the property, the potential sale of surplus power into the Peruvian National Energy Grid.
The common shares of Trevali are currently listed on the TSX (symbol TV), the OTCQX (symbol TREVF) and on the Lima Stock Exchange (symbol TV). For further details on Trevali, readers are referred to the Trevali's web site (www.trevali.com) and to Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Qualified Person and Quality Control/Quality Assurance
EurGeol Dr. Mark D. Cruise, Trevali's President and CEO and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has supervised the preparation of the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Dr. Cruise is not independent of the Company, as he is an officer and shareholder.
The work programs at Halfmile were supervised, reviewed and approved by Paul Keller, P. Eng., Vice President Operations of Trevali, a Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 guidelines, and who was responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance programs.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of TREVALI MINING CORPORATION
Mark D. Cruise, President
This news release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and the company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation to, update such statements containing the forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to statements as to: the accuracy of estimated mineral reserves and resources, anticipated results of future exploration, and forecast future metal prices, anticipated results of future electrical sales and expectations that environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-economic, political, marketing or other issues will not materially affect estimates of mineral reserves. These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies.
These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: fluctuations in spot and forward markets for silver, zinc, base metals and certain other commodities (such as natural gas, fuel oil and electricity); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Peruvian sol versus the U.S. dollar); risks related to the technological and operational nature of the Company's business; changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and political or economic developments in Canada, the United States, Peru or other countries where the Company may carry on business in the future; risks and hazards associated with the
business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected geological or structural formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); risks relating to the credit worthiness or financial condition of suppliers, refiners and other parties with whom the Company does business; inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining,; diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as properties are mined; global financial conditions; business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, the Company; the Company's ability to complete and successfully integrate acquisitions and to mitigate other business combination risks; challenges to, or difficulty in maintaining, the Company's title to properties and continued ownership thereof; the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, and changes in project parameters to deal with unanticipated economic or other factors; increased competition in the mining industry for properties, equipment, qualified personnel, and their costs. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
The TSX has not approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.
Contacts:
Trevali Mining Corporation
Steve Stakiw
Manager - Corporate Communications
(604) 488-1661
(604) 408-7499 (FAX)
sstakiw@trevali.com
www.trevali.com