Golden Predator Calculates NPV of Royalty Interest in Pan Project at USD $32.7 MM at $1,600/oz Gold
TSX:GPD
VANCOUVER, Dec. 5, 2011 /CNW/ - Golden Predator Corp.
(the 'Company') is pleased to provide an update on its 4% gross production royalty interest in the Pan Project, Nevada, leased to Midway Gold Corp. . Midway recently announced 'robust economics' from a feasibility study for the Pan Project with proven and probable reserves totalling 864,000 oz gold using updated NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimates (MDW news release November 15, 2011).The mine plan used by Midway in the feasibility study is based on producing 17,000 short tons of ore per day over an 8 year period and assumes 75% recoveries, with production exceeding 81,000 oz gold per annum. On the basis of the tons, grades and recoveries presented in Midway's press release, Golden Predator calculates that the annual cash flow to Golden Predator from this would, assuming a $1,600 gold price, be $5.2 MM (from which advance royalty payments, which total approximately $850,000 to date, would be deducted). Also, Golden Predator determined that the total payment over the eight year period would be in excess of $41 MM, with a net present value of the Company's royalty, at start of production, of $32.7 MM, (using a 5% discount). Assuming a $1,200 gold price the NPV is calculated at $24.3 MM, and assuming a $1,900 gold price the NPV is calculated at $39 MM.
Golden Predator has retained a sliding scale royalty in the Pan Project under which a 4% gross production royalty is payable when gold is above USD $450/oz. Under the terms of the lease, the Company receives an annual advance royalty payment equal to 174 oz of gold, which production payments are recoverable from payments due under the royalty.
Midway states that Mineral Reserves were based upon a design pit using Lerchs Grossmann generated pit surfaces that maximize revenue based on a $1,200/oz three-year trailing average price of gold. Cutoff grades of 0.21 g/t in the South pit and 0.27 g/t in the North & Central pits produced the project's highest after tax NPV.
Total Pan Mineral Reserves, November 2011
__________________________________________________
|Pit |Cutoff|Tonnes |Gold |Oz Gold |
|Area |Grade |(x1,000)|Grade|(x 1000)|
| |(g/t) | |(g/t)| |
|___________________|______|________|_____|________|
|Proven | | | | |
|North & Central |0.27 |13,085 |0.60 |251 |
|South |0.21 |12,160 |0.61 |236 |
|All Pits | |25,245 |0.60 |487 |
| | | | | |
|Probable | | | | |
|North & Central |0.27 |10,994 |0.50 |178 |
|South |0.21 |12,073 |0.51 |199 |
|All Pits | |23,067 |0.51 |377 |
| | | | | |
|Proven plusProbable| | | | |
|North & Central |0.27 |24,078 |0.55 |429 |
|South |0.21 |24,233 |0.56 |435 |
|All Pits | |48,311 |0.56 |864 |
|___________________|______|________|_____|________|
Note: The tonnage and total ounces of gold were determined from the statistical block model. Average grades were calculated from the tonnage and total ounces and then rounded to the significant digits shown. Calculations based on this table may differ due to the effect of rounding.
The Pan Project is a sediment-hosted gold deposit comprised of 401 unpatented lode mining claims located on Nevada's prolific Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend. Mineralization at North Pan remains open at depth where many drill holes have bottomed in mineralization. North Pan is also open to the north where limited drilling shows that the gold zone continues below post-mineral volcanics. At South Pan, the deposit remains open at depth, to the south and to the east. Midway plans to complete 14,000 m of development drilling in 2012 targeted to further expand the Pan resource.
Midway has submitted a mine plan of operations to the principal permitting agencies which has initiated the permitting process for the project.
The Feasibility Study is being prepared by Gustavson Associates, LLC of Lakewood, Colorado. Midway is required to file a NI 43-101 compliant technical report supporting the Feasibility Study on SEDAR on or before December 30, 2011. The open pit Mineral Reserves and Resources were completed by Gustavson, with Terre Lane and Donald E. Hulse acting as the Qualified Persons.
Midway's resource estimates for the Pan Project (MDW news release November 3, 2011) are:
Updated Resource Estimate, Pan Project, Nevada
____________________________________________________________________
|Cutoff (g/t) |Tonnes |Grade (g/t) |Gold (oz) |
|________________________________|___________|____________|__________|
|Measured Resource | | | |
|0.27 |27,352,000 |0.59 |520,000 |
|0.21 |30,857,000 |0.55 |547,000 |
|0.14 |36,920,000 |0.49 |579,000 |
|0.07 |50,924,000 |0.38 |622,000 |
| | | | |
|Indicated Resource | | | |
|0.27 |27,126,000 |0.52 |453,000 |
|0.21 |32,652,000 |0.47 |495,000 |
|0.14 |43,118,000 |0.40 |551,000 |
|0.07 |73,925,000 |0.27 |645,000 |
| | | | |
|Measured Plus Indicated Resource| | | |
| |54,478,000 |0.56 |974,000 |
|0.27 |63,509,000 |0.51 |1,042,000 |
|0.21 |80,037,000 |0.44 |1,130,000 |
|0.14 |124,849,000|0.32 |1,268,000 |
|0.07 | | | |
| | | | |
|Inferred Resource |1,771,000 |0.58 |33,000 |
|0.27 |2,229,000 |0.51 |37,000 |
|0.21 |3,928,000 |0.36 |45,000 |
|0.14 |9,693,000 |0.20 |63,000 |
|0.07 | | | |
|________________________________|___________|____________|__________|
The Pan royalty interest is a component of Golden Predator's significant royalty portfolio, which also includes royalties on portions of Barrick's Bald Mountain Mine, Midway's Gold Rock Project, US Gold's Tonkin Springs Project, Silver Predator's Taylor Project and Evolving Gold's Rattlesnake Hills Project.
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Gilles Dessureau, MSc, PGeo. Mr. Dessureau is a Senior Geologist with Golden Predator and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
About Golden Predator Corp.
Golden Predator Corp., Yukon's Gold Company, is a well-funded exploration company mandated to become a mid-tier gold producer. Golden Predator's road-accessible advanced properties including its flagship Brewery Creek Project at which the Company is moving aggressively to a near term production decision, as well as its Grew Creek and Clear Creek Projects.
Golden Predator has one of the largest controlled land position in the Yukon, with exploration holdings in excess of 1,400,000 acres (over 5,700 km(2)), and is committed to strong relationships with Yukon First Nations and communities. Golden Predator's management and technical teams continue to lead aggressive exploration programs in the underexplored regions of the Yukon, and are driven to bring value to shareholders and leave a positive legacy in the Yukon.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This press release contains projections and forward-looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information can include without limitation statements based on current expectations involving a number of risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and Golden Predator's plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking information are based on estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Except as required by law, Golden Predator assumes no obligation to update forward-looking information should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.
This press release is based upon information made publicly available by Midway Gold Corp. in the above cited news releases As such the disclosures herein are qualified in their entirety by the disclaimers made by Midway Gold Corp. These disclaimers include the following statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements about [Midway Gold Corp.] and its business. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and include, but are not limited to, reserve and resource estimates, estimated NPV of the [Pan] project, anticipated IRR, estimated strip ratio, anticipated mining methods at the project, the estimated economics of the project, anticipated gold recoveries and annual production, estimated capital costs, operating cash costs and total production costs, planned development drilling and anticipated expansion of the resource, and the outcome of the permitting process. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause [Midway Gold Corp.'s] actual results or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by forward looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation risks related to fluctuations in gold prices; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund the planned work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from weather, logistical, technical or other factors; the possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize the perceived potential of [Midway Gold Corp.'s] properties; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and other tests and the estimation of gold reserved and resources; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained on a timely manner or at all; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated and may preclude commercial development or render operations uneconomic; the possibility that the estimated recovery rates may not be achieved; risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work program; risks related to projected project economics, recovery rates, and estimated NPV and anticipated IRR and other factors identified in [Midway Gold Corp.'s] SEC filings and its filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions and expectations of [Midway Gold Corp.'s] management at the time they are made, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, [Midway Gold Corp.] does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances, should change.
This press release, the feasibility study and the technical report referred to in this press release use the terms 'resource', 'reserve', 'measured resources', 'indicated resources' and 'inferred resources', which are terms defined under Canadian National Instrument 43-101 and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Classification system. Estimates of mineral reserves in the feasibility study and in this press release are compliant with the definitions in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') Industry Guide 7. Previous estimates of resources in the technical report referred to in this press release have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and differ from the definitions in U.S. SEC Industry Guide 7. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a 'final' or 'bankable' feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical average price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis to designate reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. [Midway Gold Corp.] advises investors that while those terms are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the SEC does not recognize them. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves as defined in the SEC's Guide 7. In addition, 'inferred resources' have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. U.S. investors are cautioned not to assume that part or all of an inferred resource exists, or is economically or legally minable. Accordingly, outside of the reserves reported in this press release and in the feasibility study, disclosure in this press release and in the technical reports referred to in this press release may not be comparable to information from U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC.
Golden Predator Corp.
CONTACT: Golden Predator Corp.
William M. Sheriff, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
(604) 648-GOLD (4653)
info@goldenpredator.com
www.goldenpredator.com