Name and Location
Toroparu gold project, Guyana.

Client
Sandspring Resources.

Project Description
A prefeasibility study completed on the Toroparu project envisages an operation mining 127-million tonnes of saprolite and fresh rock ores containing 4.107-million ounces of gold at an average grade of 1 g/t gold over a two-year preproduction period and a 16-year mine life.

The mine plan includes:
• five-million tonnes of saprolite gold ore containing 148 000 oz of gold at an average grade of 0.91 g/t that will be processed by conventional cyanide leach;
• 52-million tonnes of fresh rock gold/copper ore, containing 1 953 000 oz of gold, with an average grade of 1.17g/t gold and 0.18% copper that will be processed by flotation concentration; and
• 70-million tonnes of fresh rock gold ore, containing 2 006 000 oz of gold, with an average grade of 0.89 g/t gold and 0.05% copper that will also be processed by cyanide leach.
Processing facilities will be developed in three phases:
• Phase 1 is designed to process 1.18-million tonnes a year or 3 250 t/d of saprolite gold ore during the preproduction period.
• Phase 2 is designed to process 5.475-million tons a year or 15 000 t/d of fresh rock gold/copper ore by flotation concentration, and a combination of 1 500 t/d of saprolite gold ore and fresh rock gold/copper ore flotation tailings over the first three years of production.
• Phase 3 is designed to treat 5.745-million tons a year or 15 000 t/d of fresh rock gold ore, saprolite gold ore and flotation tailings by cyanide leach, and 2.738-million tons a year or 7 500 t/d of gold/copper ore by flotation concentrate, starting in the fourth year of production and continuing for the remainder of the mine’s life.

Total gold recovered from the redesigned flowsheet includes 2.914-million ounces of gold in doré bars and 820 000 oz in concentrate for 3.735-million recovered ounces. Average gold production expected is 228 000 oz/y over the 16-year mine life.

By-product copper will be produced at an average rate of 25.7-million pounds a year at a grade of 0.23% copper in the first three years of production (Phase 2). Yearly by-product copper production will be 8.8-million pounds a year in Phase 3, resulting in a life-of-mine average of 12-million pounds a year.

The project design includes all on- and off-site infrastructure installations and upgrades required to support a large mining and processing operation, including:
• the construction of a new river wharf, a dry cargo, fuel storage and transportation facility/camp at the Pine Tree port location;
• the upgrade of the Itaballi–Puruni–Papishao road;
• on-site access, service and haulage roads;
• surface water management protections through levees, dams, diversion channels and collection ponds;
• an intermediate fuel-oil-powered electric power generation facility;
• an entry station, operations man-camp, communications facility, potable water facility and waste management facility;
• an administration building, a fuel depot, ready line, truck maintenance shop, warehouse facility and laydown area, and an explosives storage facility;
• a plant administration and control room building, laboratory, a light equipment maintenance and warehousing facility; and
• a tailings management area and waste rock stockpile facilities.

Value
Preproduction capital is estimated at $464-million.

Duration
Construction is expected to start in 2014.

Latest Developments
Sandspring will continue to move forward with final permitting and development of the project.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sandsping Resources, tel +1 720 854-0104 or email info@sandspringresources.com