VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - June 25, 2013) - Redhawk Resources, Inc. ("Redhawk" or the "Company") (TSX:RDK)(OTCQX:RHWKF)(FRANKFURT:QF7) is pleased to report the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) using independent consultants Milne and Associates, Call & Nicholas, Inc., Golder Associates, SGS METCON/ KD Engineering, Westland Resources, and Independent Mining Consultants (IMC).
PEA Highlights:
- Pre-tax NPV of US$488 million at 7.5% Discount Rate and US$794 million at 5% Discount Rate and 16% IRR at US$3.30 copper over 18 year life of mine
- Average total operating cash cost of US$1.74 per pound copper net of byproduct credits
- Average annual production of 121.7 million pounds of salable copper (55,200 metric tons)
- Production rate of 25,000 short tons per day mining and milling
- Milling produces 30% copper concentrate and a separate molybdenum concentrate
- 92% copper recovery in flotation mill
The PEA uses a mining and milling rate of 25,000 short tons per day (tpd). Mining is by room and pillar/post pillar with backfilling method in the porphyry deposit and results in approximately 75% recovery of the resource. Mining of the near surface breccia deposits is by cut and fill or blasthole stoping and fill with very high recovery of the resource. A small open pit may be used to mine the Old Reliable breccia, but is not considered in the current PEA. Milling is by standard flotation and produces a copper concentrate and a molybdenum concentrate with 92% copper recovery and 30% copper concentrate grades. All dollar figures are in $US. The resource used in the PEA is the NI 43-101 compliant resource reported December 20, 2012.
R. Joe Sandberg, President and CEO of Redhawk, commented; "The results of the 2013 PEA confirm the economic potential of the Copper Creek Project and a successful growth in project scale from a 10,000 tpd operation in the 2009-2010 NI 43-101 Scoping Study to the 25,000 tpd operation in the current NI 43-101 PEA. Management believes there are several aspects of the PEA that can be further optimized based upon additional work. In addition, the drilling in 2010-2012 and the ongoing geologic work in the district suggests the potential for significant expansion of the existing resources and identification of several very large untested porphyry targets on the Redhawk controlled lands. The Company will announce these resource expansion plans and further development plans in separate news releases."
The table below shows the pre-tax Net Present Value (NPV) at 5% Discount Rate and 7.5% Discount Rate, Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and payback period for copper prices between $3.00 and $3.60 per pound.
| Price Sensitivity (Pre-Tax) | ||||
| Cu Price | NPV@7.5% | NPV@5% | IRR | Payback Yrs |
| USD/Pound | Millions USD | Millions USD | ||
| $3.00 | $231 | $457 | 11.8% | 6.2 |
| $3.15 | $360 | $625 | 14.0% | 5.1 |
| $3.30 | $488 | $794 | 16.0% | 4.5 |
| $3.45 | $616 | $962 | 17.9% | 4.0 |
| $3.60 | $744 | $1,130 | 19.7% | 3.6 |
| PEA Inputs and Selected Results | ||||
| Mine/Mill Throughput | 25,000 9,000,000 | short tons per day short tons per year | ||
| Underground Room and Pillar/Post pillar with backfill | ||||
| Conventional grind/float sulfide concentrator: 30% copper concentrate and moly concentrate products with no significant contaminants | ||||
| Life of Mine Payable Copper production | 2,128,743,000 | pounds | ||
| Average Annual Copper production | 121,726,000 | pounds | ||
| 55,200 | metric tonnes | |||
| Copper production years 1-3 | 136,300,000 | pounds | ||
| Copper grades life of mine | 0.77% | |||
| Copper grades years 1-3 | 0.90% | |||
| Price Assumptions: | Copper | $3.00 to $3.60 | per pound | |
| Molybdenum | $12.00 | per pound | ||
| Silver | $20.00 | per ounce | ||
| Pre-Production Capital (includes 35% contingency) | $857,067,000 | |||
| Life of Mine Capital | $1,199,899,000 | |||
| Average Production Cost net of by-products | $1.74 | per pound | ||
Trailing Average Copper Prices
The table below shows the market trailing average copper prices (LME) for one, two, three, and five years as of May 31, 2013.
| 1 year | 2 year | 3 year | 5 year | |
| Cu US$/lb | $3.50 | $3.64 | $3.70 | $3.29 |
The complete PEA document in NI 43-101 format will be filed within 45 days of this news release.
R. Joe Sandberg, CPG, Redhawk President, CEO and a Qualified Person under the meaning of NI 43-101, is responsible for the technical content of this news release. This release has been reviewed for technical content by IMC, SGS KD/Metcon, and Milne and Associates, the Company's independent consultants.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
R. Joe Sandberg, President & CEO
The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, Redhawk does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. By its very nature, such forward-looking information requires Redhawk to make assumptions that may not materialize or that may not be accurate. This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such information.
Neither TSX Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
