Jun 19 2014
Asanko Gold Inc. ("Asanko" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on activities at the fully funded and permitted Asanko Gold Mine (the "AGM" or the "Project") in Ghana.
In early April, the Company engaged DRA as the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management ("EPCM") contractor for the design and construction of Phase 1 of the Project as well as Knight Piesold to design the Tailings Storage Facility and carry out detailed geotechnical engineering works for the site. Shortly thereafter, the Company initiated an early works program designed to advance the critical activities that will allow the Company to maintain its project schedule, targeting first gold in Q1 2016.
Detailed engineering and early works programs are proceeding on schedule, ground breaking at the plant site is expected to commence in August 2014, pending a positive investment decision on the Project by the Board in July.
Asanko Gold Mine Site Early Works
The site early works program, which began in April 2014 with a budget of approximately US$16 million, has been progressing on schedule and on budget. For photos of the early works progress at AGM, please click on the following link: www.asanko.com
- Upgrading of the site access road is nearing completion with 8km out of 11 km completed.
- Refurbishment of the mining village is 80% complete.
- The plant medical clinic construction is nearing completion and will be operational in early July.
- Mobile equipment orders have been placed and delivery of key equipment is scheduled for July.
- Refurbishment and upgrades to the site's airstrip have been completed and inspected by the regulatory authorities.
- Construction of the communication tower and office potable water systems have commenced.
Detailed Engineering
Since commencing work in early April, DRA have advanced several key front-end engineering and design activities, including:
- Plant layout is now complete, revised to incorporate a potential Phase 2 expansion to the plant.
- An initial order is expected to be placed shortly for the detailed design of the 161kV electrical infrastructure.
- Various structural and civil designs are underway to allow bulk earth works to commence at the plant site in August 2014.
- Mechanical equipment list, process and instrumentation diagrams and process design criteria have been completed.
- Operating costs are in the process of being updated.
- Civil, mechanical, electrical and infrastructure designs have been completed to sufficient detail to allow the detailed capital cost to be estimated.
- The Control Base Estimate ("CBE") or detailed capital cost estimate for the Project is in the final stages of completion with all tenders closed.
Knight Piesold have advanced geotechnical engineering with some additional geotechnical drilling completed over the past two months to support the detailed mine plan for the Nkran pit.
Resource Update & Mine Planning
Asanko's independent Qualified Person with respect to NI 43-101 has completed revisions to the Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") for the Nkran and Adubiaso pits, which are currently being used for detailed mine planning.
While the overall MRE has not changed materially since the previous estimate (announced in September 2012 and the basis for the Company's current disclosure), the revised estimate incorporates a more detailed geological model and utilises a combination of Indicator Kriging and Ordinary Kriging to bring a higher level of confidence and detail to the MRE which makes it more suitable for detailed mine planning.
DRA are currently working on the detailed mine plan, with a preliminary plan to be ready for the Board's investment decision in July and the final plan to be finalised during Q3 2014.
The revised MRE, detailed mine plan and CBE will all be combined into a Definitive Project Plan which is expected to be completed by Q4 2014 and filed as a NI 43-101 compliant technical report.
The contract tendering process has begun for the pre-strip component of the Nkran pit, which the Company expects to begin in Q4 2014. The pre-stripping of Nkran involves cutting back the existing pit from historical mining operations. Total pre-strip requirements are approximately 26 million tonnes of material to be moved to access the Nkran ore for the commencement of mining operations in Q3 2015. The cost of the pre-strip has been included in the Project's capital cost, as per the Company's current disclosure.
Permitting
Phase 1 of the Project is fully permitted for the commencement of construction. In early June, the Minerals Commission declared a moratorium over the expected mining and infrastructure areas. The declaration of a moratorium is an important precursor to construction activity and will establish the basis for crop compensation and land use deprivation processes to commence with the local communities. In addition, work is underway on a Resettlement Action Plan ("RAP") which will be reviewed and approved by the Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency in Q4 2014.
The Company continues to advance the permitting required to mine both Dynamite Hill and the Phase 2 mining operations at Esaase. In early June, a Temporary Mining Permit was received for the Esaase deposit which would allow mining operations to commence at Esaase. Full environmental permitting at Esaase is ongoing.
Organisational Capability
On June 1st, the Company officially appointed Jonathan Ebo Collins as General Manager - Asanko Gold Mine. Charles Amoah, the current acting General Manager and a metallurgist, will continue with the Company as Manager - Processing. Recruitment is underway for other key operating positions as the Company continues to build its organisational capability in Ghana.
Jonathan is a Ghanaian national and a mining engineer with over 25 years of operational experience in the African mining sector. He has worked in Ghana, South Africa and Liberia, predominantly for major natural resources companies such as Xstrata Coal, Anglo American, Arcelor Mittal, Total, and Sasol. He began his career with Ashanti Goldfields, now AngloGold Ashanti, at the Obuasi mine before moving to South Africa to work in the coal industry. During his career, he has been Mine Manager and General Manager of several large coal operations with both open pit and underground mines and he has overseen projects from construction and commissioning through to operations. He has won multiple national safety awards in recognition of the outstanding safety performance of the mines under his management. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science and a Postgraduate Diploma in Mining Engineering and is a member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM).
For further information please visit www.asanko.com
About Asanko Gold Inc.
Asanko's vision is to become a mid-tier gold mining company that maximizes value for all its stakeholders. Asanko's flagship project is the fully financed, multi-million ounce Asanko Gold Mine Project located in Ghana, West Africa.
Asanko is managed by highly skilled and successful technical, operational and financial professionals. The Company is strongly committed to the highest standards for environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighbouring communities.
Source: http://www.asanko.com/