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Evolution Mining to evaluate fleet as part of emissions reduction pathway

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Evolution Mining, like many of its gold mining peers, has made a commitment to emissions reduction by 2030 on the way to achieving ‘net zero’ status by 2050. This relates to Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared with its FY20 financial year baseline.

Evolution’s recent FY24 Annual Sustainability Report shows the company’s progress on this journey, demonstrating it is almost halfway to achieving the 2030 goal of a 30% reduction, with the circa-12% reduction in emissions in the last year against the adjusted FY20 baseline.

The company’s emissions reduction pathway includes leveraging partnerships, including a new one with Caterpillar’s Pathway to Sustainability program, as part of its broader focus on emissions reduction, which is a fleet-agnostic approach.

The Caterpillar program was officially launched at The Electric Mine 2024, in Perth, Western Australia. It is a four-year program with multi-pronged experience that provides companies with holistic learning opportunities, energy transition project advisement and additional benefits related to sustainable product access, Caterpillar says.

The emphasis of the program is on understanding each participating company’s sustainability objectives and providing participants with information and tools that will help them understand where they are on their own unique journeys and where energy transition strategies may need to be customised to support individual actions.

Other notable companies to have signed up to the program include NRW Holdings and Yancoal Australia.

As Evolution explained in its Annual Sustainability Report, “We also identified opportunities to improve our understanding of, and partnerships with, low emissions fuel manufacturers and suppliers to assist with planning and assessing future fleet transition needs.

“Our long-term strategy is detailed in our Net Zero commitment. It includes the investigation, trial and shift to renewables, as well as energy storage, low emissions and diesel replacement, hybrid and battery-electric fleet, and nature-based solutions. Four major sources of emissions present opportunities for decarbonisation: power supply, mobile equipment, stationary combustion and process emissions. Activities that deliver cost-competitive decarbonisation reductions continue to be integrated into our business cycle.”

One of these initiatives the company is investigating is the use of diesel-electric loaders. Evolution acknowledges there is more work to do in understanding the benefits that electric and hybrid vehicles can bring. Some research currently suggests this could theoretically reduce felt emissions by 30-35%.

Evolution has already introduced battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) for trials at its Red Lake operation, in Canada, becoming one of the first miners to take advantage of Epiroc’s battery-electric conversion kits to transform diesel-powered loaders to battery-electric driven operation.

The company has also engaged Sandvik as part of its fleet transition plans, with the potential of carrying out a trial on DL422iE battery-electric longhole drills at Red Lake.

The Sandvik DL422iE is a fully-automated, battery-powered top hammer longhole drill designed for underground mass mining in 4 x 4 m or larger production drifts, Sandvik says. It can drill vertical and inclined fans and single or parallel Ø89-127 mm longholes up to 54 m in depth using ST58 and ST68 tube rods.

The drill’s electric driveline includes a battery package and electric motor to allow for zero emissions while tramming and also reduced thermal load. The DL422iE also features Sandvik’s patented Charging While Drilling technology; an innovation for reduced battery charging time without the need for additional infrastructure.

Evolution added in its report: “Application of technologies to reduce Scope 1 emissions from mine fleet is a complex decarbonisation challenge for the industry. A number of short, medium and long-term solutions are currently being assessed, trialled and considered across our operations. These include solutions that are technologically mature, such as hybrid vehicles, as well as technologies that have high potential but have limitations at present due to their practical application within Evolution operating mines and their commercial competitiveness (eg battery-electric vehicles).”

Epiroc’s Erik Svedlund: ‘the answer…is always electrification’

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Not a financial report goes by without Epiroc referencing its electrification offering. Whether it be new products, an uptick in customer demand or plans to roll out more battery-electric retrofit options for its customer base, ‘going electric’ has become a consistent quarterly theme for the Sweden-based OEM.

Epiroc’s development timeline for battery-electric machines started all the way back in 2012 – the first Scooptram ST7 Battery was produced in 2013 before a 2014 machine trial with Goldcorp’s Red Lake mines department (now owned by Evolution Mining). The Minetruck MT2010 battery-electric vehicle then came along in 2015.

Its electrification roots go back even further though thanks to Atlas Copco’s acquisition of GIA Industri AB in 2011; a transaction that brought the renowned Kiruna electric trucks into the portfolio.

Over this timeframe, Epiroc has also deployed cable-electric large blasthole rigs across the globe, removing diesel from the drilling process at surface mines.

A constant throughout this period has been Erik Svedlund, Senior Zero Emission Manager at Epiroc, who has helped steer the company’s electrification direction from its first generation battery-electric vehicles to the position it is in now: having integrated automation into the battery-electric mix with the Scooptram ST18 SG and, on the retrofit side, having the resources in place to offer mid-life rebuild options to convert its diesel-powered Scooptram ST7, Scooptram ST1030 and Scooptram ST14 loaders, plus its Minetruck MT436 and Minetruck MT42 trucks, to battery-electric vehicles.

Ahead of his keynote presentation at this month’s The Electric Mine 2023 conference in Tucson, Arizona (May 23-25), IM put some questions to Svedlund on the evolution of the market since he started ‘selling’ the electrification concept to stakeholders.

IM: You have been heading up Epiroc’s electrification efforts since 2010; how have you seen the reception to these solutions and developments change in that 13-year period? Has the speed of the transition surprised you?

ES: The speed is both fast and slow; I estimate that we are in the beginning of the steep part of the S-curve. Previously the drive was more on improved safety and health or a lower total cost of ownership. Now I notice a bigger drive towards low-carbon solutions. But the answer to all these focus areas is always ‘electrification’.

IM: Epiroc has some very ambitious targets when it comes to electrifying its fleet – both underground and on surface with drills. Given the various applications you are serving, how are you able to create a platform that can cater to all the specific parameters at mining operations?

ES: Indeed, Epiroc was quite early in developing battery-electric machines and has set very ambitious sustainability targets that go hand in hand with our customer’s targets. Making one or a few models is not too difficult but enabling everything to go electric required us to develop a new technology platform that would allow all models to become electric. This platform has allowed us to scale up to meet our targets.

IM: Is this why you are pursuing so many different development avenues with customers – diesel-electric trucks, battery-trolley, new battery solutions, BEV retrofits, etc?

ES: There is no one silver bullet to solve all models and applications. As a base there will be an energy-efficient electric driveline. However, how to get energy to that machine will vary depending on application. We will need many solutions in the future.

Erik Svedlund, Senior Zero Emission Manager at Epiroc

IM: How important do you see Batteries as a Service (BaaS) being as your BEV rollout accelerates? What level of interest or uptake have you had so far, and do you see the majority of BEV fleet users opting for this?

ES: The majority of our batteries go out with BaaS but not all; some customers like to own their assets. The setup of these agreements may be tailored to the customer’s needs.

IM: The combination of automation and electrification have been spoken about in the last few years as BEVs have started to be rolled out at a faster pace, with the development of your ST14 SG and ST18 SG representing key milestones in this area. Are mining companies continuing to push you to further automate your BEVs and remove all people from the process? What avenues are you pursuing for this in terms of automating the battery swapping process, recommending trolley charging, leveraging BluVein’s dynamic charging solution, etc?

ES: The trend for safer and more efficient operations will continue. Autonomous machines will have to be supported by autonomous chargers. Dynamic or stationary charging will be dependent on the type of machine and application. But we must not forget the solutions we as OEMs introduce must be able to work together with the grid. When it comes to surface mining, we have already seen that automation and electrification are a perfect match. We already have a complete range of cable-electric large blasthole rigs with a large number of drills in operation in all continents, some of which are automated.

IM: Your keynote presentation is titled, ‘The green transition is a material transition.’ Could you explain what is meant by this, and how Epiroc is involved in this material transition as a mining OEM?

ES: Zero-emission vehicles and renewable energy require metals; we in the mining industry have a special responsibility to do our part. Adopting a ‘green mining’ concept will prepare and position our industry as adding value to our solutions.

Erik Svedlund, Senior Zero Emission Manager at Epiroc, will present: ‘Keynote: The green transition is a material transition’ at The Electric Mine 2023 conference in Tucson, Arizona, on May 24 at 9:00-9:30. For more information on this three-day event, head to www.theelectricmine.com

Epiroc and Rokion battery-electric machines reduce costs at Evolution’s Red Lake ops

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Evolution Mining’s efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 are already being witnessed at its Red Lake Operation (RLO) in Canada, where the company is pursuing fleet replacement and energy efficiency gains through deepening its partnerships with Epiroc and Rokion.

The pacts with the two battery-electric vehicle (BEV) service providers also extend to operational changes Evolution is making via fan timers for underground ventilation at RLO.

In partnership with Epiroc, Red Lake has taken the opportunity to leverage its offering of conversion kits to transform diesel-powered loaders easily and seamlessly to battery-electric driven operation, it said. RLO has ordered two of the converted diesel-powered Scooptram ST1030 machines for deployment underground with the first one delivered at the start of December 2021. The site has also ordered two Scooptram ST14 battery-electric loaders that are designed based on the diesel ST14 version, which are scheduled for delivery in 2022. This order was announced last year by Epiroc.

The Red Lake team has also purchased three Rokion electric light vehicles – two R100s and an R400. They have been risk assessed in the field, have dedicated charge stations and are capable of online data capture and storage, the company said.

Rokion says the R100 series includes a four-passenger crew truck and a two-passenger utility truck, with both models built on the same frame dimensions and available in ramp-ready configurations. The R400 platform, meanwhile, is able to accommodate three passengers in a utility vehicle setup or up to 12 in a passenger crew variant.

“The electric fleet brings the opportunity to save on maintenance, cooling and ventilation costs with reducing expenditures related to diesel and power usage,” Evolution Mining says.

“This cost saving and energy efficiency has similarly been seen in the recent changes to the underground ventilation fan timers, which are vital in clearing the drives, post blasting of headings. After assessing the timer programming, the functionality of the fan timer switch was altered so that operators can run them when needed rather than running automatically at irrelevant times.”

Epiroc shows off sustainability credentials in another record quarter

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In a quarter characterised by high customer activity and a strong demand for aftermarket services, Epiroc had another reason to be positive with the validation of its 2030 sustainability goals by the influential Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Further records were broken in the December quarter – this time it was revenue (coming in at SEK11.1 billion (US$1.19 billion) and operating profit (coming in at SEK2.59 billion) – as the company continued to benefit from its in-house efficiency programs; value-added automated, electric and digitalised offering; and strong order pipeline.

At the same time, Epiroc’s sustainability credentials were shown off for the world to see between October 1 and December 31.

In addition to the SBTi validation, over this period, the company laid out plans at its Capital Markets Day for its third battery-electric retrofit project, the Minetruck MT436B; secured its first order for Scooptram ST1030 battery conversion kits from Evolution Mining’s Red Lake gold operations in Canada (on top of the delivery of new ST14 Battery LHDs); extended its range of flexible charging products for battery-electric mining equipment; and announced a project with Boliden and ABB to develop a next-generation battery trolley setup for the Kristineberg mine in Sweden.

The only thing that was missing from this packed three-month period was the launch of a brand-new battery-electric machine, yet this will come. Epiroc has plans to electrify its full fleet of underground load and haul equipment by 2025 – including battery-electric retrofit solutions for its existing diesel fleet – alongside electrifying its surface fleet by 2030.

In line with SBTi requirements, Epiroc is committing to halve its absolute CO2 emissions in its own operations – so called Scope 1 and Scope 2 – by 2030, with 2019 as base year. However, more than 99% of Epiroc’s total CO2 emissions are other indirect emissions, with about 83% of the total coming from when customers use the products. It has, therefore, committed to halve the absolute CO2 emissions from use of sold products – so called Scope 3 – by 2030.

“This is industry leading and well above SBTi’s minimum requirements,” Epiroc said of the Scope 3 target. “The transition from diesel-powered to battery-electric machines will make a significant impact.”

Does this mean Epiroc will turn off the diesel-powered taps at a certain point, saying it will only supply electric equipment to customers?

Mattias Olsson, Senior VP of Corporate Communications, says no such action is planned, explaining that these Scope 3 targets align broadly with its mining customer base’s own CO2 emission cut goals. The majors all have plans to decarbonise their operations, with the most ambitious looking to hit net zero in 2030-2035. Codelco, for example, plans to electrify all its underground operations by 2030.

Demand for this equipment is bound to be high, which is where Epiroc’s retrofit program could become crucial.

Designed to allow miners an ‘entry point’ into cutting emissions underground through its in-demand midlife rebuild program, Olsson said supply of these machines could accelerate the industry’s electrification uptake and provide quicker access to zero emissions equipment compared with the long lead times that come with new battery-electric machines.

In a market that is becoming increasingly crowded, such an option may differentiate Epiroc from the rest of its peers, in the process, helping it achieve its ambitious goals to help keep global warming at a maximum 1.5° C.

Epiroc’s battery conversion offering comes to life with Evolution Mining Red Lake order

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Epiroc is now offering customers conversion kits that, it says, “seamlessly transform” loaders from diesel-powered to battery-electric driven means, with the company having secured its first order for the solution from Evolution Mining’s Red Lake gold operations in Canada.

The new offering will speed up the mining industry’s shift to an emissions-free future, Epiroc said.

Battery conversions are already underway in Canada, with Epiroc’s Scooptram ST1030 loader being the first vehicle to undergo the transformation. Evolution Mining, earlier this year, ordered the conversion of two diesel-powered Scooptram ST1030 machines for use at Red Lake, in Ontario. In addition, it also ordered two new Scooptram ST14 Battery loaders and one Minetruck MT42 Battery to add to the fleet at Red Lake.

The company has been helped in this electrification pursuit by Ontario-based FVT Research, a Canada-based company with expertise in converting diesel-powered mining machines to battery-electric vehicles. Epiroc announced plans in September to acquire the company.

Kits to convert the Scooptram ST1030, one of Epiroc’s most popular loaders, are now available to order through most of Epiroc’s Customer Centers worldwide, the OEM said. Conversion kits for other machines will follow, including for the Scooptram ST14 loader, which is already being tested as a converted version.

Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO, said: “Converting existing diesel machines to battery electric will be a smart and cost-efficient alternative for mining companies that want to electrify their operations. It will be an important part as we together continue the drive toward emissions-free operations.”

The conversion involves removing the diesel engine, adding the battery and changing to an electric drive line. The end result is the same or higher performance level as diesel machines with all the added benefits of battery technology, which includes zero emissions and a healthier underground environment for operators, Epiroc said.

Epiroc’s service organisation will offer a quick turnaround time for the conversion, which is included in a midlife rebuild and puts machines back on site ready for heightened performance without unnecessary disruptions to production, it added.

Evolution enlists RCT and its Guidance Automation tech to transform Red Lake gold mine

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Evolution Mining has selected RCT and its ControlMaster® Guidance Automation technology to help “transform” its new Red Lake mine in Ontario, Canada.

Evolution has embarked on a three-year investment strategy to restore the newly acquired Red Lake mine to a safe, highly efficient, long life and low-cost operation providing strong value for shareholders. This followed its acquisition of the operation from Newmont in November 2019 in a deal that could eventually rise to $475 million.

RCT has previously worked with Evolution Mining on transitioning its Mungari operations in Western Australia’s Goldfields region to its fully-autonomous technology solution.

To assist in the Red Lake turnaround strategy, RCT will commission its interoperable and scalable ControlMaster Guidance Automation technology to the underground loader fleet.

RCT says it is working closely with Red Lake’s leadership team to seamlessly integrate the new technology to enable greater productivity efficiencies to support Evolution Mining’s transformation strategy.

“The technology will unlock significant value for Evolution Mining by ensuring optimal machine performance, higher speed autonomous tramming, and reduced machine damage,” RCT said. “The technology will deliver faster production cycle times and reduced unplanned downtime across the loader fleet.”

The loaders will be controlled from either the surface-based ControlMaster Automation Centre or the customised underground Automation Centres designed specifically for easier transfer via the mine shaft hoist system.

This solution safeguards machine operators by relocating them away from hazards commonly found at the mine face and significantly reduces shift handover times, lowering overhead costs and resulting in greater site efficiencies, RCT said.

Kirsty Liddicoat, Red Lake General Manager, said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with RCT to introduce modern technologies to Red Lake as part of our transformation process. RCT equipment will enable higher productivity and efficiencies from our underground scoop fleet, while improving safety for our people.”

RCT’s Mining Business Development Manager, Ryan Noden, said ControlMaster is an ideal solution to help deliver the operational transformation that is aligned to Evolution Mining’s Red Lake strategy.

“The advanced features of the ControlMaster Automation technology means Red Lake will be able to quickly achieve improved production efficiencies from its loader fleet, with a greater level of safety for its operators,” he said. “Red Lake will also benefit from selecting a truly interoperable technology provider that can collaborate closely with them to realise further mobile equipment automation opportunities as further optimisation of the asset is achieved.”

Noden added: “RCT has a proud history of delivering value to the Canadian mining sector and we look forward to continually delivering to them with our cutting-edge technology backed by our dedicated in-country support team based at the company’s facility in Sudbury, Ontario.”

Evolution’s vision is to restore Red Lake to be one of Canada’s premier gold mines sustainably producing 300,000-500,000 oz/y of low-cost gold, Jake Klein, Evolution’s Executive Chairman, has said.

Evolution Mining’s Red Lake transformation taking shape with CYD decline

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Evolution Mining’s transformation plans at the Red Lake gold mine in Ontario, Canada, are tracking ahead of schedule with the Australia-based company’s board signing off the development of a surface decline at the operation.

The company acquired the Red Lake Complex from Newmont in November 2019 in a deal that could eventually rise to $475 million. When the deal was completed, it committed to invest $100 million on existing operations and an additional $50 million in exploration at Red Lake over the first three-year period following completion of the transaction.

The company says the surface decline, which is expected to cost A$60-A$70 million ($47-55 million), will provide a near-term opportunity to access additional low-cost ounces in the Upper Campbell mine at Red Lake with two additional mining fronts independent of the current shaft-constrained infrastructure.

The decline has been named the Campbell Young Dickenson (CYD) in recognition of three early developers of the Red Lake deposit, Evolution said.

Red Lake currently hosts a total reserve of 2.93 Moz at an average grade of 6.9 g/t gold. The decline will enable access to the Upper Campbell area of the mine, which hosts reserves of 1.85 Moz at an average grade of 7.4 g/t Au. Access to the HG Young orebody will also be established, which hosts a resource of 427,000 oz at 5.5 g/t Au and has the potential to be converted to reserves with additional drilling, Evolution said.

 

Annual gold production rates from these additional mining fronts are expected to be in excess of 1 Mt, according to the company.

With regulatory approval for this decline already in place, the box cut is expected to be completed in the March 2021 quarter. It will be located proximal to the Campbell mill.

Following this, development activities are scheduled to commence in the June 2021 quarter and first ore is currently expected in the June 2022 quarter. Studies are ongoing to assess opportunities to accelerate development and ultimate access to first ore, the company said.

Evolution’s stage 1 transformation plan at Red Lake is to cement production of plus-200,000 oz/y at an all-in sustaining cost of less than $1,000/oz by 2023. As part of this program, it has already decommissioned around 70 pieces of underground equipment and completed the phase 1 “hoist automation project” among other things.

Jake Klein, Evolution’s Executive Chairman, said on February 17: “Red Lake has consistently exceeded our expectations in almost every respect. With today’s announcement of the 2.93 Moz gold JORC Code ore reserve and board approval for the decline development, we are excited about the continued momentum we are building at this operation.

“This commitment is a significant step towards achieving Evolution’s vision of restoring Red Lake to be one of Canada’s premier gold mines sustainably producing 300,000-500,000 oz per annum of low-cost gold.”

Pure Gold pours first gold in Red Lake, Ontario

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Pure Gold Mining says it has poured first gold at its PureGold Mine, in Red Lake, Ontario.

The first pour occurred on December 29, following the introduction of ore to the mill on December 15, 2020.

Darin Labrenz, President and CEO of PureGold, said: “Today, the PureGold Mine has come to life. With our first gold pour, we have transitioned to producer, and delivered on our promise to build Canada’s newest gold mine in the heart of Red Lake, Ontario, on budget and on schedule.

“To build a mine at any time requires a complete team effort comprised of dedicated, driven, and focused individuals. To do so under the unique challenges of 2020 speaks to the quality and dedication of the entire team. With this first gold bar, we are now focused on ramping up the operation to steady-state production as we continue to build a long-life growth company in Red Lake.”

With the commencement of production at the PureGold Mine, activities at site are now concentrated on optimising the operation, with commercial production anticipated by the end of the March quarter, at which time the company will be providing guidance.

A February 2019 feasibility study on the PureGold Mine outlined a probable mineral reserve of 3.5 Mt at 9 g/t, containing 1 Moz of gold. This saw the company project a 12-year operation, producing an average of 80,000 oz/y at an all-in sustaining cost of $787/oz.

PureGold will also continue to pursue its aggressive growth strategy in 2021, it said, with ongoing exploration drilling from both surface and underground, an update of mineral resources to include drilling completed over the last two years, and incorporation of significant improvements in mine design and mine plan.

MacLean ANFO loader goes underground at Pure Gold’s Madsen project

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The ramp up to first production at Pure Gold Mining’s Madsen gold project in Red Lake, Ontario, continues, with the company having recently taken delivery of an ANFO loader from MacLean Engineering.

The ANFO loader, which has just headed underground for the first time at the project, is one of several new pieces of kit the company has added to its fleet as it heads towards its goal of pouring first gold at Madsen by the end of the year.

In a June 21 update, Pure Gold said procurement of major equipment was now 94% complete; a total of 1,285 m of underground mine development had been completed, with an advance rate 60% better than the mine plan; initial access development to longhole stopes had commenced; and an alimak had been installed in the existing shaft to support dewatering and shaft rehabilitation.

In the update, the company said new mine equipment delivered to date included four underground LHDs, two jumbo drills, two haul trucks, two scissor lifts, multiple utility vehicles and the ANFO loader.

One of these haul trucks is a DUX DT-26N articulated truck, while at least one Epiroc jumbo drill has been commissioned at Madsen.

Based on the 2019 feasibility study, Madsen is expected to produce an average of 80,000 oz/y at an all-in sustaining cost of $787/oz over a 12-year mine life. The operation will feature a combination of diesel and battery-powered load and haul equipment, with first gold production planned for the December quarter.

DUX dump truck makes its way to Pure Gold Mining’s Madsen project

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New underground mining equipment has been arriving at Pure Gold Mining’s Madsen gold project in Red Lake, Ontario, with the company recently taking delivery of a DUX DT-26N articulated truck.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pure Gold has continued to progress the construction of Madsen, with Pure Gold President and CEO, Darin Labrenz, saying at the end of March that underground development had commenced safely and ahead of schedule.

In the same update, the company said detailed engineering was on track to support the completion of the project as scheduled for late 2020.

“To date the company has placed equipment purchase orders representing approximately 74% of the long lead items by value, including electrical equipment packages, key gold room equipment, gravity and intensive leach systems as well as the new ball mill to provide for planned processing rates of 800 t/d,” Pure Gold said.

One of the more recent pieces of equipment to arrive in Red Lake is a 26 t capacity articulated dump truck from DUX Machinery (pictured). This underground four-wheel drive truck is well suited for hauling ore, waste and backfill on level and steep grades, according to DUX. It also has the highest power to weight ratio in its class the company said, adding that it permits efficient chute, side and end loading in narrow drifts with low headings.

From mid-December to late March, some 740 m of development had been completed at Madsen, with Pure Gold saying early initiation of ramp development through the company’s test mining program and, to date, a 50% improvement on development productivity from underground, had provided an opportunity to access key stopes ahead of schedule, optimise the mine plan, and provide a larger ore stockpile in advance of mill start-up.

Based on the 2019 feasibility study, Madsen is expected to produce an average of 80,000 oz/y at an all-in sustaining cost of $787/oz over a 12-year mine life. The operation will feature a combination of diesel and battery-powered load and haul equipment.