Mr. Robert Baldock reports
YUKON-NEVADA GOLD CORP. REVIEWS PROGRESS AT JERRITT CANYON, NEVADA
Yukon-Nevada Gold Corp. is presenting an overview of the work completed at Jerritt
Canyon since the facility reopened in 2009. Jerritt Canyon is located
50 miles north of Elko, Nev., and is operated by Queenstake Resources
USA Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. This
review covers the areas of:
- Environmental compliance;
-
New tailings facility construction;
-
Plant upgrades;
-
Plant winterization;
-
Fleet renewal;
-
Underground mine restart;
-
Open pit restart;
-
Exploration;
-
Safety.
Environmental compliance was achieved by the issuance of a consent
decree in the fall of 2009 allowing the company to restart its milling
operation. Since restarting the plant in October, 2009, the roasters
have successfully been subject to independent engineer stack testing
for emission compliance for mercury, particulates, sulphur dioxide and
other emissions. The results of these tests have allowed the frequency
of the testing to be reduced by a factor of three. Other items in the consent decree are also substantially complete, with two key projects,
the replacement of the second quench tank and the installation of the
new ore dryer circuit, set to be finished in the shutdown commencing
early January. The remaining project to complete is the cleanup of
the rock drainage areas on the property, which will be performed over
the coming year in compliance with the requirements of the consent
decree.
A new tailings storage facility was approved for construction in
July, 2011. This facility, which is double lined, is mostly completed
and waits commissioning in 2012. The old tailings storage facility, which has more than
sufficient life to last until the new facility is operating, will be
closed and reclaimed using the bonded moneys already in place.
Plant upgrades including a new digital control system will and are
allowing for better and more continuous operation of the plant. This
has been enhanced by restocking of the parts warehouse. As stated in
the company's Oct. 31 news release, plant winterization has been delayed by fabrication
difficulties, but is now on track for completion before the end of
January.
In parallel, the company restarted the Smith underground mine and
engaged Small Mine Development LLC to operate the mine in
February, 2010. SMD has been achieving a steady 1,000-ton-per-day
delivery to the run-of-mine stockpile. In October, 2011, the company
restarted the SSX underground mine, which is scheduled to ramp up to
1,200 tons per day from the current level of 300 tons per day, as more
equipment becomes available and additional resources are put in place.
The company has also obtained permitting to develop the Starvation
Canyon underground mine, which is scheduled to be ready in the second half of 2012 as
infrastructure is put in place and equipment delivered. Starvation
Canyon will be capable of delivering up to 600 tons of ore per day.
This will complete the underground mine development program, producing a
targeted 2,800 tons per day of ore to the mill.
The company is also focused on the recommencement of open pit mining at
the property, which was shut down in the late 1990s due to the
prevailing price of gold. Permit approvals to reopen previously
operated pits as well as new pits are being sought. This would address
the ability of the milling facility to operate at tonnages greater than
those able to be supplied by the underground mines.
Upon completion of the shutdown in mid-January, the plant is scheduled
to restart at a throughput rate of 150,000 ounces per year and ramp
up from there. Jerritt Canyon has averaged 300,000 ounces of gold a
year historically from 1987 until early 2003, when it went into decline
due to insufficient working capital for investing in sustaining
operations, preventative maintenance and necessary environmental
compliance.
President and chief executive officer, Robert Baldock, states: "There is every reason for the
facility to operate at similar production levels in the future and that
is certainly management's goal. As an indication of the confidence the
senior management team (CEO, CFO, COO and senior executive VP) has in
the future of the company, they have recently commenced buying stock."
Underground exploration was initiated soon after the Smith mine was
reopened; exploration on the surface was reinitiated in the summer of
2011 and is planned to continue for the foreseeable future. Extension
of the present underground mines, reopening of previously operated
open pits and targeting of new open pits are part of the extensive
exploration program. The company is currently reviewing the results of
drilling activity in 2011 and will provide additional updates on these
results when the review is complete.
Yukon-Nevada is committed to the safety of its work force and will take
all measures to ensure the continued safe and productive operations at
Jerritt Canyon. To that end, a recent meeting between management and
Mine Safety and Health Administration has made it clear recent changes
combined with a good inspection in February will make a significant
difference to the way the company is viewed by the regulators as
referenced in the company's most recent news release dated Dec. 2, 2011.
We seek Safe Harbor.
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