The Séguéla Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire consists of the resource-defined, near-surface Antenna, Koula, Agouti, Boulder, and Ancien orogenic lode-style deposits. Within a total land package of 62,000 hectares, there are an additional 22 highly prospective targets. It is located near existing infrastructure, including grid power, transport, and water resources. (Latitude: 8° 8.905' N, Longitude: 6° 47.312' W)
In September 2021 Fortuna made the decision to proceed with the construction of an open pit gold mine at Séguéla, with sustainability being an intrinsic part of the design, construction and future operation of the project. Long lead items have been procured and the development teams are commencing work on the ground. Séguéla will become our fifth mine with the first gold pour projected by mid 2023. The mine has compelling economics, with a nine-year mine life in reserves. The initial six years are expected to report 133,000 ounces of gold production annually. With the total initial capital investment of $173.5 million, the anticipated construction schedule is approximately 20 months and ramp-up to name plate capacity of 3,750 tpd is expected in the third quarter of 2023.
The villages of Bangana, Tiéma and Kouégo located several kilometers from the mine site are the closest settlements. Trust and strong relationships established with the local communities are pivotal to the success of the project development and its upcoming operation.
We have been building this trust and cultivating these relationships for over five years. In 2022, we employed 153 community members from local communities and we also partnered with 10 local suppliers.
Séguéla Mine Construction Update August 2022
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Séguéla Project Construction Video - Episode 1
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Séguéla Project feasibility study economic highlights⁽¹⁾
All dollar amounts are expressed in US dollars unless otherwise indicated
Operating Metrics
| Units | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Life of mine | years | 8.6 | |
| Total mineralized material mined | tonnes | 12,064,000 | |
| Contained gold in mined resource | oz | 1,088,000 | |
| Strip ratio | waste to ore | 13.9:1 | |
| Throughput @ start-up | million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) | 1.25 | |
| Throughput @ peak | Mtpa | 1.57 | |
| Head grade | g/t Au | 2.8 | |
| Recoveries | % | 94.5% | |
| Gold Production | |||
| Total production over life of mine (LOM) | oz | 1,028,000 | |
| Annual production over LOM | oz | 120,000 | |
| Annual production over first 6 years | oz | 133,000 | |
| Operating Costs over LOM | |||
| Total mining costs | $/t (mined) | $2.79 | |
| Mining costs (sustaining capital) | $/t (mined) | $0.78 | |
| Mining costs (operating costs) | $/t (mined) | $2.01 | |
| Processing | $/t (processed) | $12.57 | |
| G&A | $/t (processed) | $5.30 | |
| Total operating costs (excluding sustaining capital) | $/t (processed) | $47.83 | |
Financial Metrics | |||
| Units | Results | ||
| Cash costs2 | |||
| Average cash costs over LOM | $/oz | $567 | |
| Average cash costs over first 6 years | $/oz | $528 | |
| AISC2 | |||
| Average AISC2 over LOM | $/oz | $832 | |
| Average AISC2 over first 6 years | $/oz | $797 | |
| Valuation | |||
| Gold price | $/oz | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| NPV @ 5% discount rate (after-tax)(3) | $M | $380 | 478 |
| After-tax IRR | % | 49% | 58% |
| Payback period | years | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Average EBITDA2 over LOM | $M | $107 | $127 |
| Average EBITDA2 over first 6 years | $M | $130 | $153 |
Environmental Data | |||
| Units | Results | ||
| Greenhouse gas emissions intensity (scope 1+2) | tCO2e/oz | 0.58 | |
| Energy intensity | GJ/oz | 4.39 | |
- Notes
- Please refer to the technical report entitled “NI 43‐101 Technical Report, Séguéla Project, Feasibility Study, Worodougou Region, Côte d’Ivoire” dated May 26, 2021 co-authored by Paul Criddle, FAusIMM, Hans Andersen, MAIG, Paul Weedon, MAI, Dave Morgan, AIMM, CPEng, Geoff Bailey, FIEAust, CPEng, NPER-3, REPQ, Shane McLeay FAUSIMM and Niel Morrison Peng filed on SEDAR under the Fortuna issuer profile on March 18, 2022.
- Cash costs, all-in sustaining cash costs and EBITDA are non-IFRS financial measures. Refer to Non-IFRS Financial Measures at the end of this news release
- Attributable to Fortuna’s 90% interest; the Government of Côte d’Ivoire holds a 10% carried interest
- The Project economics are subject to the assumptions as detailed in the Feasibility Study
Technical Report
LOCATION
The Séguéla Gold Project is located in the Worodougou Region of the Woroba District, Cote D’Ivoire. Approximately 500 km from Abidjan, via major highways to Séguéla. From Séguéla, the property’s Antenna, Ancien, Agouti, Boulder and Koula deposits are accessed via 40 km of unsealed roads. The Séguéla Gold Project covers an area of 35,360 hectares, defined by two exploration permits (Permis de Recherche Miniére No. 252 and Permis de Recherche Miniére No. 638).
GEOLOGY AND MINERALIZATION
The Séguéla Gold Project is situated within the Paleoproterozoic (“Birimian”) Baoule-Mossi Domain of the West African Craton. Two cycles of volcanism/sedimentation are recognised within the Birimian rocks of the Baoule-Mossi Domain; each followed by a period of orogenesis, and together described as the Eburnian Orogeny which is dated c. 2.19–2.08 Ga. Rocks of the Baoule-Mossi Domain are primarily polyphase granitoids, and volcano-sedimentary sequences forming granite-greenstone terranes. The first cycle of sedimentation and orogenesis (“Eburnian 1”) is described by the accumulation of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks; then subsequently intruded by early stage granitoids. Following a period of uplift and erosion, the Eburnian 2 cycle is described by the filling of intra-montaine basins with predominantly arenaceous sediments of the Tarkwaian Series.
- The Antenna deposit occurs within a greenstone package deposited during Eburnian 1, is an orogenic lode-style gold system, hosted by a brittle-ductile quartz-albite vein stockwork predominantly contained within flow banded rhyolite units.
- The Koula deposit is located approximately one kilometer to the east of Antenna and was discovered through field reconnaissance and coincident recent artisanal workings in an area previously considered to be a lower exploration priority. Results from the first of four drill holes testing the projected depth extensions approximately 120 meters down-plunge from the previously deepest intersection of 14 meters at 4.3 g/t Au included an intersection of six meters at 10.8 g/t Au from 355 meters downhole.
- The Ancien deposit is associated with an interpreted D2 sinistral shear zone. Significant mineralization is restricted to the more reactive and competent tholeiitic basalt unit and is best developed in zones of strong brittle-ductile brecciation and shearing, with selective sericite+/-silica alteration and intense quartz and quartz-carbonate veining.
- The Boulder and Agouti prospects are both located within a distinct northerly-trending litho-structural corridor that extends from Boulder in the south to Gabbro in the north. Gold mineralization at the Boulder and Agouti prospects is associated with strongly foliated or mylonitized, quartz/quartz-carbonate veined basalt and the margins of the felsic intrusives.
Mineral Reserves and Resources
| Mineral Reserves - Proven and Probable | Contained Metal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Classification | Tonnes (000) | Au (g/t) | Au (koz) |
| Séguéla, Côte d'Ivoire | ||||
| Antenna | Probable | 7,200 | 2.09 | 482 |
| Koula | Probable | 1,200 | 6.46 | 243 |
| Ancien | Probable | 1,300 | 4.88 | 211 |
| Agouti | Probable | 1,200 | 2.20 | 88 |
| Boulder | Probable | 1,100 | 1.77 | 64 |
| Combined | Proven + Probable | 12,100 | 2.80 | 1,088 |
| Mineral Resources - Measured and Indicated | Contained Metal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Classification | Tonnes (000) | Au (g/t) | Au (koz) |
| Séguéla, Côte d'Ivoire | ||||
| Antenna | Indicated | 2,097 | 1.55 | 104 |
| Koula | Indicated | 388 | 1.96 | 24 |
| Ancien | Indicated | 303 | 3.96 | 39 |
| Agouti | Indicated | 810 | 1.29 | 34 |
| Boulder | Indicated | 213 | 6.24 | 43 |
| Sunbird | Indicated | 3,260 | 2.66 | 279 |
| Combined | Measured + Indicated | 7,071 | 2.30 | 523 |
| Mineral Resources - Inferred | Contained Metal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | Classification | Tonnes (000) | Au (g/t) | Au (koz) |
| Séguéla, Côte d'Ivoire | ||||
| Antenna | Inferred | 1,112 | 1.94 | 69 |
| Koula | Inferred | 158 | 2.91 | 15 |
| Ancien | Inferred | 35 | 10.21 | 11 |
| Agouti | Inferred | 103 | 1.73 | 6 |
| Boulder | Inferred | 81 | 1.17 | 3 |
| Sunbird | Inferred | 4,219 | 3.73 | 506 |
| Combined | Inferred | 5,708 | 3.33 | 610 |
- Notes
- Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources are as defined by the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves
- Mineral Resources are exclusive of Mineral Reserves
- Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability
- Factors that could materially affect the reported Mineral Resources or Mineral Reserves include; changes in metal price and exchange rate assumptions; changes in local interpretations of mineralization; changes to assumed metallurgical recoveries, mining dilution and recovery; and assumptions as to the continued ability to access the site, retain mineral and surface rights titles, maintain environmental and other regulatory permits, and maintain the social license to operate
- Mineral Resources and Reserves for the Seguela Project are estimated and reported as of March 31, 2021 with the exception of the Sunbird deposit which is estimated and reported as of November 21, 2022
- Mineral Reserves for Séguéla are reported constrained within optimized pit shells at an incremental cut-off grade of 0.54 g/t Au for Antenna, 0.55 g/t Au for Agouti, 0.55 g/t Au for Boulder, 0.56 g/t Au for Koula and 0.56 g/t Au for Ancien deposits based on an assumed gold price of US$1,500/oz, metallurgical recovery rate of 94.5%, mining cost of US$2.87/t for Antenna, US$2.74/t for Agouti, US$2.81/t for Boulder, US$2.85/t for Koula and US$2.93/t for Ancien, processing and G&A costs of US$14.51/t and US$7.13/t respectively, mining owner cost of US$1.30/t, refining cost of US$2.60/oz and royalty rate of 6%. The Mineral Reserves pit design were completed based on overall slope angle recommendations of between 37° and 57° for Antenna, Koula and Agouti deposits from oxide to fresh weathering profiles, between 34° and 56° for Ancien deposit from oxide to fresh weathering profiles and 37° and 60° for Boulder deposit from oxide to fresh weathering profiles. The Mineral Reserves are reported in situ with modifying factors of 15% mining dilution and 90% mining recovery applied. Mineral Resources for Séguéla are reported in situ at a cut-off grade of 0.3 g/t Au for Antenna, 0.45 g/t Au for Sunbird and 0.5 g/t Au for the other satellite deposits, based on an assumed gold price of $1,700/oz and constrained within preliminary pit shells. The Séguéla gold Project is subject to a 10% carried interest held by the government of Côte d'Ivoire.
- Matthew Cobb (MAIG #5486) is the Qualified Person responsible for Mineral Resources, being an employee of Roxgold Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortuna). Shane McLeay (FAUSIMM #222752) is the Qualified Person responsible for Mineral Reserves, being an employee of Entech Pty Ltd.
- Totals may not add due to rounding procedures
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