Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 30, 2024) - Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. (TSXV: ELE) (OTCQX: ELEMF) ("Elemental Altus" or the "Company") notes the announcement by Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX: CMM) ("Capricorn") of a material production expansion at the Karlawinda Gold Project ("Karlawinda") where Elemental Altus holds an uncapped 2.0% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty. Capricorn are targeting annual gold production of 150,000 ounces, driven by an increase of total processing capacity to 6.5 Mtpa (Note 1). Karlawinda is a cornerstone asset for Elemental Altus, contributing US$4.6 million in zero-cost revenue in 2023.
Highlights
- Capricorn approved a major expansion at Karlawinda, targeting average annual gold production of 150,000 ounces, reflecting a 30% increase from the midpoint of production guidance FY2025 (Note 2)
- Elemental Altus' uncapped 2% NSR royalty will provide approximately 3,000 Gold Equivalent Ounces ("GEOs") annually to the Company based on the higher 150,000 ounce production rate
- The increased production is due to an approximate 50% throughput increase from the installation of a new three-stage crusher and ball mill circuit, increasing total processing capacity to 6.5 Mtpa from the current 4.0 to 4.5 Mtpa
- Following an estimated A$120 million investment, Capricorn are targeting completion of the expanded plant by the end of Q2 2026
- The expansion follows a recently announced 15% increase to the Mineral Reserves to 1,428 thousand ounces ("koz") gold, contained in 57.7 Mt with a grade of 0.8 g/t Au, equating to a 27% increase to the Mineral Reserves after accounting for mining depletion up to July 2024 (Note 3)
- Karlawinda remains a long life, low cost asset with a current mine life of 10 years based on Mineral Reserves, with significant further potential to increase resources and reserves down dip of current inventories
Frederick Bell, CEO of Elemental Altus, commented:
"We are excited to note Capricorn's Board approved a major A$120 million expansion at Karlawinda, increasing production to 150,000 ounces per annum over an initial 10-year mine life. Karlawinda is a cornerstone royalty for Elemental Altus, contributing US$4.6 million in revenue to the portfolio in 2023 and US$2.5 million in in H1 2024. The completion of the expansion study highlights the upside at the project with planned production increases complementing resource growth to-date. In addition, the production expansion is based on existing Reserves with the potential to both increase and convert the Resource down dip, providing Elemental Altus with ongoing upside.
Capricorn's management team have an excellent track record of mine builds and expansions across Australia and we look forward to following their progress."