Name of the Project
Great Bear gold project.

Location
Red Lake, Ontario, Canada.

Project Owner/s
Kinross.

Project Description
Based on mineral resources drilled to date, a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) has outlined a high-grade combined openpit and underground mine. 

The initial mine plan outlines concurrent openpit and underground mining over the first eight years, followed by combined underground mining and stockpile processing in years 8 to 12. The decision to mine the openpit and underground concurrently from the outset provides significant production flexibility and time to continue exploration drilling from underground to further expand the resource and mine life, the PEA states.

The PEA demonstrates an initial life-of-mine (LoM) of about 12 years with total production of 5.3-million ounces of gold over the LoM. 

The openpit will be mined using a dual fleet strategy to provide selective mining of the high-grade material and lower-cost mining of the waste, mining a peak of 26-million tonnes of material, and providing a peak of 9 000 t/d of mineralised material. For the underground, longhole open stoping with paste backfill and cemented rock fill has been selected as the primary mining method. First stope production is expected to start in 2029, subject to permitting, and to continue for 12 years. 

Peak production is estimated at 6 000 t/d and to average 327 000 oz/y, with the potential to expand beyond this run rate as extensions to the underground resource are targeted. For the PEA, a conventional milling circuit for free milling mineralisation has been proposed, targeting an average processing rate of 10 000 t/d.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Based on a gold price of $1 900/oz, the project has a net present value (NPV), at a 5% discount rate, of $1.9-billion and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 24.3%, with a payback of 2.7 years. At a gold price of $2 500/oz the project has an NPV, at a 5% discount rate, of $3.3-billion and an IRR of 35.5%, with a payback of 1.7 years.

Capital Expenditure
Total initial project capital is forecasted at $1.43-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Not stated.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Not disclosed.

Contact Details for Project Information
Kinross, tel +1 416 365 5123 or email info@kinross.com.