- Record Production - 112% Increase in Gold Equivalent Ounces
-- 56,880 Gold Equivalent Ounces in 2006 vs 26,830 in 2005
- Record Throughput - 207% Increase
-- 2006 Daily Throughput Averaged 1,620 dmt vs 536 dmt in 2005
- Significantly Improved Recoveries
- Record Throughput - 207% Increase
-- 2006 Daily Throughput Averaged 1,620 dmt vs 536 dmt in 2005
- Significantly Improved Recoveries-->
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(CCNMatthews - Feb. 20, 2007) - TVI Pacific Inc.
(TSX:TVI) ("TVI" or the "Company") today released banner 2006 operating
results for the Canatuan Mine, located on the Zamboanga Peninsula,
Mindanao, which is owned by its affiliate, TVI Resource Development
(Phils) Inc. ("TVIRD"). Production at Canatuan was up 112% compared with
2005; throughput was up 207%; and recoveries improved significantly as a
result of targeted technical management.
Note: The results presented in this press release are unaudited and
may be subject to change. Certain information set out in this News
Release constitutes forward-looking information, including information
relating to the content of the remaining mill feed and the impact of the
processing strategy at Canatuan. Readers should review the cautionary
statement respecting forward-looking information that appears at the end
of this News Release.
The Canatuan Mine -- exporting gold and silver from the first
producing, foreign-financed mine in the Philippines since the passage of
the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 -- produced 56,880 Gold Equivalent
Ounces (AuEqOz) in 2006, up 112% from 26,830 AuEqOz in 2005. Production
consisted of 45,210 ounces of Gold (Au) and 608,507 ounces of Silver
(Ag).
Figures showing the corresponding financial performance of these
reported increases will be made available as soon as they are approved
by the Board of Directors' Audit Committee. Detailed operations results
and performance are included in this News Release, below.
"Canatuan's operating successes in 2006 have launched our Company to
the next level of expansion and growth," said Clifford M. James, TVI
President and CEO. "The business contribution from the Canatuan mine has
provided TVI with a strong platform on which to construct the Sulphide
Copper-Zinc expansion project; explore aggressively at Balabag and
Tamarok-Tapisa; and, hunt for other nearby sources of ore which we hope
would allow us to turn the area into a long-term base of operations for
the Company, for the community and for the Philippines."
Prior News Releases concerning the Company's Sulphide project,
Balabag, Tamarok-Tapisa and other near-Canatuan exploration programs can
be found on TVI's website, at tvi2014.q4web.com.
Additional information, including maps and photos of the Canatuan Mine,
can also be found on TVI's website and on TVIRD's website at www.tvicanatuan.com.
TVIRD management attributes the improvement in production reported
in this News Release to a series of upgrades that were made to the mine
and mill facilities at Canatuan during 2005 and 2006, resulting in
record levels of metal production during 2006 when commodity prices were
also high.
For additional information on the Canatuan Mine, please refer to the
National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report prepared by
Geostat Systems International Inc. ("Geostat"), which was filed with
certain securities regulatory authorities in Canada in Q3 2006 and is
available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. The Geostat report assesses the gossan resources at the Canatuan deposit.
The following is a Summary of Significant Canatuan Mine Operating
Highlights. Tables showing selected operating information by Quarter are
found at the end of this Release.
Summary of Significant Canatuan Mine 2006 Operations Highlights
- The Canatuan Mine and Mill operated for 365 days in 2006 versus 360 days in 2005
- 207% increase in gossan ore throughput to 591,180 dry metric
tonnes (dmt) in 2006, with daily throughput averaging 1,620 dmt, from
192,870 dmt in 2005, with daily throughput averaging 536 dmt
- 131% increase in Au produced to 45,210 ozs in 2006, compared with 19,535 ozs in 2005
- 36% increase in Ag produced to 608,507 ozs in 2006, from 445,859 ozs in 2005
- On a AuEq basis, 112% increase in AuEq produced to 56,880 ozs in 2006, versus 26,830 oz in 2005
- Mill grade in 2006 averaged 2.72 grams per tonne Au (gpt) and
51.78 gpt Ag, compared with 3.62 gpt Au and 150.40 gpt Ag last year(a)
- Recoveries in 2006 averaged 87.49% Au and 61.82% Ag, compared with 82.61% Au and 50.10% Ag last year
- Cash cost per oz of AuEq for 2006 was CDN$369 (US$326), compared with CDN$371 (US$310) in 2005
- Total cost per oz of AuEq for 2006 was CDN$511 (US$452), compared with CDN$497 (US$415) in 2005
(a) Inclusion of "Rubbly Gossan" to the mill feed in 2006
contributed to the lower mill grade. This material is gossan that has
eroded from the Canatuan hilltop and surrounds the open pit. Rubbly
Gossan contains less gold and silver metal content than the Massive
Gossan and must be blended with Massive Gossan in order to maximize
plant throughput and recoveries. The NI 43-101 technical report by
Geostat indicated that Rubbly Gossan accounts for about half of the
remaining gossan mineral reserve, and management of TVI has determined
that the remaining mill feed will consist of a 50% / 50% blend of the
two types of gossan. The impact of this processing strategy is that the
overall mill feed grades will be less than historic grades when only
Massive Gossan was processed.
The following tables set out selected operating information for the periods
noted:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
%chg
over
Period Q1/06 Q2/06 Q3/06 Q4/06 2006 2005
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mill throughput (dmt) 114,199 129,758 165,394 181,829 591,180 207%
Avg. daily throughput
(dmt) 1,269 1,426 1,798 1,976 1,620 202%
Au grade (g/t) 3.09 3.39 2.68 2.04 2.72
Ag grade (g/t) 72.24 60.96 42.85 40.52 51.78
Au recovery (%)
(produced) 80.56 89.17 89.45 89.76 87.49
Ag recovery (%)
(produced) 53.06 60.89 69.14 65.6 61.82
AuEqOz produced (ozs) 11,641 15,636 15,698 13,904 56,880 112%
Gold produced (ozs) 9,148 12,613 12,730 10,719 45,210 131%
Silver produced (ozs) 140,727 154,838 157,550 155,392 608,507 36%
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Period Q1/05 Q2/05 Q3/05 Q4/05 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mill throughput (dmt) 38,431 32,741 46,594 75,105 192,870
Avg. daily throughput
(dmt) 432 360 529 816 536
Au grade (g/t) 4.26 3.38 3.51 3.46 3.62
Ag grade (g/t) 115.33 212.94 211.41 120.46 150.40
Au recovery (%)
(produced) 88.45 82.54 89.84 86.41 82.61
Ag recovery (%)
(produced) 29.62 37.02 58.16 46.92 50.10
AuEqOz produced (ozs) 5,347 4,321 7,678 9,484 26,830
Gold produced (ozs) 4,655 2,938 4,722 7,219 19,535
Silver produced (ozs) 42,208 82,984 184,188 136,478 445,859
-------------------------------------------------------------------
About TVI Pacific Inc. (TSX:TVI)
TVI Pacific Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian mining company
focused on exploring for and producing precious and base metals within
district scale systems in Asia.
In the Philippines, TVI's most advanced project, the Canatuan Mine,
(the first foreign-invested, new, mining project in the Philippines
since the passage of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995) began mining and
milling operations in mid-2004, producing gold and silver dore. In
2006, TVI received a completed NI 43-101 feasibility study on the
Canatuan Sulphide project prepared by Norwest Corporation. The report
has been filed with certain securities regulatory authorities in Canada
and is available at the SEDAR website at
www.sedar.com.
The Norwest study addresses the copper-zinc bearing massive sulphide
zone, or lower portion of the Canatuan Deposit. Construction of the
Sulphide Project at Canatuan is now underway. In addition, TVI holds a
2.5% NSR on the Philippine-based Rapu Rapu project operated by Lafayette
Mining Ltd. Exploration in the Philippines is being conducted at
Canatuan, in an effort to expand TVI's mineral resource base and to find
new deposits, at Balabag and at other areas which management of TVI
views as compelling exploration properties.
In China, TVI's wholly-owned Chinese subsidiary, Hunan Pacific
Geological Exploration Inc. ("HPGEI"), was the first foreign mining
company to be granted both WOFE status and a Qualified Explorer License.
The exploration program in China is focused primarily within the Golden
Triangle area, a highly prospective metallogenic region in China's
south-western provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi Autonomous Region
and prospective areas in the Tibet Autonomous Region. HPGEI has 2,394
sq kms of land under application in China in the Golden Triangle and in
the Tibet A.R.
TVI also has a Drilling Division consisting of Exploration Drilling
Corporation ("EDCO"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TVI Pacific Inc.
based in the Philippines, and Hunan Pacific Drilling ("HPD"), a division
of HPGEI based in China, which generates revenue from contract
drilling.
Andrew Bradfield BSc, P.Eng., Vice President, Operations of TVI
Pacific Inc., serves as TVI's "Qualified Person" (for purposes of
National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral
Deposits) on the Canatuan project and has reviewed this News Release.
Certain information set out in this News Release constitutes
forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are often, but
not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate",
"hope", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will",
"intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements are based upon the opinions and expectations
of management of the Company, as at the effective date of such
statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable
assumptions, it can give no assurance that those expectations will prove
to have been correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties (known and unknown) that could cause actual
results or outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated or
implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but
are not limited to, such things as the volatility of prices for precious
metals and base metals, commodity supply and demand, fluctuations in
currency and interest rates, inherent risks associated with the
exploration and development of mining properties, ultimate
recoverability of mineral reserves, timing, results and costs of
exploration and development activities, availability of financial
resources or third-party financing, new laws (domestic or foreign), and
changes in administrative practices. Accordingly, readers should not
place undue reliance upon the forward-looking statements contained in
this News Release and such forward-looking statements should not be
interpreted or regarded as guarantees of future outcomes.
Forward-looking information relating to anticipated mill feed at the
Canatuan mine and the impact of the processing strategy for the Canatuan
mill is based upon recommendations contained in the Geostat technical
report and the processing strategy developed by management of TVI to
maximize metal recoveries at Canatuan (which strategy is subject to
change). The forward-looking statements of the Company contained in this
News Release are expressly qualified, in their entirety, by this
cautionary statement. Various risks to which the Company is exposed in
the conduct of its business are described in detail in the Company's
Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2005, which was
filed on SEDAR on March 30, 2006 and is available under the Company's
profile at
www.SEDAR.com.
Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake
any obligation to publicly revise the forward-looking statements
included in this News Release to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.