AEX Gold is an exploration company with a substantial ground holding in Greenland. The company’s most advanced project is the former producing high-grade gold mine, Nalunaq. Over 350,000oz of gold were produced from Nalunaq at an average grade of 15g/t Au between 2004 and 2009, with an additional 15,000oz produced between 2011 and 2013. Following its Summer Work Programme at Nalunaq, AEX has changed its strategy and is now focused on using a four-phase bulk sampling programme to achieve a better understanding of the grade distribution of gold mineralisation at Nalunaq. This programme is expected to commence in Q2/Q319.
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AEX Gold |
Change in strategy driven by high nugget effect |
Strategy update |
Metals & mining |
20 February 2019 |
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AEX Gold is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited |
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AEX Gold is an exploration company with a substantial ground holding in Greenland. The company’s most advanced project is the former producing high-grade gold mine, Nalunaq. Over 350,000oz of gold were produced from Nalunaq at an average grade of 15g/t Au between 2004 and 2009, with an additional 15,000oz produced between 2011 and 2013. Following its Summer Work Programme at Nalunaq, AEX has changed its strategy and is now focused on using a four-phase bulk sampling programme to achieve a better understanding of the grade distribution of gold mineralisation at Nalunaq. This programme is expected to commence in Q2/Q319.
Summer Work Programme results in strategy change
During its Summer Work Programme at the 100%-owned Nalunaq Gold Project, AEX completed 18 drill holes. Two of these holes returned significant gold intercepts, including 1.48m at a grade of 17.13g/t Au from 174.3m (AEX1804) and 0.43m at a grade of 2.11g/t Au (AEX1805). While the drill programme was successful in locating geological structures, the company believes that the high nugget effect associated with the high-grade gold mineralisation at Nalunaq makes it very difficult to interpret accurately the deposit’s grade distribution using drilling. This is a common problem in high-grade narrow vein gold projects. As a result of the grade variability, the planned resource upgrade at the end of 2018 was postponed, and is now likely to occur after Phases 2 & 3 of the updated exploration programme. AEX has also postponed the preliminary economic assessment for the project, previously planned for 2019, and will now instead re-examine what economic studies are required after completing Phases 2 & 3 of the updated exploration programme.
Phase 1 bulk sample
AEX plans to extract a 1,000t bulk sample from the 450-490 level, known as Area L. The company believes that this area contains high-grade mineralisation with SRK Exploration Services estimating 4,295t at a grade of 53.8g/t Au containing 7,430 oz Au. Note that this is not a compliant mineral resource estimate and should be considered an exploration target that is conceptual in nature, as there is insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource.
Full-scale production targeted for Q2/Q321
Following completion of the fourth phase of bulk sampling in Q2/Q321, AEX believes it will be in a position to move to full-scale production.
Financials
AEX had a net cash position of C$0.7m as of 30 September 2018, but since then has raised C$1m (announced on 9 October 2018). The company currently has a general and administrative burn rate of around C$0.3m per quarter.
Explorer focusing on production
AEX Gold has altered its strategy from exploring and expanding its resource base at the 100%-owned Nalunaq Gold Project, located in Greenland (Exhibit 1) to focusing on exploration through a series of bulk samples commencing in Q2/Q319. AEX believes these bulk samples will give the company enough data to proceed to full-scale production by Q2/Q321. This shift sees AEX align itself more closely with the strategy undertaken by the previous operators of the mine, Crew Gold Corporation and Angel Mining, where exploration drilling was seen as inefficient due to the high nugget effect of the high-grade gold mineralisation. Instead, both companies focused their efforts on near development exploration to extend the mine life by months rather than years, with limited reserves. AEX plans to improve on the work completed by previous operators through the scale of its planned exploration drives.
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Exhibit 1: Location of AEX’s licences in south-west Greenland |
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Source: AEX Gold |
This is a higher-risk strategy for AEX as no economic or feasibility study has been completed on the development of the proposed open pit and underground development required for the bulk samples. In addition, there is insufficient resource/reserve base to underpin the bulk sample production and support debt financing, so the company is likely to rely on equity finance to achieve its ambitions in the near term.
AEX is planning a four-phase programme to advance Nalunaq to production, the details of which are outlined below.
Phase 1
The company expects Phase 1 to commence in Q2/Q319 and to be completed by Q419. Phase 1 will initially see the company focus on upgrading the existing site infrastructure, such as the improvement of roads, construction of a new bridge, and moving the exploration camp closer to the project and expanding it so it can be used year-round.
As part of Phase 1, AEX also plans to extract a 1,000t bulk sample that can be used to assess both the continuity of gold grade and the potential level of recovery using gravity methods. The bulk sample is planned to come from the 450-490 level, known as Area L (Exhibit 2). The company believes that this area contains high-grade mineralisation, with SRK Exploration Services estimating 4,295t at a grade of 53.8g/t Au containing 7,430 oz Au. Note that this is not an inferred mineral resource estimate. The potential quantity and grade of this exploration target is conceptual in nature, as there is insufficient exploration to define a mineral resource and it is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the target being delineated as a mineral resource
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Exhibit 2: Area of the Nalunaq Gold Mine to be developed in AEX’s four-phase programme |
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Source: AEX Gold announcement 4 February 2019 |
This area cannot be mined from underground due to the prevalence of up-dip and down-dip open stopes combined with poor ground conditions making the area unsafe. However, it could potentially be mined from an open pit as Area L is close to surface. AEX is investigating the potential use of a mobile gravity plant to process this bulk sample. Alternatively, the company is also considering shipping the mineralised material offsite for processing.
It is important to note that there are a number of risks associated with the plan to extract gold as bulk sample from Area L:
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Firstly, no economic study or feasibility study has been completed. As a result, the potential metrics of the small-scale operation are unknown.
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Secondly, AEX has completed limited metallurgical work on this area and is relying on historic studies, which indicate that gravity or gravity and floatation methods could achieve the gold recoveries required. As no feasibility study has been completed. it is uncertain whether the operational costs will mean that the operation is cash flow positive.
Phase 2
The company expects Phase 2 to commence in Q3/Q419 and to be completed by Q2/Q320. Phase 2 will focus on extracting a 10,000t bulk sample from the area known as the Mountain Block (Exhibit 2).
Phase 2 is planned to consist of a small underground exploration drill programme from the ramp on the 720 level, followed by 1,700m of mine development that will consist of a 600m extension to the ramp to 780 level, with six 100m development drives on 10m levels targeting the main vein.
AEX is budgeting for an additional 500m of development and 5,000m of underground drilling to further extend new strike drives, or alternatively in footwall development to provide a platform for underground exploration drilling that would improve confidence before additional phases of development in Mountain Block.
Phase 3
Contingent on successful completion of Phase 2, AEX plans to commence Phase 3 in Q2/Q320 and complete it in Q420/Q121. Phase 3 is also focused on the area known as the Mountain Block (Exhibit 2) and will consist of 1,700m of development to extend the ramp to the 840 level with 600m of drives.
Management is budgeting for an additional 500m of development and 5,000m of underground drilling during Phase 3. This will be used to further extend new strike drives in Mountain Block, or for footwall development for underground exploration drilling, or to extend selected western drives in Target Block where the company believes the drives end on reef.
Phase 4
AEX plans to commence Phase 4 in Q420/Q121, with completion on Q2/Q321. Phase 4 will consist of dewatering and rehabilitation of the South Block (Exhibit 2) followed by 1,740m of underground development that will extend the existing ramp by 100m from 200 level to 190 level with 1,640m of on-vein exploration drives targeting the higher-grade drill intercepts in this area. Deep drilling from surface may also be undertaken to locate down-dip extensions to the vein system.
Full-scale production
AEX is tentatively targeting the start of commercial-scale production in Q2/Q321. The metrics of this potential operation are unknown as no feasibility study has been completed.
Financials
AEX had a net cash position of C$0.7m as of 30 September 2018, but has since raised C$1m through a non-brokered private placing (announced on 9 October 2018). Given the current general and administrative burn rate of c C$0.3m per quarter, we would expect the company to require additional equity funding to implement its four-phase development plan for Nalunaq.
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