keep an eye one this one...she is at 90 cents
Victoria Gold proposes new mine
Wednesday January 5, 2011
By John Thompson
Courtesy of Victoria Gold Corp.
A drilling operation on Victoria Gold’s Dublin Gulch property near Mayo. If Victoria Gold Corp. has its way, an open-pit gold mine will open near Mayo by 2013.
Last month the Toronto-based company submitted a proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board to mine its Eagle Gold deposit. It’s part of Victoria Gold’s Dublin Gulch property, found 85 kilometres northeast of Mayo.
Eagle Gold deposit has an indicated resource of 2.7 million ounces of gold. The company reckons it’s sitting on enough paydirt to operate a mine for at least eight years.
And, as the company continues to make new finds with its drillwork at the site, “we think it’ll be there a lot longer,” said Chad Williams, Victoria Gold’s president and CEO.
If a mine materializes, it could employ up to 400 people. But that’s still far from a certainty, as the proposal must still wend its way through the territory’s regulatory system. Williams aims to see the project clear all hurdles over the next 18 months.
Victoria Gold plans to extract the gold by dousing giant piles of ore with cyanide. The method, called a heap leach, was used by the former Brewery Creek mine near Dawson City.
Much excitement has been generated over the past two years about new gold discoveries at the White Gold district near Dawson City and the Rau property near Keno City. But these finds, however promising, have several years of drillwork ahead of them before their gold resources are firmly sized-up.
Dublin Gulch, by comparison, is at a more advanced stage of exploration. The Eagle Gold deposit was first found about 25 years ago.
The slump in gold prices during the late 1990s put this work on hold under Victoria Gold’s predecessor. Skyrocketing gold prices have given the project new urgency.
An economic report prepared by Victoria Gold in the spring of 2010 foresaw production costs of $503 per ounce. As long as gold prices stay aloft – this week, the metal’s price floated at $1,380 per ounce – the company ought to enjoy fat profit margins.
If the project proceeds, “it’ll be the largest gold mine in the history of the Yukon,” said Williams. “There are no other gold deposits in the Yukon that come close to our size.”
For now, Victoria Gold is upgrading its camp, replacing tents with trailers and expanding the number of bunks to hold up to 100 people. This bigger, more permanent camp ought to help the company extend the length of its exploration programs, said Williams.
“Hopefully we can drill virtually year round. As you know, January and February aren’t the friendliest, weather-wise, up there. So it’ll be the best as humanly possible.”
Victoria Gold spent $5 million on exploration in 2010. This year’s exploration program will be “at least that,” said Williams, “perhaps substantially more.”
The proposed mine would cost $250 million. Part of that money would be raised through revenues from another mine owned by the company in Nevada.
Victoria Gold’s largest shareholder also has deep pockets. It’s Kinross, one of Canada’s biggest gold producers.
Other than permitting, the other big challenge the company faces is obtaining a “social licence,” as Williams calls it, from the Na-Cho Nyak Dun.
About one year ago, the company struck a memorandum of understanding with the First Nation. And last autumn, the company flew aboriginal elders to Kinross’ Fort Knox open-pit gold mine, located near Fairbanks, to show them what a modern-day gold mine looks like.
The two parties are now seeking to reach an impact-benefit agreement, which typically guarantees the First Nation a share of the jobs and profits.
Contact John Thompson at
johnt@yukon-news.com.
Victoria Gold Announces 2011 Dublin Gulch Exploration Program
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 28, 2011) - Victoria Gold Corporation (TSX VENTURE:VIT), the "Company" is pleased to announce a $9 million 2011 exploration program at Dublin Gulch, Yukon with Lyncorp Drilling Services of Calgary, AB currently on-site to initiate drilling.
The 2011 exploration program at the Company's 100% owned Dublin Gulch property, which includes our advanced-stage Eagle Gold Mine, will focus on:
Expanding the known limits the Eagle Gold deposit which is the subject of a positive NI 43-101 pre-feasibility study with a feasibility study currently underway;
Extensive exploration of the 10 kilometer (km) x 3 km Potato Hills Trend, including the Olive and Shamrock targets, which demonstrated promising drilling results from the Company's 2010 exploration program. The Potato Hills Trend remains open along strike and at depth;
Identifying new promising targets across the Dublin Gulch property which extends approximately 28 km x 15 km and remains largely unexplored.
The 2011 exploration drilling program will be in excess of 17,000 meters across more than 100 holes of diamond drill core and reverse-circulation drilling at Dublin Gulch.
"Victoria's strong cash position enables us to move forward with our most ambitious exploration program to date at Dublin Gulch. In addition to being our largest budget, our drilling will begin 3 months earlier than the traditional Yukon field season supported by our new 100 person all season camp" commented Mr. John McConnell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Victoria Gold. "The comprehensive 2011 exploration program at Dublin Gulch is aimed at bulking up local and regional geological targets as we advance the Eagle Gold deposit through feasibility and early development this year."
About Dublin Gulch – Eagle Gold Project
The Dublin Gulch property, situated in the Mayo Mining District of Yukon Territory, covers a large area of 28 km by 15 km and contains the Eagle Gold Deposit which hosts a National Instrument 43-101 compliant Probable Reserve of 1,751,000 ounces of gold contained in 66,141,000 tonnes of ore grading 0.823 g/t calculated at a gold price of $900/oz. In March 2010, Victoria released the results of the Preliminary Feasibility Assessment at Eagle, the study indicated a pre-tax Net Present Value of C$115 million (5% discount rate), with the project producing greater than 170,000 ounces per year at a cash cost of US$464 per ounce.
The technical content of this news release has been reviewed as accurate by Ted Wilton, Vice President of Exploration, Victoria Gold Corp., as the Qualified Person.
About Victoria
Victoria is a high-growth gold company with a focus on adding value per share through efficient exploration, project development, and accretive acquisitions. Maintaining a low risk profile through project diversification, sound financial management, and operating in secure jurisdictions are key priorities for Victoria's management team. Victoria currently holds approximately Cdn$26 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents.
Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this discussion, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, anticipated metal production, anticipated dates for the completion of work performed by external consultants, internal rate of return, estimated ore grades, commencement of production estimates and projected exploration and capital expenditures (including costs and other estimates upon which such projections are based) and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include metal prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
This news release and the information contained herein does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States and securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or exemption from registration.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information, please contact
Victoria Gold Corp.
Katie Fedorowicz, MBA
Investor Relations Coordinator
416-866-8800 Ext. 226
416-866-8801 (FAX)
kfedorowicz@vitgoldcorp.com
www.vitgoldcorp.com