Treasury Metals' Greg Ferron on the gold market and the gold - InvestorIntel
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Treasury Metals’ Greg Ferron on the gold market and the Goliath-Goldlund gold projects InvestorIntel’s Tracy Weslosky spoke with Greg Ferron, CEO of Treasury Metals Inc. (TSX: TML | OTCQX: TSRMF), about Treasury Metals’ Goliath gold project and their recent acquisition of the Goldlund project. “We are next to a very prolific camp – Red Lake,” Greg said. He added that after Treasury Metals’ Goldlund acquisition, “we are now one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in Canada with more than a 3 million ounce deposit.” Greg also discussed how investors looking to diversify are increasingly turning to gold, especially in stable, mining- friendly jurisdictions. He says that Treasury Metals’ appeal lies in several factors: “We are right on the Trans-Canada Highway. That keeps our cost down. We have all the infrastructure, we have skilled labor, we have a very high- grade open pit and attractive underground grades.” Greg also provided an update on Treasury Metals’ recent $11.5 million financing. To access the complete interview, click here Disclaimer: Treasury Metals Inc. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.
New drill and bulk sample gold results to drive updated resource estimate for Granada Gold Initial bulk sample returns 55.6 grams per tonne native gold Granada Gold’s summer drilling program is coming to an end with drill results and larger bulk sample results expected to follow. Given some of the past high-grade results, such as the recent small bulk sample returning 55.6 g/t native gold, investors are looking forward to the results of the new exploration with anticipation. Granada Gold Mine Inc. (TSXV: GGM | OTC: GBBFF) (‘Granada’) 100% owns the approximately 1,400 hectare Granada Gold Property, which includes the former Granada Gold Mine which produced more than 50,000 ounces of gold in the 1930s before a fire destroyed the surface buildings in 1935. Historic underground production between 1930 and 1935 from two shafts in the area had an average grade of 9.7 g/t gold and 1.5 g/t silver. About 80% of Granada Gold’s potential 5.5 km east-west strike length remains unexplored, leaving plenty of room for future exploration expansion. Investors familiar with gold know that the ‘Cadillac Break Trend’ in Quebec, Canada, is possibly the best gold address in the world, producing more than 75 million ounces of gold over the past 100 years, and the immediate area has produced over 140 million ounces of gold. Preparatory work for bulk sampling at Granada Gold Property –
Spring 2020 Source First small bulk sample result – August 2020 In recent news Granada announced a small bulk grab sample reporting “55.6 grams per tonne native gold from 1,220 kilograms of mineralized material taken from surface over a 3- meter strike length on Vein No 1 structure where diamond drill hole GR-19-A intersected 11.45 g/t gold from 0 to 33 metres core length.” Anything above 5 g/t is considered high grade, so 55.6 g/t is an impressive result and may bode well for larger bulk sampling in the area. Also it is worth noting that due to using conventional gravity concentration only native gold was recovered and quantified. The gold-bearing sulfides were not recovered. Native Gold is the natural gold to the area and does not include the gold found in the sulphide deposits. The native gold component has been defined for the Granada Gold Mine to represent an average of 50% of the recoverable gold from the mineralized deposit.
Granada Gold President and CEO, Frank J. Basa, comments: “A bulk sample is to be taken at this location to further quantify the grade of the mineralized material. The company is awaiting quotes from local contractors to take this bulk sample,” with the bulk sample to be processed at Temiskaming Testing Labs in Cobalt, Ontario. Drill results expected soon Drill results are pending from Granada’s summer exploration campaign (June through August, 2020). Granada is focusing on the high-grade Vein No 1 structure. The mineralized structure has been traced on surface for over 115 meters on east-west trend by stripping. The structure extends over 500 meters when connected by the pierce points with the drill holes. Drill results reported in January, 2020 returned 11.45 g/t gold over 33 meters which sent the stock price up 62.5%. Granada Gold’s existing resource and an updated resource on the way In February 2019, the Company filed a NI 43-101 compliant technical report announcing an updated pit constrained resource estimate of 762,000 ounces of gold @ 1.06 g/t Au in the Measured and Indicated categories, plus 455,000 ounces of gold @ 2.04 g/t Au in the Inferred category. Granada Gold’s 2019 NI 43-101 updated pit-constrained Resource estimate (surface pit only)
Source In July Granada announced that it had retained Innovexplo to update their 43-101 Resource Study at the Granada Gold Mine property. Granada is currently drilling key holes aimed at increasing underground resources quality below existing pit constrained mineral resources, which is intended to augment the revised resource estimate now underway. Granada’s President and CEO Frank J. Basa explained that the company “decided that a revised 43-101 should be undertaken at this stage to better reflect the potential of the resource.” Closing remarks What has caught the market’s imagination is Granada Gold’s potential for a very low cost shallow starter open pit gold mine with already good grades, with the possibility of resource expansion and higher grades from additional exploration. Most open pit gold mines today are in the 0.5-2.0 g/t range, and Granada’s un-updated resource estimate already puts it comfortably in that zone. The CapEx for this starter
pit is estimated at only C$6.7m and assumes the processing would be done at a nearby mill. Before that happens Granada Gold needs to further prove up the resource, which is what they are working on now with additional bulk sampling and drilling. Open-pit permits are already in place for a “Rolling Start” 550 t/day operation by Granada. Milling may be done locally or perhaps on site if funds were raised to support this. Infrastructure is excellent with proximity to 10 gold mills, an established mining labor market, and the electrical grid nearby. Management is very experienced and has stated a goal for further resource expansion and plans for scalable possible future production. It has taken 10 years for Granada Gold to get to where they are today, so patience may be the key for current investors. The good news for new investors is that most of the hard work has been done and a small scale starter pit operation may not be too far away now. With a current market cap of just C$21m, there appears to be room to grow, especially with gold at US$1,940/oz. Disclosure: The author is long Granada Gold Mine Inc. (TSXV: GGM) Energy Fuels ready with uranium stockpile and rare earths plans
Strong financial position allows Energy Fuels to pay off debentures It is remarkable to find a company with no sales in a fiscal period but still able to pay down all remaining corporate debenture debt. Who is this company and how do they do it? On September 8, 2020, Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU | TSX: EFR) announced that it had delivered notice to the holders of the company’s remaining debentures of a cash redemption on October 6, 2020. The holders of the floating rate convertible unsecured subordinated debentures, due December 31, 2020 in the amount of CAD$10.4 million, will receive 101% of the principal and accrued interest. This is in spite of Q2-2020 results showing no sales for the first six months of 2020. Energy Fuels is a uranium and vanadium mining company based in the United States. Their major production assets are the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch in-situ recovery (ISR) project in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa ISR project in Texas. Energy Fuels is the largest U.S. uranium producer with substantial producible and near-ready production assets. Despite the lack of sales in the first six months of 2020, a review of their balance sheet shows that Energy Fuels is in a strong financial position. Not counting approximately US$20 million of restricted cash, the company had $28.3 million of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, plus net inventories of $26.6 million. So as you ask “How did they do it?” the answer is clearly that Energy Fuels has kept a strong balance sheet and continue to meet their obligations in a timely manner. Said President and CEO Mark S. Chalmers, “Energy Fuels has focused on cleaning up our balance sheet with minimal impact to our shareholders.” The uranium market has been challenging for a number of years,
coming off a ten year price low in late 2016. Price movements have been moribund and would have continued this way, except that the US Nuclear Fuel Working Group report released on April 23, 2020 recommended support to the nuclear energy industry, including establishment of a $150 million domestic uranium reserve. The impact on uranium prices was immediate, with the price initially jumping from about $24 to $34 a pound. 12-Month Uranium Price Movement Source: tradingeconomics.com Energy Fuels owns and operates the only fully licensed and operating conventional uranium mill in the U.S. – the White Mesa Mill – which has a licensed capacity of 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year. According to the company, this provides Energy Fuels with “significant production scalability as uranium prices recover in the years ahead.” The mill is also capable of processing for vanadium and the company is now a leading U.S. vanadium producer. In April, 2020, Energy Fuels also announced its entry into the U.S. rare earth elements (REE) market by exploring the potential production of a rare earth oxide concentrate at its fully licensed and constructed White Mesa Mill that can be sold to REE separation facilities. Energy Fuels has brought in two leading rare earths experts to assist with their development and implementation of commercial and technical REE strategies. Energy Fuels’ President and CEO, Mark S. Chalmers,
explained that “Energy Fuels continued to consolidate our position as the clear leader in U.S. uranium production in Q2-2020, and we made significant progress in diversifying into rare earth element production.” With no contracted sales and a substantial inventory of both uranium and vanadium, the company is poised to capitalize on the potential for improved markets in both minerals. In July, the company resumed production of uranium at the White Mesa Mill in Utah from alternate feed materials and pond returns. The company plans to produce within previously stated guidance of 125,000 to 175,000 pounds of uranium in 2020, building up and holding inventory of almost 700,000 pounds of uncontracted / uncommitted uranium by the end of the year. Energy Fuels has significant resources that have been evaluated and are supportive of their production and inventory targets. Among all of their properties, there is a total estimated 9.8 million pounds of Measured uranium U3O8, 69.1 million pounds Indicated, and 49.1 million pounds of Inferred resources. In addition, the company has recorded almost 26 million pounds of Measured vanadium V2O5, 5.8 million pounds of Indicated resources and 8.5 million pounds of Inferred resources. Only weeks away from being free of their debenture debt, Energy Fuels is in the right place at the right time. Building uncontracted inventory in uranium in a time when uranium pricing seems to have fewer headwinds, having support from the U.S. government, and lower Russian uranium imports into the US in the longer term is definitely more positive than earlier this year for the U.S.’s number one uranium producer.
Boosting electric vehicles with artificial intelligence and leadership, a powerful combination for Exro Technologies Two of the biggest trends this decade are electric vehicles (EVs) and artificial intelligence (AI). Together they make a powerful combination. Just take a look at the chart below for Exro Technologies Inc. (CSE: XRO | OTCQB: EXROF) (“Exro”). Exro’s stock price is up over 400% in the past year, which coincides with the time that CEO Sue Ozdemir has been with the company. Exro Technologies (CSE: XRO) stock price is up 413% over the past 1 year Source Exro Technologies is a software design technology and smart energy company that creates a software module called a “Coil Driver” that uses AI to make electric motors function better. In an electric car, the Coil Driver acts like gears do on a conventional car, boosting an EV motor’s range and performance by using two separate torque profiles for a motor. The first is calibrated for low speed and high torque, while the second
provides expanded operation at high speed. Reflecting on the past year and why Exro has done so well Over the past year Exro has made very significant steps in commercializing their technology, securing several significant partnerships along the way. Here is a brief summary of Exro’s partners/agreements: SEA Electric Pty Ltd. – In July 2020, Exro announced a partnership to enhance electric powertrain technology for heavy-duty trucks and delivery vehicles. Zero Motorcycles (“Zero”) – In June 2020, Exro announced a collaboration agreement with Zero to evaluate Exro’s patented Coil Drive technology using Zero’s SR/S powertrain platform. Zero is a big name in electric motorbikes. Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. – On April 28, 2020, Exro announced it has signed a collaboration and supply agreement with Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. (TSX-V: CSX) to integrate Exro’s technology into Clean Seed’s high-tech agricultural seeder and planter platforms, advancing the electrification of the world’s heavy-farm equipment. Motorino Electric – In December 2019, Exro partnered with Motorino Electric. Exro’s engineered technology provided a torque and acceleration increase of 25% for the Motorino e-bike. Templar Marine – Exro has a pilot project running with Templar Marine’s water taxis. The marine sector is a multi-billion dollar industry that can stand to benefit enormously from Exro’s technology as they increasingly switch across to electric motors for a cleaner environment. Aurora Powertrains – Exro has partnered with Aurora to improve the Aurora’s all-electric snowmobile. Potencia Industrial – Exro has contracts with Potencia Industrial, which is one of Mexico’s leading motor
manufacturers. Potencia designs and manufactures special application, high efficiency, electrical motors and generators. One of their projects involves converting internal combustion engines in Mexico City’s taxis to electric motors, as part of a city-wide initiative to green the city’s 250,000 taxi fleet. Exro works to integrate its hardware and software technology into Potencia’s motor drives. The Exro customized driver will be used as the inverter for Potencia’s Pronto Power Flexible Powertrain. “It’s hard to believe that is has been a year since I joined Exro,” said Exro CEO Sue Ozdemir. “The past 12 months has been so rewarding as we innovate and transform our business. We are positioning ourselves to become leaders as we use the power of our technology to transform the way the world looks at energy consumption. I believe we now have the ideal platform to be successful.” As for future plans, Ozdemir said: “Our team is continuing to focus our attention on co-development with our partnerships. We have a strong pipeline and are optimistic in our ability to meet our commitment to eight deals by the end of 2020. Further, we are gaining global presence as our partners deliver applications in North America, Australia, and Europe.” As most experienced investors know it is one thing to have a good idea or product, but it is another thing to successfully market, commercialize, and make profits. Exro is already doing the first two, and revenue is forecast to soon follow in 2021, growing in 2022. Exro Technologies financials and forecast financials
Source Catalysts In a September corporate update Exro set out the following near term events for the company: “November 2020 – Delivery to Potencia (electric car application). This is an especially pivotal project for Exro as it will become the platform design, reducing design time for future partnerships. It also serves as our first in-car application, demonstrating our ability to transform the automotive power electronics industry. December 2020 – the IBMS (Intelligent Battery Management System) proof of concept. With the research phase now behind us, this technology development will allow us to provide test bench data to support our simulations and confirm that we are able to provide a solution for first life batteries to be used in second life applications, such as stationary storage for example.
Q4 2020 – We expect the 8 t h deal will be yet another representation of the versatility and scope of our innovation. We put a lot of effort into how each partnership contributes towards our future growth plan. Finding partners that deliver a new segment, new geography or new application is part of securing our footprint in many market segments. This will position us for a robust and sustainable future. Early 2021 (Q1) – Delivery to Zero Motorcycle (“Zero”) (electric motorcycle application).” Closing remarks There is no doubt that Exro Technologies has had a busy year. Their technology is clearly being very well received by the market and the steps to commercialize the technology are now being put in place. When we consider the massive size of the electric motor market, in particular the new and surging demand for EVs, it is not surprising when Exro CEO Sue Ozdemir says “we have a lot of room for growth”. I think that is a huge understatement. For their investors it has been a great year. Given that Exro trades on a market cap of just C$114m, if they succeed in the next step of rapidly raising revenues, this could be just the beginning. I will be very interested to see how Exro Technologies goes over the year ahead. How to evaluate a rare earths
opportunity The race is on for rare earths investment, but what should you look for? So where do we go from here? That is, what are the criteria investors should consider when they are looking for rare earth/zirconium investment opportunities? At this early stage of developing a domestic critical minerals supply chain, and as mentioned previously, one of the most important criteria for investors to consider with rare earths is whether the resource offers potential to recover other commonly associated critical minerals such as zirconium/hafnium and scandium, that are also largely controlled by China. These may offer better opportunities than rare earths for quickly finding domestic market outlets for the processed forms of these elements. The rare earth elements neodymium, praseodymium and dysprosium are well known for application in high strength permanent magnets, now in increasing demand for electronics, wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. There are also opportunities in aircraft construction, where aluminum and titanium have been the traditional metals of choice. Zirconium and hafnium can be used in various combinations to make certain titanium and aluminum alloys that are perfectly suited for the high-temperature regions of jet engines. Similarly, scandium is in increasing demand as an additive to aluminum alloys to increase their strength and reduce their weight. When all of these elements are recoverable from the same resource, it becomes a much more attractive investment opportunity. A couple of North American rare earth projects that meet most of these criteria, are Avalon Advanced Materials’ Nechalacho
Basal Zone Heavy Rare Earth project in the Northwest Territories and Imperial Mining’s Crater Lake Scandium project in northern Quebec. The Nechalacho resource contains the critical elements zirconium/hafnium as well as both the light and heavy rare earth elements. The Crater Lake Project is a rare earth resource with exceptional scandium enrichment and is now being looked at mainly as a scandium project. It also contains concentrations of zircon as well as the rare earths. Another factor to keep in mind is the balance between the Light Rare Earths (Lanthanum through Samarium) and the Heavy Rare Earths (Gadolinium through Lutetium), plus Yttrium. Most rare earth resources are dominated by the light rare earths, but having recoverable heavy rare earths as well can further enhance the overall value proposition as demand for these will grow as new supply becomes available. Once the investor has identified a rare earth project that also contains other critical elements like zirconium and scandium, the next step is to assess whether they occur in minerals that are amenable to economic processing and recovery. The feasibility study (FS), Pre-feasibility Study (PFS) or Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) are the best sources of this type of information. Many early stage projects are focused on defining the largest potential size and grade of resource without focusing on whether the elements of interest occur in minerals that are amenable to economic recovery. These projects should not be considered as attractive investment opportunities until an appropriate economic extraction process has been identified. The next step is to be certain that the recovered products will meet the specifications required by the consumer. Other important points to consider when considering new rare earth project investment opportunities is the content of radioactive elements uranium and thorium which often occur with rare earths. High levels of uranium and thorium can be problematic from an environmental regulatory standpoint. Some
jurisdictions are more challenging than others. Personal experience has shown that regulations in Canada are better than in the U.S. by providing an appropriate level of environmental regulation while not causing any unnecessary burden on industry. Rare Earths Finally, regardless of the balance of critical elements contained in a rare earth resource, the operation will need a well-qualified team to perform the development and product marketing work. So, the most important requirement at this early stage of creating a new supply chain is finding the people with both the appropriate skill sets and experience. Companies with these assets will have a greater chance of success. In summary, an investor looking for a rare earth project with the best prospects of success should be one that has the following attributes:
1) a resource that also contains significant recoverable quantities of zirconium/hafnium, scandium or heavy rare earth; 2) contains low level of radioactive elements or is located in a region that has less-burdensome environmental regulations; 3) has a defined a viable extraction process flowsheet; and, 4) has the appropriate, key people available for the early stage of development. Now the trick is to find them. InvestorIntel Announces the InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist in Collaboration with David Morgan Renowned silver guru David Morgan to provide investors with dynamic list of silver market leaders Toronto, September 11, 2020 — InvestorIntel.com, a leading online source of investor information, is pleased to announce its new InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist in collaboration with silver specialist David Morgan of The Morgan Report. “Investor interest in silver has never been higher,” said Tracy Weslosky, founder of InvestorIntel.com and co-founder of InvestorChannel.com. “At the moment, silver has a far higher
potential upside and growth potential than gold. What has been missing is a dynamically updated guide to the major silver companies accessible to the average or even sophisticated investor. I am delighted to bring our viewers the expertise and depth of understanding that David Morgan brings to investors.” David Morgan’s TheMorganReport.com has long been the go-to resource for silver investors. With Morgan’s insight into the changing silver markets, The InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist will be dynamic and follow market changes. It will include the majors representing the top tier but will also include others that may not have the majority of their revenue from silver but produce a significant amount of silver. Also represented will be silver companies chosen based on other investment factors such as popularity or volume of shares traded. “Silver is the best performing commodity to date and is still undervalued,” said David Morgan, “which means an opportunity to participate remains. Investors can use the list to begin their investigations. Large moves on large volumes in any sector usually warrant further study.” The InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist is presented in video format and is available online without a subscription through YouTube featuring: Daily Spot Price for Silver The Top 5 Silver Performers of the Day The Top 22 Silver Companies ranked by daily stock performance “Within weeks of being launched The InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist has already become the top search result for investors looking for a daily silver investment resource,” said Tracy Weslosky. “There clearly is a need among investors for clear and current information about the movers and major players in the silver market.”
The InvestorChannel Silver Watchlist may be accessed via the InvestorChannel YouTube account at InvestorChannel.com or on InvestorIntel.com, where the data driven watchlists feeds are featured at market close daily. About InvestorIntel.com InvestorIntel.com is a leading online source of investor information that provides public market coverage for both investors and industry alike. Offering coverage of emerging markets and investment opportunities to discerning investors, InvestorIntel is considered an online influencer in analysis, videos and podcast reports and hosts Investor Talks for self- directed investors online. About InvestorChannel.com InvestorChannel.com is a data-driven fintech company that is focused on using the latest in artificial intelligence (AI) and other analytics technologies to develop a platform that produces timely, insights into companies and industries listed on the capital markets. Updates are published in video and disseminated via a variety of online channels through partner InvestorIntel.com. Updates are published on an InvestorChannel YouTube channel (click here to subscribe) and automatically tweeted out daily through @TracyWeslosky. For more information on either InvestorIntel or InvestorChannel, email Tracy Weslosky at tracy@investorchannel.com or contact us at +1 416 792 8228.
Kodiak Copper sees its stock almost triple on drill results Discovery viewed as “transformative” Today I take a look at junior copper miner, Kodiak Copper (TSXV: KDK | OTC: KDKCF). Kodiak saw its stock price almost triple in the past week after announcing drill results, including 282 m of 0.70% Copper and 0.49 g/t Gold (1.16% CuEq) at their advanced MPD copper-gold porphyry project in British Columbia, Canada. Kodiak Copper almost triples on a drill result last week The copper price, currently at US$2.98/lb, has started to recover lately as global activity comes back from the initial shock of COVID-19. Looking further ahead, in the next 10 years
there is a clear demand surge about to hit from the coming booms in electric vehicles and renewable energy. From a supply perspective declining global copper grades and a lack of new projects means less copper output is expected. Higher copper prices will be needed to incentivize new copper projects. Any copper companies that can bring a growing, low cost, production of new copper supply to market this decade should do very well. Analysts are forecasting a future copper deficit to emerge in the 2020s Source: Courtesy CRU Group Copper demand vs. supply forecast
Source The drill results Kodiak announced on September 3, 2020 the discovery of a significant high-grade copper-gold extension of the recently discovered Gate Zone at the company’s 100% owned MPD copper- gold porphyry project in southern British Columbia, with a drill result of “282 m of 0.70% Copper and 0.49 g/t Gold (1.16% CuEq), Including 45.7 m of 1.41% Copper and 1.46 g/t Gold (2.75% CuEq).” Chris Taylor, Chairman of Kodiak commented that, “as compelling as our 2019 discovery of the Gate Zone was, it now appears we had only grazed the margins of a much stronger copper-gold zone which we have now successfully targeted. Our new results include discovery of a central high-grade copper- gold zone within the wider copper-gold mineralized envelope of the Gate Zone. These drill results are among the strongest that have been reported from this well-established copper mining district in southern British Columbia.”
Claudia Tornquist, President and CEO of Kodiak, added they viewed “this new discovery as transformative for the project, and by extension for Kodiak, and pointed specifically to the “new high gold values, which we would have viewed as a successful stand-alone gold discovery in the absence of any copper.” She said that Kodiak anticipates “a very active remainder of 2020, and that 2021 will be our most exciting and productive year so far.” Kodiak Copper’s projects Kodiak is focused on its portfolio of 100% owned copper porphyry projects in Canada and the USA. MPD Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in the prolific Quesnel Trough in southern British Columbia, Canada, where the Company made a discovery of high-grade mineralization in 2020 (as mentioned above). Mohave Copper-Molybdenum-Silver Porphyry Project in Arizona, USA, near the world-class Bagdad Mine. Kahuna Diamond Project in Nunavut, Canada, hosts a high- grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets. Note: Both of Kodiak’s porphyry projects have been historically drilled and present known mineral discoveries with the potential to hold large-scale deposits. Kodiak Copper’s 3 projects location map
Source Kodiak was founded by Chris Taylor who is well known for founding Great Bear Resources (TSXV: GBR) (Market cap C$897m), which made a highly significant gold discovery. Kodiak is also part of the Discovery Group of companies led by John Robins, one of the most successful mining entrepreneurs in Canada. Closing remarks Juniors that can find and grow good size copper resources will be handsomely rewarded, especially if their project is located in a safe jurisdiction. It is still very early days for Kodiak Copper as they continue to explore and work to develop a resource. Further drill results are expected before the end of the year. As experienced resource investors know, porphyry projects are usually lower grade but large. What excited the market so much last week was that Chris Taylor may have again discovered something big in Canada. Given the market cap is still only C$65m, if the project can continue to progress and grow a significant resource this may only be the beginning for Kodiak
Copper.
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