Davidson (Yorke Hardy)

The Davidson Deposit feasibility study, compiled by Hatch Ltd. with contributions from several consulting firms, evaluates the potential for mining 2,000 tonnes per day over a 10-year period of the highest-grade molybdenum-containing ore from the deposit and trucking it 200 kilometers to the Endako Mine for processing.

The study assumes that 7.3 million tonnes of proven and probable mineral reserves plus 0.5 million tonnes of sub-grade material will be mined and processed over 12 years, of which 10 years would be at full production. The average grade is estimated at 0.265% contained molybdenum (Mo).

Total molybdenum production after milling and roasting is estimated at 40.3 million pounds Mo or an annual production rate of approximately 4.5 to 5.0 million pounds Mo during the initial full production years, tapering down to average approximately four million pounds per year over the study period.

The underground development would include the construction of a three-kilometre adit as a haulage ramp from the base of the mountain upward toward the deposit at an incline of approximately 10% and the enlargement of an existing two-kilometre adit to be used for airintake ventilation and as a secondary access to the deposit.

Major items of surface infrastructure would include a water treatment plant, access roads, on-site buildings, and ore-handling facilities at Endako.