BMC Minerals Ltd is looking to raise $100 million ahead of a listing on the ASX, saying the money will be used to develop what would be Canada's largest silver and zinc mining project.
The company has lodged a prospectus with the ASX seeking to raise $100 million, which will be used to progress its Kudz Ze Kayah (KZK) mine project in the Yukon region of Canada.
Major resource already discovered
The company said it had to-date delineated mineral resources of 27.9 million tonnes of ore at the project, spread across two main deposits, ABM and Kona.
The company said further:
BMC has completed a range of technical studies based on the development of a 2 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) mine at the ABM deposit with about 89% of ore reserves mined via open pits and a small underground mine developed to access the deeper portions of the Krakatoa Zone. The ABM mine would be Canada's largest silver producer and largest zinc producer and a top 15 copper producer.
The ABM mine was expected to have a mine life of nine years, the company said, producing an average of 32 million ounces of silver equivalent each year.
The feasibility study for the project indicated it would have a capital payback period of 2.2 years, the company said, with initial construction expenditure estimated at US$492 million.
Project well advanced
BMC managing director Michael McLelland said the company had so far invested more than US$150 million in the project.
He added:
KZK is the best polymetallic project I have seen in more than 25 years working in the resource sector. It has the potential to be a globally significant project across all of its commodities and still offers considerable exploration upside within our 100% owned mineral tenure. The capital being raised will be invested predominantly in further exploration at KZK, as well as permitting and optimisation studies and general working capital as we progress towards a final investment decision within the next 18 months.
The company said in its prospectus it also had "multiple advanced and drill-ready geological targets within 5km of the ABM deposit'' and aimed to evaluate these over the next two years, while progressing the technical studies and permitting for mining.
The company intends to raise the money by issuing chess depositary interests over BMC shares, with the price of the CDIs to be between $1.90 and $2.30.
