Pasinex Resources Limited (CSE: PSE) (FSE: PNX) (The “Company” or
“Pasinex”) is pleased to provide a Company update.
Andrew Gottwald, Chief Financial Officer of
Pasinex, commented, “2022 was a very encouraging year for the
Company. The Joint Venture experienced extremely positive results
with strong margins and generated substantial positive cash flow, a
large portion of which made its way to Pasinex Canada. The Company
completed a number of activities in Nevada, which has ultimately
led to the fulfillment of its spending obligations to earn a 51%
interest in the Gunman Project. The Company is well positioned for
another positive year in 2023. The year-end audited results are
expected to be released in late April.”
Cautionary Note
The Company has not completed a current
technical report that includes a mineral resource estimate as
defined by the Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and
Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve
Definitions and adopted by CIM Council, and procedures for
classifying the reported Mineral Resources were undertaken within
the context of the Canadian Securities Administrators National
Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). The Company has no intention of
completing a NI 43-101 compliant technical report. The Joint
Venture has not followed accepted quality assurance and quality
control procedures with respect to its current drilling program and
has not used an independent third-party laboratory for its assay
analysis. The Joint Venture uses field handheld X-ray fluorescence
analysers (“XRF”) for zinc assays and grade control in exploration
and mining. In addition, assays are completed by an independent
third-party laboratory for all of the Joint Venture’s sales.
Horzum AS and Pasinex Arama
Safety, Health and
Environment
Our Joint Venture was fortunate enough that its
Adana offices and the Pinargozu Mine did not sustain any
significant damage during the recent tragic earthquakes in Türkiye.
To ensure the safety and well-being of our employees, the
operations of the Joint Venture were temporarily halted in
February. Our well-trained mine rescue team, along with excavators
and trucks, were mobilized to aid in the recovery efforts of nearby
towns and cities. Approximately 50 personnel assisted in the
clean-up and recovery efforts and were responsible for saving ten
lives in Hatay, Türkiye. The Company is very proud of the
contributions made by those persons and the service they provided
to the local communities.
The Company is pleased to report that Horzum AS
had another zero-fatality year at the Pinargozu Mine with a total
of 194,504 fatality free hours having been worked at the Pinargozu
Mine in 2022. Horzum AS did report four serious injuries and twelve
lost time injuries during the year. Horzum AS has focused on
development of a Health and Safety Management System and Culture
since it began to mine at Pinargozu in 2015.
Dividends
Total amounts received by Pasinex Arama from
Horzum AS in the form of dividend payments, advanced dividend
payments, payments of long outstanding dividend receivables and
payments of ongoing service invoices, totaled approximately $4.5
million (TRY 57 Million) using the exchange rates in effect on the
dates received. Approximately $4.1 million (TRY 52.7 million) was
transferred by Pasinex Arama to Pasinex Canada.
The Company is also pleased to report that
Pasinex Arama received four separate payments from Horzum AS in
2023 to date, in advance of a dividend to be declared at the next
annual general meeting of Horzum AS. The payments total
approximately $946,000 (TRY 13,500,000) using the exchange rates in
effect on the dates received. Approximately $875,000 (TRY
12,500,000) was transferred by Pasinex Arama to Pasinex Canada.
2022 Highlights
- The Joint Venture has completed
1,743 metres of exploration and development adit development during
2022;
- a total of 9,345 metres of
underground and surface diamond core drilling and percussion
drilling has been completed in 106 holes during 2022;
- the Joint Venture mined a total of
approximately 13,800 tonnes of zinc product in 2022, which includes
12,850 tonnes of high-grade zinc sulphide product;
- the total number of pounds of zinc
product produced was approximately 14.2 million pounds;
- the Joint Venture ended the year
with 3,056 tonnes of high-grade zinc sulphide product in
inventory;
- total sales of high-grade zinc
sulphide product in 2022, were approximately 11,500 tonnes. The
average grade of this material was approximately 50.1% zinc and the
average sales price achieved was approximately US$1,120 per tonne;
and
- the total value of all sales of
zinc product during 2022 was approximately US$13.6 million.
2023 Forecast
Production at the Pinargozu Mine for 2023 is
forecast to be between 11,000 and 13,000 tonnes of zinc sulphide
product at an average grade in excess of 50% zinc as direct
shipping material. Depending on the progress of underground
exploration at Pinargozu, this production forecast could be
increased in the second half of 2023. Horzum AS expects that it
will complete in excess of 10,000 metres of underground and surface
diamond core drilling and in excess of 900 metres of adit
development in 2023. Production and diamond core drilling will be
predominately underground from and in the Fourth Adit (at the
541-metre level). Horzum AS will continue to extend the existing
Fourth Adit an additional 300 metres to reach the Akkaya
property.
Exploration will be the key to the ongoing
success of the Pinargozu and the Akkaya properties and to this
effect, additional drill rigs will be in operation this year
operating both underground and from surface. By the end of second
quarter of 2023, three diamond drill rigs (one of which can be used
in either surface or underground configuration) and one percussion
rig will be operational. One of these will be used primarily to
probe ahead of the development adit towards the Akkaya property to
better ascertain the orientation and location of the target zone.
Once that has been established, the extension of the Fourth Adit
into the Akkaya property will become a major priority. The Joint
Venture received its operational exploration license in November of
2022 and has three years to complete and submit various studies
prior to applying for the conversion to a production licence. The
Joint Venture has started this process and will engage certain
consultants in 2023 to begin the process to complete the reports
necessary to support the application.
Türkiye continued to experience very high
inflation in 2022 and into 2023. The country was declared a
hyperinflationary economy for accounting purposes in the second
quarter of 2022. As a result, Horzum AS has been and will continue
to experience price pressure on its goods and services incurred,
including wages of its labour force. The price of zinc increased to
a high of US$1.98 per pound in April of 2022 and then retreated
during the remainder of the year to a price of US$1.42 per pound at
year end. The average price per pound increased to US$1.58 in 2022
compared with an average price of US$1.36 per pound 2021. These
price increases combined with the increase in the USD exchange rate
in relation to the Turkish Lira had a positive impact on Horzum
AS’s gross margins in 2022 and partially offset the increases in
costs.
Gunman Project
In November 2022, Pasinex commenced a reverse
circulation drilling program (“RC”), which was to include 14 drill
holes totalling 3,000 metres of drilling. To date, only three drill
holes have been completed with a fourth drill hole having been
stopped short of its target depth. About 30% of the estimated
meterage has been completed.
The drill program was originally scheduled to
begin in September 2022 and be completed by October 2022, but the
contracted driller was late in arriving to the property. The
Company decided to proceed with the drill program, despite the late
start and the more difficult drilling conditions, which began with
the onset of winter, in order to complete its spending requirement
to acquire the 51% interest in the Gunman Project. A combination of
severe winter conditions and mechanical issues with the driller's
equipment caused numerous delays, poor performance and the low
meterage drilled. The Company therefore halted the drill program in
February and will recommence once weather conditions improve.
The Company did however meet its spending
requirement and has exercised its option to acquire a 51% interest
in the Gunman Project.
The drill program is designed to test prospects
along a north-south corridor about two kilometres in length (see
Figure 1). Targets include probing for potential depth extensions
beneath the RH Main high-grade oxidised zinc mineralization.
Targets along strike to the south at Copper Hill and RH South, and
to the north at RH North, appear as centres of hydrothermal
alteration with overlapping geochemical and geophysical
anomalies.
None of the drill holes intersected visible zinc
mineralization. As a general guide to the following drilling
results, zinc concentrations between 1,000 ppm (0.1%) and 3,000ppm
(0.3%) Zn would be considered significant and in general might
indicate proximity to a CRD mineralizing system. Four samples from
completed assays meet these criteria. Results from a portion of the
fourth drill hole are still to be received.
The first drill hole PSX22-01 was collared just
to the south-west of RH Main and angled due east through the
projected vertical extension of the RH Main mineralization. The
hole remained straight when drilled. The average zinc concentration
for all bedrock samples taken from a total drilled length of 580ft
was about 270ppm Zn. This included elevated concentrations within
the interval from 85ft to 135ft averaging 680ppm Zn, which is
considered weakly anomalous. Results were disappointing in that no
visible zinc mineralization was observed and that the
concentrations of zinc were lower than what was expected given the
proximity to RH Main.
PSX22-02 was also drilled at RH Main but stepped
back about 50ft further west from PSX22-01 and angled to the
southeast. Total drilled length was 962ft and the down-hole survey
indicated that the hole deviated significantly from what was
planned. The inclined drill hole steepened and rotated clockwise
toward the north-south strike of the Ely Limestone. All bedrock
samples averaged in the mid 90’s ppm Zn with just one short
ten-foot interval from 435ft to 445ft averaging 900ppm Zn.
PSX22-03 was a vertical hole drilled at RH
South. Total drilled length was 420ft and all bedrock samples
averaged in the mid 170’s ppm Zn with a 45ft interval from 150ft
averaging 635ppm Zn.
PSX23-04 was collared at RH South and angled to
the southeast to target a deep low-resistivity horizon underlying a
magnetic anomaly. The drill hole deviated off-target and was
suspended at a drilled length of 910ft. The drill target was not
reached and therefore not test as the targeted drill length was
1,310ft. Assays have been received for the first 825ft with one
sample including 3,610ppm Zn in the interval from 160ft –
165ft.
Although no visible zinc mineralization has been
observed to date there remain compelling targets to be tested at
Copper Hill and along strike to the north including RH North.
Figure 1 – 2022-2023 planned
drilling at the Gunman property. Completed drill holes are
indicated with red collars and numbered suffixes. Pending drill
holes are indicated with green collars and letter suffixes. RH Main
zinc mineralized zone and other mineralized prospects are shown
along a two-kilometre trend.
Table 1: Drill hole collar locations
(UTM Z11 NAD83)
Hole Name |
Zone |
Easting |
Northing |
Elevation (metres) |
Initial Azimuth |
Initial Dip |
Drilled Length (metres) |
Drilled Length (feet) |
PSX22-01 |
RH Main |
606668 |
4414295 |
1985 |
090 |
-54 |
177 |
580 |
PSX22-02 |
RH Main |
606633 |
4414313 |
1998 |
116 |
-51 |
293 |
962 |
PSX22-03 |
RH South |
606685 |
4414072 |
1990 |
n/a |
-90 |
125 |
420 |
PSX23-04* |
RH South |
606693 |
4414075 |
1990 |
104 |
-74 |
277 |
910 |
*Suspended and to be completed with a
target drilled-depth of 1310’ (400m)
Qualified Person
The information in this news release, relating
to the Gunman Project, was compiled by geologists at Ronacher
McKenzie Geoscience Inc (“RMG”), Sudbury, Ontario. The drilling and
collection of samples was supervised on site by Ms. Elizabeth
Zbinden PhD, Senior Geologist with RMG. The information in this
news release, relating to the Gunman Project, was reviewed and
verified by John P. Barry, EurGeol, P.Geo, FSEG managing director
of Irus Consulting Ltd. and a qualified person as defined by
National Instrument 43-101 with 35 years international experience
including at least five years relevant experience on various types
of zinc-rich deposits such as Irish-type/MVT, Sedex, CRDs and VHMS
deposit types. Mr. Barry is an independent consultant. Mr. Barry
has previously been on site and he is familiar with the geology,
mineralization and terrain at Gunman.
Quality Assurance/ Quality
Control
Pasinex complies with a robust Quality Assurance
and Quality Control (“QA/QC”) program in relation to drill-chip and
drill-core handling, security, photography, sampling, documentation
and transportation of samples. RC samples are taken every five
feet. Contractors are instructed to follow standard operating and
quality assurance procedures designed to ensure that all sampling
techniques and sample results meet international reporting
standards. RC is done wet, for dust abatement reasons. The sample
stream passes through a cyclone splitter, where a representative
fraction is collected, and the balance is discharged into a sump.
Bagged 5-foot samples are collected from site and delivered to the
ALS preparation lab in Elko, Nevada by RMG personnel. Samples are
then oven-dried and undergo a fine crush with 70% passing 2mm. The
sample is then riffle split and a split up to 250g is pulverized to
85% passing 75 microns and sent to ALS analytical lab in Vancouver,
Canada. In Vancouver, the sample is analyzed using their ME-ICP61a
method. A 0.25gm split is digested using a near-total four-acid
process and then analyzed for 33 elements including zinc by
inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).
Samples over 10,000ppm Zn are re-analyzed using the same digestion
and analytical method but with a recalibrated upper limit of 30%
Zn. To ensure analytical precision, representativeness of sample
and detection of any contamination, QA/QC samples are inserted into
the sample-train by RMG as follows: every tenth drill-sample is
followed by either a blank or standard (equal numbers of blanks and
standards). The certified standard is commercially prepared (OREAS
135b, 2.73% Zn). The standard is also certified for 28 other
elements. The blanks are coarse dolomitic marble chips. Every
twenty-fifth drill-sample is collected at the drill-site in
duplicate for analyses.Qualified Person
Jonathan Challis, a Fellow of the Institute of
Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Chartered Engineer, is the
qualified person (“QP”) as defined by NI 43-101 for all information
in this news release other than the information relating to the
Gunman Project. He has inspected the original paid sales invoices
issued by the Joint Venture for the shipment of zinc sulphide
product specified in this news release and has approved the
scientific and technical disclosure herein. Mr. Challis is a
director of the Company and Chair of the Joint Venture.
About Pasinex
Pasinex Resources Limited is a Toronto-based
mining company that owns 50% of Horzum Maden Arama ve Isletme
Anonim Sirketi (“Horzum AS” or “Joint Venture”), through its 100%
owned subsidiary Pasinex Arama ve Madencilik Anonim Sirketi
(“Pasinex Arama”). Horzum AS holds 100% of the producing Pinargozu
high-grade zinc mine. Horzum AS sells directly to zinc smelters and
or refiners through commodity brokers from its mine site in
Türkiye. The Company also holds a 51% interest, with an option to
increase to an 80% interest of a high-grade zinc exploration
project, the Gunman Project, located in Nevada. Pasinex has a
strong technical management team with many years of mineral
exploration and mining project development experience. Pasinex
Resources Limited mission is to explore and extract high grade ore
to drive growth and wealth for all of its stakeholders including
shareholders, employees and the communities of our operations,
meeting all requirements in safety, health and the environment.
Visit our website at www.pasinex.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
PASINEX RESOURCES LIMITED
“Andrew
Gottwald” |
Andrew
Gottwald |
Evan
White |
Chief Financial Officer |
Manager of Corporate Communications |
Phone: +1 416.861.9659 |
Phone: +1 416.906.3498 |
Email: info@pasinex.com |
Email: evan.white@pasinex.com |
The CSE does not accept responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this news release. This news release
includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and
uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual
results of the Company to be materially different from the
historical results or any future results expressed or implied by
such forward-looking statements. All statements within, other than
statements of historical fact, are to be considered
forward-looking. Although Pasinex believes the expectations
expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on
reasonable assumptions, such statements are not a guarantee 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 market prices, continued
availability of capital and financing, exploration results, and
general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no
assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore,
readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such
uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.
A photo accompanying this announcement is
available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/11dd1a81-1823-4249-b771-13d77671890d
PNX Metals (ASX:PNX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2025 to Feb 2025
PNX Metals (ASX:PNX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Feb 2025