RE: HAA Motivation26 Oct 2021 16:45
Phase 4 of Hawiah’s 2021 drilling programme is nearing completion – approximately 14,000m of 15,500m completed
· Updated Hawiah Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) on track to be reported in Q4 2021
· The upgraded and expanded MRE is likely to enhance Project economics in the Preliminary Feasibility Study (“PFS”) due to higher grade and increased tonnes
· Metallurgical testing, environmental and hydrological programmes are progressing well
· Project work streams on track to achieve KEFI’s target of Hawiah commencing development in 2023
Harry Anagnostaras-Adams, Executive Chairman of KEFI, commented:
“KEFI continues to add significant value to our Hawiah copper-gold-zinc-silver project in Saudi Arabia, where we reported a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate of 19.3 million tonnes at 1.9% copper-equivalent in-situ in August 2020, after starting drilling less than 12 months earlier. At current market prices this represents a current in-situ value of over US$3bn worth of metal.
“And now another 12 months later, the results indicate we will within a few months be in a position to report a larger resource at higher grade. Recent infill drilling has also better defined the ore lodes and will upgrade a substantial portion of the near-surface Inferred Resources to the Indicated category.
“Our team has also been advancing key work streams for the Preliminary Feasibility Study with metallurgical, environmental and hydrological programmes now well advanced. This work is supporting the assumptions of our 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment, including that all four primary metals (copper, gold, zinc and silver) will be recovered and contribute to Project revenue.
“An economic project has already been identified, but we are still very much in the early days of defining the full potential of the Hawiah Project. The ore lodes drilled to date remain open and we have yet to locate the ‘feeder zone’ to the massive sulphide lodes, which represents a separate and potentially much larger-scale target.
“With copper prices now more than 30% higher than a year ago, Hawiah continues to increase in value and strongly complements our Tulu Kapi Gold Project in Ethiopia.”