Gold: Pretium’s first gold pour

[caption id="attachment_1003718888" align="alignnone" width="550"] Pretium Resources' first gold pour at its Brucejack mine in B.C.[/caption] British Columbia – Pretium Resources has poured its first gold at the Brucejack mine in northwestern British Columbia, 60 km north of Stewart. Commissioning began at the underground mine in April and construction is winding down as the mine ramps up toward commercial production. The company reports that flotation and gravity circuits are operational. In addition, gold-silver flotation concentrate is being produced and bagged, and the first shipments have been scheduled. Proven and probable reserves at the high-grade Valley of Kings deposit at Brucejack consist of 8.1 million oz. gold in 15.6 million tonnes grading 16.1 g/t gold. The mine is expected to produce 7.3 million oz. gold over its 18-year mine life. With a capital cost of US$811 million, the project has a pre-tax net present value of US$2.34 billion (at a 5% discount rate) and a pre-tax internal rate of return of 34.4%. Life-of-mine operating costs are estimated at C$163.05 per tonne milled. The operation will mine about 2,700 tonnes per day using a mining method of long-hole stoping and cemented paste backfill. For more information, visit: www.pretium.com.