Kyrgyz Republic
Taldybulak Project
The Taldybulak project contains a SAMREC (2007) indicated resource of 116.5mt @ 0.6g/t Au, 0.2% Cu (plus Mo) in addition to a inferred resource of 336mt @ 0.4g/t Au, 0.16% Cu + Mo. In total, the resource contains over 10moz AuEq (pricing as at 5/03/14).
The deposit consists of a porphyry-style copper-gold mineral system, characterised by a quartz-diorite intrusion into an overlying volcanic sediment country rock. Gold Fields completed a scoping study on the deposit in 2010, which envisaged a large-scale (15mtpa) open-pit operation, producing on average 242koz Au and 26kt of Cu over a 17 year mine life. Production would generate a copper concentrate, with associated gold and molybdenum. The initial capital cost of the project was estimated at US$516m, with a Net Present Value (NPV) of US$815m and an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 25%.
Gold Fields identified potential for extensions of high grades at depth in the breccia deposit, along strike to the west and in the surrounding area. Several coincident geophysical and geochemical anomalies are present within a 5km radius of Taldybulak. Many similar porphyry systems (including Oyu Tolgoi, Cadia) contain several mineralised porphyries, laterally, and at depth of the initial discovery. Taldybulak is the same age as Cadia (Ordovician) and contains similar alteration and mineralisation. There are also a number of distinct similarities with the geology of Oyu Tolgoi.