Q1 2022 Operations Update

RNS Number : 5366H

Central Asia Metals PLC

07 April 2022

 

7 April 2022

CENTRAL ASIA METALS PLC

('CAML' or the 'Company')

Q1 2022 Operations Update

Central Asia Metals plc (AIM: CAML) today provides a Q1 2022 operations update for the Kounrad dump leach, solvent extraction and electro-winning ('SX-EW') copper recovery plant in Kazakhstan ('Kounrad') and the Sasa zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia ('Sasa').

Summary

-  Zero lost time injuries ('LTI') at Kounrad

-  One LTI at Sasa

-  Kounrad copper production, 3,024 tonnes

-  Sasa zinc in concentrate production, 5,240 tonnes

-  Sasa lead in concentrate production, 6,736 tonnes

Outlook

-  Full year 2022 guidance

o  Copper, 12,500 to 13,500 tonnes

o  Zinc in concentrate, 20,000 to 22,000 tonnes

o  Lead in concentrate, 27,000 to 29,000 tonnes

CAML production summary

Metal production (tonnes)	Q1 2022	Q1 2021
Copper	3,024	2,880
Zinc	5,240	5,742
Lead	6,736	7,016

Nigel Robinson, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"We have had a strong Q1 2022 and we are on track to meet our full year production guidance at both Kounrad and Sasa."

Health and Safety

In Q1 2022, there were no LTIs at Kounrad and one LTI at Sasa.  

Kounrad

Kounrad Q1 2022 copper production was 3,024 tonnes and copper sales during Q1 2022 were 2,906 tonnes.

Sasa

In Q1 2022, mined and processed ore were 197,501 tonnes and 197,986 tonnes respectively. The average head grades for the period were 3.14% zinc and 3.65% lead. Q1 2022 metallurgical recoveries were 84.3% for zinc and 93.3% for lead. 

Sasa produces a zinc concentrate and a separate lead concentrate. In Q1 2022, 10,519 tonnes of concentrate containing 49.81% zinc and 9,488 tonnes of concentrate containing 70.99% lead were produced.

Sasa typically receives from smelters approximately 84% of the value of its zinc in concentrate and approximately 95% of the value of its lead in concentrate. Accordingly, Q1 2022 payable production was 4,398 tonnes of zinc and 6,399 tonnes of lead. Given that deliveries from Sasa to the smelters occur on a regular basis, payable base metal in concentrate sales for the quarter were similar at 4,409 tonnes of zinc and 6,314 tonnes of lead.

During Q1 2022, Sasa sold 74,795 ounces of payable silver to Osisko Gold Royalties, in accordance with its streaming agreement. 

	Units	Q1 2022	Q1 2021
Ore mined	t	197,501	207,704
Plant feed	t	197,986	210,413
Zinc grade	%	3.14	3.23
Zinc recovery	%	84.3	84.5
Lead grade	%	3.65	3.57
Lead recovery	%	93.3	93.5
Zinc concentrate	t (dry)	10,519	11,521
-  Grade	%	49.8	49.8
-  Contained zinc	t	5,240	5,742
Lead concentrate	t (dry)	9,488	9,730
-  Grade	%	71.0	72.1
-  Contained lead	t	6,736	7,016

For further information contact:

Central Asia Metals	Tel: [phone]
Nigel Robinson, CEO
Gavin Ferrar, CFO
Louise Wrathall, Director of Corporate Relations	[e-mail]
Peel Hunt (Nominated Advisor and Joint Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Ross Allister
David McKeown
BMO Capital Markets (Joint Broker)	Tel: [phone]
Thomas Rider
Pascal Lussier Duquette
BlytheRay (PR Advisors)	Tel: [phone]
Tim Blythe
Megan Ray
Rachael Brooks

Note to editors:

Central Asia Metals, an AIM-listed UK company based in London, owns 100% of the Kounrad SX-EW copper project in central Kazakhstan and 100% of the Sasa zinc-lead mine in North Macedonia.

For further information, please visit www.centralasiametals.com and follow CAML on Twitter at @CamlMetals and on LinkedIn at Central Asia Metals Plc

 

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