Jaguar Nickel Sulphide Project
Centaurus completed its acquisition of the Jaguar Project from global mining giant, Vale S.A, in April 2020, delivering the Company with an exceptional exploration, growth and development opportunity in the international nickel sulphide sector.
The Jaguar Nickel Sulphide Project is located in the western portion of the world-class Carajás Mineral Province of Brazil, and was acquired from global mining giant, Vale S.A., in April 2020. The Jaguar Project includes multiple nickel sulphide deposits and exploration targets within a 30km2 land package.
Following completion of the acquisition, Centaurus immediately commenced a major drilling program, and has since defined a global Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) totalling 109.2Mt @ 0.87% Ni for 948,900 tonnes of contained nickel, confirming Jaguar as one of the largest nickel sulphide resources held by an ASX-listed company and the largest outside of the major mining companies. View Resources & Reserves
The success of the in-fill resource development program completed in 2023 resulted in a 105% increase in the Measured & Indicated component of the Resource to 86.6Mt @ 0.85% Ni for 737,800 tonnes of contained nickel, representing more than 77% of the Global MRE. This resource will underpin the maiden Ore Reserve Estimate and Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS).
The global MRE at Jaguar has increased by 30% since the previous Resource Estimate that was announced in December 2021 and + 83% since the Company’s maiden Resource was announced in June 2020.
The Jaguar JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) Growth – November 2022
Centaurus completed a positive independent Base Case Scoping Study for the Jaguar Project development in March 2021 (based on conventional mining and processing to produce nickel concentrate), and completed a Value-Add Scoping Study in May 2021, which contemplated processing the nickel concentrate using a hydrometallurgical process (POx) to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate for the growing electrification supply chain.
Based on a 2.7Mtpa nickel sulphate plant, the Value-Add Scoping Study delivered production of +20,000tpa of recovered nickel-in-sulphate and +9,600tpa of a mixed sulphide precipitate (MSP) over an initial 13-year mine life.
At a life-of-mine nickel price of US$7.50/lb, the Value Add development scenario delivers a post-tax NPV for the Jaguar Project of ~A$1.1 billion.
Key highlights of the Value-Add Scoping Study included:
Click here to read the full Value Add Scoping Study.
Based on the strength of the Scoping Study results, Centaurus has commenced a Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the production of +20,000 tonnes per annum of nickel sulphate at the Jaguar Project over an initial mine life of ~13 years. The DFS will also incorporate a study of the production of nickel concentrate, as this will be the product feed to the hydrometallurgical (nickel sulphate) circuit.
The new, larger Mineral Resource Estimate of 109.2Mt @ 0.87% Ni for 948,900 tonnes of contained nickel reported in April 2023 will underpin mine optimisation and production profile studies set to start in 2023 that will determine the optimal mine capacity for the development of the Project. Any expansion of the processing plant capacity and/or production profile is likely to have a material positive impact on the project economics and delivery of nickel-in-sulphate, which currently stands at 20,000ktpa for 13 years.
