Yourupmi project questions please, page-8

the Youanmi mine closed primarily because it hit an aquifer and it would not only take many $millions to rectify by injecting concrete, but also years to ‘try’ and dewater? Or had it simply run out of economic ores?

The mine is flooded and a previous owner planned to dewater it and considered that practical and worthwhile due to high grade underwater reserves. Given the POG dewatering is no big deal and will probably be undertaken. The mine closed because of the low gold price.

- how quickly can the old decommissioned operation be up and running again?

12 months and $30m

- are the current ore resources at Youanmi mostly refractory in nature and of a much lower grade than those previously mined economically? Is that why nobody has tackled it properly in 29 years?

So far the grades are lower but we have an upgrade on the way. PW grades are very high.

- what is the honest cost of renovating the Youanmi production facilities to commissioned volumes? Could it really be speculated $25 million plus?
Whatever it costs will be a fraction of the cost of new mine and plant.
- is there a large environmental clean up liability attached or associated with that old project, as it looks very messy from satellite images?
no and all licences to continue mining are unproblematic. The area is pre devastated,'
- do shareholders believe VMC would get a mines department approval to build a substantially bigger pit over an aquifer like this one?
There is no major aquifer, holes in ground often fill with water over the decades.
- would you get approval to mine anything underground if there was a risk of such flooding again?

i can immediately think of some neighbours who will now be investing time and money lobbying all levels of government for some other environmentally sound development options ariund that region
Look at the pics of Younami, it is a moonscape and environmentally a write off. That is the advantage of it. Greenies will be lobbying to protect it? lol