On May 26, 2022, the Company and Sandstorm Gold Ltd. announced the creation of Sandbox. Pursuant to the transaction, Sandbox acquired a portfolio of royalties and other assets from the Company for consideration of $28.4 million common shares of Sandbox, representing a 30% basic interest in Sandbox. The transaction closed on June 28, 2022.
On April 21, 2022, the Company completed the sale of its Mercedes mine in Mexico to Bear Creek for $75 million, a deferred cash payment of $25 million due within six months of the closing date, a 2% net smelter return on Mercedes production and 24.73 million shares of Bear Creek.
MINERAL PROPERTY – LOS FILOS
Los Filos Mine Complex
This prospectus incorporates the Company’s Annual Information Form. After filing the Annual Information Form, the Company filed a new technical report for Los Filos. The following summary is derived from a technical report for Los Filos entitled “Updated Technical Report for the Los Filos Mine Complex, Guerrero State, Mexico” (the “Los Filos Technical Report”), dated October 19, 2022, with an effective date of June 30, 2022, and prepared by Equinox Gold, with contributions from AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd. (“AMC”), Lycopodium Minerals Canada Ltd. (“Lycopodium”), Paul M. Sterling, and Struthers Technical Solutions Ltd. (“STS”), and should be read in place of the Summary relating to Los Filos contained in the Annual Information Form. The Qualified Persons (as such term is defined under NI 43-101) who prepared or supervised the preparation of the information contained in the Los Filos Technical Report are: Gary Methven, P.Eng., Paul Salmenmaki, P.Eng., Mo Molavi, P.Eng. and Eugene Tucker, P.Eng., each of AMC; Glenn Bezuidenhout, FSAIMM of Lycopodium; Paul Sterling, P.Eng. of Paul M. Sterling; Riley Devlin, P.Eng. of STS; and Kelly Boychuk, P.Eng., Ali Shahkar, P.Eng., and Travis O’Farrell, P.Eng., each an employee of Equinox Gold.
The Los Filos Technical Report presents the results of a feasibility study to build from mid-2024 a 10 kt/d carbon-in-leach (“CIL”) plant that would operate concurrently with the existing heap leach facilities at Los Filos and is an update of the Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates based on an updated mine plan that incorporates the CIL plant. At the time of completing the Los Filos Technical Report Equinox Gold has not made a construction decision for the CIL plant.
Unless otherwise indicated, the information that follows relating to Los Filos is based on, derived substantially from, and in some instances is a direct extract from, the Los Filos Technical Report. The information below does not purport to be a complete summary of the Los Filos Technical Report and is based on assumptions, qualifications and procedures that are set out only in the Los Filos Technical Report; reference should be made to the full text of the Los Filos Technical Report, which Equinox Gold has filed under its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and its EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov/EDGAR and which is also available on Equinox Gold’s website at www.equinoxgold.com.
1. | Project Description, Location and Access |
The Los Filos Mine Complex encompasses the three main open pit mining areas of Bermejal, Guadalupe, and Los Filos, as well as three underground mines of Los Filos South, Los Filos North (together with Los Filos South, called “Los Filos Underground”) and Bermejal Underground.
The Los Filos Mine Complex consists of 30 exploitation and exploration concessions in active mining areas totalling 10,433 ha in the Eduardo Neri District, Guerrero State, Mexico approximately 180 km southwest of Mexico City. The property is centred on latitude 17°52’13” north and longitude 99°40’55” west (UTM Zone 14Q 1,976,300N 427,400E). Los Filos can be accessed by road or by helicopter or fixed-wing charter flight. The four-hour (240 km) drive from Mexico City follows National Highway 95/95D south to the town of Mezcala, then 18 km on a paved road to the mine site.
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