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- Gloom or Boom ?

Richard Schodde
Managing Director, MinEx Consulting
Adjunct Professor, University of Western Australia

Geological Society of South Africa


GeoForum 2013 Conference
2nd – 5th July 2013, Johannesburg

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration


Overview: Gloom or Boom?
1. Trends in global exploration spend
Forecast future spend out to 2020 & financing issues for Junior Companies
2. Trends in discovery rates
Where were the discoveries made? Current “Hot Spots” for exploration
3. Trends in discovery performance
Which Regions did better? Factors impacting on discovery performance
4. Trends in the types of exploration methods used
Geophysics versus geochemistry versus “nearology”
5. Trends in discovery costs
Unit discovery costs ($/oz, c/lb) are rising
6. Are we finding enough metal?
To be sustainable we need to find enough to replace what we mine
7. Conclusions

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 2


Exploration expenditures reached an all-time high in 2012

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 3


Exploration expenditures: World
by Commodity : 1975-2012

Spend is at an $29.4B
2012 US$ billion
all-time high in 2012
$30

$25
10x real increase
$20 in the last decade
Other Bulk
Coal
$15
Iron Ore
$7.9B Other
$10 in 1997 Diamonds
$2.9B
Uranium
$5 in 2002
Base Metals
Gold
$0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Sources: MinEx Consulting estimates © April 2013, based on


data from ABS, NRCan, MLR (China), OECD and MEG SNL

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 4


Exploration expenditures: World
by Commodity : 1975-2012 Major increase in
spend on Bulk
Minerals
Percentage of total spend Other - Bulk 1%
100%
11% Iron Ore

14% Coal
80%
Diamonds 13% Other – Non Bulk
2%
60% Uranium 3%
Base Metals
(Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb)
23%
40% Gold continues
Gold to be the main
20% 34% target

0%
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Sources: MinEx Consulting estimates © April 2013, based on


data from ABS, NRCan, MLR (China), OECD and MEG SNL

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 5


Exploration expenditures: World
by Region : 1990-2012

2012 US$ billion


$30
Rest of World
$25 Expenditures
are very FSU + E Europe
cyclical China
$20
Western Europe
$15 Africa
Pacific / SE Asia
$10 Latin America
USA
$5 Canada
Australia
$0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Note: “Rest of World” refers to, Mongolia, Middle East and Sources: MinEx Consulting estimates © April 2013, based on
South West Asia (including India and Pakistan) data from ABS, NRCan, MLR (China), OECD and MEG SNL

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 6


Exploration expenditures: World China spends more
by Region : 1990-2012 on exploration than
any other country in
the World
Percentage of total spend
100% 3%
6% Rest of World
14% FSU + E Europe
80%
2% China
15% Western Europe
60% Africa
6%
Pacific / SE Asia
21%
40% Latin America
7% USA
20% 13%
Canada
Australia
13%
0%
Can+USA+Aus
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
market share has
halved in the last 2
decades

Note: “Rest of World” refers to, Mongolia, Middle East and Sources: MinEx Consulting estimates © April 2013, based on
South West Asia (including India and Pakistan) data from ABS, NRCan, MLR (China), OECD and MEG SNL

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 7


Exploration spend is closely linked to commodity prices
World gold exploration expenditures versus gold price

Exploration Expenditures Gold Price


(June 2012 US$m) (June 2012 US$/oz)
$12,000 $2,400
Exploration Brokers
Spend (<LHS) Forecasts
$10,000 (June 13) $2,000
Gold Price Since 1990s there has
(RHS>) been a strong correlation
$8,000 between Gold Price and $1,600
Exploration Spend

$6,000 See a similar trend $1,200


for other metals

$4,000 $800

$2,000 $400

$0 $0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013


Forecasts from Consensus Economics © June 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 8


Forecast exploration expenditures: World
by Commodity : 1975-2020

$29B Down
2012 US$ billion in 2012
$30 35%
Other
$25 Coal
Iron Ore $19B
Uranium in 2020
$20
Base Metals
$15 Gold
Spend on uranium is
$10 projected to increase

$5
Forecast
Gold is projected to
$0 fall the most
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Note: Forecast based on a Multiple-Regression analysis of data Source: MinEx Consulting estimates © July 2013, based on
from 1997-2012 with R2 = 0.95 commodity price forecasts from Consensus Economics June 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 9


Forecast exploration expenditures: World
by Region : 1975-2020 CAUTION:
Forecast assumes no
change in Country Risk
$29B Down and tax rules
2012 US$ billion in 2012
$30 35%

FSU + EE + ROW
$25
$19B China
in 2020
$20 Western Europe
Africa
$15 Pacific / SE Asia
Latin America
$10
USA
$5 Canada
Australia
$0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Note: “Rest of World” refers to, Mongolia, Middle East and Source: MinEx Consulting estimates © July 2013, based on
South West Asia (including India and Pakistan) commodity price forecasts from Consensus Economics June 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 10


The Junior sector is facing severe funding problems. This will
most felt in-terms of reduced “money into the ground”
Cash and Expenditures for the MEDIAN Australian Junior company: 1998-2012r

Funding dried up during


June 2012 A$ Million the GFC. To preserve
(annualised basis) Large amount of funds cash, Junior Companies
raised in 2006-2007 severely cut back on
$5 expenditures in the field

Funding dried up again


$4 in 2012. Key problem is
Cash Funds at that the starting cash
end of Quarter reserves are low
$3
Because of
this …
$2
Exploration + Development Costs The 2013 “bust”
could be more
$1
severe than the
Administration Costs 2008 GFC
$0
Dec-98 Dec-00 Dec-02 Dec-04 Dec-06 Dec-08 Dec-10 Dec-12

Source: MinEx Consulting © February 2013


Note: Expenditure data is reported on a Quarterly basis, but has been based on Quarterly Reports to the ASX
annualised to be comparable with Cash Reserves

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 11


Exploration expenditures reached an all-time high in 2012

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Number of deposits found each year – by Region
Mineral deposits# found in the World: 1975-2012
China+FSU+EE+ME
Number Western Europe
100 Africa
N = 2161
Pacific / SE Asia
80 Latin America
USA
60 Canada
Australia
40
Caution:
Incomplete data in
recent years
20

0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Due to delays in reporting of
discoveries, expect the final
number to be 2-3x larger
Note: # Discoveries are for deposits >0.1 Moz Au, >5 kt U3O8, >10 kt Ni, >0.1 Mt Cu-equiv
Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Excludes bulk mineral discoveries Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 13


Number of deposits found each year – by Region
Mineral deposits# found in the World: 1975-2012
China+FSU+EE+ME
Share of discoveries made Western Europe
100% Africa
Pacific / SE Asia
80% Latin America
USA
60% Canada
Australia
40%
Caution:
Incomplete data in
recent years
20%

0%
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Note: # Discoveries are for deposits >0.1 Moz Au, >5 kt U3O8, >10 kt Ni, >0.1 Mt Cu-equiv
Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Excludes bulk mineral discoveries Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 14


Tier 1, 2 & 3 discoveries in the world: 2002-Present
Saskatchewan Far East
(Uranium) Russia

Alaska/Yukon Northern
Ontario
China
SW USA/ Mexico

West Africa
Latin America Central Africa

Au Base U3O8 Other Australia


Metal
Tier 1 Ten current
Tier 2 “Hot Spots”
Tier 3

Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 15


Spend & performance by Region: 2003-12
Region Exploration Number of Tier 1+2
Spend (2012 $b) Discoveries # Discoveries
Australia $12 (10%) 83 (16%) 13 (15%)
Canada $22 (18%) 65 (12%) 16 (19%)
USA $9 (8%) 20 (4%) 9 (10%)
Latin America $28 (23%) 118 (23%) 15 (17%)
Africa
Pacific / SE Asia $6 (5%) 23 (4%) 2 (3%) performed
the best
Africa $17 (14%) 116 (22%) 19 (22%)
Western Europe $3 (3%) 22 (4%) 1 (1%)
China+FSU+EE+RoW $22 (19%) 77 (15%) 11 (13%)
----- ------- ------ -------- ------ --------
TOTAL $116 (100%) 524 (100%) 86 (100%)

Note: # Discoveries are for deposits >0.1 Moz Au, >5 kt U3O8, >10 kt Ni, >0.1 Mt Cu-equiv
Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Excludes bulk mineral discoveries Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 16


Due to rising input costs and deeper targets It is become more expensive
to make a discovery

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 17


Discovery rate versus spend
Western World non-ferrous exploration spend and discoveries

Number of Discoveries 2012 US$ Billion


200 $18.5b $20
Estimated No of unreported discoveries
Number of Discoveries
Exploration Expenditures Even after adjusting for
150 $15 unreported discoveries , in
the last 5 years a large gap
Between 2002 & 2012 WW has opened up between
spend went up 8x and expenditures and number of
discovery rate up ~3x deposits found
100 $10

… Gap due to higher


input costs (labour,
50 $2.4b $5 drilling and admin)
Estimate

0 $0
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Note: Excludes expenditures and discoveries for Bulk Minerals


Discoveries are for deposits >0.1 Moz Au, >5 kt U3O8, >10 kt Ni, >0.1 Mt Cu-equiv
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 18


Input costs for exploration have doubled
in the last decade
2000 2000 2012 % real
nominal real real increase
$ of the Day 2012 $ 2012$

Average Diamond Drilling Cost (US$/metre)


- Canada $84 $112 $210 88%
- Australia $77 $102 $229 125%

Average salary for an Exploration Manager


(US$ per annum)
- Canada $70,000 $93,000 $170,000 83%
$75,000 $100,000 $250,000 150%
- Australia

Median Administration Cost for a Junior


Exploration Company (US$m per annum)
- Australia $0.34 $0.44 $1.19 170%

Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 19


Higher costs impact on the amount of drilling done
Exploration spend and drilling in Canada and Australia: 1997-2012

(2012 US$ Billion) (million metres)


$6 12
Canada Metres Drilled
$5
$4 7 Between 2002-2011,
$3 Expenditures rose 8.0x
$2 2 but drilling only rose 3.9x
$1 Exploration Expenditures
$0 -3
1997 2002 2007 2012

$6 Metres Drilled 12
Australia
$5
$4 7
Between 2002-2012,
$3
$2 2 Expenditures rose 9.3x
$1 but drilling only rose 2.4x
Exploration Expenditures
$0 -3
1997 2002 2007 2012

Data: NRCan, ABS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 20


… and we are exploring under deeper cover
Depth of cover for Gold and Base Metal discoveries in the World: 1900-2012
Discovery Year
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
0

500

It is difficult to find
1000 deposits under deep
cover

… end-result is that we
1500 have to drill more metres
per discovery

2000
Depth of Cover (Metres)
Note: Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013
Excludes gold deposits in South Africa

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Average depth of cover for discoveries - all metals
Western World: 2003-2012

Africa Latin W Rest Pacific


Average (excl Sth Africa) Am Europe Aust Canada of WW SE Asia USA
0 12
32
55
50 68
74
82
98
100
122 126
If you exclude South
150 Africa, the average
depth of cover falls from
55 to 12 metres
204
200

Metres
250
Note: Based on deposits >0.1 Moz Au, >5 kt U3O8, >10 kt Ni, >0.1 Mt Cu-equiv
Excludes bulk mineral discoveries Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

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There have been several innovations in the exploration tools used to
make discoveries

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Trends in exploration methods
The preferred search method used varies by commodity type,
depth of cover and “scale”

Continental-Scale
Province-Scale
District-Scale
Project-Scale
MinEx has carried out a detailed Prospect-Scale
analysis of the discovery history of
1750 deposits at these two scales

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 24


Primary search method used at the project-scale
GOLD discoveries (>0.1 Moz) in the World: 1900-2012 ie What method was
used to decide where
to peg the leases
Percentage of total discoveries
100% Serendipity

Prospector
80% Other

Visual
60% Conceptual/Geological

Geological Mapping
40% Extrapolated from Known
Mineralisation
Geochem
20%
Geophysics + Geochem

Geophysics
0%

Note: Analysis based on detailed analysis of 993 gold projects (out of 1779 known discoveries)
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 25


Primary search method used at the prospect-scale
GOLD discoveries (>0.1 Moz) in the World: 1900-2012 ie What method was
used to decide where
to drill the first hole
Percentage of total discoveries
100% Serendipity
Prospector
80% Other
Drilling (Sole Method)
60% Visual
Conceptual/Geological

40% Geological Mapping


Extrapolated from Known
Mineralisation
20% Geochem
Geophysics + Geochem

0% Geophysics

Note: Analysis based on detailed analysis of 993 gold projects (out of 1779 known discoveries)
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 26


Primary search method used at the project-scale
BASE METAL discoveries (>0.1 Mt Cu-eq) in the World: 1900-2012 ie What method was
used to decide where
to peg the leases
Percentage of total discoveries
100% Serendipity

Prospector
80% Other

Visual
60% Conceptual/Geological

Geological Mapping
40% Extrapolated from Known
Mineralisation
Geochem
20%
Geophysics + Geochem

Geophysics
0%

Note: Analysis based on detailed analysis of 757 Cu+Ni+Zn+Pb projects (out of 1344 known discoveries)
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 27


Primary search method used at the prospect-scale
BASE METAL discoveries (>0.1 Mt Cu-eq) in the World: 1900-2012 ie What method was
used to decide where
to drill the first hole
Percentage of total discoveries
100% Serendipity
Prospector
80% Other
Drilling (Sole Method)
60% Visual
Conceptual/Geological

40% Geological Mapping


Extrapolated from Known
Mineralisation
20% Geochem
Geophysics + Geochem

0% Geophysics

Note: Analysis based on detailed analysis of 757 Cu+Ni+Zn+Pb projects (out of 1344 known discoveries)
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 28


Depth of cover and discovery method
Prospect-Scale BASE METAL Discoveries in the World: 1900-2012
Discovery Year

Over time we are


exploring under
progressively
Depth of Cover (Metres) deeper cover
Note: Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 29


Depth of cover and discovery method
Prospect-Scale GOLD Discoveries in the World: 1900-2012
Discovery Year

Depth of Cover (Metres)


Note: Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 30


Depth of cover and discovery method
Prospect-Scale GOLD Discoveries in the World: 1900-2012
Discovery Year

Gold exploration is generally


done under shallower cover …
only because we don’t have any
good tools to look deep !!

EXCLUDING South Africa

Depth of Cover (Metres)


Note: Excludes satellite deposits within existing Camps
Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 31


The cost per unit of metal found has been rising

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Exploration expenditures and amount of copper found
Primary copper deposits >0.5 Mt Cu-eq found in Western World: 1950-2012
Mt Cu-eq Expenditures (2012 US$B)
200 $5
Exploration Expenditures
Estimate
Western World Discoveries
$4
150

$3
100
$2

50
$1

0 $0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Note: Estimate includes adjustments for deposits with no discovery year


and deposits missing from the database
Source: MinEx Consulting © June 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 33


Until recently, copper discovery costs were fairly steady
Unit discovery costs for primary copper in the Western World: 1950-2012

US Cents per lb Cu-eq in 2012$


3 Year rolling average
# Equal to 3.0 ¢/lb
excluding by-product credits

Assume 2.5 ¢/lb # Cu-eq


going forward

1995-2005 Average
= 0.9 ¢/lb Cu-eq

Estimate

Source: MinEx Consulting © June 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 34


Gold exploration expenditures and ounces found
Primary gold found in the Western World: 1950-2011

Moz Expenditures (2012 US$B)


300 $10
Exploration Expenditures
Estimate $8
Western World Discoveries
200
$6

$4
100

$2

0 $0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Source: MinEx Consulting © June 2012

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 35


Discovery costs for gold are rising
Unit discovery costs for primary gold in the Western World: 1950-2011

Discovery Cost (June 2012 US$/oz)


$113

3 Year rolling average


Assume $32/oz
going forward
1995-2005
Average = $25/oz

Estimate

Source: MinEx Consulting © June 2012

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 36


Average discovery costs for uranium are rising
Unit discovery costs for uranium in the Western World: 1950-2011

Discovery Cost (US$/lb U3O8)


$11.09

5 Year rolling average


1995-2005
Average = $1.63/lb Assume $2.50/lb
going forward

Estimate

Source: MinEx Consulting © June 2012

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 37


For the industry to be sustainable it needs to replace what it mines

6. ARE WE FINDING ENOUGH METAL ?

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 38


Are we finding enough metal ?
• Key drivers
– Current discovery rates
– Conversion rates (not all discoveries turn into mines)
– Lag between discovery and development
– Conversion rate for Resources > Reserves
– Losses on mining
– Current and (more importantly) future demand for metal

Given the long delays to convert a


discovery into a mine, need to consider
the future size of the market

As a rule of thumb – to be sustainable we need


to find at least 2x as much as we mine

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 39


Mining & discovery rates for gold
Amount of gold found and mined in the World: 1950-2010
Outlook
Exploration Spend $ 
Moz Unit Discovery Costs 
400 Total Metal Found 
Discoveries
World Production Future Mine Production 

300 Discovery/Prodn Ratio in 2026 1.5x

200 “Tight”

Estimate
100

0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Note: Chart include minor adjustment for deposits missing from the database Sources: MinEx Consulting © Nov 2011.
Is based on discoveries > 0.1 Moz Production data from USGS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 40


Mining & discovery rates for copper
Amount of primary copper found and mined in the World: 1950-2011
Outlook
Mt Cu Exploration Spend $ 
Unit Discovery Costs 
160 Total Metal Found 
Discoveries - Estimated
140 Discoveries - By-Product Future Mine Production 

120 Discoveries - Primary Discovery/Prodn Ratio in 2026 1.7x


Mine Production
100
80 “in-Balance”

60
40
20
Estimate
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Note: By-Product metal refers to copper found in Ni, Au and Zn/Pb deposits
Source: MinEx Consulting © March 2012

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 41


Mining & discovery rates for uranium
Amount of Primary U3O8 found and mined in the World: 1950-2010
Outlook
Exploration Spend $ 
Discoveries
Unit Discovery Costs 
World Production
kt U3O8 Total Metal Found 
600 Future Mine Production 
Discovery/Prodn Ratio in 2026 2.0x

400
“in-Balance”

200
Estimate

0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Note: Chart excludes Olympic Dam (Cu-U-Au deposit) found in 1975 – contains 2545 kt U 3O8
Note: Chart include minor adjustment for deposits missing from the database Sources: MinEx Consulting © July 2012
Is based on discoveries > 0.5 kt U3O8 Production data from USGS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 42


Mining & discovery rates for zinc
Amount of Primary Zinc found and mined in the World: 1950-2011
Outlook
Exploration Spend $ 
Mt Zn Unit Discovery Costs 
50 Discoveries - Estimated Total Metal Found 
Discoveries - Known
Future Mine Production 
Mine Production
40 Discovery/Prodn Ratio in 2026 0.7x

30
“Major Shortfall”

20

10
Estimate
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Sources: MinEx Consulting © Feb 2012


Production data from USGS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 43


Mining & discovery rates for lead
Amount of Primary Lead found and mined in the World: 1950-2011
Outlook
Exploration Spend $ 
Mt Pb Unit Discovery Costs 
30 Discoveries - Estimated Total Metal Found 
Discoveries - Known
Future Mine Production 
Mine Production
Discovery/Prodn Ratio in 2026 0.5x
20

“Severe Shortfall”

10

Estimate
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Sources: MinEx Consulting © Feb 2012


Production data from USGS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 44


The industry is facing a number of challenges and opportunities

7. CONCLUSIONS

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 45


Conclusions: Gloom or Boom? [1/3]
Industry has gone
1. Trends in global exploration spend through a “boom”

– Over last decade world exploration spend rose from $2.9b to $29.4b
– Exploration spend reached an all-time high in 2012
– Due to lower commodity prices, exploration spend is forecast to drop 20% in
2013, with a further 15% out to 2020
– Junior Companies facing a cash-crisis. Expect a big cut-back on “money-in-
the-ground” until the situation stabilises
“Industry faces several
years of “gloom”
2. Trends in discovery rates
– Over the last decade industry spend $116b (in 2012$) and found
524 significant deposits, including 86 Tier 1&2 deposits
– The are currently ten “Hot Spots” for exploration around the world.
Two of those are in Africa (Central Africa and West Africa)
Good opportunities
still available

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 46


Conclusions: Gloom or Boom? [2/3]
In terms of discovery,
Africa is “the place to be”
3. Trends in discovery performance
– In terms of bang-per-buck, Africa was the best Region. Over the last decade
it accounted for 14% of global spend and found 22% of the deposits.
– Even though non-ferrous spending in the Western world rose by x8 over the
last decade, the discovery rate only rose ~3x. This was due to a doubling in
the cost of drilling, staff and admin. Industry is also having to explore
under deeper cover.
Input costs should fall in medium term. The challenge of being able
to explore under deeper cover will get more severe

4. Trends in the types of exploration methods used


– Varies by commodity, scale and depth of cover. Even so, brownfields
exploration (i.e. “nearology”) and geophysics are becoming much more
important.
Innovations in geophysics, computing and drilling will
help boost discovery performance

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 47


Conclusions: Gloom or Boom? [3/3]

5. Trends in discovery costs


– Unit discovery costs for all commodities has been rising - going forward
assume $32/oz Au, 3 ¢/lb Cu and $2.50/lb U3O8

6. Are we finding enough metal?


– To be sustainable industry need to find 2x as much as we mine.
– Taking into account, forecast exploration & unit discovery costs, and
future growth in mine production, it appears that uranium and copper are
“in-balance”, gold is “tight” and zinc & lead face major shortfalls.

In the longer term, industry needs to spend more on


exploration to meet future metal demand. Either
that or commodity prices will need to rise !!

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 48


Contact details

Richard Schodde
Managing Director
MinEx Consulting
Melbourne, Australia

Email: Richard@MinExConsulting.com
Website: MinExConsulting.com

Copies of this and other similar


presentations can be downloaded
from my website

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 49


Background data for assessing the sustainability of the mining industry

APPENDIX – ESTIMATED FUTURE MINE


PRODUCTION AND DISCOVERY RATES

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 50


How much metal do we need to find ?

To ensure no supply interruptions in the longer term the industry


needs to be finding at least 2x as much metal as it currently mines

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 51


Estimated Discovery/Production ratios
Gold Copper Uranium
Unit discovery costs ~$32/oz ~3 c/lb ~$2.50/lb
World exploration spend rate [A] = $5100m [A] = $2280m [A] = $680m
(2012 US$m pa) [P] = $9980m [P] = $4870m [P] = $1110m
[F] = $4400m [F] = $2800m [F] = $1500m
Expected amount of metal to
be found [F] = 138 Moz [F] = 42 Mt [F] = 270 kt

Mine Production 2011 = 84 Moz 2011 = 16 Mt 2011 = 64 kt


(in 15 years time) 2026 = 95 Moz 2026 = 25 Mt 2026 = 133 kt

Discovery/Production Ratios [F] [F] [F]


At 2011 Production Rate 1.6x 2.6x 4.2x
At 2026 Production Rate 1.5x 1.7x 2.0x

[A] = Average exploration spending rate over last decade (2003-12) Target is >2x
[P] = Peak exploration spending rate (in the last decade)
[F] = Forecast spend in 2020, based on June 2013 Consensus Economics commodity price forecast Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 52


Estimated Discovery/Production ratios
Zinc Lead Comments
Unit discovery costs ~3 USc/lb Actually refers to Zn-eq
World exploration spend [A] = $650m Assumes that FSU+China make
rate (2012 US$m pa) [P] = $1040m up 15% of total world spend
[F] = $1100m
Expected amount of metal Assumes that the Zn-eq is made
to be found [F] = 12.2 Mt [F] = 2.7 Mt up of 67% zinc, 16% lead and
17% other by-product credits

Mine Production 2011 = 12.4 Mt 2011 = 4.5 Mt Assumes 2% & 1% pa growth


2026 = 16.7 Mt 2026 = 5.2 Mt

Discovery/Production [F] [F]


Ratios
At 2011 Production Rate 1.0x 0.6x
At 2026 Production Rate 0.7x 0.5x Target is > 2x

Required for industry


[A] = Average exploration spending rate over last decade (2003-12)
to be sustainable
[P] = Peak exploration spending rate (in the last decade)
[F] = Forecast spend in 2020, based on June 2013 Consensus Economics commodity price forecast Source: MinEx Consulting © July 2013

MinEx Consulting Strategic advice on mineral economics & exploration 53

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