Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Tuesday, June 01 2021 - 17:00
AsiaNet
Mineracao Vale Verde Completes Construction at the Serrote Copper-Gold Mine Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget
LONDON, June 01, 2021 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

Highlights

- The Serrote copper-gold mine and processing plant completed construction
  ahead of schedule and under budget
- Demonstrates Appian’s ability to identify, acquire and develop high quality 
  assets into production 
- MVV has delivered the project with a leading safety record, successfully 
  executed during challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The mine has an initial 14-year life, based on a subset of the defined 
  mineral resources, and is targeting 22 ktpa CuEq production[1]
- High-grade concentrate will yield a market premium, with lower downstream 
  transport costs and carbon footprint
- MVV is well positioned in the lower second quartile of the copper cost 
  curve, benefiting from long-term demand trends for electrification and 
  decarbonisation
- Significant value upside beyond initial plan through mine life extensions
  and plant throughput expansion opportunities 
- First shipment of high grade copper-gold-silver concentrate is targeted for 
  November 2021

Mineracao Vale Verde Ltda. (“MVV” or the “Company”) and Appian Capital Advisory 
LLP (“Appian”) are pleased to announce the finalization of construction of the 
Serrote copper-gold mine and processing plant (“Serrote”) located in Alagoas, 
Brazil.
 
This important milestone has been achieved by MVV ahead of schedule and under 
budget, while maintaining an industry leading safety record. Construction was 
concluded safely, whilst managing the challenges posed by the global COVID-19 
pandemic. MVV’s leadership, organisational structure and working practices have 
protected its employees and have been critical to the successful completion of 
this project. 

This progress has been driven by high-calibre execution from the team on the 
ground in Alagoas, delivering on the operating strategy implemented by MVV’s 
leading management team and Appian. The focus is now on the transition to 
steady state operations and the ramp-up over the second half of 2021, with 
operational readiness workstreams, employee training programs and risk 
management workshops well advanced. 

This follows the announcement in February that MVV had secured a US$140m 
project finance debt facility, the largest independent greenfield mining 
project finance transaction announced since the beginning of 2020 and the onset 
of COVID-19, demonstrating Serrote’s strong fundamentals. MVV remains well 
funded through the ramp-up with the support of Appian and its lender group.
 
MVV’s first shipment of concentrate is targeted for November 2021. MVV will 
produce a high grade bornite-chalcopyrite copper concentrate, with gold and 
silver by-product credits. The high-grade nature of the concentrate will yield 
a premium in the market, and lowers the downstream transport costs and carbon 
footprint compared to typical copper concentrates. 

Serrote will produce an average of approximately 22 ktpa of copper equivalent 
over an initial 14-year mine life from a low-strip, open pit mine supplying a 
4.1 Mtpa processing plant. This initial life of mine will exploit a mineral 
reserve of 52.7 Mt grading 0.6% Cu and 0.1 g/t. MVV is now working towards 
unlocking substantial value upside through definition of an expansion plan into 
the larger 108.9 Mt Measured and Indicated Resource at Serrote, as well as 
developing plans to generate value through the known oxide resource and nearby 
satellite deposits which are currently being drilled and expanded. 

The current copper outlook further enhances the highly attractive economics of 
the project with MVV expected to produce at an AISC cash cost of ~US$1.41/lb Cu 
and generate strong annual EBITDA margins in excess of 60%, at market consensus 
commodity prices and FX forecasts. Serrote is well positioned in the lower 
second quartile of the copper cost curve on an AISC basis.[1]

Our priority remains the safety of our people and the communities that host our 
operations, and with the conclusion of construction Appian and MVV remain 
committed to best-in-class ESG practices, including compliance with the Equator 
Principles and IFC Performance Standards on Social Sustainability.
 
Paulo Castellari, CEO MVV & Appian Brazil commented:
“This is a fantastic achievement for MVV, underlining the technical, 
operational and financing expertise of our talented team. Concluding 
construction in line with schedule and below budget once again demonstrates the 
success of Appian’s business model, and I am particularly proud of our leading 
safety record and ability to exceed expectations despite the pandemic.

"In Serrote we have a high quality asset with low production costs, a long 
mine-life and significant upside from potential further expansion. Copper 
remains an incredibly attractive commodity and MVV is ideally placed to benefit 
from the growing global focus on electrification and decarbonisation.” 

About Mineracao Vale Verde Ltda.

MVV is the owner and operator of Serrote, an advanced stage, de-risked 
greenfield open-pit copper-gold asset, located in Alagoas, Brazil. The Company 
is headquartered in Belo Horizonte, with a high-quality management team with 
extensive local and international experience operating at site.
 
Following Appian’s acquisition of the asset in mid-2018, an updated DFS was 
completed outlining a 14-year initial mine life with production of 
approximately 24 thousand tonnes of copper equivalent per annum in a premium, 
high grade concentrate. Serrote is expected to be well positioned in the lower 
second quartile of the copper cost curve on a total cash cost basis.
 
MVV is pursuing several expansion opportunities beyond the initial mine life, 
with significant defined mineralization outside of the current mine plan as 
well as numerous satellite resources and targets within trucking distance of 
the planned plant infrastructure. Less than 50% of the 112Mt global MI&I 
resource is currently contained within the mine plan, with active drilling and 
growth plans underway to increase mineable inventory.

About Appian Capital Advisory LLP

Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value 
focused private equity funds that invest solely in mining and mining related 
companies.

Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with 
global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and 
a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development 
targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing nearly 5,000 employees.
Appian has a global team of 46 experienced professionals with offices in 
London, Toronto, Lima, Belo Horizonte and Sydney. 

For more information please visit: www.appiancapitaladvisory.com, or find us on 
LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/company/appian-capital-advisory-llp/] or 
Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/appiancapitaladvisory/].

[1] Copper equivalent production and AISC based on long-term commodity prices 
of US$3.20/lb Cu, US$1,700/oz Au and US$22.00/oz Ag and 5.00 BRL:USD. 

Joint Source: Appian Capital Advisory LLP and Mineracao Vale Verde Ltda