1020 - 800 W Pender
St. Vancouver BC
Canada V6C 2V6
Tel 604 684 - 6365
Fax 604 684 - 8092
Toll Free 1 800 667 - 2114
www.tasekomines.com
TASEKO MINES
LIMITED
GIBRALTAR RESERVE UPDATE
December 11, 2008 - Vancouver, BC - Taseko
Mines Limited (TSX:TKO; AMEX:TGB) ("Taseko" or the "Company")
announces a 28% increase in mineral reserves at its 100% owned Gibraltar Mine.
Taseko's recently completed drill program and engineering study on the
newly acquired Oakmont ground which has confirmed an extension of the Gibraltar
mineral deposit (Gibraltar Extension) and as a result Gibraltar's ore
reserves have been increased by approximately 105 million tons or 28% to 472
million tons.
This increase in reserves will add roughly 640 million pounds of recoverable
copper to Gibraltar's reserve base of 2.1 billion pounds bringing that
total to 2.7 billion pounds of copper, and under present operations extends
Gibraltar's mine life to 2035.
Russell Hallbauer, President and CEO of Taseko commented, "In the world
in which we find ourselves today with respect to mineral resource development
it cannot be overstated how important large mineral reserves in secure political
jurisdictions such as British Colu mbia are for a company.
With conservative long term metal price projections, our Gibraltar Mine will
be operational for nearly three more decades, providing returns to our shareholders,
as well as significant economic benefits to our employees and the local communities.
In the near term as a result of metal production increases, low cost hydro
electric power, a low and declining tax regime, significantly reduced input
costs combined with the Canadian/US dollar exchange rate, Gibraltar's
cost profile will be significantly lower than that experienced over the past
18 months.
With our newly optimized mining plans, our access to efficient rail and port
facilities combined with a skilled and motivated workforce, complemented by
supportive mining focused government policies we anticipate Gibraltar remaining
operational during this period of financial turmoil and weakened copper prices.
This continued increase in our ore reserves supports the business plan we
embarked on 24 months ago, whereby we would transform Gibraltar from a high
cost swing producer to one that could continue to operate over the long term
at varying copper prices."
Gibraltar's proven and probable reserves as of December 31, 2008 are tabulated
below:
Gibraltar
Mine Mineral Reserves |
||||
Pit |
Category |
Tons (millions) |
Cu (%) |
Mo (%) |
|
Proven |
40.4 |
0.296 |
0.010 |
|
Probable |
14.8 |
0.271 |
0.009 |
|
Subtotal |
55.2 |
0.289 |
0.010 |
Gibraltar East |
Proven |
66.8 |
0.286 |
0.008 |
|
Probable |
33.3 |
0.285 |
0.013 |
|
Subtotal |
100.1 |
0.286 |
0.010 |
Granite |
Proven |
186.7 |
0.324 |
0.009 |
|
Probable |
25.7 |
0.319 |
0.009 |
|
Subtotal |
212.4 |
0.323 |
0.009 |
Gibraltar Extension (new reserves) |
Proven |
75.4 |
0.352 |
0.002 |
|
Probable |
29.3 |
0.304 |
0.002 |
|
Subtotal |
104.7 |
0.339 |
0.002 |
Total |
472.4 |
0.315 |
0.008 |
1
Based on the projected mineral reserves at the reserve statement date based
on current production rates.
The mineral reserves stated above are contained within the following mineral
resources:
Gibraltar Mine Mineral Resources
As at December 31, 2008 At 0.20% copper cut-off |
|||
Category |
Ton
(millions) |
Cu |
Mo (%) |
Measured |
597.7 |
0.302 |
0.008 |
Indicated |
361.0 |
0.290 |
0.008 |
Total |
958.7 |
0.298 |
0.008 |
The mineral resource and reserve estimations were completed by Gibraltar mine staff under the supervision of Scott Jones, P.Eng., Vice-President, Engineering and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Mr Jones has verified the methods used to determine grade and tonnage in the geological model, reviewed the long range mine plan, and directed the updated economic evaluation. The estimates for the Gibraltar Extension used long term metal prices of US$1.75/lb for copper and US$10.00/lb for molybdenum and a foreign exchange of C$0.82 per US dollar while the estimates for the balance of the reserves used long term metal prices of US$1.50/lb for copper and US$10.00/lb for molybdenum and a foreign exchange of C$0.80 per US dollar. Mr Jones has reviewed this release. A technical report will be filed on www.sedar.com.
Contact: Brian Battison, Vice President Corporate Affairs - 778-373-4543, toll free 1-800-667-2114 or
Brian Bergot, Investor Relations - 778-373-4545, toll free 1-800-667-2114
No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved
of the information contained in this news release.
Forward Looking Statements
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking
statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of
historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration
drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company
expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the
expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable
assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and
actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in forward-looking statements include capital market conditions, commodities
market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, lack of continuity
of mineralization, completion of the mill upgrade on time estimated and at
scheduled cost, continued availability of capital and financing, and general
economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results
or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the
Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission or the Company's home jurisdiction filings at www.sedar.com.