International Coast Minerals Corporation (ICM) is focused on mining opportunities in Eastern Europe, particularly Poland. ICM has agreements with Polish State Mining Authority KGHM to develop mining projects and recover minerals from tailings. One such project is reprocessing tailings at the Konrad Mine in Poland, estimated to contain over $1 billion worth of copper and silver. ICM aims to provide financing and technology to maximize resource recovery from these sites in an environmentally responsible manner.
2. CORPORATE PERSPECTIVE
International Coast Minerals Corporation (ICM), an inter-
national mining development company, is concentrating its efforts
on optimizing mining-related opportunities in Eastern Bloc
countries, particularly within Poland. From its inception in 1984,
the Company has established a solid managerial, financial and
technical base to identify and access Eastern opportunities with
Western resources and technology.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, ICM is cur-
rently involved in projects in both Eastern Europe and North
America. In an unprecedented move, the Company entered into an
agreement with the Polish State Mining Authority (KGHM) in 1989
for the development of a multi-faceted minerals recovery program
in Poland, ICM'S corporate objective is to establish economically-
viable projects within this joint reclamation mandate. In addition to
overseas involvements, the Company has an interest in a gold
property on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, which is
scheduled to commence test production in the near future.
Waldo W. Ejtel, a native of Warsaw and ICM'S Founder,
President and CEO, has assembled a distinguished team of
professionals to direct the Company's operations. The Board of
Directors includes Thomas M. Waterland, current President of the
Mining Association of British Columbia and the former B.C.
Minister of Mines and Petroleum Resources; and Jerrold K.
Peterson, head of a subsidiary of MacMillan Bloedel, one of
Canada's largest resource companies.
To assist the Company in developing one of its projects in
Poland, ICM has retained the services of Endeavour Capital Cor-
poration as a Corporate and financial advisor. Endeavour provides
ICM with financial management consulting expertise.
International Coast Minerals Corporation is a Canadian
public company whose shares are listed on the Vancouver Stock
Exchange under the trading symbol INK.
3. REFORMS OPEN UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Glastnost (Openness) and Perestroika (Economic Reform) in
the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries have opened the doors
for foreign investment. Significant opportunities for both East and
West have arisen from the rapid change in political, social and
economic structures in recent months. As many of the countries,
particularly Poland, move from a centrally planned to a free market
economy, they look beyond their borders for capital and technical
expertise. This presents a major opportunity for International Coast
Minerals - a company on the leading edge in facilitating this impor-
tant change.
INVESTMENT TIES STRENGTHEN
An invest-
ment agreement
between Canada and
Poland is paving the
way toward
strengthening rela-
tions between these
two countries. One
purpose of the
agreement is to
provide assurances
to Canadian
companies that
capital invested in
Poland will be fully
protected from
government
interference.
Poland has also recently enacted new laws regarding joint
ventures to attract investment and technology from the West. It is ex-
pected that these political changes will spark numerous commercial
relationships in various resource sectors in the 1990s, including
mining, agriculture and energy conservation
Mr. Waldo W. Ejtel, President of International Coast
Minerals Corp. took part in the Official Canadian Business Mission
to Poland led by Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Hon. Don
Mazankowski in April 1990.
Management & Staff at ICM Headquarters
4. STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH KGHM
ICM has entered into an agreement with KGHM, the Polish
State Mining Authority, KGHM (The Copper Mining and Smelting
Industrial Group) is the largest primary copper producer in Europe -
supplying 60% of the European market. In operation since 1961, this
integrated copper mining enterprise incorporates 20 divisions, five
underground mines and four metallurgical plants.
In April 1989, ICM signed a Letter of Agreement with KGHM
for the testing and, if warranted, the reprocessing and extracting of
all economic minerals contained in the tailings of the KGHM mines in
Lubin, Rudna and Polkowice. KGHM estimates these tailings exceed
300 million tonnes of material. The Gilow and Iron Bridge tailings
ponds alone are estimated by KGHM to contain 592,000 tonnes of
copper and more than 50 million ounces of silver. The value of these
metals from only two of the five tailings ponds is projected to exceed
$1 billion.
With Poland in
transition to a free
enterprise system,
ICM approached
KGHM, offering the
financing and
technology needed
to mount a major
recovery program
on massive tailings
at a number of
mine sites.
Currently, two
projects are under
evaluation: the re-
covery of eco-
nomic minerals
from tailings at the
Konrad Mine in
Iwiny and the
Gilow tailings
pond in the Lubin-
Wroclaw-Glogow
area.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY
ICM is highly sensitive to the importance of the impact of
mining on the environment in Poland and the necessity of protecting
the integrity of the land. Under consideration are plans to develop
new technologies to turn the avoidance of pollution into potentially
profitable and economic assets. The successful outcome of this
project will make a major contribution to sustainable development
and global environmental protection.
Pipelines carrying tailings from Lubin mines to Iron Bridge
President of ICM visiting one of the largest tailings ponds in the world (Iron Bridge in Poland)
6. PROJECT OVERVIEW — POLAND
KONRAD MINE TAILINGS PROJECT*
Situated in Iwiny, the Konrad Mine is KGHM'S oldest copper
mine. Its processing plant and mill were built in the 1950s and al-
lowed for recoveries up to 70% copper, 60% silver and 14% - 33%
gold and platinum group metals. Over the course of several decades,
30% - 85% of these metais have been deposited in three tailings
ponds at the mine site, which are estimated to contain approximately
45 million tonnes of material.
Due to a depletion of the ore body, the Konrad Mine was
closed at the end of 1989. However, to facilitate tailings recovery the
mine's equipment and labour force have been fully maintained since
the closure. The infrastructure at the Konrad Mine is extensive and
includes buildings, mills, a source of water, power supplies and
transportation facilities.
POTENTIAL VALUE OF THE TAILINGS IS STAGGERING
According to mineral content records from 1988, the Konrad
Mine reports the tailings deposited during that year contained aver-
* (Information on the tailings has been provided by the Management
of the Konrad Mine)
24 million tons of tailings containing copper and silver in pond #3 in Konrad mine
7. age grades of 0.34% copper and 0.5 oz. silver per tonne, along with
platinum group metals. Based on prices of us$ 1.20/lb for copper and
US$ 5.00/oz. for silver, the potential value exceeds US$10 per tonne,
which does not include other mineral values contained in the tailings.
The sheer volume of the tailings material extant on the site, in
tandem with low operating costs, makes this project a mining
venture worth several hundred million dollars.
FEASIBILITY STUDY UNDERWAY
In May 1990, a chief geologist of the Konrad Mine reported
that 64 samples taken from the tailings contained average grades of
0.414% copper. In light of these results, ICM has commissioned the
highly-respected engineering firm of MINPROC CANADA INC. to
drill samples from the tailings and conduct a feasibility study.
MINPROC CANADA INC. is a subsidiary of MINPROC HOLD-
INGS LIMITED of Australia, whose Engineering Division grossed
more than $172.7 million in revenues in 1988 - 1989. MINPROC
Engineers were responsible for the development of the Ridgeway
Mine in South Carolina and, in recent years, has captured 60% of the
gold industry's engineering business. An immense international or-
ganization, MINPROC has built more than 70 mines with recovery
plants world-wide.
The engineering firm of Bacon
Donaldson & Associates has
started metallurgical test work
on the Konrad Mine tailings.
Bacon Donaldson & Associates
is a subsidiary of Sherrit
Gordon Limited, a world leader
in hydrometallurgical
technology, marketing its
products and expertise in over
50 countries.
INITIAL PRODUCTION PLANS
Subject to the results of a feasibility study by MINPROC
Engineers, preliminary indications suggest that full production at the
Konrad Mine could commence by the spring of 1991 – reprocessing
tailings material at a rate of 5,000 to 15,000 tonnes per day. To
operate at this level of production, the tailings project requires
equipment incorporating the latest in western technology, ICM offers
to provide the necessary equipment and technology to maximize the
Konrad mine Mill
8. cost-effective recovery of minerals from the tailings. Specifically,
suction cutter head dredges and column floatation cells need to be
purchased. Preliminary information indicates that the capital invest-
ment required by ICM to initiate this 5,000 tonne per day recovery
operation is $2 million.
AGREEMENTS
Minetec Capital Group Inc., a private company controlled by
the President of ICM, entered into a preliminary Letter of Agreement
with the Konrad Mine to test and, if warranted, reprocess and extract
all economic minerals contained in the mine's tailings. In March
1990, ICM entered into an agreement with Minetec to option the
Konrad Mine Tailings Project.
As part of the option agreement, Minetec will receive a
royalty of 1% net smelter revenues from the project, provided ICM
commences production by May 31, 1991. Currently, ICM and KGHM
are in the process of reaching a final agreement stipulating the
participation of profits once the initial capital investment is retired.
GILOW TAILINGS PROJECT
A REVIEW OF THE TECHNICAL DATA
To assess the full
potential and economic viability
of the Gilow Tailings Project,
ICM initiated a review of the
data supplied by KGHM. The
Company commissioned
Wright Engineers Ltd (a
subsidiary of Fluor Daniel, Inc.,
the largest public engineering
and construction corporation in
the US) to perform a pre-
feasibility study, which was
completed in September 1989.
FINAL FEASIBILITY STUDY TO BE CONDUCTED
As the pre-feasibility study proved favourable, Wright Engi-
neers recommended that a final feasibility study beperformed. Costs
for the final feasibility study are estimated between $450,000 and
$500,000, and it is anticipated the study can be completed in
approximately five months.
TEST WORK UNDERWAY TO ENHANCE RECOVERIES
ICM has retained two organizations to enhance recoveries,
through further metallurgical test work: the University of British
70 million tonnes of tailing at Gilow pond
9. Columbia Research Services Mining and Mineral Process Engineer-
ing, and the engineering firm Bacon, Donaldson and Associates Ltd.
ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS AND INVESTMENT RETURN
Current information indicates that the costs for the project
calculated over a 10-year period are $36,253,820, with operational
costs estimated at $5,250,300 per year, or $0.72 / tonne (based on
production of 20,000 tonnes / day). A preliminary financial evalu-
ation, based on a total of 73 million tonnes of material from the
Gilow tailings pond, indicates a rate of return (after taxes) of
24.85%, based on us$1.00/lb. for copper andus$5.00/oz. for silver.
By providing the necessary technology and equipment to
mount major reclamation and recovery programs world-wide, ICM is
strongly positioned to develop profitable joint ventures with giant
mining entities in previously inaccessible markets.
PROJECT OVERVIEW — USSR
SVERDLOVSK DISTRICT TAILINGS PROJECT
In March 1990, ICM hosted a five-man delegation from the
Soviet Union to discuss a tailings project in the USSR, similar to the
one in Poland. During the visit, a Letter of Agreement was signed
between ICM and the Middle-Ural Copper Plant (MUCP) to test and, if
warranted, extract all economic minerals from the tailings ponds in
the Sverdlovsk district of the USSR.
For the past 300 years, the Sverdlovsk district has been a
major mining centre. As a number of mine-mill-smelter complexes
operate in this ore-rich area, it is estimated that up to 350 million
tonnes of tailings material have accumulated over the years.
10. PROGRAM UNDERTAKEN TO
REACH JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT
The initial
program of the
proposed joint
venture calls for
ICM to commence
testing on a
tailings pond
which contains
approximately 17
million tonnes of
material with
higher-than-av-
erage grades.
MUCP reports
indicate these
tailings contain
average grades of
0.3% copper,
0.44% zinc, 27.8%
sulphur, 10.8
grams silver and 0.72 grams gold per tonne, as well as platinum
group metals. Metallurgical tests are being conducted by Bacon
Donaldson & Associates. In addition the Company plans a pre-
feasibility
study. Based
on positive
results from
those tests,
ICM plans to
visit
Sverdlovsk
and sign a
joint venture
agreement
with MUCP. A
final
agreement
reached on
the tailings
project
would be one
of the first of
its kind in the
Soviet Union
for any
western mi-
ning
company.
Signing Letter of Agreement on March 12, 1990 in
Vancouver, B.C. from right: L.Smirnoff – Ural Copper
Plant President, Hon. E.Veitch – Minister of
International Business and Immigration, W.Ejtel - KM
President & CEO, S.Podol – Soviet Interpreter
Visiting Mining Association of British Columbia
from Ieft: T.Waterland – Mining Association, President; L.Smirnoff
– Ural Copper Plant, President; W.Ejtel ICM. President; Victor
Smirnoff – Soviet Ministry of Non-Ferrous Metals - Head of the
International Department; A.Khalemsky – Ural Copper Plant, vice-
president, R.Navarsardyan - UN1PROMED - Ural Copper Institute
in Sverdlovsk, President; S.Fodol - Ural Refinery Corporation,
Marketing Manager (also interpreter)
11. OUTLOOK
International Coast Minerals Corporation is on the outset of
substantial growth through its relationship and development with
KGHM. Established connections and ongoing discussions with
delegations worldwide confirm that the Company is on the
forefront in developing profitable ventures with Poland and other
countries. In maximizing international mining opportunities, ICM is
destined to become a leading resource company over both the short
and long term.
CONTACTS
INTERNATIONAL COAST MINERALS CORPORATION
1950 PARK PLACE, 666 BURRARD STREET
VANCOUVER B.C. CANADA V6C 2X8
TEL.: (604) 685 4335
FAX: (604) 685 3353
TELEX: 063691353
CANADIAN EMBASSY
00-481 WARSAW POLAND
UL. MATEJKI 1/5
FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY
00-489 WARSAW POLAND
UL. WIEJSKA 10
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
00-950 WARSAW POLAND
UL. WIEJSKA 10