Séguéla Mine, Côte d’Ivoire

First gold pour achieved in May 2023

Overview

The Séguéla Mine in Côte d’Ivoire consists of the Antenna, Koula, Agouti, Boulder, Ancien, and Sunbird deposits, which will be mined via open-pit methods. Within a total land package of 62,000 hectares, there are more than 30 highly prospective targets. It is located near existing infrastructure, including grid power, transport, and water resources. (Latitude: 8° 8.905′ N, Longitude: 6° 47.312′ W)

In September 2021, Fortuna made the decision to proceed with the construction of an open pit gold mine, with a 3,750 tpd processing plant. In May 2023, Séguéla poured its first gold on-time and on-budget, and consequently became our fifth operating mine. Séguéla has compelling economics, with an eight-year mine life in reserves. The initial six years are expected to report an average of 133,000 ounces of gold production annually. In 2023, Séguéla produced 78,617 ounces of gold.

Based on reserves reported as of December 31, 2023 the operation has a mine life of eight years.

The villages of Bangana, Tiéma, and Kouégo located several kilometers from the mine site are the closest settlements. Trust and strong relationships established with the local communities are pivotal to the success of the project development and its upcoming operation.

We have been building this trust and cultivating these relationships for over five years. In 2023, we employed 901 direct employees and contractors.

The Inauguration of the Séguéla Mine – 2023

Commodities

Gold

Ownership

90%

(State of Cote d’Ivoire holds 10% interest)

Operation

807,616

tonnes milled in 2023

Exploration permit area

35,000

hectares

Deposit type

Orogenic gold

Mining method

Conventional open pit mining

Operating highlights 202312024E1
Gold production (koz)78.6126 – 138
AISC2,3,4 (US$/oz AuEq)7601,110 – 1,230

Location

The Séguéla Mine is located in the Worodougou Region of the Woroba District, Côte d’Ivoire, approximately 500 km from Abidjan, via major highways to the regional city of Séguéla. From Séguéla, the property is accessed via 40 km of unsealed roads. The Séguéla Mine is operated under the Permis d’exploration minière No.56 and the adjacent Permis de recherche minière No.638 which combined cover an area of 62,000 hectares.

Geology and mineralization

The Séguéla Mine is situated within the Paleoproterozoic (“Birimian”) Baoule-Mossi Domain of the West African Craton. Two cycles of volcanism/sedimentation are recognised within the Birimian rocks of the Baoule-Mossi Domain; each followed by a period of orogenesis, and together described as the Eburnian Orogeny which is dated c. 2.19–2.08 Ga. Rocks of the Baoule-Mossi Domain are primarily polyphase granitoids, and volcano-sedimentary sequences forming granite-greenstone terranes. The first cycle of sedimentation and orogenesis (“Eburnian 1”) is described by the accumulation of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks; then subsequently intruded by early stage granitoids. Following a period of uplift and erosion, the Eburnian 2 cycle is described by the filling of intra-montaine basins with predominantly arenaceous sediments of the Tarkwaian Series.

Mineral reserves

11.8 million tonnes

averaging 3.05 g/t Au containing 1.2 Moz Au

Refer to Mineral Reserves and Resources table below for full disclosure

  • The Antenna deposit occurs within a greenstone package deposited during Eburnian 1, is an orogenic lode-style gold system, hosted by a brittle-ductile quartz-albite vein stockwork predominantly contained within flow banded rhyolite units.
  • The Koula deposit is located approximately one kilometer to the east of Antenna and was discovered through field reconnaissance and coincident recent artisanal workings in an area previously considered to be a lower exploration priority. Results from the first of four drill holes testing the projected depth extensions approximately 120 meters down-plunge from the previously deepest intersection of 14 meters at 4.3 g/t Au included an intersection of six meters at 10.8 g/t Au from 355 meters downhole.
  • The Ancien deposit is associated with an interpreted D2 sinistral shear zone. Significant mineralization is restricted to the more reactive and competent tholeiitic basalt unit and is best developed in zones of strong brittle-ductile brecciation and shearing, with selective sericite+/-silica alteration and intense quartz and quartz-carbonate veining.
  • The Boulder and Agouti prospects are both located within a distinct northerly-trending litho-structural corridor that extends from Boulder in the south to Gabbro in the north. Gold mineralization at the Boulder and Agouti prospects is associated with strongly foliated or mylonitized, quartz/quartz-carbonate veined basalt and the margins of the felsic intrusives.
  • The Sunbird deposit is hosted in the same mafic lithological package as Ancien and Koula, with the setting analogous to Koula. Hosted within a strongly foliated and sheared tholeiitic basalt unit, mineralization is best developed in discrete zones of strong shearing with associated biotite-sericite alteration and quartz-carbonate veining.  Visible gold to 5mm is common within quartz veins, similar to what is also seen at Ancien and Koula. Mineralization remains open at depth.

Brownfields exploration

The Brownfields exploration program budget for 2024 at Séguéla is $7.8 million, which includes 41,750 meters of exploration drilling, focused on testing and extending underground targets associated with the Sunbird, Ancien, and Koula deposits, as well as advancing emerging deposits such as Barana, Badior, and Kestral, and continuing to explore for additional prospects.

Mineral reserves and resources

Contained Metal
PropertyClassificationTonnes (000)Au (g/t)Au (koz)
Mineral Reserves – Proven and Probable
Séguéla, Côte d’Ivoire
StockpilesProven4362.0629
AntennaProbable4,3542.30321
KoulaProbable1,4455.77268
AncienProbable1,8113.80221
AgoutiProbable9052.3970
BoulderProbable7101.7339
SunbirdProbable2,1023.04206
CombinedProven + Probable11,7633.051,154
Mineral Resources – Measured and Indicated
Séguéla, Côte d’Ivoire
Open pit (OP)    
AntennaIndicated1,3331.3257
KoulaIndicated545.8410
AncienIndicated1952.7917
AgoutiIndicated2981.6916
BoulderIndicated4331.1316
SunbirdIndicated5481.7731
OP CombinedMeasured + Indicated2,8601.60147
Underground (UG)    
KoulaIndicated454.547
AncienIndicated1923.7923
SunbirdIndicated1,5624.05203
UG CombinedMeasured + Indicated1,7994.03233
CombinedMeasured + Indicated4,6592.54381
Mineral Resources – Inferred
Séguéla, Côte d’Ivoire
Open pit    
AntennaInferred1,7341.6190
KoulaInferred3734.4453
AncienInferred170.891
AgoutiInferred491.532
SunbirdInferred232.292
OP CombinedInferred2,1962.09147
Underground    
KoulaInferred2903.2430
AncienInferred1543.8219
SunbirdInferred4193.6249
UG CombinedInferred8633.5398
CombinedInferred3,0592.50245

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