Re: So can we apply the 3.5 to 4 cents for copper in the ground to CUU to determine.
posted on
Nov 02, 2012 04:09PM
CUU own 25% Schaft Creek: proven/probable min. reserves/940.8m tonnes = 0.27% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, 0.018% moly and 1.72 g/t silver containing: 5.6b lbs copper, 5.8m ounces gold, 363.5m lbs moly and 51.7m ounces silver; (Recoverable CuEq 0.46%)
No you can't apply it. For one it only works going backwards, not going forwards - and is an average, with a standard deviation and variability.
It's a bad predictor because it's based on correlation and gives no source of causation. Even outside of that as a rough guesstimate you can't use it because of the sample that's being used and what they share in common. SC is in a better geopolitical climate, probably has a better environmental impact, has different infrastrucutre already in place and there's differences in every other factor that goes into looking at a mine.
The most important reason you can't use it, and what it really comes down to - is because it's not how much there is, it's how profitable it is and how much it takes to get out of the ground, versus how much it costs to get out (both initially and ongoing, i.e. CAPEX and OPEX). We could have a trillion pounds of copper, but if it costs $4 a pound to get out, it's worth less than a mine that has a billion pounds but costs $1 to get out.
It's about the economics, not the size or the grade! The size and grade are just indicators for the economics.