ARIS MINING ANNOUNCES POSITIVE PEA RESULTS FOR THE TOROPARU GOLD PROJECT
Rhea-AI Summary
Aris Mining (NYSE-A: ARMN) announced a positive PEA for the 100%‑owned Toroparu gold project in Guyana dated October 28, 2025. Key highlights: 21.3-year mine life, 235 koz average annual gold production, 5.0 Moz LOM gold, life‑of‑mine AISC of $1,289/oz, initial construction capital of $820M (reduced to $682M after $138M stream financing), after‑tax NPV5% $1.8B and IRR 25.2% at $3,000/oz. The PEA supports a truck‑and‑shovel open pit with 7.0 Mtpa mill capacity and includes OEM lease fleet financing to reduce upfront capex.
Positive
- After‑tax NPV5% of $1.8B at $3,000/oz
- IRR of 25.2% (base case at $3,000/oz)
- Average annual production 235 koz over 21.3 years
- Initial capital $820M with $138M committed stream funding (reduces upfront to $682M)
- Life‑of‑mine EBITDA average $443M per year
Negative
- Initial capital requirement still $820M (pre‑stream) to reach construction
- Losses from stream financing of $1,356M over LOM reduce net cash flow
- Mineral resources are not reserves and have no demonstrated economic viability
- Strip ratio of 4.7:1 increases mining waste and operating exposure
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, ARMN gained 1.10%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +2.5% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 2 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $20M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $1.86B at that time.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
PEA confirms long-life, low-cost open pit gold operation in
Neil Woodyer, CEO, commented: "The Toroparu PEA outlines a major new growth and diversification opportunity for Aris Mining. After the GCM Mining and Aris Gold merger and the arrival of our management team in September 2022, we paused the Project's previous construction plans to reassess the Project on a first-principles basis, which included completing a new geological interpretation, updating the mineral resource estimate, and undertaking optimization studies. The result is a robust PEA that establishes a solid path forward. This is our second major technical study this year, following the Soto Norte Prefeasibility Study (PFS) in September, and together they demonstrate the strength of our growth pipeline beyond
Project Highlights
Low-Risk Development Strategy for a Large-Scale, Open Pit Mine
- Measured and indicated mineral resources of 126.9 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.30 grams per tonne (g/t) Au containing 5.3 million ounces (Moz) of gold and inferred mineral resources of 22.9 Mt at 1.6 g/t Au containing 1.2 Moz of gold. See Table 4 for more detailed technical disclosure.
- Conventional truck-and-shovel open pit operation with a strip ratio of 4.7 to 1 (waste to mill feed).
- Mill capacity of 7.0 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) – a scale that supports attractive investment returns and extends mine life to over 20 years.
Production and Economics
- Production of doré and copper concentrates containing 5.0 Moz gold, 4.9 Moz silver, and 260 million pounds (Mlb) of copper over the life-of-mine.
- Average annual life-of-mine gold production of 235 thousand ounces (koz).
- Low life-of-mine cash costs1 of
/oz2 Au and all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) of$826 /oz2 Au.$1,289 - Significant by-product credits from copper and silver.
Capital and Returns
- Base case gold price:
/oz, supporting life-of-mine payable gold sales of$3,000 .$14.7 billion - Initial construction capital of
, including pre-production costs and$820 million of contingency.$96 million - This reflects a
reduction in initial capital compared to a fleet-purchase scenario, as the$38 million cost of the initial mining fleet is reduced to approximately$73 million of upfront and construction-period payments under an OEM lease. The OEM leasing strategy ensures access to modern, well-supported equipment under comprehensive maintenance and parts-supply programs over the long +20 year mine life.$35 million - An additional
of committed funding from a historical precious metals streaming agreement, further reducing the upfront funding requirement to$138 million .$682 million
- This reflects a
- After-tax NPV
5% of , IRR of$1.8 billion 25.2% , and payback in 3.0 years from the start of operations. - Annual EBITDA averaging
over the life of the mine.$443 million - Strong leverage to higher gold prices, at
/oz the NPV$3,600 5% increases to with IRR of$2.7 billion 32.6% .
Figure 1 illustrates Toroparu's planned gold production and processed grade profile over the 21.3-year mine life outlined in the PEA. The average annual gold production is projected at 235 koz, peaking at 278 koz in Year 18, supported by a consistent milled gold grade ranging from 1.0 to 1.3 g/t. The long, steady production profile demonstrates the grade continuity of the deposit.
The open pit optimization and designs were based on a
To efficiently manage the owner-operated mining fleet over the Project's long life, the initial mining fleet—including excavators, dozers, haul trucks, and support equipment—is expected to be secured through Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) lease financing ahead of first production. Replacement equipment will be renewed on a scheduled basis under similar arrangements, ensuring access to modern, reliable, and well-supported equipment throughout the pre-production and 21.3-year operating periods. The OEM leasing and service agreements are expected to include comprehensive maintenance and parts supply programs, providing consistent technical support, minimizing downtime, and optimizing equipment availability and lifecycle performance across the Project's operations.
Plant commissioning will be supported by a large pre-production stockpile of approximately 6.1 million tonnes, representing most of the first year's mill feed. This stockpile, built during the construction period, provides a strong foundation for a smooth, low-risk start-up and consistent throughput as operations ramp up. With stockpiled mill feed available ahead of commissioning, processing is expected to reach nameplate capacity of 7.0 Mtpa within the first operating year, supporting reliable early cash flow and efficient optimization of plant performance.
The process flow sheet has been designed to efficiently recover copper as a flotation concentrate. In earlier project designs, the flotation circuit was deferred to reduce initial capital costs; however, by incorporating the flotation circuit from the outset, the current design effectively manages copper in the mill-feed while generating a valuable by-product that contributes positively to project revenues.
Technical Report Availability
A complete National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) compliant Technical Report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Toroparu Project, Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region,
Both projects demonstrate
Table 1 – Toroparu follows Oko West's lead
|
Feature |
Toroparu (Aris Mining) |
Oko West (G Mining Ventures)3 |
|
Stage |
PEA completed, PFS underway |
Feasibility Study completed (Apr 2025), receipt of environmental permit (Sept 2025), secured project financing commitments and formal construction decision (Oct 2025) |
|
Mining method |
Open pit, conventional truck and shovel |
Open pit, conventional truck and shovel (
Underground, mechanized long hole open stoping with cemented rock fill ( |
|
Open Pit Mineral Resources |
123.3 Mt at 1.28 g/t Au containing 5.1 Moz (measured and indicated), and 11.4 Mt at 1.13 g/t Au containing 0.4 Moz (inferred) |
73.0 Mt at 2.00 g/t Au containing 4.7 Moz (indicated), and 1.5 Mt at 1.06 g/t Au (inferred) |
|
Underground Mineral Resources |
3.6 Mt at 2.05 g/t Au containing 239 koz (measured and indicated), and 11.5 Mt at 2.07 g/t Au containing 763 koz (inferred) |
7.2 Mt at 3.09 g/t Au containing 718 koz (indicated), and 3.6 Mt at 2.93 g/t Au containing 337 koz (inferred) |
|
Open pit stripping ratio (waste to mill feed) |
4.7 |
6.8 |
|
Processing capacity |
7.0 Mtpa |
Life of Mine (LOM) average of 6.2 Mtpa |
|
Flowsheet |
Gravity, flotation & CIL & |
Gravity & CIL |
|
Products |
Doré and copper concentrates |
Doré |
|
Average annual gold production |
235 koz per year for 21.3 years |
350 koz per year for 12.3 years (reserves only) |
|
Average AISC/oz |
|
|
|
Life of mine production |
5.0 Moz gold, 4.9 Moz silver, and 260 Mlb of copper |
4.3 Moz gold (reserves only) |
|
Initial capital cost |
|
|
|
Key economic indicators |
At
NPV
IRR: Payback period: 3.0 years
At
NPV
IRR: Payback period: 2.8 years |
At
NPV
IRR: Payback period: 2.1 years |
Table 2 – Toroparu economic evaluation sensitivity to gold price
|
Gold price Indicator |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax NPV |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax IRR (%) |
16.6 % |
19.6 % |
22.5 % |
25.2 % |
27.7 % |
30.2 % |
32.6 % |
|
Payback period (years) |
4.4 |
3.7 |
3.3 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
2.5 |
2.3 |
The sensitivity analysis in Table 2 shows that at higher gold prices, returns increase substantially beyond the attractive levels of the base case scenario.
The base-case economic analysis includes a total initial funding contingency of
The economic analysis also includes the historic precious metals stream agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals International Ltd (Wheaton), originally entered into in 2013 and amended in 2015, when Toroparu was owned by Sandspring Resources Ltd., a single-asset junior developer. Under this agreement, Wheaton may elect to provide
Table 3 – Toroparu economic evaluation results
|
Key indicators |
Units |
Total |
|
Total gold produced over life of mine |
Moz |
5.0 |
|
Initial life of mine at milling rate of 7.0 Mtpa |
Years |
21.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Average annual life of mine gold production |
koz |
235 |
|
|
|
|
|
Life of mine average cash cost2 |
$/oz Au |
826 |
|
Life of mine average AISC2 |
$/oz Au |
1,289 |
|
|
|
|
|
Average annual life of mine EBITDA |
$M |
443 |
|
|
|
|
|
Summary cash flow for the life of mine ($M), at |
|
|
|
Revenue from payable gold sales |
|
14,677 |
|
Less: royalties |
|
1,193 |
|
Less: operating costs, net of by-product silver and copper |
|
4,043 |
|
Less: sustaining capital |
|
1,069 |
|
Operating margin |
|
8,372 |
|
Less: income tax |
|
2,174 |
|
After-tax cash flow |
|
6,198 |
|
Less: initial capital including pre-production costs, and |
|
820 |
|
Credit: construction funding, Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
(138) |
|
Less: other non-sustaining capital expenditures over LOM |
|
198 |
|
Less: closure costs |
|
35 |
|
Net cash flow, before losses from Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
5,283 |
|
Less: losses from Wheaton precious metals stream financing |
|
1,356 |
|
Net cash flow |
|
3,927 |
|
|
|
|
|
After-tax indicators, at |
|
|
|
NPV at |
$M |
1,805 |
|
IRR |
% |
25.2 |
|
Payback period (from start of operations) |
Years |
3.0 |
|
After-tax indicators, at |
|
|
|
NPV at |
$M |
2,664 |
|
IRR |
% |
32.6 |
|
Payback period (from start of operations) |
Years |
2.3 |
Table 4 - Toroparu mineral resources effective October 21, 2025
|
Area |
Classification |
Tonnes Mt |
Grade gold (g/t) |
Grade silver (g/t) |
Grade copper (%) |
Contained gold (koz) |
Contained silver (koz) |
Contained copper (Mlb) |
|
Open pit |
Measured |
48.4 |
1.31 |
1.8 |
0.14 |
2,030 |
2,747 |
150 |
|
Indicated |
74.9 |
1.26 |
1.2 |
0.08 |
3,041 |
3,008 |
127 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
123.3 |
1.28 |
1.5 |
0.10 |
5,071 |
5,755 |
276 |
|
|
Inferred |
11.4 |
1.13 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
414 |
275 |
9 |
|
|
Underground |
Measured |
0.1 |
1.89 |
0.4 |
0.03 |
8 |
2 |
- |
|
Indicated |
3.5 |
2.05 |
0.7 |
0.05 |
231 |
74 |
4 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
3.6 |
2.05 |
0.7 |
0.05 |
239 |
76 |
4 |
|
|
Inferred |
11.5 |
2.07 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
763 |
263 |
10 |
|
|
Total |
Measured |
48.5 |
1.31 |
1.8 |
0.14 |
2,038 |
2,749 |
150 |
|
Indicated |
78.4 |
1.30 |
1.2 |
0.08 |
3,272 |
3,082 |
131 |
|
|
Measured + Indicated |
126.9 |
1.30 |
1.4 |
0.10 |
5,310 |
5,831 |
280 |
|
|
Inferred |
22.9 |
1.60 |
0.7 |
0.04 |
1,177 |
538 |
19 |
|
|
Notes: 1. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and have no demonstrated economic viability. 2. The mineral resource estimate was prepared under the supervision of or was reviewed by Pamela De Mark, P.Geo., Senior Vice President Geology and Exploration of Aris Mining, who is a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. 3. Totals may not add up due to rounding.
4. Mineral resources were estimated using a gold price of 5. There are no known legal, political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the mineral resources. |
||||||||
Endnotes
|
1. |
All references to Cash costs ($ per oz sold), AISC ($ per oz sold) and EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures in this document. These measures are intended to provide additional information to investors. They do not have any standardized meanings under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this document. |
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2. |
Cash cost per ounce, and AISC per ounce are calculated inclusive of open pit mining costs; treatment, transport and refining costs; processing and surface costs; G&A and other costs; and are net of by-product credits for silver and copper. These metrics are calculated on a payable gold ounce basis. |
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3. |
Sourced from Oko West Feasibility Study dated April 28, 2025 |
About Aris Mining
Founded in September 2022, Aris Mining was established with a vision to build a leading
Aris Mining operates two underground gold mines in
Additional information on Aris Mining can be found at www.aris-mining.com, www.sedarplus.ca, and on www.sec.gov.
Cautionary Language
Qualified Person and Technical Information
The Toroparu Gold Project Preliminary Economic Assessment titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Toroparu Project, Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region,
- Vaughn Duke, Pr. Eng. PMP., Founding Partner and Director, Sound Mining International Limited
- Jan Eklund, P.E., Process Consultant, LogiProc Pty. Ltd.
- Pamela De Mark, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Geology and Exploration, Aris Mining Corporation
Pamela De Mark, P.Geo., Senior Vice President Geology and Exploration of Aris Mining, is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
Note that the PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic assessment will be realized.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Cash costs ($ per oz sold), AISC ($ per oz sold) and EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures and ratios. These financial measures and ratios do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS or by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" or forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian and
Forward looking information and forward looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Aris Mining to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or forward looking statements, including but not limited to those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Aris Mining's annual information form dated March 12, 2025 which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and included as part of the Company's Annual report on Form 40-F, filed with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Although Aris Mining has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information or statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information or statements. The Company has and continues to disclose in its Management's Discussion and Analysis and other publicly filed documents, changes to material factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements and to the validity of the information, in the period the changes occur. The forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are made as of the date hereof and Aris Mining disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.
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SOURCE Aris Mining Corporation