Extorre’s Cerro Moro receives development go-ahead

TSX and Amex-listed Extorre Gold Mines took a step closer to the development of its flagship mine Cerro Moro in Argentina on Tuesday with the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment and the purchase of the 14,000 ha that cover the project.

Extorre, which was spun out of Exeter Resource Corporation last year, said the Project Pre-Feasibility Study is expected in June 2011 and start-up for the high grade gold and silver mine is scheduled for 2012. Capital costs for the mine are some $130m and cash costs are estimated at $201/ounce. Extorre is worth close to $800m on the TSX and is sitting on roughly $33m in cash. The company also owns the Don Sixto projects, and other mineral exploration properties in Argentina.

Said Eric Roth, Extorre’s President and CEO: “The successful permitting of the Cerro Moro gold-silver mine represents an important milestone for Extorre, and is the first step in what we expect will be a straight-forward mine development. Cerro Moro’s ideal geographic location and very high grade gold-silver veins should allow Extorre to obtain near term, low cash cost gold-silver production from a relatively modest capital investment.”

Read the full press release on the Extorre Gold Mines Limited website.