Rua Gold’s Auld Creek PEA Delivers US$42M NPV, 17% IRR and 19,000m Drill
GLDG•Rua Gold’s Auld Creek PEA shows an after-tax NPV5% of US$42m and 17% IRR with a 3.3-year payback at a US$4,500/oz gold price. At US$4,700/oz spot the study yields US$113m NPV, 36% IRR and sub-US$1,850/oz AISC on US$132.6m capex, paired with a 19,000-metre drill program.
1. Positive PEA Results
Rua Gold’s Preliminary Economic Assessment for Auld Creek delivers an after-tax NPV5% of US$42 million and a 17% IRR with a 3.3-year payback based on a US$4,500/oz gold price, with recoveries of 95% gold and 85% antimony in a 250,000 tpa underground operation.
2. Robust Spot Price Upside
At a US$4,700/oz gold spot price the PEA economics improve to an after-tax NPV of US$113 million, a 36% IRR and payback inside 2.2 years, while cash costs stand at US$1,400/oz gold and AISC at US$1,850/oz.
3. Project Development and Costs
Initial capital expenditure is set at US$132.6 million including a 29% contingency, financing construction of a decline-access underground mine targeting dual gold-antimony concentrates from a simple grind-and-flotation circuit without cyanide.
4. Drill Program and Path to PFS
Rua Gold has launched a 19,000-metre infill and step-out drill program to convert Inferred to Indicated resources and test depth and strike extensions, with a planned PFS in Q4 2026 under New Zealand’s Fast-Track Approvals process.
