Aura Minerals Unveils Strong Economic Assessment for Era Dorada Gold Project

WTS Capital
June 14, 2025

Aura Minerals Inc. has unveiled the promising results of its Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Era Dorada Project in Guatemala. The assessment highlights robust economic viability, projecting significant gold production and strong financial returns, positioning Era Dorada as a key asset in Aura's development portfolio.

Era Dorada Project: A New Gold Frontier

Aura Minerals, a company focused on gold and base metal projects in the Americas, recently announced the results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for its wholly-owned Era Dorada Project. This project, previously known as Cerro Blanco, is located in Jutiapa, Guatemala, near the town of Asunción Mita. Aura acquired the project in January 2025 through the acquisition of Bluestone Resources Inc.

Key Takeaways from the PEA

  • Indicated Mineral Resources: 1.9 million ounces of gold, based on 6.35 million tonnes at 9.31 grams per tonne.
  • Life of Mine (LOM) Production: Approximately 1.4 million ounces of gold over 17 years.
  • Initial Production: An average of 91,000 ounces of gold annually for the first four years.
  • Initial Capital Expenditure (Capex): Approximately US$264 million, with a projected payback period of 3.5 years after operations commence.
  • After-Tax Net Present Value (NPV): US$485 million, assuming a weighted average consensus gold price of US$2,410 per ounce.
  • After-Tax Project Internal Rate of Return (IRR): 24% at the weighted average consensus gold price.
  • Average Cash Cost: US$1,072.4 per ounce.

Rodrigo Barbosa, President and CEO of Aura, expressed enthusiasm for the PEA results, emphasizing the project's strong economics and Aura's commitment to collaborating with local authorities to ensure high environmental and social standards under its "Aura 360" culture.

Project Location and Infrastructure

The Era Dorada Project is situated in southeast Guatemala, approximately 160 km from Guatemala City and 9 km west of the El Salvador border. The nearest town, Asunción Mita, is about 7 km west of the project site. The exploitation license covers 15.25 km2 within the municipality of Asunción Mita. The site is accessible year-round via the Pan-American Highway and benefits from proximity to communities and the La Baranca power substation. The project plans to hire locally, leveraging the availability of trained Guatemalan labor from the closure of Goldcorp's Marlin Mine in 2017.

Geological Overview and Resource Estimates

The Era Dorada Gold Project is characterized as a low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver deposit within the Cerro Blanco district. It features both high-grade vein and low-grade disseminated mineralization. The resource estimate, prepared by Garth Kirkham, P.Geo., aligns with CIM standards and indicates significant gold and silver content.

Resource Estimate using 2.25 g Au/t Cut-off

Resource Category Tonnes (kt) Au Grade (g/t) Ag Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (koz) Contained Silver (koz)
Indicated 6,349 9.31 31.54 1,901 6,439
Inferred 605 6.02 19.68 117 383

Additionally, a measured stockpile resource of 5,108 ounces of gold and 21,590 ounces of silver has been identified from material mined during the creation of the existing ramp network.

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