Volume 9 Edition 3 2012 - The ASIA Miner

LaosCATALYST Resource Group has signed aletter of intent to acquir e an 80% interestin a gold concession in Laos from Laos MineralsMining Inc. The 68sqkm concession,which Catalyst intends acquiring inexchange for a cash payment ofUS$500,000, is known as the San 8 andSan 60 areas of Somsanouk V illage, SanakhamDistrict in Vientiane Province.Additionally, Catalyst has committed to providinga minimum of $2 million for exploratoryactivities within the next two years. Laos MineralsMining is also entitled to a mining executionfee of $3 million which will be paid fromthe initial extraction and sale of the mineralsfrom the concession.Catalyst Resource Group is a Los Angeles,California-based company engaged in innovativeprocessing technologies to extract andprocess gold and platinum gr oup metalssuch as rhodium, palladium and platinum.Laos Minerals Mining is a Nevada corporationdevoted to the exploration and developmentof selected mineral deposits in the People’ sDemocratic Republic of Laos.Catalyst plans Laos gold acquisitionExploratory activities on the concessionareas previously carried out by Newmont,BRGM and mor e recently by KingsgateConsolidated have shown potential mineablegold vein deposits aggregating severalhundred thousand ounces. Ther e alsowould be the possibility of finding up to onemillion or mor e ounces of mineable goldand large bulk of base metal deposits. Attoday’s gold price, the total estimated valueof these concession areas could range fromabout $US510 million to $US1.7 billion.The closing of this transaction is scheduledto occur no later than May 30, 2012.The company plans to carry out additionalmapping, trenching, sampling and followupgeophysics to define drill targets andthen drilling of these targets in collaborationwith a select regional mining contractoror a joint-operation partner.Catalyst has developed and secured patentedproprietary methods that can recoverfine micron metals that could not berecovered in the past. This process is ableto recover up to 100 times the standard industryrecovery rates, targeting gold, platinum,rhodium and palladium.Catalyst’s CEO Douglas Berkey says,“We consider ourselves to be a ‘hybrid miningcompany’ with all the benefits of alarge mining operation but with none orlittle of the costs and risks associated withit. Because most of our material is aboveground and already mined, our operatingcosts are less than 10% of those of traditionalmining companies. Our methods arealso more environmentally friendly whilebeing much more efficient.”As well as the property in Laos, Catalystis evaluating other properties in the US andSouth East Asia. It is working with severalinvestor groups in the US and overseas toarrange funding for a commer cial productionfacility and working capital. It has alsoreceived indications of interest and commitmentfrom some of the investor groups.Thecompany intends to form joint ventures withmines and start to license out its patentedprocess to mining, pr ocessing, recoveryand refining operations.May/June 2012 | ASIA Miner | 57