{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Company Interviews","title":"Chesapeake Gold (TSXV:CKG) - Proprietary Oxidation Process Could Help Unlock $1.5T in Stranded Gold","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2500,"description":"Interview with Justin Black, CMO, and Jean-Paul Tsotsos, Interim CEO of Chesapeake Gold Corp.Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/chesapeake-gold-tsxvckg-innovative-technology-new-gold-ounces-5163Recording date: 7th April 2025Chesapeake Gold has developed a groundbreaking oxidation technology that could revolutionize how refractory gold deposits are mined globally. The company's Metates deposit in Mexico, containing 17 million ounces of gold and 423 million ounces of silver, was previously considered too challenging to develop economically due to its refractory nature, where gold is trapped in sulfide minerals.The proprietary technology transforms sulfide ore into oxide ore through an accelerated oxidation process, making previously unrecoverable gold accessible through conventional heap leaching. This innovation essentially compresses what would naturally take \"100 million years\" into just months, by applying special reagents that strip sulfur from pyrite crystals and replace it with oxygen.The economic impact is dramatic. Previous development plans for Metates required pressure oxidation autoclave technology with a capital expenditure of approximately $3.5 billion for a 90,000 ton per day operation, yielding a sub-10% internal rate of return (IRR). With the new technology, Chesapeake can start with a 15,000 ton per day operation at a capital cost of just $360 million, achieving a 35% IRR and all-in sustaining costs of approximately $750 per ounce.Justin Black, Chesapeake's Chief Metallurgical Officer who previously worked with the technology at Hycroft Mining, demonstrated its effectiveness on a commercial scale with a 150,000-ton test pad. Material that initially had only 20% recoverable gold achieved 80-90% recovery after treatment. For Metates specifically, tests showed that material oxidized for 204 days reached nearly 75% gold recovery compared to just 33% for untreated ore.Beyond economics, the technology offers significant...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/1wv-MFlQAgnm-ca64e5kK4984dZB0os8-HJdRVsI74M/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzEzNTcyLzE2MjM5/NTQyMDctYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}