Clifton Star Resources (CVE:CFO) said Monday it hired three engineering firms to complete a preliminary economic assessment report on the Duparquet project, and also appointed a vice president of metallurgy.
The Duparquet project includes three past producing mines: Beattie, Donchester and Duquesne, which have historically produced over 1.5 million gold ounces from 1933 to 1991.
The project is 45 kilometres northwest of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, with existing power and road infrastructure.
Mining Consulting firm, InnovExplo, will update the resource estimate and include the latest 2012 drill and surface sampling results. It will also design the mining sequence for open-pit operations.
The second firm, Bateman Australia Pty Ltd., will design the metallurgical treatment circuit and mill. It will also provide a comparative study on the capital and operating expenditures.
Meanwhile, Stavibel Engineering Services, a unit of SNC-Lavalin (TSE:SNC), will study all of the environmental and social aspects of the project.
Stavibel will also assess and design waste rock and tailings storage facilities, water control and balance for the open pit mining, and milling scenarios as designed by InnovExplo and Bateman, the company said.
Clifton Star expects the report to be completed by the end of this year, and to publish the conclusions in January of 2013.
Separately, the junior mining explorer also announced David Dreisinger would become vice president of metallurgy, on a part-time consulting basis.
Dreisinger, who consults to the metallurgical industry globally, starts in September. He also supervised the metallurgical tests for Clifton carried out at SGS Lakefield for the Albion process over the last year.
In July, the company filed a consolidated mineral resource estimate for its entire Duparquet project.
The resource estimate consists of 1.71 million indicated ounces, or 29.59 million tonnes at a grade of 1.80 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, and 1.67 million inferred ounces, contained within 29.14 million tonnes grading 1.78 g/t gold.
Measured resources also amount to 1,284 ounces, or 19,000 tonnes at a grade of 2.10 g/t gold.
The in-pit mineral resource contains 1.28 million indicated ounces from 21.92 million tonnes at 1.81 g/t gold, and 1.14 million inferred ounces from 23.15 million tonnes grading 1.53 g/t gold, both at a base case cut off of 0.60 g/t gold.
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