Highlights:
- Pre-production capital
requirements $261 million
- Mill throughput of 2 million
tonnes of ore per annum - 6,000
tonnes per day
- Life of Mine 9.5 years
- Life of Mine Production: 239,000
tonnes of copper concentrate,
122,000 tonnes of lead concentrate
and 770,000 tonnes of zinc
concentrate
- Total Net Smelter Return Revenue
$1,246 million
- Further metallurgical studies
planned
- Excellent exploration upside
with additional drilling plans on
adjacent Camel Back Claims
July 23,
2013 Vancouver, BC; El Nino Ventures
Inc. ("ELN" and the "Company") (TSX.V:
ELN; OTCQX: ELNOF Frankfurt: E7Q) is
pleased to announce the SEDAR filing of
the NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic
Assessment ("PEA") for the Murray
Brook polymetallic massive sulfide
deposit, New Brunswick (the "Project").
The results of the PEA demonstrate the
potential technical and economic
viability of establishing a new mine and
mill complex on the Murray Brook
property. The projected cash flows
indicate an after-tax NPV at a 5%
discount rate of $96.4 million, an IRR
of 11.4%, and a payback period of 5.4
years (see
news release).
The PEA was prepared by P&E Mining
Consultants Inc. under the supervision
of Eugene Puritch, P. Eng. of P&E Mining
Consultants Inc. Mr. Puritch is an
independent QP in accordance with NI
43-101.
Qualified Persons Statement
The PEA was prepared under the
supervision of Eugene Puritch, P. Eng.
of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. Mr.
Puritch is an independent QP in
accordance with NI 43-101 and has
reviewed and approved the technical
information in this release. The
information in this release was reviewed
by Dr. William Stone, Executive Vice
President of Exploration of ELN and a QP
as defined by NI43-101.
About El Niño Ventures Inc. Bathurst
Projects
El Niño Ventures Inc. has two active
projects in the Bathurst Mining Camp;
1. Murray Brook Project
The Murray Brook Project is located 60
km west of Bathurst, in the northwest
part of the Bathurst Mining Camp (Figure
1). The Murray Brook deposit is a
zinc-lead-copper-silver massive sulphide
which is the subject of a recently
completed Preliminary Economic
Assessment. The project is supported by
excellent infrastructure including paved
roads, grid electricity and communities
to provide goods, services and skilled
labour.
ELN and VMC currently own 100% of the
Murray Brook Project and VMC is the
operator. Under a purchase agreement
signed by VMC on August 28, 2012 with
Murray Brook Minerals and Murray Brook
Resources Inc. (collectively the
"Owners"), VMC acquired the right to
purchase, in addition to its 35%
interest, the additional 30% of the
Murray Brook Project from the Owners.
The purchase agreement between VMC and
the Owners provides for staged payments
totaling $6 million over 5 years and a
0.25% NSR payable to the Owners after
one year of commercial production. VMC
provided ELN with the option to purchase
an additional 15% in the Murray Brook
Project as required by an underlying
Amending Agreement dated September 30,
2010 between Xstrata Zinc (now Glencore
Xstrata PLC), VMC and ELN (see reference
to the BOJV Tri-Party Agreement above).
ELN did not elect to exercise the option
and consequently at this time the Joint
Venture remains at VMC 65%: ELN 35%.

Figure 1.
Murray Brook Project and Camel Back
property location map, Bathurst Mining
Camp, New Brunswick.
To date, more than 28,000 metres of
drilling has been completed on the
Murray Brook Project. The first NI43-101
mineral resource estimation and the
first metallurgical results were
published in press releases dated
February 2012 and January 2013,
respectively. On June 5, 2013 a positive
Preliminary Economic Assessment was
announced (see
news release). The results of the
PEA demonstrate the potential technical
and economic viability of establishing a
new mine and mill complex on the Murray
Brook property. The projected cash flows
indicate an after-tax NPV at a 5%
discount rate of $96.4 million, an IRR
of 11.4%, and a payback period of 5.4
years (see
news release). The NI43-101
Technical Report is now filed on
SEDAR
and is also available on the ELN website
(see
www.elnventures.com).
2. Bathurst Option Joint Venture
The BOJV project is a Tri‐Party
Agreement with Xstrata Zinc Canada (now
Glencore) and VMC covering much of the
area of the Bathurst Mining Camp in
northeastern New Brunswick (Figure 1).
The project commenced in July 2009. VMC
can earn 50% by spending $10 million
over 5 years. VMC can further increase
its interest to 70% by spending an
additional $10 million over 2 more
years. Exploration expenditures to date
by VMC total about $6.7 million.
BOJV project originally consisted of
4712 claims owned 50% ELN and 50%
Xstrata Zinc and 2907 claims owned 100%
by Glencore, together with an Area of
Interest in which ELN and Glencore hold
equal interest. Due to the Area of
Interest, the BOJV generates new
projects for ELN at no initial cost. An
example of such project generation for
ELN is the Murray Brook Project.
Votorantim Metals Canada Inc.
Statement
Technical details in this news release
were provided by VMC whose professional
geologists conduct operations consistent
with mineral industry best practices.
VMC accepts no responsibility for this
news release or any inferences made from
the technical details provided herein.
About Votorantim Metals Canada Inc.
VMC is a subsidiary of Votorantim Metais
a company that is part of the Votorantim
Group that was founded in Brazil in
1918. The Votorantim Group operates in
twenty countries and has over 40,000
employees. Votorantim Metais is the
largest electrolytic nickel producer in
Latin America and one of the world's
leaders in the production of zinc,
aluminum and nickel. VMC in conjunction
with Glencore and El Nino Ventures is
operator of the Bathurst Option and
Joint Venture which is actively
exploring for base metal deposits within
the Bathurst Mining Camp.
About El Nino Ventures Inc.
El Niño Ventures Inc. is an
international exploration company,
focused on exploring for zinc, lead,
copper, silver and gold in New
Brunswick, Canada and copper in the
Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC").
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
"Harry Barr"
Harry Barr Chairman & CEO El Nino Ventures Inc.
Further Information: Tel: +1 604 685
1870 Fax: +1 604 685 8045 Email: info@elninoventures.com or visit www.elninoventures.com 650-555 West 12th Avenue, City Square, West Tower, Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada, V5Z 3X7
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange
nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the
policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements. Note: This
release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual
future events or results and are based on current expectations or
beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be
deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition,
forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company
uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe",
"anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will",
"estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic"
or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve
risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially
depending on a variety of important factors, including, among
others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely
and completely make available adequate current public information,
additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and
restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be
discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com),
including the most recent reports that identify important risk
factors that could cause actual results to differ from those
contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not
undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations
or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after
the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated
events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. |