Brisbane, Nov 19, 2009 (ABN Newswire) - Republic Gold Limited (ASX:RAU) today announced that the Company has received initial metallurgical testwork results from samples of diamond drill core from the Amayapampa Gold Project in Bolivia ("Amayapampa" or the "Project") that were tested by Gekko Systems of Ballarat ("Gekko") using Gekko's unique gravity (inline pressure jig) and intensive leach technology. The testwork for primary mineralisation showed consistently high recoveries and indicated that at a 15% concentrate yield by weight the average metallurgical recovery increased over the previous average recoveries by 3.5% to 86.6%. Oxide metallurgical recoveries were more variable, as experienced in the earlier testwork, and the average recovery dropped by 1.6% to 82.8%.

Based on the current work and current resource, the primary and transition portion of the 1.1Moz mineral resource at Amayapampa equates to 92% of the total resource. Hence, a 3.5% improvement for the primary mineralisation and a 1.9% improvement for transition mineralisation (the average of the oxide and primary recoveries) will have a significant positive benefit to cash flow for the Project, potentially adding in excess of 15,000 ounces, depending on resource to reserve conversion. The recovery of the additional ounces would be for no cost. The oxide portion of the total resource equates to approximately 89,000 ounces and equates to the potential loss of less than 2,000 ounces only.

Gekko will now perform optimisation testwork that will be done to potentially enhance these recoveries, followed by a Scoping Study that will feed into the treatment plant portion of the Definitive Feasibility Study.

Republic's Managing Director; John Kelly, said: "The receipt of the overall positive results from Gekko is a vitally important step forward for the Project. We can progress to complete the treatment plant portion of the Feasibility Study and commence more meaningful open pit optimisation work."