Developments And Scope Changes At Pan Project

DENVER, CO - Midway Gold Corp. reported on recent developments and scope changes at the Pan Project including potential reduction in pre-production capital requirements. Construction at Pan remains on-track for initial production in 2014.

We are excited by our progress at Pan, said Ken Brunk CEO and President.  Our team has worked diligently during the last few months to advance our first project through construction while also finding ways to cut our costs. We believe we can significantly reduce our borrowing needs by employing two significant scope changes to the project the utilization of a contract miner for early years of mining, and leaching the South Pan ore body by run-of-mine methods thereby deferring the purchase and installation of a crusher plant. We are also fortunate to have had our construction contracts that have been let to date come in at or very close to our feasibility estimates. With these recent reductions in initial capital requirements and our current strong cash balance, we look forward to completing project financing within the coming weeks. We are pleased that the third party engineers that have evaluated the project on behalf of potential lenders have found no fatal flaws in any of these approaches or with the project.

Midway has elected to pursue contract mining in the initial years at Pan. Midway had planned to pursue owner mining. However, conditions in the mining industry have led to an increasingly attractive price environment for contract mining. A mining contractor will provide all mining-related services, manpower and equipment for the Pan Project. They will be directly responsible for drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling ore to the leach pad for processing by Midway. Contract mining reduces the initial capital requirements for Pan by deferring purchase of the planned mine fleet. It also minimizes initial start-up and operational risks.

The Company has elected to defer purchase and installation of crushers for the first 2-3 years of the mine life at Pan. The November 2011 Feasibility Study included a 2-stage crushing circuit at South Pan. Detailed metallurgical tests confirm this ore responds favorably to run-of-mine leaching. Deferral of crushing circuit equipment and installation is expected to reduce initial capital expenditures. There is also potential to lower operating costs associated with the deferral of the crushers. Midway is currently evaluating the extent of such potential savings.