champion minerals corporate presentation march 30, 2012

35
Building the Next Major Iron Ore Mine in the Labrador Trough Corporate Presentation April, 2012 FSE: P02

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Page 1: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Building the Next Major Iron Ore

Mine in the Labrador Trough Corporate Presentation

April, 2012

FSE: P02

Page 2: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

2

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain information contained herein regarding Champion Minerals Inc., including

management’s assessment of future plans and operations, may constitute forward-looking

statements under applicable securities law and necessarily involve risks, including but not

limited to risks associated with mining exploration, operating costs, production costs, volatility

of share prices, currency fluctuations, imprecision of resource and reserve estimates,

environmental risks and ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources.

As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward

looking statements. Plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in any forward-looking

statements or information should not be read as guarantees of future results or events, and will

not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or when or by which such results or events

will be achieved.

Except as required by law, Champion Minerals Inc., expressly disclaims any intention and

undertakes no obligation to update any forward looking statements or information as conditions

change.

The historical mineral resources mentioned are strictly historical in nature and are non-

compliant to National Instrument 43-101 mineral resources and mineral reserves standards,

and should therefore not be relied upon. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to

upgrade or classify the historical mineral resources as current National Instrument NI-43-101

compliant.

Page 3: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

3

Fermont Projects (710 km2)

17 properties in the Fermont Quebec mining camp

Flagship Fire Lake North Project-currently in the

Feasibility stage

Over 2.8 billion tonnes of NI 43-101 compliant iron

mineral resource estimates on 4 of 17 projects

82.5% direct interest, 3% NSR (C$3 million buyback for

an additional 1% NSR)*

Attikamagen Property (310 km2)

Champion Minerals holds a 49% interest

Century Iron Mines Corp. (51% interest) has

option to earn up to a 60% interest

in the property by funding a further $5.5 million in

exploration expenditures by May 2014**

Advanced iron ore exploration and development projects located in

Canada’s principal iron ore district, the Labrador Trough

About Champion Minerals

* Fancamp Exploration Ltd. holds remaining 17.5% interest

** CHM 49% / Century Iron Ore Mines 51%; Investment by WISCO of 25% ($60M) and Minmetals of 5% ($12M)

Page 4: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Quebec’s Next

Major Iron Ore Mine

Fire Lake North (FLN) Development Project

Nov. 21 2011 PEA indicates ability to produce 8.7 million tonnes of

concentrate per annum for the first 25 years of a 40-year mine life the first

5 years will average approximately 10 million tonnes of concentrate per annum

Net Present Value of $4 billion at a discounted cash flow rate of 8% with an

Internal Rate of Return of 41.5% and a payback period of 2.3 years

Established Iron Ore District

Canada produces 44 mtpy of iron ore concentrate in the southern end of the

Labrador Trough this is expected to grow to 200 mtpy over the next 10 years if

all proposed development projects are realized.

Established rail, power and port infrastructure

- Quebec’s Plan Nord: $80 billion investment over the next 25 years in

northern Quebec for various projects including infrastructure projects

- Competitive power rates: ~ $0.04 - $0.045; price to be negotiated in 2012

- Initiative for world-class port facilities underway

Proven Team

Strengthened advisory board and board of directors includes former

Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines management and officers

4

Page 5: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Capital Structure

Share Data and Cash Position as of March 30, 2012.

Shares Outstanding 105.2 million

Warrants 5.2 million @ C$1.57

(22,260 @ C$1.15 expiring 04/30/2012

2.16 million @ C$1.50 expiring 04/2012

2.22 million @ C$1.50 expiring 10/2013, which are owned

by insiders and advisors.)

Options 12.0 million @ C$1.04

Fully Diluted Shares Outstanding 122.6 million

Market Capitalization

(based on $1.98 share price)

C$176.8 million

Cash Position C$41.4 million

Fully Diluted Cash Position C$62.0 million

Management Ownership ~ 7%

Analyst Coverage Canaccord Genuity

Desjardins Capital Markets

Fraser Mackenzie

Haywood Securities

Jennings Capital

Macquarie Capital Markets

Paradigm Capital

Raymond James

RBC Capital Markets

Salman Partners

Stifel Nicolaus

TD Securities

5

Page 6: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Experienced Management Team

Board of Directors Management Team

Tom Larsen

Chairman

Tom Larsen

President and CEO

Alexander Horvath, P.Eng.

Director

Alexander Horvath, P.Eng.

Executive Vice President, Exploration

Jean Depatie, P.Geo.

Director

Martin Bourgoin, P. Geo.

Executive Vice President, Operations

Ashwath Mehra

Director

Jeff Hussey, P.Geo.

Executive Vice President, Development

Donald A. Sheldon, LLB., P.Eng.

Director

Bruce Mitton, P.Geo.

Vice President, Exploration

Paul Ankcorn

Director

Jean-Luc Chouinard, P.Eng.

Director of Projects

Francis Sauve

Director

Miles Nagamatsu, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Joseph S. C. Chan

Director

Jorge Estepa

Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer

Richard Quesnel: Senior Technical Advisor and Head of the Advisory Board

Advisory Board: Richard Quesnel, Mick McMullen, and Doug Bache

Project Finance Advisor: Marc Duchesne 6

Over 200 years of combined exploration and mine operations experience

Page 7: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Why invest in Champion Minerals?

7

Favourable Operating

Environment

• Established iron ore

mining district the

Labrador Trough

• Favourable tax

environment

(40% tax rebate on

exploration expenditures)

• Access to low-cost power

and close to rail and port

infrastructure

• Quebec`s Plan Nord

$80 billion over the next

25 years

• Quebec is known to be a

world class area to

develop mines

• Unprecedented Iron Ore

Price Range and Forecast

• Skilled Labor Work Force

Champion Minerals’

Competitive Advantage

• Fermont: 17 iron ore

(710 km2) brownfield

projects

• Feasibility Stage Fire

Lake North Surface

Deposits contain

coarse grained

specular hematite

Easier to liberate

Deleterious elements

are below industry

specifications limits

• Experienced team of

project developers and

mine builders

• Upside Potential for

Growth

• Several De-Risking

Initiatives Underway

Page 8: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

8 8

Three Ports/

Stockpile

Locations

Cartier

Private

Rail

QNS&L

Rail

Common

Carrier

Cluster 3

Cluster 2

High

Voltage

Power

Lines

Gulf of St Lawrence

Rail Infrastructure

Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway (“QNS&L”)

QNS&L links to Sept-Iles and Pointe Noire

Bloom Lake and QNS&L railways are considered common carriers

Common carriers allocate capacity on a first-come, first-serve basis

Fire Lake North PEA Base Case connection to Bloom Lake railway requires 94 km of rail – includes turnaround loop and sidings

Participation in a private multi user rail solution as an alternative transportation / haulage option is also under study

Cartier Railway: Linked to Port-Cartier

Privately owned by ArcelorMittal

Adjacent to the west of Fire Lake North Proj.

Cluster 1

Attikamagen

Fermont

Page 9: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

9 9

Multi-User Port Infrastructure Expanding to Meet Demand

Pointe Noire Multi User Port

Federal Government announced $55 million funding or 25% of project

Completion March 31st 2014

Phase 1: 50Mtpy $220 million

Phase 2: Planning for 100 Mtpy

Cliffs Resources shipping facility

Port of Sept-Iles

RTZ-IOC shipping facility

Port-Cartier

ArcelorMittal shipping facility

$2.1B expansion is underway and will include concentrator expansion with port and rail infrastructure upgrades

Located 62 km west of Sept-Iles

Pointe Noire

Sept-Iles

Courtesy of the Port de Sept Isles

China Max ship capacity 300kt

Page 10: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Development: Fire Lake North Project

Oil Can Project 6 km

from FLN Concentrator

10

Page 11: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

11

Page 12: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Preliminary Economic Assessment

indicates a production rate of 8.7 million

tonnes of concentrate per annum for the

first 25 years of a 40-year mine life, average

of approximately 10 million tonnes of

concentrate per annum for the first 5 years

(released November, 2011).

Net Present Value of $4 billion at a

discounted cash flow rate of 8% with an

Internal Rate of Return of 41.5% and a

payback period of 2.3 years.

Mineral Resource Estimate: October 6, 2011

Measured and Indicated Resources of 400.1 million tonnes grading 30.6% total iron

Inferred Resources of 661.2 million

tonnes grading 27.7% total iron

Feasibility Study underway with several de-risking initiatives ongoing

Fire Lake North Project Growth through Development

12 See www.championminerals.com for reports maps and assays

Page 13: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

13 High Grade - Coarse Specular Hematite Typical Quartz-Specular

Hematite-Magnetite Mineralization

Fire Lake North - Metallurgy

Coarser grained: At 600 - 700 micron liberation grind size the SiO2 content is

very low (3-4%) allowing for optimization; 2nd Phase tests underway

SPI tests indicate a relatively softer ore; 2nd Phase of tests underway

Current Mill Design: Gravity separation

Deposits of quartz specularite iron ore are typical of the Fermont area

− Coarse liberation grind size; product will be sold as “Sinter Fines”

− 80% of the global iron ore market seeks this product

− Low deleterious elemental levels will help to secure market share

Page 14: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Fire Lake North Development Project

14 14

Page 15: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Fire Lake North Development Project

15

Page 16: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

16

Based upon the following assumptions:

Key Results Pre-Tax Basis

Internal Rate of Return (IRR) (8% Discount Rate) 41.5%

Undiscounted Cash Flow US$10.9B

Net Present Value @ 5% Discounted Cash Flow US$5.6B

Net Present Value @ 8% Discounted Cash Flow US$4.0B

Net Present Value @ 10% Discounted Cash Flow US$3.2B

Payback Period (8% Discount Rate) 2.3 Years

Capital Costs:

Operating Costs:

Price assumptions:

Mine-Life:

Exchange rate:

Total Resources(1):

In Pit Resources

US$1,368 million (includes rail and port infrastructure)

US$51.01 per tonne (average 25 years);

US$39.46 per tonne (average years 1 to 5)

US$115 per tonne of concentrate at 65% Fe

40 years (average of 8.7 million tonnes/year for the first 25 years)

$1.00 USD to $1.00 CDN

400 million tonnes grading 30.6% Fe (NI43-101 Measured and Indicated Resources)

661 million tonnes grading 27.7% Fe (NI43-101 Inferred Resources)

921.8 million tonnes grading 28.8% Fe at an 8% cut-off grade

Fire Lake North Development Project November 2011 Preliminary Economic Assessment Update – Highlights

Page 17: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

17

OPERATING EXPENDITURES (US$/TONNE OF CONCENTRATE)

COST PARAMETERS AVERAGE 25 YEARS AVERAGE YEARS 1 TO 5

Mining 22.56 12.13

Concentrating, crushing and processing 4.52 3.97

Site infrastructure, sales and general administration 4.40 3.39

Environmental tailings and management 0.29 0.26

Rail transport 15.52 16.14

Port facilities 3.72 3.57

Total 51.01 39.46

Equipment Lease Cost (not included in above total) 1.67 5.17

Fire Lake North Project Preliminary Economic Assessment Study

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES (US$ MILLIONS)

COST CENTRES $ MILLIONS

Pre-stripping of open pit areas 97.5

Concentrator and site infrastructure including loadout facilities 682.3

Railway (62km distance and 94km total including turnaround loop and sidings) 228.8

Port Facilities: Railcar unloading, stacker/reclaimer, conveyors 96.8

Environmental and Tailings Management 27.9

Other Pre Production Costs 34.0

Sub-total 1,167

Contingency 201

Total 1,368

Page 18: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

18

Fire Lake North Project Schedule Development, Construction, and Production

Diamond Drilling

Scoping Study

Feasibility Study

Environmental / Social Studies

Community Consultation

Permitting

Construction

Production

Q2 Q3 Q4

2014 2015

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2013

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1

2011 2012

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Page 19: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

500

meters

Moire Lake Project Initial Mineral Resource Estimate: March 29, 2012

19

Arc

elo

r Mitta

l Pro

pe

rty B

ou

ndary

19

Mineral Resource Estimate:

Indicated Resources -164 million

tonnes grading 30.5% Total Iron

Inferred Resources - 417 million

tonnes grading 29.4% Total Iron

DDH LM11-12: 503 m @ 31% total iron

Kilometric Synform with Hematite and

Magnetite outcrops at surface

Adjacent to ArcelorMittal Mont Wright Mine

A

A’

Page 20: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

500

meters

Moire Lake Project Infrastructure: Adjacent to rail (8km), road, and power

20 20

Page 21: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

21

Oil Can Project Exploration Upside

The 2011 drill program returned long magnetite-hematite iron formation up

to 546 metres in length

The 400 metre spaced drill program is now complete, Mineral Resource

Estimate Q1 2012

SELECTED* COMPOSITE ASSAY RESULTS

HOLE-ID HOLE LENGTH AZIMUTH DIP FROM TO INTERVAL** GRADE***

metres degrees degrees metres metres metres Total Fe%

OC11-02 594 310 -45 188.53 590.03 401.50 30.7

including 246.86 460.40 213.54 33.1

OC11-05 545.00 020 -45 241.56 545.00 303.44 34.7

including 407.24 538.00 130.76 36.5

OC11-08 616.00 180 -50 67.00 612.73 545.73 33.7

Including 67.00 509.34 442.34 36.4

* Selected Composite Assay Results are stated only for results recently received. The Selected Composites are

not necessarily representative of the average grade or thickness of the mineral zones or potential resource.

** Intervals are down-hole lengths and not true widths of the mineral zones.

*** Grades are calculated from Total Fe% sample assays completed by ALS Chemex Laboratories using the

“High Grade/Ores Method” and XRF analysis.

Page 22: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

22

Oil Can Project Exploration Upside

To view a larger more detailed version of this map please visit:

http://www.championminerals.com/vns-site/page-oil_can.html

Up to 546m 33.7% total iron

Initial Mineral Resource

Estimate: Q1 2012

Billion tonne potential

Potential for low strip ratio < 1 : 1

Bench width 100- 350m

9800N

5800E

CENTRAL

Page 23: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

South & East Zones

Section 9800N (Facing North)

200 metres

OC11-02

IF

IF

Ovb OC11-19 OC11-01

OC11-08 OC11-07

OC11-05 East Zone

South Zone

190.0m @

30.6%

Assay Pending

401.5m @ 30.7%

incl. 213.5 @

33.1%

545.7m @ 33.7%

incl. 442.3 @

36.4%

197.2m @ 26.8%

incl. 145.5 @

28.1%

303.4m @ 34.7%

incl. 130.8m @

36.5%

Oil Can Project Exploration Upside

23

Page 24: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Central Zone (Facing Northwest)

200 metres

OC11-10 OC11-03

OC11-16 OC11-14

191.7m @

28.2%

472.2m @ 28.0%

incl. 119.6m @

35.2%

224.0m @ 28.1%

incl. 140.0m @

30.0%

311.4m @ 27.6%

incl. 269.0m @

29.2%

IF

Ovb

Oil Can Project Exploration Upside

24

Page 25: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

200 metres

North Zone

Section 5800E (Facing East)

OC11-04

472.2m @ 28.0%

incl. 119.6m @

35.2%

IF

Ovb OC11-09

OC11-12 OC11-13 OC11-15

221.2m @ 25.0%

incl. 128.9m @

28.7%

Assays Pending

414.1m @ 25.1%

incl. 139.0m @

29.5%

141.5m @ 29.2%

179.5m @ 32.8%

Oil Can Project Exploration Upside

25

Page 26: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

26

Milestones

Fire Lake North Definition Drilling Ongoing

Updated PEA on Fire Lake North Completed

Initial NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate for Oil Can Project

(adjacent to Fire Lake North Project) Q2 2012

Metallurgical results at Fire Lk. North, Moire Lk. & Oil Can Projects Q2 2012

Marketing Study Q3 2012

Fire Lake North Feasibility Study Q3 2012

Fire Lake North Construction Start Q4 2013

Fire Lake North Production 2015

Page 27: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Why Invest in

Champion Minerals?

Fire Lake North NPV: $4 Billion @ 8% DCF

Adjacent Oil Can shows great promise and plans are

underway to develop it; Metallurgical tests underway…

17 Brownfield Projects (710 km2) near 5 operating mines

Experienced Team: Exploration, Development, Construction,

Commissioning, & Operations Management

Financed through to feasibility; Favourable tax environment

Quebec`s Plan Nord

Access to power and close to rail and port

Multi User Port is planned ; Trans-Shipping is an option

Several Railway options are under study

Iron Price Range and Forecasts is Unprecedented

Several De-Risking Initiatives Underway

27

Page 28: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Thank You

28

28

Page 29: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Fire Lake North Exploration Camp

Coarse Grained

Specular Hematite

29

Exploration Projects

Page 30: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

O’Keefe Purdy Project Exploration Upside

30

Page 31: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Harvey Tuttle Project NI 43-101 Inferred Resource Estimate:

717Mt @ 25% iron; magnetite rich

Intersected multiple significant iron formation

intervals in 2010 drill program

Total of 13,165m of drilling completed

Less than 50% of the kilometric scale

magnetic anomalies have been tested

Metallurgical tests underway

Located 25 km NW of Fire Lake North

Within conveying distance from Fire Lake

North planned concentrator (20-30km)

31

Advanced Exploration

Bellechasse Project

NI 43-101 Inferred Resource Estimate: 215Mt @

29% Iron; Magnetite Rich iron formation

Historical Resources increased from 91Mt

remaining upside potential.

Adjacent to Hwy 389; 10km from Fire Lake North

Synform Geometry is good for Open Pit

Page 32: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

Labrador Trough Annual Production Iron Ore Production Upside

Company Current Annual

Production

Projected

Annual Forecast

IOC/RTZ 17 mtpy 26 mtpy1

ArcelorMittal 13 mtpy 24 mtpy2

Cliffs Natural Resources

(Wuhan)

12 mtpy 28 mtpy

Labrador Iron Mines 2 mtpy 5 mtpy

Adriana Resources (Wuhan) 0 50 mtpy

New Millennium (Tata) 0 27 mtpy

Century Iron Mines (Wuhan) 0 ~20 mtpy

Champion Minerals 0 ~18 mtpy

Alderon Iron Ore Corp. 0 ~8 mtpy

Total current and forecasted

production

44 ~ 200 mtpy

1. Possibility of expanding production up to 50 mtpy

2. Possibility of expanding production to 50 mtpy 32

Page 33: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

33

-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

China

Japan

Rest of theWorld

Global Steel Production Shows

Continued Demand for Iron Ore

China’s CAGR* is 9.88% over

the last 30 years vs. 2.30% for

total global steel production

over the same period.

Source: World Steel Association website

* Compound annual growth rate

Page 34: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

34

Iron Ore Types

Coarse Grained Specular Hematite

Direct Shipping Ore

Magnetite Rich Taconite

Coarse Grained Specular Hematite

34

Page 35: Champion Minerals Corporate Presentation March 30, 2012

35

Fermont Iron Ore District

(“FIOD”)

Historically the Fermont and

Labrador Camps have

produced 33 Mta

RTZ/IOC = 17 Mta

ArcelorMittal = 13 Mta

Wabush = 3 Mta

For 30-40 years pre 2003

the price per tonne

concentrate was

$25- $30/ tonne

Current 3 year moving

average is $130/ tonne

2012 Spot Price averaged

~$170/tonne