23:59:03 EDT Thu 16 May 2024
Enter Symbol
or Name
USA
CA



Bear Creek Mining Corp
Symbol BCM
Shares Issued 198,808,386
Close 2024-01-16 C$ 0.20
Market Cap C$ 39,761,677
Recent Sedar Documents

Bear Creek produces 43,860 oz Au, 167,019 oz Ag in 2023

2024-01-16 15:04 ET - News Release

Mr. Eric Caba reports

BEAR CREEK MINING ANNOUNCES Q4 2023 MERCEDES GOLD PRODUCTION OF 13,478 OUNCES; A 47% INCREASE OVER PREVIOUS QUARTER

Bear Creek Mining Corp. produced 13,478 ounces of gold and 52,144 ounces of silver from the Mercedes mine during the three months ended Dec. 31, 2023 (Q4 2023). Consequently, Mercedes production for 2023 totalled 43,860 ounces of gold and 167,019 ounces of silver, placing it near the high end of the company's most recent production guidance of 39,000 to 45,000 gold ounces (see Bear Creek's news release dated Nov. 24, 2023).

Eric Caba, president and chief executive officer of Bear Creek, states: "We are extremely pleased that the efforts we have made at Mercedes to improve production are finally bearing out, with a 47-per-cent increase in gold production in Q4 compared to Q3 2023. Q4 2023 saw month-over-month improvements culminating in an output of 5,198 gold ounces in December, 2023 -- the highest monthly level of gold production at Mercedes since April, 2019. We have had to go back to fundamental basics in the mine and focus on increasing development, managing costs and placing key talent in the right positions. There is still a lot to be done on all fronts, but we believe the corner is being turned. With the gold and silver stream burdens having been reduced as of Jan. 1, 2024, we look forward to continuing to optimize Mercedes's profitability through 2024 and to testing the many promising exploration targets within the Mercedes property. Our confidence in the potential for the discovery of additional mineralization remains strong as does our commitment to maximize Mercedes's generation of free cash flow."

Production and development results for the quarter and year ended Dec. 31, 2023, are shown in the attached table.

Directly underlying the improvements in production during Q4 2023 were higher gold grades and increased working faces. The gold grade of ore processed increased to 3.30 grams per tonne (g/t) in Q4 2023 from 2.40 g/t in the previous quarter. Development metres steadily increased over the course of the year, reaching a total of 2,833 metres in Q4 2023, an increase of 1,042 metres over the previous quarter. Improving development metres, which results in increased working faces, has been a key component of the company's multifaceted strategy to improve Mercedes's production.

Mercedes's 2023 production comprised contributions from four main deposit areas: Marianas, San Martin, Diluvio and Lupita. During 2023, Bear Creek changed mining methodologies at the San Martin and Marianas deposits in order to better align the mining method with the geological and structural conditions of each deposit.

The San Martin deposit became a key contributor to consolidated gold production during Q4 2023 as mining faces progressed into the higher-grade heart of the San Martin deposit. During the last quarter, Bear Creek focused on further refining the mining and blasting methods utilized at San Martin to reduce dilution and optimize production while reducing processing costs. San Martin is expected to continue to be a significant contributor to Mercedes's gold production in 2024.

Delineation drilling at the Marianas deposit has returned numerous intersections and zones of high-grade gold mineralization -- in some cases with grades up to 20 times the average gold grade of the current Marianas reserves (see Bear Creek's news releases dated Feb. 22, 2023, and Aug. 30, 2023). The deposit, however, is also structurally complex with challenging ground conditions and it has proven difficult to control dilution. As a result, the gold grade per tonne of ore mined from Marianas was lower than planned during the second half of 2023. During the last quarter, Bear Creek commenced a transition from sublevel caving mining methods to a mixture of sublevel stoping and cut and fill, to more effectively reduce dilution and optimize grade. Monitoring of the impact of these changes is continuing.

On Jan. 1, 2024, reductions to the Mercedes gold and silver stream obligations took effect pursuant to the restructuring agreement with Sandstorm Gold Ltd. and its subsidiaries, announced by the company on Sept. 28, 2023. The Sandstorm gold stream has now been reduced from 600 ounces to 275 ounces per month and silver deliveries under the Nomad silver stream have been fully suspended until April, 2028. In combination with the completion of the Nomad gold stream on Sept. 27, 2023, the stream burden on Mercedes has been reduced by approximately 78 per cent. The company expects these stream reductions to positively impact the company's free cash flow.

Closing of the restructuring agreement, including the issuance of a 1-per-cent net smelter return (NSR) royalty on Corani and payment of up to $10-million in the form of common shares of Bear Creek, is expected in the coming weeks, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. Readers are referred to the company's news releases dated Sept. 28, 2023, and Nov. 24, 2023, for additional information regarding the Sandstorm restructuring.

National Instrument 43-101 disclosure

Unless otherwise indicated, scientific and technical information in this news release is based on work programs and initiatives conducted under the supervision of, and/or has been reviewed and approved by, Andrew Swarthout, AIPG certified professional geologist, a director of the company, who is a qualified person (QP) as defined in NI 43-101. Additional information related to the Mercedes mine and the Corani project, including the quality assurance and quality control measures applied to the company's sampling and assaying practices, is available in its annual information form for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022, available on the company's website and on SEDAR+.

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