Mr. Neil Woodyer reports
LEAGOLD REPORTS Q3 2017 AISC/OZ OF $993 AND AISC MARGIN OF $13.6 MILLION
Leagold Mining Corp. had third quarter 2017 gold production of 47,766 ounces at its Los Filos mine at an all-in sustaining cost of $993 per ounce, resulting in an AISC margin of $13.6-million (all amounts are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated).
Neil Woodyer, chief executive officer, stated: "We are pleased to see that the operational improvement programs implemented during Q2 and Q3 are starting to bear fruit. We anticipate continued improvements in Q4 and into 2018 as two key projects are completed and become operational: the reinstallation of the agglomerator and extension of the overland conveyors.
"With Los Filos as our cornerstone asset, our management team is now focused and working diligently on continuing our acquisition strategy to grow our gold business in Latin America. We are excited about the opportunities available and look forward to updating our shareholders as we progress."
Operations update -- Los Filos mine, Mexico
Los Filos produced 47,766 ounces of gold in third quarter 2017 at an AISC of $993 per ounce sold. During third quarter, gold production improved compared with the prior quarter due to improved utilization rates, higher productivity of mining equipment and higher mined grades. Also during third quarter, there was a greater proportion of run-of-mine (ROM) material placed on the heap-leach pad as compared with second quarter, which contributed to a reduced average recovery rate. It is estimated the recovery rate for the high-grade underground tonnes placed was 80 per cent during third quarter.
LOS FILOS OPERATING SUMMARY
Physicals Unit Q2 2017 (1) Q3 2017
Tonnes mined -- open pit 000s 6,696 7,602
Tonnes of ore mined -- open pit 000s 1,956 2,091
Average gold grade mined -- open pit g/t 0.57 0.67
Tonnes of ore mined -- underground 000s 89 98
Average gold grade mined --
underground g/t 6.33 7.43
Tonnes of ore processed 000s 1,986 2,134
Recovery rate (2) % 80% 70%
Gold produced oz 43,980 47,766
Unit cost analysis
Mining cost -- open pit $/t mined $1.45 $1.39
Mining cost -- underground $/t ore 99.84 104.32
Processing costs $/t placed 10.93 9.75
Site general and administration costs $/t placed 2.12 1.74
---------- -------- --------
(1) Second quarter is for the period from April 8 to June 30.
(2) Based on total gold ounces produced in the period.
The refurbishment and installation of an agglomeration drum to improve gold recovery from the heap-leach pad are progressing on schedule. The main agglomeration drum has been transferred to its final location, and work continues on installation of the housing and ancillary equipment. Commissioning of the refurbished agglomerator will begin in fourth quarter 2017.
The installation of new overland conveyors to reduce transportation costs and eliminate rehandling of crushed ore onto heap-leach Pad 2 is also advancing on schedule. The detailed design of the overland conveyors was finished during third quarter, most of the civil earthworks is complete and manufacturing of the conveyor structure is well under way. The new conveyor system is scheduled to be fully operational in early first quarter 2018.
LOS FILOS AISC MARGIN
(in $000s)
Q2 2017 (1) Q3 2017 Q2 + Q3 2017
Gold revenue $67,199 $60,602 $127,801
Mining costs -- open pit 9,681 10,583 20,264
Mining costs -- underground 8,889 10,176 19,065
Processing costs 21,697 20,806 42,503
Site general and administration costs 4,212 3,715 7,927
Inventory and other adjustments 2,580 (4,864) (2,284)
-------- -------- --------
Total cash costs (2) 47,059 40,416 87,475
Land access payments 3,393 3,552 6,945
Royalties 307 364 671
Sustaining capital (2, 3) 2,680 2,621 5,301
-------- -------- --------
Mine-level AISC (2) 53,439 46,953 100,392
-------- -------- --------
AISC margin (2) 13,760 13,649 27,409
======== ======== ========
Cash cost per gold ounce sold (2) $/oz 871 855 864
-------- -------- --------
AISC per gold ounce sold (2) $/oz 989 993 991
-------- -------- --------
(1) Second quarter 2017 includes the Los Filos operating period from
April 8 to June 30.
(2) Third quarter 2017 cash costs and all-in sustaining costs exclude
the impact of $1.6-million in non-recurring transition costs and
include the impact of a $500,000 reclassification of second quarter
2017 operating costs to non-sustaining capital related to the
Bermejal underground expansion project. In addition, sustaining
capital includes the impact of a $300,000 reclassification of second
quarter 2017 sustaining capital to non-sustaining capital related to
the Bermejal underground expansion project. (Second quarter 2017
cash costs and all-in sustaining costs exclude the impact of
$2.1-million in non-recurring transition costs and the impact of
$2-million in certain inventory adjustments through purchase price
allocation (PPA) valuation relating to the acquisition of Los Filos.)
(3) Sustaining capital, all-in sustaining costs and all-in sustaining
margin are non-international financial reporting standard performance
measures with no standard meaning under IFRS.
Bermejal underground expansion project update
Significant progress has been made for the Bermejal underground expansion project during third quarter 2017. The drilling program was 69 per cent complete by the end of third quarter (38,581 of 56,000 metres total) and is now 84 per cent complete (47,035 metres). There are 14 drill rigs currently on site, and the drilling program will be completed by year-end.
On Oct. 16, 2017, an interim updated Bermejal underground mineral resource estimate, limited to drilling data available as of Aug. 31, 2017, resulted in a 94-per-cent increase in measured and indicated mineral resources to 1.97 million ounces and added 820,000 ounces to the inferred mineral resources (prepared by SRK, Aug. 31, 2017; further details are available in the Oct. 16, 2017, news release). The remaining drill holes will be incorporated into an updated resource estimate at year-end.
The exploration ramp has rapidly progressed since work commenced on Sept. 25, 2017, with 75 metres of advancement from the portal to date. Access to the first Bermejal underground test mining area is expected during first half 2018, with the completion of the ramp to the high-grade subsill portion of the deposit by year-end 2018.
Leagold third quarter free cash flow and cash reconciliation
From the AISC margin of $13.6-million generated during the quarter, Leagold invested $9.1-million in key optimization and growth projects, which include $2.2-million for the agglomerator and overland conveyor projects and $6.4-million for the Bermejal underground expansion project, most of which was related to the continuing drill program and infrastructure development.
Adjusted net earnings
Adjusted net earnings attributable to Leagold's shareholders have been adjusted for items that management believes are not reflective of the underlying operating performance of the company, including the impact of foreign exchange gains and losses, deferred income tax recovery/expense, change in fair value of warrant derivatives, and other non-recurring items, such as transaction costs, share-based payments and one-time fair value adjustments from the acquisition.
Leagold's third quarter 2017 adjusted earnings were $5.2-million, or three cents per share.
Adjusted net earnings for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2017 (in thousands of dollars except per-share amounts)
Net earnings: $317
Adjustments
Transaction and non-recurring costs (1): $1,686
Share-based payments: $485
Foreign exchange loss: $319
Change in fair value of warrants derivatives: $872
Current income tax expenses: $285
Deferred income tax expense: $1,231
Adjusted net earnings: $5,195
Per share -- basic: three cents
Per share -- diluted: three cents
(1) Includes $1.6-million in non-recurring transition
costs for the three months ended Sept. 30, 2017.
Financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis are available on SEDAR and in the investor relations section of Leagold's website.
Conference call details
Management will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter 2017 results on Nov. 14, 2017, at:
- 9 a.m. in Vancouver;
- 12 p.m. in Toronto and New York;
- 5 p.m. in London, United Kingdom.
Participants may dial in using the following numbers.
International: 1-617-896-9871
North America toll-free: 1-888-419-5570
United Kingdom toll-free: 080-8234-7616
Passcode: 60939461
The teleconference will be available for playback until Dec. 14, 2017, at 1-877-481-4010 (North America toll-free) or 1-919-882-2331 (international), with replay ID 10438. The webcast playback will be available on Leagold's website until Nov. 14, 2018.
Qualified persons
Doug Reddy, PGeo, Leagold's senior vice-president, technical services, is a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of Leagold.
About Leagold Mining Corp.
Leagold is building a new mid-tier gold producer with a focus on opportunities in Latin America. Leagold is based in Vancouver, Canada, and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol LMC and trades on the OTCQX market as LMCNF. The recent acquisition of the Los Filos mine, a low-cost gold producer in Mexico, provides an excellent platform for growth.
We seek Safe Harbor.
© 2025 Canjex Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.