Stornoway Diamond Corporation (TSX:SWY)
(the “Corporation” or “Stornoway”) is pleased to
provide production and sales results at the Renard Diamond Mine for
the quarter ended June 30, 2017. Highlights include:
- 417,362 carats produced from the processing of 512,005 tonnes
of ore with an attributable grade of 82 carats per hundred tonnes
(“cpht”).
- Average processing rate of 6,149 tonnes per day achieved in
June, exceeding plant’s nameplate capacity and marking the
on-schedule completion of the project’s production ramp-up.
- 350,159 carats sold in two scheduled sales (2017 sales #4 and
#5) for gross proceeds1 of C$40.9 million2, at an average
price of US$87 per carat (C$117 per carat2).
- An additional 151,135 carats sold in a sale completed
subsequent to the quarter end (2017 sale #6), for gross proceeds of
C$19.8 million3, at an average price of US$101 per carat (C$131 per
carat3).
- +19% increase in pricing for Renard diamonds
since sales began, expressed in real terms after accounting for
size distribution and quality variations.
Matt Manson, President & CEO commented: “At
the end of the second quarter, we are pleased to report robust
production figures and the on-schedule attainment of our process
plant’s nameplate capacity, marking the end of our processing
ramp-up. With seven sales now completed, we are encouraged by
strong growth in diamond pricing, reflecting the underlying market
demand for the Renard product. This is despite the ongoing issue of
diamond breakage which is impacting our production’s quality and
size profile. Going into the second half of the year, we will
remain focussed on maximising the value attributes of our diamond
production and continuing the growth in revenue from sales.”
Diamond Production
During the quarter, 512,005 tonnes of ore were
processed compared to the plan of 513,000 tonnes. Ore was sourced
primarily from the Renard 2 kimberlite and stockpiles. Diamond
production of 417,362 carats was below the plan of 486,591 carats
(-13%) due, primarily, to the processing of lower grade ore. The
average processing rate of the plant during the quarter was 5,626
tonnes per day, increasing to 6,149 tonnes per day in June. This
meets the name plate capacity of the Renard process plant, which is
6,000 tonnes per day, and represents the completion of the
project’s production ramp-up.
Diamond Sales
Two tender sales were completed during the
quarter. In total, 350,159 carats were sold for gross proceeds1 of
C$40.9 million2, at an average price of US$87 per carat (C$117 per
carat2). This compares to an average price of US$81 achieved in the
first quarter. Immediately subsequent to the quarter end, Stornoway
completed its 6th sale of the year, where 151,135 carats were sold
for gross proceeds1 of C$19.8 million3, at an average price of
US$101 per carat (C$131 per carat3). All sales prices are quoted on
a run-of-mine basis.
The average pricing being achieved in the Renard
diamond sales is strongly impacted by the ongoing issues of diamond
breakage in the process plant, which reduces the proportion of
larger diamonds available for sale, and volatility in the
proportion of small diamonds in the sales mix. Small diamonds
continue to achieve substantially lower market pricing than was
being achieved prior to the Indian de-monetization events of late
2016. Nevertheless, the average run of mine pricing for Renard
diamonds, after accounting for size distribution and quality
variations, has increased in real terms by 19% since the first sale
was completed in November 2016. While the rough market has
strengthened modestly during this period, the size of the increase
reflects the growing acceptance of the Renard diamond production by
Stornoway’s tender sale clientele. Stornoway’s 6th sale of 2017
achieved the first result above US$100 per carat with a standard
run-of-mine sales mix, despite continuing to exhibit a lower than
expected proportion of larger diamonds. This is an encouraging
result, and consistent with Stornoway’s FY2017 pricing guidance of
US$100 to US$132 per carat. Stornoway expects to conclude two
additional sales in the third quarter (2017 sales #7 and #8) and
two in the fourth quarter (2017 sales #9 and #10). Sales proceeds
from sale #8 will be recognised in the fourth quarter.
Processing Update
Since ore processing at Renard began, the
project has experienced high levels of diamond breakage. This is
manifested most directly in the proportion of larger diamonds
recovered, and in the average quality profile. Both factors
negatively impact the achieved average diamond price at sale.
During the first half of the year, steps have been undertaken to
understand the cause of the breakage and to mitigate it to
acceptable levels, with attention focussed on crusher operating
settings, material balancing in the plant, screen changes, and
modifications to the scrubber and pumps. While breakage continues
at unsatisfactorily high levels, good insight has been achieved on
the location and cause of the issue by Stornoway’s processing staff
and team of independent experts. Breakage occurs in all diamond
processing plants, and can be successfully mitigated. Additional
plant modification measures aimed at reducing the breakage at
Renard and producing a higher quality diamond product are under
development and will be released along with Stornoway’s second
quarter financial results in August.
During the processing ramp-up, Stornoway has
made modifications to the method of handling and disposal of
processed kimberlite (“PK”). To date, PK has been de-watered with
centrifuges for trucking to a dry-stack disposal site. High
moisture content in the PK has reduced its competence for stacking,
and made disposal cumbersome. Going forward, fine PK will be pumped
for disposal in a modified containment facility in a more
traditional fashion, with water outflow collected and treated at
the existing water treatment facility. In support of this change, a
degrit module has been installed in the process plant and civil
works modifications in the containment facility have been completed
to dispose of the coarse PK. A modification to the mine’s operating
permit has been submitted and is under review. Stornoway expects to
commence the modified form of PK disposal shortly. These changes
have been completed within the previously announced sustaining
capital budget for 2017, and will remove a significant bottle neck
for future plant expansion at Renard.
About the Renard Diamond
Mine
The Renard Diamond Mine is Québec’s first
producing diamond mine and Canada’s sixth. It is located
approximately 250 km north of the Cree community of Mistissini and
350 km north of Chibougamau in the James Bay region of
north-central Québec. Construction on the project commenced on July
10, 2014, and commercial production was declared on January 1,
2017. Average annual diamond production is forecast at 1.8 million
carats per annum over the first 10 years of mining. Readers are
referred to the technical report dated January 11, 2016, in respect
of the September 2015 Mineral Resource estimate, and the technical
report dated March 30, 2016, in respect of the March 2016 Updated
Mine Plan and Mineral Reserve Estimate for further details and
assumptions relating to the project.
About Stornoway Diamond
Corporation
Stornoway is a leading Canadian diamond
exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange under the symbol SWY and headquartered in Montreal. Our
flagship asset is the 100% owned Renard Diamond Project, Québec’s
first diamond mine. Stornoway is a growth oriented company with a
world-class asset, in one of the world’s best mining jurisdictions,
in one of the world’s great mining businesses.
On behalf of the BoardSTORNOWAY DIAMOND
CORPORATION/s/ “Matt Manson”Matt MansonPresident and Chief
Executive
For more information, please contact Matt Manson
(President and CEO) at 416-304-1026 x2101or Orin Baranowsky
(Interim CFO, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate
Development) at 416-304-1026 x2103 or toll free at
1-877-331-2232
Pour plus d’information, veuillez contacter M.
Ghislain Poirier, Vice-président Affaires publiques de
Stornoway au 418-254-6550, gpoirier@stornowaydiamonds.com
** Website: www.stornowaydiamonds.com Email:
info@stornowaydiamonds.com **
This document contains forward-looking
information (as defined in National Instrument 51 102 – Continuous
Disclosure Obligations) and forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Canadian securities legislation and the United States
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively
referred to herein as “forward-looking information” or
“forward-looking statements”). These forward-looking statements are
made as of the date of this document and, the Corporation does not
intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these
forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
These forward-looking statements relate to
future events or future performance and include, among others,
statements with respect to Stornoway’s objectives for the ensuing
year, our medium and long-term goals, and strategies to achieve
those objectives and goals, as well as statements with respect to
our management’s beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations,
estimates, intentions and future outlook and anticipated events or
results. Although management considers these
assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently
available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.
Forward-looking statements made in this document
include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i)
the amount of Mineral Reserves, Mineral Resources and exploration
targets; (ii) the amount of future production over any period;
(iii) net present value and internal rates of return of the mining
operation; (iv) assumptions relating to recovered grade, size
distribution and quality of diamonds, average ore recovery,
internal dilution, mining dilution and other mining parameters set
out in the 2016 Technical Report as well as levels of diamond
breakage; (v) assumptions relating to gross revenues, cost of
sales, cash cost of production, gross margins estimates, planned
and projected capital expenditure, liquidity and working capital
requirements; (vi) mine expansion potential and expected mine life;
(vii) expected time frames for completion of permitting and
regulatory approvals related to ongoing construction
activities at the Renard Diamond Mine; (viii) the expected
time frames for the completion of the open pit and underground mine
at the Renard Diamond Mine; (ix) the expected time frames for the
ramp-up and achievement of plant nameplate capacity of the Renard
Diamond Mine (x) the expected financial obligations or costs
incurred by Stornoway in connection with the ongoing development of
the Renard Diamond Mine; (xi) future exploration plans; (xii)
future market prices for rough diamonds; (xiii) the economic
benefits of using liquefied natural gas rather than diesel for
power generation; (xiv) sources of and anticipated financing
requirements; (xv) the effectiveness, funding or availability, as
the case may require, of the Senior Secured Loan and the remaining
Equipment Facility and the use of proceeds therefrom; (xvi) the
Corporation’s ability to meet its Subject Diamonds Interest
delivery obligations under the Purchase and Sale Agreement; (xvii)
the impact of the Financing Transactions on the Corporation’s
operations, infrastructure, opportunities, financial condition,
access to capital and overall strategy; (xviii) the foreign
exchange rate between the US dollar and the Canadian dollar; and
(xix) the availability of excess funding for the operation of the
Renard Diamond Mine. Any statements that express or involve
discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs,
plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or
performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as
“expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “projects”, “estimates”,
“assumes”, “intends”, “strategy”, “goals”, “objectives”, “schedule”
or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or
results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur
or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar
expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be
forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are made based upon
certain assumptions by Stornoway or its consultants and other
important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results,
performances or achievements of Stornoway to be materially
different from future results, performances or achievements
expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and
information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and
future business prospects and strategies and the environment in
which Stornoway will operate in the future, including the recovered
grade, size distribution and quality of diamonds, average ore
recovery, internal dilution, and levels of diamond breakage, the
price of diamonds, anticipated costs and Stornoway’s ability to
achieve its goals, anticipated financial performance, regulatory
developments, development plans, exploration, development and
mining activities and commitments, and the foreign exchange rate
between the US and Canadian dollars. Although management considers
its assumptions on such matters to be reasonable based on
information currently available to it, they may prove to be
incorrect. Certain important assumptions by Stornoway or its
consultants in making forward-looking statements include, but are
not limited to: (i) required capital investment and estimated
workforce requirements; (ii) estimates of net present value and
internal rates of return; (iii) recovered grade, size distribution
and quality of diamonds, average ore recovery, internal dilution,
mining dilution and other mining parameters set out in the 2016
Technical Report as well as levels of diamond breakage, (iv)
receipt of regulatory approvals on acceptable terms within commonly
experienced time frames; (v) anticipated timelines for ramp-up and
achievement of nameplate capacity at the Renard Diamond Mine, (vi)
anticipated timelines for the development of an open pit and
underground mine at the Renard Diamond Mine; (vii) anticipated
geological formations; (viii) market prices for rough diamonds and
their potential impact on the Renard Diamond Mine; (ix) the
satisfaction or waiver of all conditions under the Senior Secured
Loan and the remaining Equipment Facility to allow the Corporation
to draw on the funding available under those financing elements;
(x) Stornoway’s interpretation of the geological drill data
collected and its potential impact on stated Mineral Resources and
mine life; (xi) future exploration plans and objectives; (xii) the
Corporation’s ability to meet its Subject Diamonds Interest
delivery obligations under the Purchase and Sale Agreement; and
(xiii) the continued strength of the US dollar against the Canadian
dollar.
By their very nature, forward-looking statements
involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and
specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections
and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that
assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers
not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements as
a number of important risk factors could cause the actual outcomes
to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives,
expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions
expressed in such forward-looking statements. These risk factors
may be generally stated as the risk that the assumptions and
estimates expressed above do not occur, including the assumption in
many forward-looking statements that other forward-looking
statements will be correct, but specifically include, without
limitation: (i) risks relating to variations in the grade, size
distribution and quality of diamonds, kimberlite lithologies and
country rock content within the material identified as Mineral
Resources from that predicted; (ii) variations in rates of recovery
and levels of diamond breakage; (iii) the uncertainty as to whether
further exploration of exploration targets will result in the
targets being delineated as Mineral Resources; (iv) developments in
world diamond markets; (v) slower increases in diamond valuations
than assumed; (vi) risks relating to fluctuations in the Canadian
dollar and other currencies relative to the US dollar; (vii)
increases in the costs of proposed capital, operating and
sustainable capital expenditures; (viii) increases in financing
costs or adverse changes to the terms of available financing, if
any; (ix) tax rates or royalties being greater than assumed; (x)
uncertainty of results of exploration in areas of potential
expansion of resources; (xi) changes in development or mining plans
due to changes in other factors or exploration results; (xii)
risks relating to the receipt of regulatory approvals or the
implementation of the existing Impact and Benefits Agreement with
aboriginal communities; (xiii) the effects of competition in the
markets in which Stornoway operates; (xiv) operational and
infrastructure risks; (xv) execution risk relating to the
development of an operating mine at the Renard Diamond Mine; (xvi)
failure to satisfy the conditions to the funding or availability,
as the case may require, of the Senior Secured Loan and the
Equipment Facility; (xvii) changes in the terms of the Forward Sale
of Diamonds, the Senior Secured Loan or the Equipment Facility;
(xviii) the funds of the Senior Secured Loan or the Equipment
Facility not being available to the Corporation; (xix) the
Corporation being unable to meet its Subject Diamonds Interest
delivery obligations under the Purchase and Sale Agreement; (xx)
future sales or issuances of Common Shares lowering the Common
Share price and diluting the interest of existing shareholders; and
(xxi) the additional risk factors described herein and in
Stornoway’s annual and interim MD&A’s, most recently filed AIF,
its other disclosure documents and Stornoway’s anticipation of and
success in managing the foregoing risks. Stornoway cautions that
the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not
exhaustive and new, unforeseeable risks may arise from time to
time, and (xxi) the additional risk factors described herein and in
Stornoway’s annual and interim MD&A’s, most recently filed AIF,
its other disclosure documents and Stornoway’s anticipation of and
success in managing the foregoing risks. Stornoway cautions that
the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not
exhaustive and new, unforeseeable risks may arise from time to
time.
1 Before stream and royalty.2 Based on an average C$:
US$ conversion rate of $1.3453.3 Assuming a C$: US$ conversion
rate of $1.2900.