MAG Silver Corp. (TSX / NYSE American: MAG)
(“MAG”, or the
“Company”) announces the
Company’s unaudited financial results for the three and six months
ended June 30, 2022. For details of the unaudited condensed
interim consolidated financial statements and Management's
Discussion and Analysis for the three and six months ended June 30,
2022, please see the Company’s filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or
on EDGAR (www.sec.gov).
All amounts herein are reported in $000s
of United States dollars (“US$”) unless otherwise
specified.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
OPERATIONAL – Juanicipio owned
44% by MAG Silver
- For the three months ended June 30, 2022, on a 100% basis:
- A record 154,069 tonnes of mineralized development and stope
material were campaign processed through the Saucito and Fresnillo
plants, with 2,207,626 payable silver ounces, 5,119 payable gold
ounces, 1,016 payable tonnes of lead and 1,599 payable tonnes of
zinc produced and sold;
- Average silver head grade for the quarter was 567 grams per
tonne (“g/t”); and
- Pre-commercial production sales (net of treatment and
processing costs) totaled $55,224 for the quarter, less $17,962 in
mining and transportation costs and depreciation and amortization,
netting $37,262 in gross profit by Juanicipio in the quarter.
- At the end of the quarter, Juanicipio held cash balances of
$37,504 up from $18,261 at the end of Q1.
- As reported by the operator Fresnillo, tie-in to the national
power grid is expected in the coming weeks, with the expectation to
ramp up the Juanicipio processing plant to 85-90% of nameplate
capacity by year end.
- Fresnillo continues to make available excess processing plant
capacity at its nearby Saucito and Fresnillo operations. Campaign
processing of mineralized material from development headings and
stopes continues through these facilities and is expected to
continue until the Juanicipio plant is commissioned.
- Campaign processing benefits include the cash flow being used
to offset some of the initial and sustaining capital, and the
de-risking of Juanicipio’s metallurgical performance which is
expected to significantly speed up project ramp-up.
- Approximately 60% of the tonnes processed in Q2 2022 were
processed at the Saucito plant, where the flowsheet more closely
resembles that of the Juanicipio plant. It is expected these
results will provide further valuable metallurgical benefits when
milling production commences at Juanicipio.
- Metal recovery and concentrate grades are in line with
expectations from the initial metallurgical test work conducted on
Valdecañas.
CORPORATE
- MAG reported net income of $7,562 or $0.08 per share for the
three months ended June 30, 2022.
- During the quarter, MAG concluded the previously announced
acquisition of Gatling Exploration Inc. (“Gatling”) by way of a
court approved plan of arrangement (the “Transaction”). MAG
acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gatling
by the issuance of common shares of the Company and in connection
with the Transaction, provided an advancement of a C$3 million
convertible note. Gatling’s Larder Project lies in the highly
prolific Abitibi Gold Province of northern Ontario, with good
surrounding infrastructure and already permitted drill pads to test
initial targets.
EXPLORATION
- The Juanicipio 2022 exploration program is currently in
progress with five drill rigs on surface running concurrently with
continued underground definition and geotechnical drilling, and one
rig testing the new Cesantoni target in the northwest part of the
Juanicipio concession.
- MAG has initiated a drilling campaign on the acquired Larder
Project. In addition to a comprehensive data review, a drilling
program is contemplated to drill below and lateral to the already
identified mineralization.
- The Deer Trail Project 5-hole exploration program is in
progress with 3 directional holes completed and all assays
pending.
- During the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company recorded
a write down of $10,471 on its option earn-in project on a
prospective land claim package in the Black Hills of South
Dakota.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL
RESOURCES
- As at June 30, 2022, MAG held cash of $44,655 while on a 100%
basis Juanicipio held cash of $37,504.
- According to the operator Fresnillo, the Juanicipio Project
construction is expected to be delivered on budget at $440,000.
- With the current ramp up of underground mine production and the
impact of the 2021 labour reform legislation in Mexico, the timing
of various sustaining capital expenditures has been brought
forward:
- These sustaining capital expenditures are included in current
Juanicipio development costs but are not considered by the operator
as part of the $440,000 initial project capital; and
- The costs incurred are expected to reduce future sustaining
capital costs and totaled approximately $2,789 on a 100% basis in
the three months ended June 30, 2022.
- The expected cash flow from the ongoing campaign processing
until the Juanicipio plant is commissioned, along with the working
capital held by Juanicipio at June 30, 2022 are projected to
substantially fund the remaining capital expenditures in the
$440,000 initial capex (a cash call has not been needed since
mid-December 2021 which was $21,000 on a 100% basis).
“As we look forward to the final tie-in to the
electrical grid at Juanicipio, Q2 continued the trend of strong
operational performance with record toll milling through the
Saucito and Fresnillo operations and robust cash generation. The
project operator Fresnillo reports final tie-in to the power grid
is expected in the coming weeks and target ramp-up to 85-90% of
nameplate capacity by year end remains within reach,” said George
Paspalas, MAG’s President and CEO. “Juanicipio has over 100,000
tonnes of material stockpiled and continues to advance underground
development which positions the operations team well to deliver
concentrates produced from the Juanicipio facility in the second
half of this year.”
JUANICIPIO PROJECT UPDATE
Underground Mine Production
In Q2 2022, a total of 154,069 tonnes of
mineralized development and stope material were processed through
the Fresnillo plants, realizing commercial and operational
de-risking opportunities for the Juanicipio Project. The
resulting payable metals sold and processing details on a 100%
basis for Q2 2022 are summarized in Table 1 below.
The sales and treatment charges for tonnes processed in the quarter
were recorded on a provisional basis and will be adjusted in the
third quarter of 2022 based on final assay and pricing adjustments
in accordance with the offtake agreements.
Table 1: Q2 2022 Mineralized Material
Processed at Fresnillo’s Processing Plants (100%
basis)
Three Months Ended June 30, 2022 (154,069 tonnes
processed) |
|
|
Payable Metals |
Quantity |
Average Per Unit$ |
Amount$ |
|
Q2
2021 Amount$ |
|
Silver |
2,207,626 ounces |
21.32 per oz |
47,070 |
|
10,991 |
|
Gold |
5,119 ounces |
1,834 per oz |
9,388 |
|
1,320 |
|
Lead |
1,016 tonnes |
0.95 per lb. |
2,135 |
|
290 |
|
Zinc |
1,599 tonnes |
1.76 per lb. |
6,199 |
|
619 |
|
Treatment and refining charges (“TCRCs”) and other processing
costs |
(9,568 |
) |
(1,964 |
) |
Net Sales |
55,224 |
|
11,256 |
|
Mining and transportation costs |
(12,717 |
) |
(2,373 |
) |
Depreciation and amortization |
(5,245) (1) |
- |
|
Gross Profit |
37,262 |
|
8,883 |
|
(1)
The underground mine is now in stopes with mineralized and
development material being processed through Fresnillo’s plants and
refined and sold, and effectively readied for its intended
use.
The average silver head grade for the
mineralized development and initial stope material processed in Q2
2022 was 567 g/t.
Processing Plant Construction & Outlook
The Juanicipio project team delivered the 4,000
tpd processing plant for commissioning in the fourth quarter of
2021. However, according to the operator Fresnillo and as
previously reported, the state-owned electrical company (Comision
Federal de Electricidad “CFE”), notified Fresnillo late in December
2021 that the regulatory approval to complete the tie-in to the
national power grid could not yet be granted and that the
Juanicipio plant commissioning timeline was therefore extended by
approximately six months. As reported by the operator Fresnillo,
commencement of electrical commissioning of the Juanicipio
processing plant is expected to occur in the coming weeks. It is
expected that the plant will ramp up to 85-90% of the nameplate
4,000 tpd capacity by the end of 2022.
Should there be additional funding requirements
related to further commissioning delays or to additional sustaining
capital that is being brought forward in excess of the cash flow
generated prior to attaining commercial production, there may still
be further cash calls required from Fresnillo and MAG.
FINANCIAL RESULTS – THREE MONTHS ENDED
JUNE 30, 2022
As at June 30, 2022, MAG had working capital of
$47,673 (March 31, 2022: $53,278) including cash of $44,655 (March
31, 2022: $52,248) and no long-term debt. As well, as at June 30,
2022, Juanicipio had working capital of $23,769 including cash of
$37,504 (MAG’s attributable share is 44%).
The Company’s net income for three months ended
June 30, 2022 amounted to $7,562 (June 30, 2021: $3,305 net income)
or $0.08/share (June 30, 2021: $0.03/share). MAG recorded a
44% income from equity accounted investment in Juanicipio of
$12,347 (June 30, 2021: $4,820) which included MAG’s 44% share of
net income from the sale of pre-production development and stope
material as well as loan interest earned on mining assets brought
into use (see Table 2 below).
Table 2: MAG’s share of income from its
equity accounted Investment in Juanicipio
|
3 Months ended June 30, 2022 |
3 months ended June 30, 2021 |
Gross profit from processing mineralized material
(see Underground Mine Production – Juanicipio Project above) |
$ |
37,262 |
|
$ |
8,883 |
|
Administrative expenses |
|
(1,376 |
) |
|
(287 |
) |
Extraordinary mining duty |
|
(109 |
) |
|
- |
|
Foreign exchange and other |
|
23 |
|
|
1,199 |
|
Income before tax |
$ |
35,800 |
|
$ |
9,795 |
|
Income tax expense (including deferred income tax) |
|
(8,439 |
) |
|
1,160 |
|
Income for the period (100% basis) |
$ |
27,361 |
|
$ |
10,955 |
|
MAG’s 44% share of income from equity accounted investment
in JuanicipioLoan interest on mining assets –
MAG’s 44% share |
|
12,039308 |
|
4,820- |
|
MAG’s 44% equity income |
$ |
12,347 |
|
$ |
4,820 |
|
Qualified Person: All
scientific or technical information in this press release including
assay results referred to, and Mineral Resource estimates, if
applicable, is based upon information prepared by or under the
supervision of, or has been approved by Dr. Peter Megaw, Ph.D.,
C.P.G., a Certified Professional Geologist who is
a “Qualified Person” for purposes of National Instrument 43-101,
Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“National Instrument
43-101” or “NI 43-101”). Dr. Megaw is not independent as he
is an officer and a paid consultant of MAG.
About MAG Silver Corp.
(www.magsilver.com )
MAG Silver Corp. is a Canadian development and
exploration company focused on becoming a top-tier primary silver
mining company by exploring and advancing high-grade, district
scale, silver-dominant projects in the Americas. Its principal
focus and asset is the Juanicipio Project (44%), being developed
with Fresnillo Plc (56%), the operator. The project is located in
the Fresnillo Silver Trend in Mexico, the world's premier silver
mining camp, where the operator is currently developing an
underground mine and constructing a 4,000 tonnes per day processing
plant. Underground mine production of mineralized development
material commenced in Q3 2020, and an expanded exploration program
is in place targeting multiple highly prospective targets at
Juanicipio. MAG is also executing a multi-phase exploration program
at the Deer Trail 100% earn-in project in Utah and has recently
acquired the Larder Lake project located in the historically
prolific Abitibi region of Canada.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the NYSE
American has reviewed or accepted responsibility for the accuracy
or adequacy of this press release, which has been prepared by
management.
This release includes certain statements that
may be deemed to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning
of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All
statements in this release, other than statements of historical
facts are forward looking statements, including statements
regarding the anticipated time and capital schedule to
production; anticipated electrical hook-up of the processing
plant and impact on commissioning; statements that address our
expectations with respect to the timing and success of plant
commissioning activities; processing rates of mineralized
materials, estimated project economics, including but not limited
to, plant or mill recoveries, payable metals produced, underground
mining rates; production rates, expected upside from additional
exploration; expected capital requirements and adequacy of current
working capital for the next year; and other future events or
developments. Forward-looking statements are often, but not
always, identified by the use of words such as "seek",
"anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may",
"will", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intend",
"could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ
materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking
statements. Although MAG believes the expectations expressed
in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable
assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future
performance and actual results or developments may differ
materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, impacts
(both direct and indirect) of COVID-19, supply chain constraints
and general costs escalation in the current inflationary
environment heightened by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, timing
of receipt of required permits, changes in applicable laws, changes
in commodities prices, changes in mineral
production performance, exploitation and exploration
successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and
general economic, market or business conditions, political risk,
currency risk and capital cost inflation. In addition,
forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, including
that data is incomplete and considerable additional work will be
required to complete further evaluation, including but not limited
to drilling, engineering and socio-economic studies and
investment. The reader is referred to the MAG Silver’s filings
with the SEC and Canadian securities regulators for disclosure
regarding these and other risk factors. There is no certainty that
any forward-looking statement will come to pass, and investors
should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking
statements.
Please Note: Investors are urged to consider
closely the disclosures in MAG's annual and
quarterly reports and other public filings, accessible through
the Internet at www.sedar.com and
www.sec.gov.
LEI: 254900LGL904N7F3EL14
For further information on behalf of MAG Silver Corp.
Contact Michael J. Curlook, VP Investor Relations and Communications
Phone: (604) 630-1399
Website:www.magsilver.com
Toll Free:(866) 630-1399
Email: info@magsilver.com
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