Taseko Releases Economic Impact Study for Gibraltar Copper Mine
February 11 2025 - 4:30PM
Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO; NYSE American: TGB; LSE: TKO)
(“Taseko” or the "Company") today released the findings of a
comprehensive study (the “Study”) of the economic contributions of
its Gibraltar copper mine, located in central British Columbia.
The Study examines Gibraltar’s significant
contribution to the economies of the Cariboo Region, BC and Canada
since Taseko restarted the open-pit copper mining operation in late
2004. In addition, the Study forecasts Gibraltar’s economic impacts
for the next 20 years, through its current remaining reserve life
to 2044.
Prepared by MNP, a leading Canadian accounting
and consulting firm, the Study employs an input-output model with
multipliers published by Statistics Canada to quantify Gibraltar’s
direct, indirect and induced economic effects for the periods 2005
– 2023 and 2024 – 2044.
Study highlights include:
- An
Economic Driver: Since 2004, Gibraltar has generated total
economic output in Canada of $16.3 billion and value-added GDP of
$8.3 billion. More than half of this economic activity occurred in
BC’s Cariboo region ($10.1 billion and $5.0 billion
respectively).When combined with the next 20 years of operations,
Gibraltar’s cumulative projected economic impact in Canada through
2044 is forecast to be $41.9 billion in output and $21.2 billion in
value-added GDP, including $26.7 billion and $13.1 billion
respectively in the Cariboo region.
-
Cornerstone of Regional Employment: Currently, the
Gibraltar mine employs approximately 700 workers and supports a
total of 2,860 full-time jobs (including indirect and induced
employment). Over the past 20 years, BC’s Cariboo region has
benefitted most from Gibraltar-supported jobs, hosting almost all
of the direct jobs and about half of total employment.Mining jobs
in Canada are well paid; the Mining Association of BC estimates an
annual average salary for BC mine workers of nearly $139,000.
Gibraltar employees represent about 2.7% of total employment in the
Cariboo region but 15.5% of the region’s employment income. Since
2005, economic activity from Gibraltar has generated cumulative
employment income of more than $4 billion.
- Revenues
for governments: Since 2004, Gibraltar has been an
important direct contributor and catalyst for government revenues
at the local, provincial and national levels, supporting vital
programs and services that benefit all Canadians. Total government
revenues generated by the mine for all three levels of government
were $2.0 billion for the period 2005 - 2023.Over the coming 20
years, Gibraltar is forecast to generate an additional $3.1 billion
in taxes in Canada, for a cumulative total of more than $5
billion.
- Critical
Minerals Production in Canada: Gibraltar is the
second-largest open pit copper mine in Canada, with average annual
life-of-mine production of 129 million pounds of copper. Copper is
a key element in a wide range of energy technologies and is
designated as a Critical Mineral by the governments of BC, Canada
and the United States.Since Taseko re-started operations at
Gibraltar in 2004, the mine has produced 1.9 billion pounds of
copper in concentrate, and is forecast to produce an additional 2.7
billion pounds through 2044. The cumulative total of 4.6billion
pounds of copper forecast to be produced at Gibraltar from 2004 –
2044 is equivalent to the copper required to manufacture
approximately 25 million electric vehicles (EV).
Stuart McDonald, Taseko’s President & CEO,
commented, “The Gibraltar Mine has been a cornerstone of economic
growth, prosperity, and community development in the Cariboo for
more than two decades, and will continue to provide career
opportunities and family-supporting employment for years to come.
We are very proud of the economic contributions our business
activities support in the Cariboo region and throughout British
Columbia.”
“Our North American copper business is poised
for significant near-term growth. In late 2025, we expect to
complete construction and initiate production at the Florence
Copper project in Arizona, and our Yellowhead copper project in
south-central BC represents another major mine development
opportunity. We look forward to building on the tremendous economic
legacy that Gibraltar has established over the past 20 years.”
To view the full report visit: The Economic
Impact of Gibraltar Mine: Reflecting on 20 Years, Envisioning the
Next 20
For further information on Taseko, see the
Company’s website at www.tasekomines.com or contact:
- Media Enquiries:
Sean Magee, Vice President Corporate Affairs 778-373-4533 or
toll-free 1-877-441-4533
- Investor
Enquiries: Brian Bergot, Vice President, Investor Relations -
778-373-4533 or toll-free 1-877-441-4533
Stuart McDonaldPresident and CEO
No regulatory authority has approved or
disapproved of the information contained in this news release
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking
Information
This document contains “forward-looking
statements” that were based on Taseko’s expectations, estimates and
projections as of the dates as of which those statements were made.
Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by
the use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook”,
“anticipate”, “project”, “target”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”,
“intend”, “should” and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements are subject to known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
the Company’s actual results, level of activity, performance or
achievements to be materially different from those expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. These included but are
not limited to:
- uncertainties about the future
market price of copper and the other metals that we produce or may
seek to produce;
- changes in general economic
conditions, the financial markets, inflation and interest rates and
in the demand and market price for our input costs, such as diesel
fuel, reagents, steel, concrete, electricity and other forms of
energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchange rates,
particularly with respect to the value of the U.S. dollar and
Canadian dollar, and the continued availability of capital and
financing;
- uncertainties resulting from the
war in Ukraine, and the accompanying international response
including economic sanctions levied against Russia, which has
disrupted the global economy, created increased volatility in
commodity markets (including oil and gas prices), and disrupted
international trade and financial markets, all of which have an
ongoing and uncertain effect on global economics, supply chains,
availability of materials and equipment and execution timelines for
project development;
- uncertainties about the continuing
impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) and the response of
local, provincial, state, federal and international governments to
the ongoing threat of COVID-19, on our operations (including our
suppliers, customers, supply chains, employees and contractors) and
economic conditions generally including rising inflation levels and
in particular with respect to the demand for copper and other
metals we produce;
- inherent risks associated with
mining operations, including our current mining operations at
Gibraltar, and their potential impact on our ability to achieve our
production estimates;
- uncertainties as to our ability to
control our operating costs, including inflationary cost pressures
at Gibraltar without impacting our planned copper production;
- the risk of inadequate insurance or
inability to obtain insurance to cover material mining or
operational risks;
- uncertainties related to the
feasibility study for Florence copper project (the “Florence Copper
Project” or “Florence Copper”) that provides estimates of expected
or anticipated capital and operating costs, expenditures and
economic returns from this mining project, including the impact of
inflation on the estimated costs related to the construction of the
Florence Copper Project and our other development projects;
- the risk that the results from our
operations of the Florence Copper production test facility (“PTF”)
and ongoing engineering work including updated capital and
operating costs will negatively impact our estimates for current
projected economics for commercial operations at Florence
Copper;
- uncertainties related to the
accuracy of our estimates of Mineral Reserves (as defined below),
Mineral Resources (as defined below), production rates and timing
of production, future production and future cash and total costs of
production and milling;
- the risk that we may not be able to
expand or replace reserves as our existing mineral reserves are
mined;
- the availability of, and
uncertainties relating to the development of, additional financing
and infrastructure necessary for the advancement of our development
projects, including with respect to our ability to obtain any
remaining construction financing potentially needed to move forward
with commercial operations at Florence Copper;
- our ability to comply with the
extensive governmental regulation to which our business is
subject;
- uncertainties related to our
ability to obtain necessary title, licenses and permits for our
development projects and project delays due to third party
opposition;
- our ability to deploy strategic
capital and award key contracts to assist with protecting the
Florence Copper project execution plan, mitigating inflation risk
and the potential impact of supply chain disruptions on our
construction schedule and ensuring a smooth transition into
construction;
- uncertainties related to First
Nations claims and consultation issues;
- our reliance on rail transportation
and port terminals for shipping our copper concentrate production
from Gibraltar;
- uncertainties related to unexpected
judicial or regulatory proceedings;
- changes in, and the effects of, the
laws, regulations and government policies affecting our exploration
and development activities and mining operations and mine closure
and bonding requirements;
- our dependence solely on our 87.5%
interest in Gibraltar (as defined below) for revenues and operating
cashflows;
- our ability to collect payments
from customers, extend existing concentrate off-take agreements or
enter into new agreements;
- environmental issues and
liabilities associated with mining including processing and stock
piling ore;
- labour strikes, work stoppages, or
other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of
labour in markets in which we operate our mine, industrial
accidents, equipment failure or other events or occurrences,
including third party interference that interrupt the production of
minerals in our mine;
- environmental hazards and risks
associated with climate change, including the potential for damage
to infrastructure and stoppages of operations due to forest fires,
flooding, drought, or other natural events in the vicinity of our
operations;
- litigation risks and the inherent
uncertainty of litigation, including litigation to which Florence
Copper could be subject to;
- our actual costs of reclamation and
mine closure may exceed our current estimates of these
liabilities;
- our ability to meet the financial
reclamation security requirements for the Gibraltar mine and
Florence Project;
- the capital intensive nature of our
business both to sustain current mining operations and to develop
any new projects, including Florence Copper;
- our reliance upon key management
and operating personnel;
- the competitive environment in
which we operate;
- the effects of forward selling
instruments to protect against fluctuations in copper prices,
foreign exchange, interest rates or input costs such as fuel;
- the risk of changes in accounting
policies and methods we use to report our financial condition,
including uncertainties associated with critical accounting
assumptions and estimates; and Management Discussion and Analysis
(“MD&A”), quarterly reports and material change reports filed
with and furnished to securities regulators, and those risks which
are discussed under the heading “Risk Factors”.
For further information on Taseko, investors
should review the Company’s annual Form 40-F filing with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission www.sec.gov and home
jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com, including
the “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Information Form.
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