Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY and FSE: D7Q1) “Monument” or
the “Company” today announced its production and financial results
for the third quarter of fiscal 2023 and the nine months ended
March 31, 2023. All amounts are expressed in United States dollars
(“US$”) unless otherwise indicated (refer to www.sedar.com for full
financial results).
President and CEO Cathy Zhai commented, “I am
pleased to report that during the third quarter our Selinsing Gold
Mine in Malaysia commenced sulphide production. With off-take
agreements now secured, and the first batch of gold concentrate
ready for sale after the end of the quarter, cashflows are expected
to be higher in future quarters, underpinned by ongoing
improvements in sulphide plant performance towards full production.
The Company will use the cash generated from the sulphide
concentrate sales for the development of the Murchison Gold Project
in Western Australia and other corporate development
initiatives.”
Third Quarter Highlights:
- Selinsing sulphide flotation plant has begun its ramp up
production phase, during which deficiencies were identified and
addressed through an action plan.
- New mining fleet arrived to enhance mining rates.
- Off-take agreements were secured with competitive commercial
terms.
- Export permits granted to multiple buyers late in May after the
quarter end; the first batch of gold concentrate production of
2,000 Dry Metric Tonnes (“DMT”) is in progress for sale.
- Gold bullion production:
- 104 ounces (“oz”) of gold was cleaned up and poured from the
gold in circuit;
- 1,400 ounces of gold bullion sold for $2.63 million (Q3 FY2022:
3,270 ounces for $6.16 million);
- Average realized quarterly gold price of $1,878/oz (Q3 FY2022:
$1,911/oz excluding gold prepaid delivery);
- Cash cost per ounce gold bullion sold of $1,580/oz (Q3 FY2022:
$1,835/oz);
- Gross margin increased to $0.42 million (Q3 FY2022: $0.16
million);
- All-in sustaining cost (“AISC”) decreased to $1,940/oz (Q3
FY2022: $2,248/oz) (section 15 “Non-IFRS Performance
Measures”).
- Gold concentrate production:
- 2,107 DMT of gold concentrate produced containing 2,412 ounces
of gold.
Third Quarter and Nine Months Production
and Financial Highlights
|
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Three months endedMarch 31, |
Nine months ended March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Production |
|
|
|
|
Ore mined (t) |
82,100 |
|
103,380 |
|
298,351 |
|
263,561 |
|
Waste removed (tonnes) |
2,235,216 |
|
1,194,143 |
|
5,943,868 |
|
4,907,452 |
|
Gold Bullion
Production (carbon-in-leach (CIL)) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ore processed (tonnes) |
- |
|
138,984 |
|
195,264 |
|
424,595 |
|
Average mill feed grade (g/t) |
- |
|
0.75 |
|
1.03 |
|
0.62 |
|
Processing recovery rate (%) |
- |
|
69 |
% |
45 |
% |
66 |
% |
Gold bullion production(1) (oz) |
- |
|
2,423 |
|
3,563 |
|
5,149 |
|
Gold sold (oz) |
1,400 |
|
3,270 |
|
5,150 |
|
7,566 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three months endedMarch 31, |
Nine months ended March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Gold Concentrate
Production (Flotation) |
|
|
|
|
|
Ore processed (tonnes) |
89,151 |
|
- |
|
98,725 |
|
- |
|
Average mill feed grade (g/t) |
1.99 |
|
- |
|
1.98 |
|
- |
|
Mass Pull (%) |
2.35 |
% |
|
2.25 |
% |
|
Processing recovery rate (%) |
42 |
% |
- |
|
41 |
% |
- |
|
Gold concentrate production (t) |
2,107 |
|
- |
|
2,137 |
|
- |
|
Gold concentrate production (oz) |
2,412 |
|
- |
|
2,440 |
|
- |
|
Gold sold (oz) |
- |
|
- |
|
- |
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Three months endedMarch 31, |
Nine months ended March 31, |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Financial (expressed in
thousands of US$) |
$ |
|
$ |
|
$ |
|
$ |
|
Revenue |
2,629 |
|
6,160 |
|
9,209 |
|
13,589 |
|
Gross margin from mining
operations |
417 |
|
158 |
|
1,300 |
|
353 |
|
Loss before other items |
(894 |
) |
(1,957 |
) |
(3,057 |
) |
(4,836 |
) |
Net loss |
(837 |
) |
(2,840 |
) |
(4,322 |
) |
(6,609 |
) |
Cash flows provided by (used
in) operations |
1,346 |
|
2,170 |
|
3,446 |
|
(1,830 |
) |
Working capital |
14,545 |
|
32,617 |
|
14,545 |
|
32,617 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
per share – basic and diluted (US$/share) |
(0.00 |
) |
(0.01 |
) |
(0.01 |
) |
(0.02 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
Other |
US$/oz |
|
US$/oz |
|
US$/oz |
|
US$/oz |
|
Average realized gold price
per ounce sold (2) |
1,878 |
|
1,911 |
|
1,788 |
|
1,868 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash cost per ounce sold: |
|
|
|
|
Mining |
567 |
|
762 |
|
557 |
|
704 |
|
Processing |
817 |
|
900 |
|
792 |
|
865 |
|
Royalties |
180 |
|
166 |
|
178 |
|
166 |
|
Operations, net of silver
recovery |
16 |
|
7 |
|
9 |
|
15 |
|
Total cash cost per
ounce sold(3) |
1,580 |
|
1,835 |
|
1,536 |
|
1,750 |
|
By-product silver recovery |
1 |
|
0 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
Operation expenses |
- |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
6 |
|
Corporate expenses |
48 |
|
8 |
|
19 |
|
7 |
|
Accretion of asset retirement obligation |
40 |
|
12 |
|
29 |
|
14 |
|
Exploration and evaluation expenditures |
113 |
|
37 |
|
99 |
|
36 |
|
Sustaining capital expenditures |
158 |
|
356 |
|
95 |
|
359 |
|
Total all-in sustaining costs per ounce
sold(4) |
1,940 |
|
2,248 |
|
1,779 |
|
2,173 |
|
(1) Defined as good delivery gold bullion
according to London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”), net of
gold doŕe in transit and refinery adjustment.(2) Monument
average realized gold price is US$1,878/oz for the three months
ended March 31, 2023.(3) Total cash cost per ounce includes
production costs such as mining, processing, tailing facility
maintenance and camp administration, royalties and operating costs
such as storage, temporary mine production closure, community
development cost and property fees, net of by-product credits. Cash
cost excludes amortization, depletion, accretion expenses, idle
production costs, capital costs, exploration costs and corporate
administration costs. Readers should refer to section 15 “Non-GAAP
Performance Measures” of Q3 MD&A. (4) All-in sustaining
cost per ounce includes total cash costs and adds sustaining
capital expenditures, corporate administrative expenses for the
Selinsing Gold Mine including share-based compensation, exploration
and evaluation costs, and accretion of asset retirement
obligations. Certain other cash expenditures, including tax
payments and acquisition costs, are not included. Readers should
refer to section 15 “Non-GAAP Performance Measures” of Q3
MD&A.
Q3 FY2023 Production Analysis
Gold Bullion Production
- 104 ounces of gold
was recovered from a clean-up of the Carbon in Leach (“CIL”)
circuit, which is now on care and maintenance, which can be
converted back to treat oxide ore in the future.
Gold Concentrate Production
-
Following the commissioning of the sulphide flotation plant in
December 2022, Q3 FY2023 gold concentrate production was 2,107 dry
metric tonnes (“DMT”) containing 2,412 ounces of gold, from the
processing of 89,151 tonnes of sulphide ore (Q3 FY 2022: nil).
-
A total of 98,725 tonnes of sulphide ore was processed in the nine
months ending March 31, 2023, producing 2,137 tonnes of concentrate
containing 2,440 ounces of gold.
-
Total ore mined during the quarter was 82,100 tonnes compared to
103,380 tonnes in Q3 FY2022, with the decrease due to unexpected
heavy rain in February and a shortage of explosives. Total waste
removal increased to 2,235,216 tonnes (Q3 FY2022: 1,194,143 tonnes)
due to increased waste removal in the free digging areas at the
BRC2 and BRC3 pits during the quarter when explosives were not
available.
-
Mill feed of 89,151 tonnes was fully for flotation production at a
feed grade of 1.99g/t with recovery of 42% and a mass pull of
2.35%. The low gold recovery was caused by the processing of highly
oxidized first fill materials during the ore commissioning period
in Q2 FY2023, with the high-grade tailings discharged to a
dedicated tailing pond for future retreatment.
-
Ore processed during the quarter was lower than planned due to loss
of production from a gear box failure in March, which has since
been fixed.
-
Furthermore, production is expected to improve into Q4 FY2023,
following the mining of higher-grade gold zones at the end of the
current quarter.
Q3 FY2023 Financial
Analysis
-
Q3 FY2023 gold bullion sales generated revenue of $2.63 million as
compared to $6.16 million in Q3 FY2022. Gold sales revenue was
derived from the sale of 1,400oz (Q3 FY2022: 3,270oz) of gold
bullion at an average realized gold price of $1,878 per ounce. (Q3
FY2022: $1,911 per ounce). There was no sale of gold concentrate
during the quarter.
-
Gross margin of $0.42 million resulted from sales of remaining gold
bullion inventory before operational expenses and non-cash
amortization and accretion (Q3 FY2022: $0.16 million). The increase
in gross margin was due to lower costs associated with the CIL
plant which was held on care and maintenance.
-
Net loss was $0.84 million, or ($0.00) per share compared to a net
loss of $2.84 million or ($0.01) per share for Q3 FY2022.
-
Cash cost per ounce of gold bullion sold decreased by 14% to
$1,580/oz as compared to $1,835/oz in the same period last year.
The decrease was due to lower cost on addition gold cleaned up from
gold-in-circuit in Q3 when the CIL circuit was put on care and
maintenance.
-
The cash and cash equivalents balance as at March 31, 2023 was
$10.11 million, a decrease of $10.93 million from the balance at
June 30, 2022 of $21.04 million, comprised of $13.50 million
sulphide project development costs at Selinsing including the
flotation plant construction, tailing storage facility upgrades and
cutback, river diversion and stripping activities, $0.82 million
for Murchison exploration and maintenance activities, and $0.06
million for long-term lease obligations, offset by $3.45 million
generated in operating activities. As at March 31, 2023, the
Company had positive working capital of $14.55 million as compared
to $30.33 million at June 30, 2022.
Development
Selinsing Gold Mine
The sulphide project development at the
Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia has been the recent focus of the
Company. As of March 31, 2023, the Project has been completed with
total costs of $18 million which includes $11 million for the
flotation plant construction and $7 million for mine development,
comprising mainly waste removal, river division and improvement of
the tailing storage facilities.
During Q3 FY2023 the flotation plant
construction was completed, and most ancillary equipment installed,
except for the bagging system and permanent concentrate warehouse,
which are due to be completed in Q4 FY2023. The ramp up to full
production commenced in January 2023, and is expected to be
completed in June 2023.
Murchison Gold Project
At Murchison the Company continued to review
historical data at the Gabanintha project, and drilling was
deferred to preserve cash during completion of the Selinsing
sulphide project development.
The Company continued to ensure that the
Burnakura plant and other facilities are operationally ready
through its care and maintenance program to ensure efficient
commissioning in the future. Site accommodation and catering are
fully functional in readiness for the Company’s personnel and
mining contractors when a restart is approved.
About Monument
Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY, FSE: D7Q1)
is an established Canadian gold producer that 100% owns and
operates the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia and the Murchison Gold
Project in the Murchison area of Western Australia. It has 20%
interest in Tuckanarra Gold Project jointly owned with Odyssey Gold
Ltd in the same region. The Company employs approximately 200
people in both regions and is committed to the highest standards of
environmental management, social responsibility, and health and
safety for its employees and neighboring communities.
Cathy Zhai, President and CEOMonument Mining
LimitedSuite 1580 -1100 Melville StreetVancouver, BC V6E 4A6
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION visit the company web
site at www.monumentmining.com or contact:
Richard Cushing, MMY Vancouver T:
+1-604-638-1661 x102 rcushing@monumentmining.com
"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release."
Disclaimer Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This news release includes statements containing
forward-looking information about Monument, its business and future
plans ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements
are statements that involve expectations, plans, objectives or
future events that are not historical facts and include the
Company's plans with respect to its mineral projects, expectations
regarding the completion of the ramp-up period to target production
level at Selinsing and the timing thereof, expectations regarding
the Company’s continuing ability to source explosives from
suppliers, expectations regarding completion of the proposed
storage shed and ammonium nitrate depot and the timing thereof, and
the timing and results of the other proposed programs and events
referred to in this news release. Generally, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is
expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts",
"intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes",
or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain
actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or
"will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The forward-looking
statements in this news release are subject to various risks,
uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or
achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied
by the forward-looking statements. These risks and certain other
factors include, without limitation: risks related to general
business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social
uncertainties; uncertainties regarding the results of current
exploration activities; uncertainties in the progress and timing of
development activities, including those related to the ramp-up
process at Selinsing and the completion of the proposed storage
shed and ammonium nitrate depot; uncertainties and risks related to
the Company’s ability to source explosives from suppliers; foreign
operations risks; other risks inherent in the mining industry and
other risks described in the management discussion and analysis of
the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects,
all of which are available under the profile of the Company on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Material factors and assumptions used to
develop forward-looking statements in this news release include:
expectations regarding the estimated cash cost per ounce of gold
production and the estimated cash flows which may be generated from
the operations, general economic factors and other factors that may
be beyond the control of Monument; assumptions and expectations
regarding the results of exploration on the Company's projects;
assumptions regarding the future price of gold of other minerals;
the timing and amount of estimated future production; assumptions
regarding the timing and results of development activities,
including the ramp-up process at Selinsing and the completion of
the proposed storage shed and ammonium nitrate depot; expectations
that the Company will continue to be able to source explosives from
suppliers in a timely manner; costs of future activities; capital
and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities;
mining or processing issues; exchange rates; and all of the factors
and assumptions described in the management discussion and analysis
of the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects,
all of which are available under the profile of the Company on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in forward-looking
statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be
as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance
that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in
such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not
undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in
accordance with applicable securities laws.
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