TIDMPOG
RNS Number : 3427L
Petropavlovsk PLC
18 July 2017
18 July 2017
Petropavlovsk PLC
2017 Half Year Trading Update
Petropavlovsk PLC ("Petropavlovsk", or the "Company" and,
together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") today issues its
Trading Update for the period from 1 January 2017 through 30 June
2017 ("the Period" or "H1 2017") in advance of its 2017 Half-Year
Interim Results, which are expected to be published in the week
commencing 11 September 2017.
H1 2017 Highlights and FY 2017 Outlook
Production
n 19% yoy increase in H1 total gold production - c.232,400oz vs
c.195,600oz in H1 2016
n Production forecast for full year production of c.420,000 -
460,000oz reconfirmed
n From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using gold
poured as the definition for production.
Gold Sales
n 19% yoy increase in physical volumes of gold sold -
c.231,800oz vs H1 2016 c.195,400oz
n 5% increase in average realised gold price - US$1,255/oz, vs
H1 2016 US$1,194/oz
n As at 30 June 2017, the Group had outstanding hedging
contracts for 500koz of gold at an average price of US$1,252/oz
Net Debt
n 5% reduction in net debt as at 30 June 2017 - c.US$570m
(preliminary unaudited) from US$599m as at 31 December 2016
Gold production - Dore (incl. GIC movement), '000oz
------------------------------------------------------------
Q2 2017 Q2 2016 H1 2017 H1 2016
=============== ========== ========= ========= =========
Pioneer 47.9 34.7 96.4 71.0
=============== ========== ========= ========= =========
Pokrovskiy 8.4 9.1 14.2 17.2
=============== ========== ========= ========= =========
Malomir 12.3 12.2 28.7 24.8
=============== ========== ========= ========= =========
Albyn 45.7 38.8 93.1 82.6
=============== ========== ========= ========= =========
Total 114.3 94.8 232.4 195.6
--------------- ---------- --------- --------- ---------
Note: From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using
gold poured as the definition for production.
Commenting on the announcement, Non-Executive Chairman Ian Ashby
said:
"The increase in production in first half was due to operational
efficiencies. The operations are currently progressing in line with
the Company's plan.
The wide range in the production forecast for the full year
reflects the Company's conservative approach to the development of
underground mines at Pioneer and Malomir.
The development of the POX plant is currently progressing on
schedule and on budget. Further exploration of new discoveries made
in the last year continues.
The Board's current focus is on the timely delivery of the
Company's stated objectives: development of the POX Hub; the
commissioning of underground mining operations; and the
optimisation of the Company's capital structure.
A more detailed update on the Group's operational progress and
outlook will be included in the interim results announcement."
Operations Report
Pioneer
Pioneer mining operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Units Q2 2017 Q2 2016 H1 2017 H1 2016
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Total material
moved m3 '000 3, 812 4, 754 7, 206 9, 597
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Ore mined t '000 1, 895 788 2, 935 1, 656
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.78 1.05 0.90 0.94
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 47.5 26.5 85.1 49.9
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Pioneer processing operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Resin-in-pulp (RIP) plant
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total milled t '000 1, 707 1, 775 3, 349 3,372
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.78 0.69 0.79 0.74
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 42.7 39.5 85.4 80.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 82.4 85.8 76.8 82.6
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 35.2 33.8 65.6 66.3
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Heap leach operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total stacked t '000 359 281 359 281
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.51 0.53 0.51 0.53
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 5.9 4.8 5.9 4.8
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 39.6 30.2 39.6 30.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 2.3 1.5 2.3 1.5
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Pioneer gold
production -
Dore oz. '000 47.9 34.7 96.4 71.0
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Note: From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using
gold poured as the definition for production.
The main sources of low grade ore were pits of the Alexandra,
Yuzhnaya and Promezhutachnaya zones. This ore was blended with
lower grade material from stockpiles.
Heap leach operations commenced on schedule in April.
The development of the North East Bakhmut underground mine
progressed as planned. Underground work during H1 totaled c.1,446m.
The first ore was mined in June - c.3.5kt with an average gold
content of c.2.7 g/t. As per the mine plan, production began at a
low grade "bridge" area between North-East Bakhmut 2 and 3. Ore
grades are expected to improve as mining moves into the higher
grade North East Bakhmut 3 zone.
The significant increase in doré gold production in relation to
gold recovered is mainly due to the successful implementation of
measures for cleaning resin, and the resulting reduction in gold in
circuit.
In H2, the main sources of low grade ore are expected to be
Alexandra, Yuzhnaya and Andreevskaya West, with high grade ore to
be mined from NE Bahkmut via underground.
The H2 gold production forecast for Pioneer is
c.73,000-98,000oz.
Pokrovskiy
Pokrovskiy mining operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Units Q2 2017 Q2 2016 H1 2017 H1 2016
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Total material
moved m3 '000 1 ,036 1,223 2 ,073 2,253
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Ore mined t '000 392 134 520 332
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.51 1.14 0.50 0.98
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 6.4 4.9 8.4 10.5
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Pokrovskiy processing operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Resin-in-pulp (RIP) plant
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total milled t '000 450 451 888 899
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.47 0.65 0.44 0.62
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 6.8 9.5 12.4 17.9
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 84.8 91.7 78.3 91
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 5.8 8.7 9.7 16.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Heap leach operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total stacked t '000 246 193 246 193
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.40 0.4 0.40 0.4
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 3.2 2.7 3.2 2.7
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 22.4 46 22.4 46
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 0.7 1.2 0.7 1.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Pokrovsky gold
production -
Dore oz. '000 8.4 9.1 14.2 17.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Note: From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using
gold poured as the definition for production.
The Zeyskaya and Vodorazdelnaya zones were the main sources of
low grade ore, which was blended with ore from stockpiles. This
contributed to the decrease in processing recovery at the plant
compared to H1 2016, due to the technological qualities of ores
from stockpiles (initially scheduled), which were worse than
expected.
Heap leaching began in April in line with the mining plan.
In H2, the main sources of low grade ore (c.15,000oz) are again
expected to be Zeyskaya and Vodorazdelnaya.
Malomir
Malomir mining operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Units Q2 2017 Q2 2016 H1 2017 H1 2016
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Total material
moved m3 '000 2, 772 1,957 5, 126 3,721
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Ore mined t '000 675 253 1, 434 390
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.68 1.2 0.78 1.2
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 14.9 9.5 36.0 15.1
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Malomir processing operations
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Resin-in-pulp (RIP) plant
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total milled t '000 858 771 1, 652 1,554
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 0.71 0.8 0.78 0.7
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 19.6 19.4 41.7 37.1
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 58.9 66.8 59.8 67.3
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 11.5 13.0 24.9 25.0
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Malomir gold
production -
Dore oz. '000 12.3 12.2 28.7 24.8
---------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Note: From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using
gold poured as the definition for production.
The main sources of low grade ore were pits at the Quartzitovoye
and Magnetitovoye zones. Ore from stockpiles also contributed to
production.
Construction of an underground mine at Quartzitovoye 1 began in
January 2017, after delays due to the late mobilization of
equipment by the mining contractor. Since May, the contractor has
worked at the scheduled capacity in accordance with the mining
plan. In the first half of the year, c.697m of underground workings
had been completed. In spite of the delay, the first ore was mined
in June - a total of c.4.2kt with an average gold content of c.5.4
g/t.
The volumes of ore treated through the plant were in line with
the plan. Recovery rates were lower than planned for H1 2016 due to
ore from the Quartzitovoye 2 pit being more refractory than
expected. This pit was completed in H1.
In H2, the main sources of low grade ore will be Quartzitovoye 1
and Magnetitovoye. High grade ore will be mined from underground at
Quartzitovoye 1.
The Malomir production forecast for the second half of the year
is c.20,000-30,000oz.
Albyn
Albyn mining operations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Units Q2 2017 Q2 2016 H1 2017 H1 2016
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Total material
moved m3 '000 7, 426 7,775 14, 942 16,009
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Ore mined t '000 1, 258 867 2, 633 2,530
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 1.19 1.1 1.14 1.1
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 48.1 29.7 96.4 88.0
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Albyn processing operations
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Resin-in-pulp (RIP) plant
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total milled t '000 1, 152 1,177 2, 290 2,341
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Average grade g/t 1.23 1.1 1.14 1.1
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold content oz. '000 45.6 41.2 84.3 83.9
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Recovery % 93.6 90.1 93.0 92.0
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Gold recovered oz. '000 42.6 37.1 78.4 77.2
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Albyn gold production
- Dore oz. '000 45.7 38.8 93.1 82.6
----------------------- ---------- -------- -------- -------- --------
Note: From the beginning of 2017, the Company moved to using
gold poured as the definition for production.
The main sources of ore were the Central and Eastern zones of
the Albyn main pit, with a small amount of ore supplied from
stockpiles. The plant operated as normal throughout the year.
In H2, the main source of ore will be the Central zone of the
Albyn main pit, with some ore from stockpiles. The gold production
forecast for the second half of the year is c.80,000-85,000oz.
Note: Figures in this release may not add up due to rounding
Exploration
Exploration during H1 2017 has been successful in identifying
and exploring new non-refractory targets for both open pit and
underground mining.
A non-refractory deposit, Katrin (shallow orebody, hosted within
a 1km long mineralised zone) was discovered within the Pioneer
license area. The current exploration campaign at Katrin is nearly
completed and formal mineral resource and ore reserve estimates are
under preparation. Two new zones of mineralisation potentially
suitable for open pit mining were also discovered near NE Bakhmut,
Pioneer (bowl No 2).
Underground developments at Quartzitovoye, Malomir led to the
discovery of a previously unknown zone of high grade
mineralisation, with selected best intersections of 5.32m @
69.9g/t, 1.8m @ 42.9 g/t and 1.01m @ 12.2 g/t. The new high grade
zone was further explored by an underground drift, which proved the
existence of a 20m long pay shoot. This has an average grade of
c.18g/t and a thickness of 4.5m, with grades of up to 458g/t in
selected samples. The zone remains open in all directions and it is
possible that other similar pay shoots could be discovered along
the strike.
Exploration also continued at Ulgen, where the best new trench
intersections include 7.0m@5.11g/t, 5.0m@3.58g/t and 2.0m@2.84g/t.
The Ulgen prospect has many similarities with Elginskoye, where
JORC Resources and Reserves stand at 2.8Moz.
IRC Limited (IRC)
Petropavlovsk is a shareholder (31.1%) of IRC Limited and is the
guarantor of the US$340 million project finance facility (US$234
million principal outstanding, as at 31 December 2016). IRC is a
vertically integrated iron ore producer and developer in the
Russian Far East and North Eastern China. IRC is listed on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange (Ticker: 1029.HK).
On 20 June, IRC announced that K&S, IRC's 3.2mtpa project,
is stepping up its ramp-up program and the plant has successfully
operated at over 80% of its designed capacity. To date, K&S has
sold more than 800,000 tonnes of iron ore concentrate and is making
a cash contribution to IRC. IRC continues to aim at operating
K&S at full capacity in the second half of 2017. Most recently,
on 3 July IRC announced that K&S has expanded its customer base
and the project now has a greater variety of clients in different
regions - a further step to derisk its business as K&S ramps up
its production capacity.
The full text of IRC's announcements and further information may
be obtained from the IRC website, www.ircgroup.com.hk.
About Petropavlovsk
Petropavlovsk is one of Russia's leading gold mining companies.
As at 31 December 2016, the Company had produced approximately
6.3Moz of gold.
Petropavlovsk is in the construction phase of a state of the art
pressure oxidation facility to process the Company's substantial
refractory resource base. The Company's combined 3,600km2 license
holding has untapped resource potential. The Company is a leading
employer and contributor to the development of the local economy in
the Amur region, Russian Far East, where it has operated since
1994.
Petropavlovsk is listed on the Main Market of the London Stock
Exchange (Ticker POG:LN)
Enquiries
For more information, please visit www.petropavlovsk.net and
www.ircgroup.com.hk or contact:
Petropavlovsk PLC Maitland
------------------------- --------------------------------------
Alya Samokhvalova Neil Bennett
------------------------- --------------------------------------
Grace Hanratty James Isola
------------------------- --------------------------------------
+44 (0) 20 7201 8900 +44 (0) 20 7379 5151
------------------------- --------------------------------------
TeamIR@petropavlovsk.net Petropavlovsk-Maitland@maitland.co.uk
------------------------- --------------------------------------
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014.
Forward-looking statements
This release may include statements that are, or may be deemed
to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "plans",
"projects", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or
"should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or
comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans,
objectives, goals, future events or intentions. These forward-
looking statements include all matters that are not historical
facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this release
and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the
Group's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning,
among other things, the Group's results of operations, financial
position, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and expectations
of the industry.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and
uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances.
Forward- looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance and the development of the markets and the industry in
which the Group operates may differ materially from those described
in, or suggested by, any forward- looking statements contained in
this release. In addition, even if the development of the markets
and the industry in which the Group operates are consistent with
the forward looking statements contained in this release, those
developments may not be indicative of developments in subsequent
periods. A number of factors could cause developments to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements including, without limitation, general economic and
business conditions, industry trends, competition, commodity
prices, changes in law or regulation, currency fluctuations
(including the US dollar and Rouble), the Group's ability to
recover its reserves or develop new reserves, changes in its
business strategy, political and economic uncertainty. Save as
required by the Listing and Disclosure 40 and Transparency Rules,
the Company is under no obligation to update the information
contained in this release.
Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future
performance.
The content of websites referred to in this announcement does
not form part of this announcement.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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