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Taseko Mines

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FY2009 Annual Report · Taseko Mines
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2009 Annual Report

a successful year

2009 

February  

June 

August   

Completed a US$30 million term loan facility with Credit Suisse to fund  
expansion projects at its Gibraltar Mine. 

Repurchased entire US$30 million of Convertible Bonds during the quarter  
out of working capital, eliminating the dilutive effects of the bonds.

Completed installation of a new tower mill, increasing regrind capacity and  
improving metal recoveries.

September  

With the addition of Investec, the Company increased its term loan facility  
to US$50 million.

November  

Increased Prosperity reserves to 7.7 million ounces of recoverable gold  
and 3.6 billion pounds of recoverable copper.

2010

January  

March 

April 

May 

Received British Columbia Environmental Assessment Certifi cate for  
Prosperity.

Repaid entire US$50 million long-term credit facility;
Completed transaction to sell 25% of Gibraltar Mine for ~$187 million.

Produced 23.2 million pounds of copper from Gibraltar in the fi rst three  
months of 2010.

Signed gold stream agreement with Franco-Nevada to sell 22% of future  
gold production from Prosperity for US$350 million.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
to taseko shareholders

Russell Hallbauer
President and CEO

As  we  all  appreciate,  2009  was  an  extremely  challenging  year  for  everyone,  from  large 
corporations to small businesses across the full spectrum of business activity.

Not only did the world suffer the most severe fi nancial crisis of the last one hundred years, its 
citizens also suffered a crisis of confi dence in Government’s ability to manage their affairs and 
the affairs of the global economy.

Against this backdrop, your Company in 2010 has emerged as a much stronger entity.

The ability of Taseko’s management and operational teams to react to the unimaginable drop 
in metal prices in a three month period was the key to the survival of this Company.  I want to 
personally thank all those employees who worked so diligently during 2009 to see us through 
that most diffi cult time.

The rebound in commodity prices, more specifi cally copper, in early 2009 came much quicker 
than most envisioned. While global fi nancial markets remained unstable, the price of copper 
steadily increased throughout the year, and continued to increase into 2010. I believe this is a 
result of the underlying fundamentals of our business and, even though demand was dampened 
by the crisis, there remains serious doubt that new copper supply can match industry growth.

Safety continues to be a key focus for Taseko’s Board of Directors and for all Taseko employees, 
and our goal will always be zero reportable incidents. The SafeStart safety program, implemented 
at Gibraltar in 2008, is a valuable tool which trains our employees to prevent the mistakes and 
errors which cause most safety incidents. A direct result of the program was a 24% decrease 
in Medical Aid Injuries and 26% decrease in First Aid Injuries from 2008 to 2009. Additionally, 
days lost to Lost Time Injury dropped from 261 days in 2008 to 55 days in 2009. 

We are always looking to improve environmental performance at our operations. To help do this 
at Gibraltar, an Environmental Action Team was established in 2009. This team is responsible 
for  implementing  programs  which  will  minimize  or  eliminate  impacts  of  the  mine  on  the 
environment. 

In 2009, an impressive amount of remediation related work was performed at Gibraltar. These 
initiatives included the revegetation of 118 hectares around the mine site and 31 hectares of 
the tailings beach for dust control purposes. Additionally, four test plots were established on 
the face of the tailings dam using biosolids with a view to develop decommissioning plans.  
As well, two test plots were established on one of the waste dumps in order to determine the 
appropriate overburden depth required for dump revegetation.

to taseko shareholders /

This past year was a year of many accomplishments, highlighted by the sale of 25% of Gibraltar 
to a Japanese consortium for $187 million, continued with the receipt of Prosperity’s Provincial 
Environmental Assessment Certifi cate in early 2010 and most recently, the transaction to sell 
22% of Prosperity’s gold stream to Franco-Nevada for US$350 million.

As  I  have  stated  on  many  occasions  over  the  past  number  of  years,  the  underlying  value  of 
Gibraltar has never been refl ected in Taseko’s stock price. We purchased Gibraltar in 1999 for 
one dollar and after $300 million of improvements we have leveraged this asset into a $1 billion 
company. But this was not recognized until we completed the sale of a minority interest in the 
asset to a Japanese consortium made up of Sojitz Corporation, Dowa Metals and Mining and 
Furukawa. 

Our  construction  and  operations  team  at  Gibraltar  made  steady  progress  in  2009  with 
construction projects and production performance improvements.

As  the  fi nancial  crisis  struck  in  the  second  half  of  2008,  in  order  to  preserve  cash  fl ow,  the 
decision was made to temporarily halt all non-essential construction projects at the mine. This, 
unfortunately,  delayed  the  completion  of  our  expansion  and  modernization  project;  however, 
as soon as the copper price strengthened in early 2009, and we completed a $30 million bank 
loan, we restarted construction activities. The installation of the new tower mill in mid-2009 was 
key to the improved metal recoveries realized in the fourth quarter of the year. Construction of 
the upgraded tailings pumping system, concentrate fi lter and in-pit crusher/conveyor system 
also continued and engineering of the new SAG mill direct feed system has progressed. It is our 
expectation that the fi nal construction activities necessary to achieve the targeted mill capacity 
of  55,000  tons  per  day,  or  average  annual  copper  production  of  115  million  pounds,  will  be 
complete in the fourth quarter of 2010.

I would like to reiterate this accomplishment. Our investment in Gibraltar since 2006 will be 
approximately $300 million, most of which came from cash fl ow. This investment has created a 
modern, effi cient operation that has a mine life of 25 years. There are very few companies that 
have assets of this quality in politically stable jurisdictions. Gibraltar has been, and will continue 
to be, the foundation to grow Taseko into a much larger mining company.

When  we  reinitiated  work  on  Prosperity  in  2005,  we  did  not  anticipate  it  would  take  nearly 
fi ve  years  to  complete  the  Environmental  review.  This  project  has  gone  through  the  most 
rigorous Environmental Assessment review of any project in British Columbia. The granting of 
the Provincial Environmental Assessment Certifi cate in January of this year was an important 

to taseko shareholders /

Building Wealth through Developing and 
Operating Major Copper and Gold Mines

step forward. In March and April 2010, the Federal Panel that is 
reviewing  the  project  conducted  six  weeks  of  public  hearings.  
By  July,  the  Panel  is  expected  to  submit  its  fi nal  report  to  the 
Federal  Cabinet  for  their  ultimate  approval  of  Prosperity.  We 
fully  expect  this  fi nal  approval  in  September.  Our  plans  today 
involve advancing the engineering for Prosperity as well as site 
preparation work through the balance of 2010 so that we will 
be in a position to commence major construction in the second 
quarter of 2011. 

Financing a project of this size is obviously critical to its overall 
success. Unlike many companies who face the daunting task of 
raising  $800  million, Taseko  has  many  options  to  pursue.  Our 
goal  is  to  avoid  over-leveraging  the  project  by  taking  on  too 
much debt. Large debt packages offered by the banks usually 
come with commodity hedging and very strict covenants, both 
which  can  hinder  management’s  ability  to  effectively  run  the 
operation.

In  May  2010,  we  announced  an  agreement  to  sell  22%  of 
Prosperity’s  life  of  mine  gold  production  to  Franco-Nevada. 
Taseko  will  receive  US$350  million  to  be  paid  during  mine 
construction, as well as two million Franco-Nevada warrants, to 
be issued on the date of the fi rst advance of the cash payment. 
Additionally, for each ounce of gold delivered to Franco-Nevada, 
Taseko  will  receive  a  cash  payment  of  US$400  per  ounce 
(subject to an infl ationary adjustment). To attract the interest of 
a company of the calibre of Franco-Nevada is an endorsement 
of  the  quality  of  Prosperity.  Through  this  transaction,  we  are 
funding approximately 45% of the planned capital expenditures 
for Prosperity by selling 6% of the total gross metal revenue.

Combined  with  cash  on  hand  and  expected  cash  fl ow  from 
Gibraltar,  we  will  have  Prosperity  approximately  80%  funded 
without any debt, leaving a number of available alternatives to 
complete the project funding.  These include project debt, equity, 
off-take sale for debt and the sale of a small minority interest in 
Prosperity.

While I believe that we should be building Prosperity today, our goal now is to ensure there are no further delays and to be producing 
gold and copper by early 2013. I am very excited to think that Taseko will be building the next world-scale gold-copper project in British 
Columbia, a project that will benefi t every one of the many stakeholders involved.

The outlook for Taseko remains extremely positive. Our long-life assets are located in a jurisdiction very favourable to mining. We have 
a copper production profi le which more than doubles over the next three years plus the addition of nearly 250,000 ounces of annual 
gold production. This growth combined with a very bullish view of metal prices will provide excellent returns to our shareholders for 
many years. 

I would like to thank our employees for their tireless efforts over the past year and our shareholders for their ongoing support. I said last 
year that I believed the strategy we have in place will create long-term value for all of our shareholders, and this is proving itself today.

Russell E. Hallbauer
President & CEO

Russell Hallbauer, President and CEO  

mineral reserves and resources

Mineral Reserves

Proven

Probable

Total

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Recoverable 
Metal 
Pounds
(billions)

Copper

Gibraltar

361

0.320

99

0.296

460

0.315

2.6

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Pounds
(billions)

Prosperity

481

0.260

350

0.180

831

0.230

3.6

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Pounds
(millions)

Molybdenum

Gibraltar

361

0.007

99

0.008

460

0.008

36.8

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Ounces
(millions)

Gold

Prosperity

481

0.46

350

0.35

831

0.41

7.7

Mineral Resources

Measured

Indicated

Total

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Copper

Gibraltar

598

0.302

361

0.290

959

0.298

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(% Cu)

Prosperity

547

0.270

463

0.340

1011

0.240

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Tons 
(millions)

Grade
(% Mo)

Molybdenum

Gibraltar

598

0.008

361

0.008

959

0.008

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Tonnes 
(millions)

Grade
(g/t Au)

Gold

Prosperity

547

0.46

463

034

1011

0.41

GIBRALTAR 

The Gibraltar Mine mineral reserves are based on the published reserves at December 31, 2008 and depleted for ore production from the Granite pit in 2009.

The reserve estimates for the Gibraltar Extension deposit used long term metal prices of US$1.75/lb for copper and US$10.00/lb for molybdenum and a 
foreign exchange of Cdn$0.82 per US dollar. The estimates for the balance of the reserves used September 2007 NI 43-101 estimates reduced by actual 
2008 and 2009 mining with long term metal prices of US$1.50/lb for copper, US$10/lb for molybdenum and a foreign exchange of Cdn$0.80 per US dollar.

The proven and probable reserves as of December 31, 2009 are tabulated in the table above and are NI 43-101 and SEC Guide 7 compliant.

The mineral resource and reserve estimations were completed by Gibraltar mine staff under the supervision of Scott Jones, P.Eng., Vice-President, Engineering, 
a Qualifi ed Person under NI 43-101 and the author of the Gibraltar Technical Report. Mr Jones has verifi ed the methods used to determine grade and tonnage 
in the geological model, reviewed the long range mine plan, and directed the updated economic evaluation.

PROSPERITY

The mineral resource and reserve estimations were completed by Taseko staff in November 2009 under the supervision of Scott Vice-President, Engineering 
and a Qualifi ed Person under National Instrument 43-101. Mr Jones has verifi ed the methods used to determine grade and tonnage in the geological model, 
reviewed the long range mine plan, and directed economic evaluation. The estimates for the reserves used long term metal prices of US$1.65/lb for copper 
and US$650/oz for gold and a foreign exchange of Cdn$0.82 per US dollar. Mr Jones has reviewed this release.

The mineral reserves stated above are contained within the mineral resource table.

3-year fi nancial highlights

Balance Sheets
Current Assets
Mineral Properties
Plant and Equipment
Other Assets
Total Assets
Current Liabilities
Other Liabilities
Shareholders’ Equity
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

$

$
$

$

$

As at Dec. 31
2009
92,316
32,631
305,205
104,943
535,095
75,179
163,223
296,693
535,095

$
$

$

2008
41,283
32,610
292,390
111,962
478,245
112,053
131,285
234,907
478,245

$

As at Sept. 30
2007
94,619
18,407
158,492
105,745
377,263
44,589
169,014
163,660
377,263

$
$

$

Statements of Operations
Revenue
Cost of Sales
Depletion, Depreciation and Amortization
Operating Profi t
Accretion of Reclamation Obligation
Exploration
Foreign Exchange Loss (Gain)
Gain on Asset Retirement Obligation Change of Estimates
Gain on Convertible Bond Repurchase
General and Administration
Gain on Sale of Marketable Securities
Interest and Other Income
Interest Expense
Interest Accretion on Convertible Debt
Stock-based Compensation
Realized Loss on Derivative Instruments
Change in Fair Market Value of Financial Instruments
Earnings (Loss) before Other Items

Other Items:
Unrealized Loss on Derivative Instruments
Earnings (Loss) before Income Taxes
Current Income Tax Expense (Recovery)
Future Income Tax Expense (Recovery)
Earnings (Loss) for the Year

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss):
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Reclamation Deposits
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Marketable Securities/Investments
Reclassifi cation of Realized Gain on Sale of Marketable Securities
Tax Effect
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Total Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Basic Earnings (Loss) per Share
Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Share
Basic Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding
Diluted Weighted Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding

Year ended 
Dec. 31

Fifteen months 
ended Dec. 31

Year ended 
Sept. 30

$

$

$

$
$
$
$

2009
188,902
132,434
8,150
48,318
968
3,407
(8,800)
–
(1,630)
8,382
(188)
(7,402)
8,265
1,260
5,696
11,330
–
27,030

15,775
11,255
669
25
10,561

(1,040)
14,263
(188)
(1,779)
11,256
21,817
0.06
0.06
173,170
180,835

$

$

$

$
$
$
$

2008
231,678
196,261
7,363
28,054
1,451
11,864
4,032
(6,917)
–
11,896
(1,034)
(9,701)
8,284
2,938
6,442
–
886
(2,087)

–
(2,087)
(2,151)
(3,446)
3,510

1,859
(11,295)
(1,152)
1,570
9,018
(5.508)
0.02
0.02
142,062
156,928

$

$

$

$
$
$
$

2007
218,426
109,533
3,155
105,738
1,777
8,967
233
(4,570)
–
6,501
(1,508)
(11,093)
5,947
2,922
6,771
–
1,925
87,866

–
87,866
3,959
35,645
48,262

(419)
4,710
(1,508)
(445)
2,338
50,600
0.37
0.36
129,218
142,278

corporate information

OFFICERS

ATTORNEYS

Ronald W. Thiessen, Chairman 
Russell E. Hallbauer, President and CEO
Peter Mitchell, Chief Financial Offi cer
John McManus, Senior Vice President Operations
Brian Battison, Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Scott Jones, Vice President, Engineering

DIRECTORS

William Armstrong
David J. Copeland
T. Barry Coughlan
Scott D. Cousens
Robert A. Dickinson
David Elliott
Russell E. Hallbauer
Wayne Kirk
Richard Mundie
Ronald W. Thiessen

TRANSFER AGENT

Computershare Investor Services Inc.
3rd Floor, 510 Burrard Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6C 3B9

BANK

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
400 Burrard Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6C 3A6

Lang Michener Barristers & Solicitors
1500-1055 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6E 4N7

AUDITORS

KPMG LLP Chartered Accountants
777 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V7Y 1K3

CORPORATE ADDRESS

#300 - 905 West Pender Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6C 1L6

Telephone: (778) 373-4533
Facsimile: (778) 373-4534
Toll Free: (800) 667-2114
Email: info@tasekomines.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS

Brian Bergot
Manager Investor Relations
BrianBergot@tasekomines.com
Direct: (778) 373-4545

TASEKO MINES LIMITED  300 - 905 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC Canada V6C 1L6
Tel 778.373.4533  Fax 778.373.4534  TF 1.800.667.2114  www.tasekomines.com