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Taseko Mines

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FY2019 Annual Report · Taseko Mines
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Message  
to Shareholders 

Dear Shareholders, 

Before I get to our 2019 performance and many achievements, 
I  will  first  address  the  most  pressing  issue  facing  Taseko  and 
every other company and person globally today. COVID-19 has 
impacted  everyone  from  a  health,  financial  and  standard  of 
living  perspective.  While 
wide-reaching impact of COVID-19, at Taseko we are still look-
ing  towards  the  future  and  believe  we  have  found  the  right      
balance between managing short-term market challenges with 
long-term value creation.  We’re confident that we will emerge 
from  the  current  crisis,  with  a  healthy  and  well  positioned 
company. We still believe that the medium- to long-term       

is  no  minimizing 

there 

the                

Russell Hallbauer 
CEO & Director 

fundamentals  for  copper  remain  very  strong.  In  fact,  maybe 
stronger  today  with  many  global  copper  projects  being        
deferred,  increasing  the  potential  for  a  much  greater  supply 
deficit in the years to come. 

Specific to Taseko, we have implemented many safeguards and 
procedures designed to avoid both the occurrence of  COVID-
19  cases  at  any  of  our  sites  and  also  minimize  the  impact 
should such an occurrence happen. To-date, these procedures 
have worked well and there have been no known cases within 
our  organization,  but  we  will  continue  to  remain  focused  on 
the safety of our employees in the months and years ahead. 

Gibraltar Mine 

 
 
2019 Performance 

In  2019,  Gibraltar  operated  at  planned  rates  and  the  126  million  pounds  of  copper  production  met  our  original  production    
guidance. Mill throughput and copper recoveries were in line with life of mine design rates and molybdenum production for the 
year was very strong at 2.7 million pounds, which was the best ever at Gibraltar. 

Our  financial  performance  was  impacted  by  copper  and  molybdenum  pricing  in  2019,  which  were  8%  and  5%  lower,                
respectively, compared to 2018.  

But even with the lower pricing, we still managed to generate $51 million of Adjusted EBITDA* and $43 million of Cash flows 
from operations. While lower than the previous years, I am pleased with these financial returns given the weak market condi-
tions. 

Unfortunately, the higher copper pricing at the end the year was not sustained as the severity of COVID-19 took hold around the 
world. The copper price fell from the January high of US$2.86 per pound to US$2.10 per pound by mid-March. As I write this 
letter  today,  there  has  been  a  healthy  recovery,  back  to  about  US$2.40  per  pound.  With  our  revised  mine  plan  and  reduced 
maintenance and capital spending, we fully expect Gibraltar to generate positive cash flow for the balance of the year, even at a 
price level lower than today. 

Florence Copper Project 

2019 was an exciting year at our Florence Copper Project. The test facility, which is comprised of a wellfield and an SX-EW plant, 
operated  for  the  entire  year  producing  high  quality  copper  cathode.  It  has  been  achieving  great  operational  results  which        
dramatically increase our knowledge of the in-situ copper recovery process. The years of technical studies and test work that has 
been performed are being confirmed with actual operations. And to remind you, the wells that we are producing from today are 
the same size and design that will be used in commercial operations, we will just have more wells in use. 

Additionally,  late  in  2019,  as  part  of  our  London  Stock  Exchange  listing,  we  had  a  third  party  complete  a  Competent  Persons    
Report (“CPR”) for Florence. The CPR reaffirmed the results of our 2017 Technical Report and provides greater confidence in the 
economics of the project. 

At the time of writing this letter, we are imminently expecting the draft Aquifer Protection Permit (“APP”) to be issued. This will 
be another major milestone for the project. The APP is one of two key permits required to transition into commercial production. 
The State of Arizona has reviewed all of the data from the test facility, which has operated within all the regulatory guidelines 
they originally laid out. The next stage will be a public comment period and then we expect the final permit to be issued shortly 
thereafter. The other required permit is the Underground Injection Control Permit which will be issued by the US Environmental 
Protection Agency and we expect this permit later in 2020. 

The other key initiative underway is financing the US$225 million to build the project. Discussions are ongoing with potential 
joint venture partners with our goal still to sell a minority interest in the project. We are also in the process of recommencing 
discussions with potential lenders. Getting a committed financing package in place will be another milestone for the project and 
we are aiming to have that in place before receipt of final permits towards the end of the year.  

* Non-GAPP Performance Measure 

 
 
Yellowhead  

Copper-Gold Project 

Yellowhead,  which  we  acquired  a  little  over  a  year  ago,        
represents significant value for the longer-term.  

This is a large copper reserve in an excellent jurisdiction which 
is  why  we  are  advancing  the  environmental  assessment  work 
on  it  today.  In  early  2020,  we  announced  the  results  recently 
completed technical work. The updated Technical Report con-
firmed  a  mine  life  of  25  years  producing  a  total  of  4.4  billion 
pounds  of  copper,  440,000  ounces  of  gold  and  19  million   
ounces of silver. Copper production for the first five years will 
average 200 million pounds making it one of the largest  open 
pit copper mines in North America. Based on long-term metal 
price  assumptions  the  project  has  a  pre-tax  NPV  (8%)  of  $1.3 
billion and average annual cash flow of $300 million.  

With  a  significant  amount  of  technical  and  environmental    
assessment  work  already  completed, 
including  the  2020     
Technical Report, Taseko will continue to advance the project 
permitting  and  community  consultations  using 
resources  where  possible  and  with  minimal 
expenditures in the near-term. 

internal        
capital                

Project Highlights 
  Advanced stage project acquired by Taseko in 2019 for 

~C$13 million in Taseko shares 

  Located in close proximity to power, rail and highway 
 
In  January  2020,  Taseko  announced  improved  eco-
nomics and new 820M tonne Reserve estimate 

Technical Study Highlights 
 
Initial capital cost of C$1.3 billion 
  Pre-tax NPV of C$1.3 billion (8%) 
  25-year mine life, with LOM strip ratio of 1.4:1 
  Operating cost of C$9.97 per tonne milled 
  Annual production of 200M lbs copper in first 5 years, 

LOM average of 180M lbs copper 

  Average annual pre-tax cash flow of C$330M in first 5 

years, LOM average of C$270M 

2020 Project Initiatives 
  Advance  environmental  assessment  review  process, 

initiated in Q1-2019 

  Ongoing community engagement 

* The NI 43-101 technical report documenting these results including tax implications and 
and discussion is filed on www.sedar.com.  .com. 

Yellowhead Project 

 
 
 
 
Environment,  

Social and Governance 

There  has  been  a  growing  focus  on  Environment,  Social  and 
Governance  (ESG)  initiatives  in  recent  years.  At  Taseko,  we 
have always placed a  high  importance in these areas, and  our 
track  record  has  been  very  good.  Where  we  have  maybe  not 
done a great job, is in promoting our efforts and our successes 
in these areas. 

In  May,  we  issued  our  first  ever  ESG  report  which  details  the 
sustainability work that we perform. In fact, it was not until we 
began to put the report together that I truly understood all the 
ESG  work  that  has  been  undertaken  over  the  years  at  Taseko 
and by our employees. 

initiatives  at          

it 

Whether 
is  the  significant  power  saving 
Gibraltar,  donations  to  charitable  foundations  made  by  our 
employees and the Company, the green method of processing 
that will be used at Florence, or the social and economic value 
we create in the communities we operate in, I believe you will 
not only be surprised but also very impressed. 

The report can be found on our website (tasekomines.com/
our-contribution), and I strongly recommend that our stake-
holders take some time to review the report.  

Looking to the Future 

As I mentioned, through all the of COVID-19 related issues over the past few months, we have not lost focus on our longer-term 
goals. We remain excited about the future prospects for Taseko and its valuable assets. With stable, long-term copper production 
from Gibraltar and the potential for near-term, low cost production from Florence, I believe that Taseko is on the right track.  

Personally, I continue to feel excited about the prospects for our Company. Over the past years, through capital investment and 
acquisitions, we have laid the groundwork to grow Taseko into a multi-producing-asset mining company. While there have been 
some challenges along the way, bringing unexpected delays to our growth pipeline, our focus is unwavering. 

Thank you to all of our key stakeholders for your valuable support.  

Russell Hallbauer 
CEO & Director