Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY and FSE: D7Q1) “Monument” or
the “Company” today announced its annual financial results for the
year ended June 30, 2023. All amounts are in United States dollars
unless otherwise indicated (refer to www.sedar.com for full
financial results).
Cathy Zhai, the President and CEO commented,
“Fiscal 2023 was a milestone year for the Company with the gold
sulphide project completed, and the flotation plant was put into
production at the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia. The commercial
production has also been reached in August 2023 subsequent to the
year end. It again demonstrates Monument has been able to deliver
what’s been promised and now we are ready for the next corporate
move.”
Fiscal Year 2023
Highlights:
- Construction of the Selinsing
sulphide flotation plant completed for a total cost of $18.2
million in line with the budget.
- The overall performance of the
plant reached over 90% of its designed capacities by June
2023.
- Gold dore production ceased
November 2022, first gold concentrate shipment commenced in June
2023.
- Gold annual production combined two
products:
- Gold produced from the oxide CIL
plant:
- 3,926 ounces (“oz”) of gold
produced (FY2022: 7,091oz);
- 5,912 ounces (“oz”) of gold sold
for $10.64 million (FY2022: 8,016oz for $14.44 million);
- Average gold price realized at
$1,800/oz (FY2022: $1,870/oz excluding gold prepaid delivery);
- Cash cost per ounce gold sold at
$1,622/oz (FY2022: $1,723/oz);
- Gross margin increased to $1.06
million (FY2022: $0.63 million) and;
- Gold produced from the sulphide
flotation plant:
- 6,849 ounces of gold produced
(FY2022: nil ounce);
- 1,148oz gold sold at average
realized price of 1,949/oz for the estimated $1.74 million (FY2022:
nil);
- Cash cost per ounce for gold sold
at $917/oz (FY2022: nil);
- Gross margin at $0.69 million
(FY2022: nil).
- All-in sustaining cost (“AISC”)
decreased to $1,722/oz (FY2022: $2,175/oz)
- Murchison phase II exploration
found gold mineralization expansion with 17.8g/t gold intercept.
Economic study update resumed after March 2023.
Fourth Quarter Production
Highlights:
- The first 2,023 Dry Metric Tonne
(”DMT”) concentrates sale has initiated in June 2023.
- Gold produced from the sulphide
flotation plant:
- 4,409 ounces of gold produced (Q4
FY2022: nil ounce);
- 1,148oz gold sold at average
realized price of $1,949/oz for the estimated $1.74 million (Q4
FY2022: nil);
- Cash cost per ounce for gold sold
at $917/oz (Q4 FY2022: nil).
- All-in sustaining cost (“AISC”)
decreased to $1,567/oz (Q4 FY2022: $2,221/oz)
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023
Production and Financial Highlights
|
Three months ended June 30, |
Year ended June 30, |
|
2023 |
2022 |
2023 |
2022 |
Production |
|
|
|
|
Ore mined (t) |
144,148 |
91,958 |
439,022 |
355,519 |
Waste removed
(tonnes) |
2,104,082 |
686,423 |
8,051,617 |
5,593,875 |
Gold Oxide
Production |
|
|
|
|
Ore processed (tonnes) |
- |
119,409 |
195,264 |
544,003 |
Average mill feed grade (g/t) |
- |
0.95 |
1.03 |
0.69 |
Processing recovery rate (%) |
- |
54.72 |
44.87 |
62.66 |
Gold produced (1) (oz) |
362 |
1,942 |
3,926 |
7,091 |
Gold sold (oz) |
762 |
450 |
5,912 |
8,016 |
Gold
Sulphide Production |
|
|
|
|
Ore processed (tonnes) |
124,768 |
– |
223,493 |
– |
Average mill feed grade (g/t) |
1.66 |
– |
1.80 |
– |
Processing recovery rate (%) |
66.47 |
– |
54.06 |
– |
Gold produced (oz) |
4,409 |
– |
6,849 |
– |
Gold sold (oz) |
1,148 |
– |
1,148 |
– |
|
|
|
|
|
Financial(expressed in thousands of US$) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
Revenue |
3,177 |
851 |
12,386 |
14,440 |
Gross margin from
mining operations |
450 |
274 |
1,749 |
629 |
Loss before other
items |
(891) |
(342) |
(3,948) |
(5,178) |
Net income
(loss) |
(1,951) |
112 |
(6,273) |
(6,497) |
Cash flows
provided by (used in) operations |
(3,327) |
(2,722) |
118 |
(4,552) |
Working
capital |
9,822 |
30,331 |
9,822 |
30,331 |
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings (Loss) per share – basic and diluted (US$/share) |
(0.01) |
0.00 |
(0.02) |
(0.02) |
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
average gold price |
US$/oz |
US$/oz |
US$/oz |
US$/oz |
Realized
price – oxide production (2) |
1,883 |
1,890 |
1,800 |
1,870 |
Realized
price – sulphide production (2) |
1,949 |
– |
1,949 |
– |
|
|
|
|
|
Cash cost
per ounce sold |
|
|
|
|
Mining |
392 |
397 |
513 |
687 |
Processing |
810 |
623 |
797 |
851 |
Royalties |
179 |
170 |
178 |
166 |
Operations, net of
silver recovery |
47 |
92 |
19 |
20 |
Total cash
cost per ounce sold (3) |
1428 |
1282 |
1507 |
1723 |
By-product silver recovery |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
Operation expenses |
84 |
0 |
23 |
6 |
Corporate expenses |
5 |
20 |
15 |
8 |
Accretion of asset retirement obligation |
27 |
93 |
28 |
19 |
Exploration and evaluation expenditures |
-22 |
256 |
66 |
48 |
Sustaining capital expenditures |
44 |
563 |
82 |
371 |
Total all-in sustaining costs per ounce
sold (4) |
1,567 |
2,221 |
1,722 |
2,175 |
(1) Defined as good delivery gold oxide production according to
London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”), net of gold doŕe in
transit and refinery adjustment.(2) Exclude gold prepaid delivery
for comparison purposes.(3) Total cash cost for both oxide and
sulphide plant production 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, capital costs, exploration costs and
corporate administration costs.(4) All-in sustaining cost per ounce
includes total cash costs, operation expenses, 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. |
|
GOLD PRODUCTION RESULTS
Annual gold production
- The CIL plant production in FY2023
recovered 2,910oz of gold with the mil feed of 195,264 tonnes, the
average grade of 1.03g/t at the recovery of 44.87%, down from
7,564oz in FY2022 with the mill feed of 544,003 tonnes, the average
grade of 0.69g/t at the recovery of 62.66%. Gold produced during
the year amounted to 3,926oz, compared to 7,091oz in 2022. The
decrease in recovered and produced gold were primarily resulted
from the cessation oxide production in November 2022, the CIL
circuit was put under care and maintenance and the sulphide
flotation plant commenced commissioning and into production in the
fourth quarter.
- The sulphide flotation production
in FY2023 produced 6,849 ounces of gold. The mill processed 223,493
tonnes of sulphide ore at a head grade of 1.80g/t with a recovery
of 54.06%. The lower gold recovery was due to the treatment of
highly oxidized first-fill materials during the ore commissioning
period. Consequently, the high-grade tailings were stored in a
high-grade tailing pond for future process.
- Mining focused on Selinsing Pit and
Buffalo Reef Pits to remove overburden for sulphide production. A
total of 439,022 tonnes of ore was produced (FY2022: 355,519
tonnes) with 8,051,617 tonnes of waste (FY2022: 5,593,875 tonnes)
was moved at a higher stripping ratio of 18.34 compared to 15.73 is
the prior year primarily due to the mining sequence.
Fourth quarter gold
production
- The CIL plant closing operation
cleaned up 362 ounces of gold from the circuit with no mill feed as
compared to the same period of FY2022 where 1,942oz of gold
produced, 1,998oz recovered from the mill feed of 119,409 tonnes at
the average gold grade of 0.95g/t and a recovery of 54.72%.
- The sulphide flotation plant
produced 4,409 ounces of gold. The mill processed 124,768 tonnes of
sulphide ore at a head grade of 1.66g/t with a recovery of 66.47%
improved from Q3 production.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Fiscal 2023 financial
results
- Gold sales resulted in a revenue of
$12.39 million, a decrease from the $14.44 million in Fiscal 2022.
Gold revenue comprised of $10.64 million from 5,912oz of gold
produced out of oxide ore at an average realized price of $1,800
per ounce (FY2022: 8,016oz at $1,870 per ounce), and $1.75 million
from 1,148oz of gold produced from sulphide ore at the realized
gold price of $1,949/oz (FY2022: nil).
- Gross margin was at $1.75 million
(FY2022: $0.63 million) from Selinsing production primarily due to
high fixed cost incurred for the CIL operation period while the CIL
was transited to care and maintenance.
- The cash cost per ounce from the
oxide plant decreased by 6% to $1,622/oz for the year down from
$1,723/oz in FY2022. This was attributed to a higher mill feed
grade, partially offset by a decrease in recoveries to 44.87% (CIL)
from 62.66% (CIL) in FY2022. The cash cost per ounce from the
sulphide flotation plant was $917/oz (FY2022: NA).
- As of June 30, 2023, cash and cash
equivalents were $5.96 million, a decrease of $15.08 million from
June 30, 2022. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents primarily
comprised funds held with reputable financial institutions and were
invested in cash accounts. The decrease was primarily due to the
prolonged ramp-up period and a breakdown in the sulphide flotation
plant. Commercial production only began in August 2023 subsequent
to the year end.
- Cash used in investing activities
of $15.12 million (FY2022: $12.99 million) represented $14.17
million invested in Selinsing for sulphide project development,
including the Flotation Plant construction, Tailings Storage
Facility (“TSF”) upgrades and cutbacks, river diversion, and
stripping activities (FY2022: $10.73 million), while $0.95 million
(FY2022: $2.26 million) was invested in Murchison exploration and
evaluation projects.
Quarter four financial
results
- Q4 gold sales generated revenue of
$3.18 million from 1,910oz gold sold, comprised of $1.44 million
from the oxide processing plant for 762oz of gold at an average
realized price of $1,883 per ounce (Q4 FY2022: 450oz at $1,890 per
ounce), and $1.74 million from the sulphide flotation plant for
1,148oz of gold at the average realized gold price of $1,949/oz (Q4
FY2022: nil).
- Mining operations before non-cash
amortization and depreciation generated a gross margin of $0.45
million, an increase of 64% from $0.27 million in Q4 FY2022.
- The cash cost from the oxide CIL
gold production increased by 72% to $2,200/oz for the fourth
quarter from $1,282/oz in the fourth quarter of FY2022. This was
mainly resulted from high fixed cost incurred to recover the
residual gold from the CIL circuit. The cash cost from the sulphide
flotation gold production was $917/oz (Q4 FY2022: NA).
MINE
DEVELOPMENT
Selinsing Gold Mine
At Selinsing, development work focused on
completion of the construction and commissioning of the flotation
plant at the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia. The construction of
the plant was completed for a total cost of $18.2 million in line
with the budget.
Strategically planned construction and
commissioning activities marked the progression of the project,
with plant commissioning initiating a series of activities. As a
result, the plant has been operating efficiently, achieving 90% of
its design capacity by February 2023.
Subsequent to the year-end on September 22,
2023, the Company achieved commercial production, operating at 90%
of its designed production capacity for 30 consecutive days in
August 2023. During this period, the mill's availability was
94%.
Strategic pauses and resumptions in construction
of the TSF and pre-stripping initiatives at Buffalo Reef were
aligned with the overall project timeline.
To support continuous operations, several
post-year end efforts were initiated, such as the delivery of a new
drill rig and establishment of an explosive depot. In addition,
enhancements to existing infrastructures, like the expansion of
sample preparation facilities, were undertaken, setting the stage
for future project milestones and streamlined production
processes.
Murchison Gold Project
No drilling was carried out during the fourth
quarter of fiscal year 2023. The Company focused on updating and
reviewing drill targets at Gabanintha and has reduced exploration
activities to preserve cash during the finalisation of the
Selinsing sulphide plant development, noting that the costs of
drilling in Western Australia have increased over 30%, due to a
shortage of labour and drill rigs. The Company continues to
maintain the plant and other facilities to the extent they are
operationally ready for efficient commissioning when production is
restarted. Site accommodation and catering facilities are fully
functional to host administrative, exploration and mining
activities.
Exploration
Malaysia
There was no exploration drilling undertaken at
Selinsing during Q2, Q3, or Q4 of FY2023 in order to preserve cash
during the final stages of the sulphide plant construction,
commissioning and ramp up. Exploration activities to identify
additional oxide and sulphide mineralization are expected to resume
during FY2024.
Western Australia
Exploration activities were similarly reduced at
the Murchison project during FY2023 in order to preserve cash
during the final stages of the sulphide plant development at
Selinsing and were largely limited to an ongoing review of
historical maps and reports for the Gabanintha project.
Phase 2 drilling, a part of a two-year
exploration plan, targeted deeper extensions in the Burnakura
tenements for extended production, delivered the results confirmed
gold mineralization extensions with high grades up to 17.8g/t gold,
over 150m vertically below the current NOA Mineral Resource. This
suggests a notable potential for Mineral Resource expansion. The
findings revealed increased width, grade, and alteration at depth,
indicating the NOA deposits' potential can be further tapped with
focused exploration. There's emphasized potential for deeper mining
in historic pits and transitioning to underground mining, with
prospects extending beyond the current 1.6km limit. Key intercepts
include 4m at 12.0g/t gold at NOA 7/8 and 2m at 17.8g/t gold at NOA
4-6.
Qualified Person’s
Statement
The technical and scientific information in this
press release has been reviewed and approved by Roger Stangler,
MEng, FAusIMM, MAIG, a Qualified Person as defined by NI43-101,
retained by Golder Associates Pty Ltd.
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 220
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 VancouverT: +1-604-638-1661
x102rcushing@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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