Lundin Mining to Acquire Additional 5% Ownership in Caserones and a 31% Interest in the Los Helados Project
Highlights:
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Strengthens
Lundin Mining's copper production profile: Increases 2026 attributable copper production by 6,500 to 7,000 tonnes. Caserones' production guidance for 2026 is 130,000 ‑ 140,000 tonnes of copper on a 100% basis and annual cash cost1 is forecast to be$2.05 /lb –$2.25 /lb of copper, after by-product credits.2 - The additional Caserones interest will contribute immediate free cash flow: Attractive acquisition price that is accretive to attributable production and financial metrics.
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Los Helados will add meaningful copper and gold Mineral Resources to
Lundin Mining's metal inventory. Los Helados on a 100% basis contains:- Indicated Mineral Resources: 8.3 Mt of copper, 10.2 Moz of gold and 97.5 Moz of silver (2.1 billion tonnes at 0.40% copper, 0.15 g/t gold and 1.5 g/t silver).
- Inferred Mineral Resources: 3.7 Mt copper, 3.6 Moz of gold and 50.2 Moz of silver (1.1 billion tonnes at 0.34% copper, 0.10 g/t gold and 1.4 g/t silver).
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Provides additional growth optionality: Los Helados is approximately 17 km to the south from
Lundin Mining's Caserones mine, located within the emerging Vicuña District. Possible synergies include scenarios to potentially truck or convey mineralization from Los Helados to Caserones, offsetting lower grade material with higher grade mineralization from Los Helados.
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1 These are non-GAAP measures. Please refer to the Company's discussion of non-GAPP and other performance measures in its Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended |
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2 Guidance as announced by news release "Lundin Mining Announces 2025 Production Results and 2026 Guidance" dated |
Los Helados is a large copper-gold deposit, located in
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3 These are non-GAAP measures. Please refer to the Company's discussion of non-GAPP and other performance measures in its Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended |
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4 Refer to the |
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Los Helados Mineral Resource Estimate (100% basis) |
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Grade |
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Contained Metal |
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Site |
Category |
Tonnes
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Cu
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Au
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Ag
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Cu
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Au
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Ag
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|||||
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Los Helados |
Measured |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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- |
- |
- |
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Indicated |
2,080 |
0.40 |
0.15 |
1.5 |
|
8,360 |
10.2 |
97.5 |
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M&I |
2,080 |
0.40 |
0.15 |
1.5 |
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8,360 |
10.2 |
97.5 |
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Inferred |
1,080 |
0.34 |
0.10 |
1.5 |
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3,670 |
3.6 |
50.2 |
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Mineral Resource Notes: |
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1. |
Mineral Resource estimate prepared in accordance with CIM (2014) definitions. |
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2. |
The Mineral Resource Estimate is reported with an effective date of |
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3. |
Mineral Resources are estimated at a cut-off grade of 0.33 g/t CuEq based on an underground block cave mining cost of |
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4. |
Mineral Resources are estimated using a copper price of |
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5. |
Metallurgical recoveries used for the CuEq calculation correspond to three geometallurgical zones, defined by depth below surface: |
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a. |
Upper: Cu 83.1%, Au 72.8%, Ag 31.0% |
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b. |
Intermediate: Cu 90.2%, Au 80.3%, Ag 54.9% |
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c. |
Deep: Cu 93.1%, Au 82.5%, Ag 70.5% |
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6. |
The formulas used for the CuEq calculation are: |
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a. |
Upper: CuEq % = Cu % + (0.681008 x Au (g/t)) + (0.002989 x Ag (g/t)) |
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b. |
Intermediate: CuEq % = Cu % + (0.692039 x Au (g/t)) + (0.004877 x Ag (g/t)) |
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c. |
Deep: CuEq % = Cu % + (0.688852 x Au (g/t)) + (0.006068 x Ag (g/t)) |
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7. |
Average Bulk density is 2.67 t/m3. |
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8. |
Mineral Resource Estimates are reported within an optimized underground block cave mining shape to demonstrate reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction (RPEEE). The block cave considered a column size of 20m x 20m x (≥ 80m). |
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9. |
There are 40 Mt of unclassified material excluded from inside the base case block cave shape. |
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10. |
Cut-off grades refer to diluted cut-off grades used to generate the corresponding block cave shapes. For each cut-off grade, the tonnes and grade represent the total Indicated or Inferred material within each of these shapes. |
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11. |
Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. |
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12. |
The "Technical Report on the Los Helados and Lunahuasi Projects, |
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13. |
Numbers may not add due to rounding. |
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Transaction Overview
In connection with the Transaction, LMC Caserones SpA (the "Buyer"), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into two agreements with JX:
- Stock purchase agreement ("Stock Purchase Agreement") pursuant to which JX will sell to the Buyer shares of Lumina Copper representing 5% of the issued and outstanding equity interest of Lumina Copper.
- Rights purchase agreement ("Rights Purchase Agreement" and together with the Stock Purchase Agreement, the "Purchase Agreements") pursuant to which JX will sell, transfer and assign to the Buyer all of its rights, title and interest in and to, among other things, a 30.9% interest in Los Helados and a 0.62% net smelter royalty on Los Helados.
The aggregate purchase price attributable to the Purchase Agreements is
The Transaction has been approved by the Board of Directors of both the Company and JX and is expected to close in
About
The information in this release is subject to the disclosure requirements of
Technical Information
The Qualified Person responsible for the scientific and technical information contained herein and who has reviewed and approved such information in accordance with NI 43-101 is Eduardo Cortés, Registered Member (Comisión Calificadora de Competencias en Recursos y Reservas Mineras (
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures
The Company uses certain performance measures in its analysis. These performance measures have no standardized meaning within generally accepted accounting principles under International Financial Reporting Standards and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other mining companies. For additional details please refer to the Company's discussion of non-GAAP and other performance measures in its Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended
Cash Cost per Pound can be reconciled to Production costs on the Company's Consolidated Statements of Earnings as follows:
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Year ended |
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Continuing operations |
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Caserones |
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($ millions, unless otherwise noted) |
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(Cu) |
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Sales volumes (contained metal): |
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Tonnes |
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138,287 |
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Pounds (000s) |
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304,870 |
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Production costs |
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854.5 |
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Less: Royalties and other |
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(52.4) |
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802.1 |
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Deduct: By-product credits1 |
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(149.8) |
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Add: Treatment and refining charges |
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8.3 |
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Cash cost |
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660.6 |
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Cash cost per pound ($/lb) |
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2.17 |
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1 |
By-product credits are presented net of the associated treatment and refining charges. |
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information
Certain of the statements made and information contained herein are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this document constitute forward-looking information, including but not limited to statements regarding the Company's plans, prospects, business strategies and strategic vision and aspirations and their achievement and timing; the completion of the Transaction and timing thereof, the production profile of Caserones and economics resulting therefrom (including cash costs), the Mineral Resource estimate for Los Helados and the parameters and assumptions used to estimate the Mineral Resources; the potential synergies between Caserones and Los Helados; the Company's guidance on the timing and amount of future production and its expectations regarding the results of operations; expected financial performance; the Company's growth and optimization initiatives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "contemplate", "target", "plan", "goal", "aim", "intend", "continue", "budget", "estimate", "may", "will", "can", "could", "should", "schedule" and similar expressions identify forward-looking information.
Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon various estimates and assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management, including with respect to the Company's business, operations, strategies and growth and expansion plans; that no significant event will occur outside of the Company's normal course of business and operations (other than as set out herein); the satisfaction of all conditions and closing to the Transaction; the seamless integration of Los Helados into the Company's operations; assumed and future prices of copper, gold, silver and other metals; anticipated costs; commodity prices; currency exchange rates and interest rates; ability to achieve goals; the prompt and effective integration of acquisitions and the realization of synergies and economies of scale in connection therewith; that the political, economic, permitting and legal environment in which the Company operates will continue to support the development and operation of mining projects; timing and receipt of governmental, regulatory and third party approvals, consents, licenses and and their renewals; the geopolitical, economic, permitting and legal climate that the Company operates in; legal and regulatory requirements; positive relations with local groups; sanctioning, construction, development, commissioning and ramp-up timelines; access to sufficient infrastructure, equipment and labour; the accuracy of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates and related information, analyses and interpretations; assumptions underlying life-of-mine plans; geotechnical and hydrogeological conditions; assumptions underlying economic analyses (including economic analysis of the Study); the Company's ability to comply with contractual and permitting or other regulatory requirements; operating conditions, capital and operating cost estimates; production and processing estimates; the results, costs and timing of future exploration activities; economic viability of the Company's operations and development projects; the Company's ability to satisfy the terms and conditions of its debt obligations; the adequacy of the Company's financial resources, and its ability to raise any necessary additional capital on reasonable terms; favourable equity and debt capital markets; stability in financial capital markets; the successful sanctioning, permitting and development of the Company's Projects (including the Vicuña Project) and commencement of production; successful completion of the Company's projects and initiatives (including the Vicuña Project) within budget and expected timelines; and such other assumptions as set out herein, in the Los Helados Technical Report, and in other applicable public disclosure documents of the Company, as well as those related to the factors set forth below. While these factors and assumptions are considered reasonable by
All of the forward-looking information in this document is qualified by these cautionary statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, forecasted or intended and readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein speaks only as of the date of this document. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward‐looking information or to explain any material difference between such and subsequent actual events, except as required by applicable law.
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