Taseko Mines reports Q3 results, shares up 15%
Taseko Mines Ltd. [TKO-TSE] has reported third quarter, 2024 adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $48 million. Revenues from the third quarter were $156 million from the sale of 26 million pounds of copper and 348,000 pounds of molybdenum. A net loss of $0.2 million was recorded for the quarter and adjusted net income of $8.0 million ($0.03 per share).
The shares advanced on the news, rising 15% or 46 cents to $3.54. The shares trade in a 52-week range of $4.20 and $1.56.
The company’s flagship Gibraltar mine in British Columbia produced 27 million pounds of copper in the quarter and 421,000 pounds of molybdenum. Copper production and mill throughput were impacted by nearly three weeks of downtime at Concentrator #1 at the beginning of the quarter to complete the crusher location project, concurrent mill maintenance, and the ramp back up to full capacity.
“The development of the new Connector pit advanced on plan in the third quarter, with the new pit providing approximately half of the mill feed in the period,’’ said Taseko President and CEO Stuart McDonald. Due to lower than planned mill availability in the third quarter, we do not expect to recover the production that was lost during the labour strike in June,’’ he said. “Looking ahead to 2025, we expect increased mill throughput and improved ore quality as we move deeper into the Connector pit. Copper production next year is expected to increase to the 120 to 130 million pound range, and molybdenum production is also expected to increase.’’
Taseko is a Vancouver-based company with a portfolio that includes the Gibraltar mine in British Columbia, the Florence Copper Project in Arizona, and the New Prosperity copper-gold project, which is located near Williams Lake, B.C.
“Construction at Florence Copper has continued to progress on schedule,’’ McDonald said. “We are now in peak construction with nearly 300 contractors working at the site.’’ McDonald said the Florence Copper project is now just a year away from producing first copper.
Florence Copper is an in-situ copper recovery project located midway between Pheonix and Tucson, near the community of Florence, Arizona. Development is being performed in two phases, including a phase one production test facility and a second phase commercial facility.
Florence is expected to produce an average of 85 million pounds of copper annually during a projected lifespan of 22 years. Operating costs are forecast at US$1.11 per pound.
“We expect Florence Copper to become North America’s lowest GHG-intensity primary copper producer, and we’re optimistic that the project will qualify for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C) Program, which we applied for recently,’’ said McDonald. “We expect to hear whether our application was successful in January (2025),’’ he said. Meanwhile, the company has $209 million of cash on hand and total liquidity of approximately $317 million.