Gammon Gold Reports Record Operating Cash Flow and Net Free Cash Flow at Ocampo During the First Quarter and Provides 2011 Guidance
By Gammon Gold Inc., PRNESunday, April 10, 2011
TORONTO, April 11, 2011 - Gammon Gold Inc. ("Gammon") (TSX:GAM) (NYSE:GRS): Gammon is pleased to
report operating results for the first quarter of 2011. All amounts are in
U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Gammon concluded the first quarter on plan, with record underground
production, record margins, record operating cashflow and record net free
cash flow. The Company begins the second quarter with El Cubo mining and
development commencing mid-April and the acquisition of Capital Gold
complete. The Company now has three 100% owned operating mines and two
advanced development projects in Mexico that will underpin our peer-leading
growth targets in 2011 and beyond.
First Quarter and Subsequent Highlights
- Record operating cash flow of approximately $50 million at Ocampo
- Record net free cash flow of approximately $24 million at Ocampo, the
third consecutive quarter of positive net free cash flow
- A cash position of $119 million as of March 31, 2011
- Gold equivalent production of 49,853 gold equivalent ounces at cash
costs of $383 per gold equivalent ounce, for a record margin of $1,002 (72%)
at the gold equivalency ratio of 43:1 realized during the quarter
- Gold production of 25,882 ounces at cash costs of negative $570 per
ounce1 for a record margin of $1,955 (141%) per gold ounce(1)
- Silver production of 1,035,174 ounces at cash costs of negative $15.70
per ounce2 for a record margin of $48 (149%) per silver ounce(2)
- Gold equivalent production of 44,703 ounces at cash costs of $429 per
ounce for a record margin of $957 (69%) per gold equivalent ounce using the
Company's long-term gold equivalency ratio of 55:1
- Effective April 8, 2011 the Company completed the acquisition of
Capital Gold Corp.
- Underground development and mining at the El Cubo mine will commence in
mid-April with processing of production ore scheduled for the third quarter
1. Using silver revenues as a by-product cost credit.
2. Using gold revenues as a by-product cost credit.
"Ocampo continued to perform to planned levels in the first quarter and
delivered another quarter of record margins, strong operating cash flow, and
the third consecutive quarter of positive net free cash flow. The strong
performance of Ocampo continues to be underpinned by the exceptional
performance of the underground operations, averaging 1,968 tpd during the
quarter and reaching a record 2,103 tpd for the entire month of March,"
stated Rene Marion, President and Chief Executive Officer. He continued,
"With El Cubo re-commissioning ahead of schedule and the Capital Gold
acquisition complete, the Company is well positioned for growth in 2011 and
beyond."
2011 Operational Guidance
In 2011, the Company expects to produce 117,000 to 134,000 ounces of gold
and 4.84 to 5.56 million ounces of silver, or 205,000 to 230,000 gold
equivalent ounces from the Ocampo and El Cubo mines assuming a gold
equivalency ratio of 55:1. Total cash costs for 2011 at the two mines are
expected to be $455 to $485 per gold equivalent ounce assuming a gold
equivalency ratio of 55:1.
Capital Gold provided guidance for fiscal year 2011 for the El Chanate
mine of 65,000 to 70,000 gold ounces at total cash costs of $485 per gold
ounce. Using the production attributable to Gammon from El Chanate for the
balance of the year, production for 2011 is forecasted to be 255,000 to
290,000 gold equivalent ounces at a total cash costs of $455 to $485 per gold
equivalent ounce assuming a gold equivalency ratio of 55:1.
2011 Operational Guidance Ocampo Mine Gold Production (ounces) 107,000 to 119,000 Silver Production (ounces) 4,290,000 to 4,730,000 Gold eq. Production (ounces) 185,000 to 205,000 Total Cash Costs per Gold eq. ounce $425-$455 El Cubo Mine Gold Production (ounces) 10,000 to 15,000 Silver Production (ounces) 550,000 to 825,000 Gold eq. Production (ounces) 20,000 to 30,000 Total Cash Costs per Gold eq. ounce $700-$730 Consolidated (Ocampo and El Cubo) Gold Production (ounces) 117,000 to 134,000 Silver Production (ounces) 4,840,000 to 5,555,000 Gold eq. Production (ounces) 205,000 to 235,000 Total Cash Costs per Gold eq. ounce $455 to $485 El Chanate Mine* Gold Production (ounces) 50,000 to 55,000 Total Cash Costs per Gold ounce $485 Consolidated (Ocampo, El Cubo and El Chanate*) Gold Production (ounces) 167,000 to 189,000 Silver Production (ounces) 4,840,000 to 5,555,000 Gold Eq. Production (ounces) 255,000 to 290,000 Total Cash Costs per Gold Eq. Ounce $455-$485
Assumes a gold equivalency ratio of 55:1
Assumes a foreign exchange rate of 12.0 Mexican pesos to one U.S. dollar
* Attributable production
2011 Analyst Day Webcast
A live webcast of the Company's Analyst Day presentations will be held on
April 11, 2011 starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The webcast of the
presentations can be accessed through the following link:
www.newswire.ca/en/webcast/viewEvent.cgi?eventID=3390640. The webcast
will be archived for 365 days.
About Gammon Gold
Gammon Gold Inc. is a publicly traded mid-tier gold and silver producer
engaged in the mining, development, exploration and acquisition of resource
properties in North America. The Company owns and operates three producing
mines in Mexico, the Ocampo mine in Chihuahua State, the El Chanate project
in Sonora State, and the El Cubo mine in Guanajuato State. Gammon Gold also
owns the Guadalupe y Calvo advanced exploration property in Chihuahua State
and the Orion advanced exploration property in the State of Nayarit, and has
six exploration properties in various states throughout Mexico. Gammon's
executive office is located in Toronto, Ontario Canada.
Cautionary Statement
Cautionary Note to US Investors - The United States Securities and
Exchange Commission permits US mining companies, in their filings with the
SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically
and legally extract or produce. This press release uses certain terms, such
as "measured," "indicated," and "inferred" "resources," that the SEC
guidelines strictly prohibit US registered companies from including in their
filings with the SEC. US Investors are urged to consider closely the
disclosure in Gammon Gold's Annual Report on Form 40-F, which may be secured
from Gammon Gold, or from the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority
has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
Certain statements included herein, including information as to the
future financial or operating performance of the Company, its subsidiaries
and its projects, constitute forward-looking statements. The words
"believe", "expect", "anticipate", "target", "continue",
"estimate", "may", and similar expressions identify forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things,
statements regarding anticipated future financial and operational
performance, the future price of gold and silver, the timing of
re-commissioning and re-commencement of production at El Cubo, the de-risking
of operations, future exploration results of its exploration and development
program at Guadalupe y Calvo, the Company's ability to delineate additional
resources and reserves as a result of such program, and the company's ability
to mine such targets by mid-2011, statements regarding its financial exposure
to litigation, targets, estimates and assumptions in respect of gold and
silver production and prices, operating costs, results and capital
expenditures, mineral reserves and mineral resources and anticipated grades,
recovery rates, future financial or operating performance, margins, operating
and exploration expenditures, costs and timing of completion of the Ocampo
expansion program and improvements to the heap leach pad, costs and timing of
the development and commencement of production of new deposits, costs and
timing of construction, costs and timing of future exploration and
reclamation expenses including, anticipated 2011 results, operating
performance projections for 2011, our ability to fully fund our business
model internally, 2011 gold and silver production and the cash and operating
costs associated therewith, the ability to achieve productivity and
operational efficiencies, and the timing of each thereof. Forward-looking
statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions
that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to
significant business, economic, competitive, political and social
uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause the Company's
actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any
forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. Such
factors include, among others, known and unknown uncertainties and risks
relating to additional funding requirements, reserve and resource estimates,
commodity prices, hedging activities, exploration, development and operating
risks, illegal miners, political and foreign risk, uninsurable risks,
competition, limited mining operations, production risks, environmental
regulation and liability, government regulation, currency fluctuations,
recent losses and write-downs, restrictions in the Company's loan facility,
dependence on key employees, possible variations of ore grade or recovery
rates, failure of plant, equipment or process to operate as anticipated,
accidents and labour disputes. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly,
investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
For further information:
For further information please visit the Gammon Gold website at
www.gammongold.com or contact:
Rene Marion Anne Day Chief Executive Officer Director of Investor Relations Gammon Gold Inc. Gammon Gold Inc. +1-647-260-8880 +1-647-260-8880
For further information please contact: Rene Marion, Chief Executive Officer, Gammon Gold Inc., +1-647-260-8880; Anne Day, Director of Investor Relations, Gammon Gold Inc, +1-647-260-8880
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