Iamgold Corporation Ordinary Shares

Thank you for standing by. This is the conference operator. Welcome to the IAMGOLD third quarter 2023 operating and financial results conference call and webcast. As a reminder, all participants are in listen-only mode and the conference is being recorded. After the presentation, there'll be an opportunity to ask questions. To join the question queue, you may press star then one on your telephone keypad. Should you need assistance during the conference call, you may signal an operator by pressing star, then zero. At this time, I'd like to turn the conference over to Graham Jennings, VP Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for Ion Gold. Please go ahead, Mr. Jennings.

Thank you, operator, and welcome everyone to our call this morning. Joining me today on the call are Renaud Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Martin Finucane, Chief Financial Officer, Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer, Tim Bradburn, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and Jerzy Orzechowski, Executive Project Director, Cote Gold. Before we begin, we are joined today from I Am Gold's Toronto office, which is located on Treaty 13 territory, on the traditional lands of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. At I Am Gold, we believe respecting and upholding Indigenous rights is founded upon relationships and mutual respect. Please note that our remarks on this call will include forward-looking statements and refer to non-IFRS measures. We encourage you to refer to the cautionary statements and disclosures on non-IFRS measures included in the presentation and the reconciliations of these measures in our most recent MD&A, each under the heading Non-GAAP Financial Measures. With respect to the technical information to be discussed, please refer to the information in the presentation under the heading Qualified Person and Technical Information. The slides referenced on this call can be viewed on our website. I'll now turn the call over to our present CEO, Reneau Adams.

Thank you, Graham, and good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. This is really an exciting time for INGO. Over the summer, we saw the Go2Go project make significant strides to where it is now. With our owners team taking over the project, activities ramping up towards production early next year. As we approach a production start at Cote, our intention is laser-focused on managing the ramp-up of the operation, with the goal in mind to make Cote one of the most successful large-scale mining startups to date in our industry. The importance of Cote Gold to buying gold is clear. This is a project that is critical for the repositioning of this company. As once online, IOMGO will have a higher production base, lower cost profile, with a strong foundation and long life of cash flow generations and growth opportunities in Canada. Turning to the quarter itself, I'm proud of the work that was achieved this year to date attributable production from continuing operations of 329,000 ounces, putting the company well on track efforts to rebuild the mine underground has begun to show key improvement. We will walk through the quarterly operating results in more detail in a moment, but I want to be clear that our short-term goals for IAM goals are the following. Brain Code A online with a focus on achieving a steady and sustainable ramp-up operations. Second, mileage offer for improving profitability while ensuring the safety of people and the community in which we operate. In the longer term, our goal remains that we want to become a low-cost, high-margin intermediate gold producer with a strong operating base in Canada. Financially, we will prioritize returning our 70% position in Cote with our capital structure. With that, we will now dive into the operating and financial results and highlights for the quarter. Starting with health and safety, the company has seen an improving trend year-over-year, with the days away restricted transfer duty rate of 0.36 and the total recordable injury rate of 0.66. This is all based on 200,000 hours worked. produce has to be done safely, and our goal continues to be zero harm. Zero harm for the people, but also the places where we operate. On production, in the third quarter, the company produced 109,000 ounces of gold on an attributable basis, slightly higher than the previous quarter, bringing our year-to-date productions to 329,000 ounces of gold. As we will get into in a moment, production results were driven by ISACANA performing effectively to plan despite continued pressures on the supply chain and an increase in tons from recently rehabilitated underground zone at West Coast. Despite these achievements, the third quarter saw a further increase in cost with IMGO reporting per quarter cash costs of $1,400 an ounce sold and an all-in sustaining cost of $1,975 an ounce. On guidance, this brings our year-to-date cash costs to $1,288 an ounce, and an all-in sustaining cost to $1,803 an ounce, sitting above our prior guidance targets you see here on the bottom. As a result, we have revised our cost guidance higher, with cash costs now forecasted to be between $1,250 and $1,335 an ounce. dollars an ounce this increase in cost trend and forecast is due to continued cost pressures at a second resulting from the security situation of which we will go more into furthermore we have seen sustained elevated price from the recent inflationary period and on that we are seeing now some signs that prices are beginning to see some easing however the rate of easement never matches the pace of increase. Looking at our other guidance revisions, we have reduced our sustaining capital forecast for Isakani and Westwood. For Isakani, if you will recall, in the first quarter, we were unable to complete the planned stripping program to the supply chain issues, which was rectified in the second quarter when the stripping program was in line with plans. This last quarter, we were able to start to recoup the shortfall in Q1. However, it does not appear we will be able to do so in time for calendar year-end. This spending will continue in 2024 in support of our 2024-25 production plan. Likewise, at Westwood, we have reduced our sustaining capital as a result of increased visibility into end-of-year underground development and rehabilitation rates. With that, I will pass the call over to our CFO to walk us through our financial results and position. Martin?

Thank you, Renaud, and good morning, everyone. Looking at our Q3 financials, revenues from continuing operations In terms of our financial position, IAMGOLD ended the quarter with cash equivalent of $548.9 million and a fully undrawn credit facility, equating to total liquidity of approximately $1 billion. As noted in our MD&A, the company entered into a one-year extension As part of the extension, the credit facility was reduced or right-sized to $425 million based on the company's requirement for a senior revolving facility on its overall business. The extensions allow for the credit facility to be available as well as non-current during 2024 should we require additional liquidity when COTA is being commissioned. $54.6 million was held by Essacan, the company that carried a dividend from Essacan of $120 million in the second quarter, which was received in the third quarter, net of minority interest and withholding taxes. The company has to fund an estimated $325 million of the Kote project expenditures during the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. As we look forward to 2024, the gold prepayment is coming into focus. As per the arrangement, the company has to physically deliver 150,000 ounces over the course of 2024, with a collar range of $1,700 to $2,100 per ounce on 100,000 of the gold ounces that will be delivered. that we need to deliver. While the gold premade arrangement reduces operating cash flows in 2024, the company could potentially roll forward a portion or all of the arrangement should the need arise. And with that, I will pass the call back to Renaud. Thank you, Renaud.

Thank you, Martin. Turning to a second, the mine reported third quarter tributal gold productions of 84,000 ounces of gold. bringing the year-to-date total to 264,000 ounces. This was down slightly from the 88,000 ounces produced in the second quarter on modestly lower throughput and rate. Mining activity totaled 10.6 million tons in the quarter, down from the prior quarter as the mining fleet did not operate at full capacity during August due to the disruptions in fuel supply resulting from the regional geopolitical issues including the coup in Niger, as well as the continued challenges on the ongoing security situation within the country. The situation improved towards the end of the quarter, with the mining fleet operating at capacity during September and October. Head grades remain effectively flat in the quarter at 1.1 grams a tonne, which is below the reserve model grade, as mining activities work through the upper benches of Phase 5 of the PET, and mine ore were blended with lower-grade stockpile. We are seeing potential indications of great improvement in the PET through September and October as activity began to advance into lower benches of the face pack. On a cost basis, a second reported cash cost of $1,370 an ounce, approximately $100 an ounce increase from the prior quarter due to higher volumes of operating waste resulting from increased truck ratio as the mine enters new phases, the impact of the security situation resulting in higher landed fuel prices, transportation and camp costs, as well as higher labor costs due to depreciation in local currency. In addition to the fuel pricing pressures, power generation costs increase as heavy fuel used normally was periodically substituted with more expensive life fuel to maintain operations when supply was limited. As mining activities improved into the port water, it is worth noting that at Quartican, there was sufficient fuel on hand to maintain normal levels of operating activity. potential limited fuel supplies in the future. Despite the disruptions in August, SACANA was able to increase the sustaining capital expenditures quarter over quarter, spending $36.6 million in third quarter in support of the 2014-2025 production plan. While we revised our sustaining capital expenditure down to be deployed over the last two quarters. As a result, our all-in sustaining costs for the quarter were relatively high, back to $798 in ourselves, reflecting the higher production costs and expanded capital program. The company continues to plan to file an updated technical report for SACAN that will also include an updated mineral reserve and mineral resources before the end of the year. Turning to Westwood, Gold production was 25,000 ounces in the quarter, bringing the total production year-to-date to 65,000 ounces. This was an interesting quarter at Westwood, as we saw mining rates from underground take a step up, which resulted in a step down in cash costs. After the last 18 months of essentially rebuilding the underground mine, there are signs now that Westwood can take the next step in production and cost reduction as we exit the year. Mining activity in the third quarter totaled 310,000 tons of ore, while underground contributing with 79,000 tons, which was the highest level we have seen since the reopening of the mine in 2021. This increase in underground tons is attributed to the continued progress in rehabilitation and development of underground activity been an increase in production still available. The mill throw put in the third quarter was 283,000 tons, an increase from the prior quarter when the operation was impacted from the early summer forest fires. The head grades increased to 2.94 grams a ton, benefiting from the increased production proportion of a higher grade ore feed from underground. In addition to the introduction of a higher grade material from the Fayolo, the an ounce of cost related to the development incurred at the fail that was expensed due to the short life of the deposit. Our all-in sustaining costs of $2,138 an ounce remain above the spot goal price as the sustaining capital program continues to include development and rehabilitation work in support of the 24-2025 plan. all in sustaining cost basis. Looking ahead, Westwood is well on track to achieve the upper end of our 70,000 to 90,000 ounces of guidance this year. Production level and unit costs are expected to continue to improve into the fourth one, benefiting from the continued advancement of underground development, providing access to more and higher grade stoves. We are really excited to see the progress at Westwood. I will note that we have deferred the release of our updated life of mine plans for Westwood into 2024 as the plan needs to be optimized based on the performance of the operation now that we are able to start mining in the previously closed area of the mine. Turning to Codigo. to the bottom of the slide. Since the commencement of the construction of Corridor and up to the end of September, 2.54 billion of the planned 2.965 billion of project expenditure has been incurred, with 425 million left to be incurred on a 100% basis. The project remains in line with the budget. Accordingly, we have noted that a portion of the project expenditures are expected to be incurred during commissioning and rent-up next year. After accounting for the Sumitomo amended agreement to 60.3%, the working capital and leases, IAMGOLD has a remaining funding requirement to complete Code A of 325. of the construction, commissioning, and ramp-up of coating. With that, I will hand it over to Jerzy. Thank you, Renato.

The third quarter, once again, saw considerable progress at Cotter, with great advancements in construction, but what was the most noticeable was a change in tone as activities began to shift from major construction to finalization, pre-commissioning, and commissioning. At the end of the quarter the project was estimated to be 90.6% complete and the construction at approximately 92% complete. I believe we hit peak complexity in the quarter and since then we have seen our numbers decline as certain contractors are being demobilized. Despite the crowds, our construction teams, contractors and subcontractors continue to do a great job as evidenced by by the 13.2 million hours worked with total recordable injury frequency rate of only 0.68 project state. Looking at the site and moving from left to right, top to bottom, we have a bird's eye view with the open pit mining operation in the top right picture. And the stockpile builds are just below the and the side. During the third quarter, the primary earthwork contractor was demobilized, successfully handling of pit, dewatering, pioneer drilling, and other burden stockpile activities, so I am called operations and mining teams. There are now 14 CAS 793 autonomous haul truck commissions, and the autonomous drilling began in the quarter, with the four pit vipers now in operation. Owner mining has progressed well with nearly 1.6 million tons mined in the third quarter of 2014. The stockpile surpassed 4 million tons at the end of October and is well on track to target a build-up of 5 million tons by the end of the year. In the top center is a southwest view of the tailing management facility. As you can see, the second phase of the TMF is well on track with the bulk of the material and at the target elevation, with sun bedding and line of work ongoing. At the end of October, we now have 1 million cubic meters of water accumulated in the PLF. Approaching our target was 1.1 to 1.5 million required for commissioning. Next, in the top right, is a view of the north side of the plant, with a 5-volt substation in the center. The primary power substation is operational and the organization is moving ground distribution network to the pit for shoveled electrification. Bottom left is the conveyors and the crushing section. These are complete with the first equipment testing started in October. Bottom middle is grinding. Installation of the ball mill liners is complete. Motors and salt blades are set. The mill has been turned on, but during testing it was determined that the alignment on the ring gear of the ball mill was out of tolerance. So we have the OEM service team on site to address the problem. And finally, bottom right is a thickener and leach tank farm. Completion of the leach tanks is making progress following some delays. Leak testing commenced last month, and we are working through the progressive hydro testing of this facility. Turning to the file of the timeline, COTA Gold continues to track well to the updated project schedule. towards initial production in the first quarter of 2024. Our focus this quarter is completion of the processing plant and ramp-up of the pre-commissioning and commissioning activities. We are working in close alignment with our partners Sumitomo and our contractors to ensure that COTI is built safely, on time, and on the current budget and scope. With that, I will turn it back to Renaud.

Thank you. Thank you, Jerzy. And I would like to add that our but rather ensuring that all the elements in preparation are in place for a smooth ramp-up of the project in the first half of next year. Our goal is straightforward. We want the ramp-up of COTI to be among the most successful projects started. We hosted an analyst and investor tour at the end of last month, and I believe it showed that we have This is a thing that has done it before, and I think we are well-positioned to take the next step of the project. Of course, when we're talking about the future, we need to continue to highlight Gosselin. At the end of last month, we announced the results of an additional 21 diamond drill holes at Gosselin that targeted the expansion than the gap between these areas. The results confirm the extension of gold mineralization in numerous drill holes up to 50 meters vertically below the previous resource pit shell over an approximate one kilometer strike length. The value of creative potential of Gosselin is clear. The deposit is right next to the Cody pit with a main and resources estimate of 3.4 million ounces of indicated and another 1.7 million ounces of infert, and a high potential to grow this resource further. Next year, as Kodi ramps up production, we will continue to push the testing of Gosling, including the advance of metallurgical testing, mining, and infrastructure studies, in order to begin reviewing alternatives for potential inclusion of the Gosling Quoting all today is a project, but we believe strongly that this is the start of the mining camp and will provide a strong foundation for buying gold for many years to come. With that, I would like to pass the call back to the operator for the Q&A portion of the conference. Operator?

Thank you. We'll now begin the question and answer session. To join the question queue, you may press star then one on your telephone keypad. you'll hear a tone acknowledging your request. If you're using a speakerphone, please pick up the handset before pressing any keys. To withdraw your question, please press star, then two. Our first question comes from Anita Soni with CIBC World Markets. Please go ahead.

Good morning, Renaud and team, and thanks for taking my question. So, firstly, you know, at Efficane, you're talking about... processing the stockpiles that you've built up there, I think it was 9.9 million tons over the life of the mine, and you're going to release a study on that. Could you remind me what kind of grades that you would see there? I know in the original heap leach, it was probably four times as much tonnage, but at lower grade. So I was wondering if you were going to be high grading that 9.9 tons of stockpiles.

I'll ask Bruno to comment on that one. Yeah, the stockpile for the heap leach was to be pegged between 0.4 and 0.5. We're actually studying the capacity to process that material to the CIL. That's the reason why we want to rejuvenate the technical report taking this into account.

Okay. Wasn't that material, though? It was like 43 million tons, I thought, at 0.4 gram per ton material. And you're only taking 10 million tons of it. So I was wondering if you were going to selectively upgrade it.

I can come back to you after this call.

Yeah, I'm not sure, but the intention, of course, as would be highlighted, is to process all this ore in a conventional way rather than building capacity.

And it is the higher grade parts of the stockpile that is separated that will be processed.

Okay. Or could it be that the 43 million tons is now just 10 million tons that you've used some of it over time? Anyway, we can take that offline. So in terms of Westwood, I was just wondering about the underground mining costs. Could you tell me what they were on a unit cost basis this quarter? I did notice a significant improvement in unit costs, and I wanted to get that into my model.

Martin? The mining cost was about $28 per ton for the total tons before stripping, and it's about $90 per ton. after you take out the development funds.

So $90, is that just the underground portion?

Yes.

Okay. And then the deferral, the .

I need to apologize. That is the total mining cost including for the other areas. I don't have that separated right in front of me, but we can get back to you on that as well.

Okay, thank you. The deferrals of CapEx at Westwood and Ethocane, would those move into 2024? Or I think you said at Westwood there might be savings, but Ethocane, I'm not sure what's going to happen there considering the shortened mine life. Is there a thought that you probably won't do that stripping, or is that ultimately going to be done in 2024 and 2025?

Yeah, I think that's what we're going to be addressing. I mean, the mine has been systematically more on a strip ratio towards like between the 2 and 3. And as we mentioned in the note, you know, there is effort now to increase that in catch-up and so on. So, yes, you should expect 24 and 25 to come up more and the higher strip ratio to catch-up so we could unlock and further years the full range. reserves, the mine.

Okay. So what was the strip ratio like overall life of mine supposed to have been? And it was lower, I guess you said two to three. So it should have been more like a four or five. Is that what it is?

Yes, correct. So we intend to be more in the four or five and over the next three years.

Okay.

So now moving to... I'll just note that before the end of the year, we'll be coming out with that update of 43-101, which includes a full life of mine plan. Okay.

All right, now moving to COTA, and my apologies to my colleagues, but there are a few questions I wanted to get down. So maybe this is a question for Jersey, that the CapEx guide for the remainder of completion, I noticed, went from 825 to 875 million up to 875 plus or minus 5%, which would imply a high end of the range at now 919. So I'm wondering why that increase. if it is indeed an increase, and what are the components of that? And the second part of that question, and this will be the last one, how should we think about, first off, what remains in 2024 to be spent, like the breakout between Q4 and then 2024 for initial capital of that $875 million? And secondly, what kind of sustaining capital are we looking at at Cote in 2024?

Anita, so when we guided at the beginning of the year, we had a range, and the 875 was the high end of the range. And that amount, based on what we've spent up to the end of 2022, would have gotten us to the 2965 billion US at 100% that we had in the technical report. Now that we are in November and close to the end of the year, we are indicating that we are still trending in line with the budget of $2.965 billion, and that's the 875 gets us there. So we've now just updated because we're closer to the end of the project. We still have to incur $425 million at 100% to get to the 2965. If you look at the amount that we incurred in Q3, So we will continue to incur at that rate, but as we get closer to 100% construction, that tapers off, and that's why we are seeing costs being incurred in Q4 at around the same level as Q3, maybe slightly lower, and then the remainder tapers off into Q1 of next year.

Okay, sustaining capital question, did you... Can we get an idea of what that's going to look like in 2024 now?

So we are working through our budgets on sustaining capital for next year. So we are still guiding towards the technical reports with adjustments for inflation, but we will provide a detailed update on the production cost and sustaining capital early next year when we provide our 2024 guidance.

Okay. All right. Thank you very much. I'll leave it there.

Thank you, Anthony.

Once again, if you have a question, please press star then 1. Seeing none, I'll hand the call back over to Graham Jennings for closing remarks.

Thank you very much, operator. And thank you to everyone for joining us this morning. As always, if you have any additional questions, please reach out to Renaud or myself via phone or email. Thank you all. Be safe and have a great day.

This concludes today's conference call. You may disconnect your line. Thank you for participating and have a pleasant day.