Aeris Resources Ltd
ASX:AIS
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Aeris Resources Ltd
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All right. We'll kick it off. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Aeris Resources quarterly results presentation. I'm Andre Labuschagne, Executive Chairman of Aeris Resources. I'll do the presentation. And at the end, I'll take questions. You can raise your hand on the app, and we will open for you to ask questions or you can leave your questions' in Q&A, and I will answer the questions from the Q&A.
Just kicking off quarter 1, another good quarter from the operations. Both Tritton and Cracow performed ahead of our internal plans, with the group copper equivalent production at 10,200 tonnes copper, basically in line with the last quarter at a reduced all-in sustaining cost of AUD 5.32.
As I said, Tritton ahead of plan at 5,000 tonnes. Cracow well ahead, they had a really good quarter on production at nearly 13,000 ounces of gold.
Mt Colin, mining from operations, ore mining and grade on plan, actually grades better than planned, but the process run we had was mainly oxide tonnes, which normally has got lower recoveries processed and that has impacted recovery and production. That said, though, there's 175,000 tonnes of stock at Ernest Henry, which will be processed and finished processing in February 2025.
The drilling at Constellation is going really well, 28 holes. The drilling should be finished by the end of November, with an updated resource -- indicated resource in the third quarter, which will then result in an update on the feasibility study for Constellation.
Jaguar is still in care and maintenance. We've done various restart scenarios. We have locked in a scenario, which we will present to the Board this quarter. The Stockman test work continues. As we said before, very good results from the Albion test work on the first round. We're doing more test work across the ore body, but also with the aim to finalize capital and costs associated with the Albion process.
Cash and receivables increased from $33 million to $39 million. So that is a good sign and has also, of course, helped with the good commodity prices we've seen across industry. This will just touch very briefly on this year's guidance for Tritton around 21,000 to 25,000 tonnes of copper, an improvement on FY '24.
Cracow, consistently around that 40,000 ounces to 49,000 ounces and has shown this quarter again that they are doing really well. Mt Collin will finish up at the end of November, doing about 6,000 tonnes to 7,000 tonnes that will be processed. The last tonnes will be processed in February according to the current indications from Evolution.
We have now got approval to restart Barbara from -- you would have remembered I talked about Barbara restart that we're waiting for a minor or major amendment. It has been approved as a minor amendment. So, there's the feasibility studies underway for Barbara, and we'll talk a bit more about Jag and Stockman later in the presentation.
Getting into the details. So Tritton, another strong quarter. You remember June quarter was also a very strong quarter, both of those at 5,000 tonnes of copper, good gold and silver. Mining costs well managed across the business. And what we've seen on the back of good grades now with Avoca Tank being in full production that helps the position from mining those higher grades, specifically around Avoca Tank.
We will see Budgerygar picking up production in the next -- from January onwards. We're busy putting in a pipeline to do paste fill, and that will be finished in January, which will then see additional production coming out of Budgerygar. So that second 6 months has always been a better 6 months than the first 6 months from a production planning point of view.
On Constellation, drilling going really well. We are testing that standup zone to the side of the ore body. We're getting some variable results. There's a bit more work happening on the structural geology and there will be a few more holes to test.
The drilling for Constellation to get it to an indicated resource will be finished in November, towards end of November and then a resource or an indicated resource update by March with the feasibility study to follow after that to get it into a reserve.
The Cracow results, once again, a really good quarter, a better quarter than June. The team there are doing an exceptional job to achieve both production tonnes and grade. There was a few high-grade stopes, which obviously helped to get the nearly 13,000 ounces, cost and capital well managed across the mine as well.
We are really focusing on exploration drilling in the Western Vein Field. We're doing some work around old mining areas. Now, this mine is going for a long time at the current gold price. There is areas where we reassess what has been left behind, but also starting to focus on the near-mine exploration to get outside of the Western Vein Field and the work is underway, both in Apollo and other areas, but also looking at that Western frontier structure, which is on the western side of the current ore bodies to see, if there's potentially a significantly larger ore body.
That's all part of stepping out at Cracow into a bigger trying to find that longer life, which has always been the challenge for Cracow. But on the current gold price, as you would all know, it does generate good cash for the business and well worth -- keep looking at the exploration potential.
Mt Collin, as I said before, we're in the final stages of Mt Colin mining. It will finish off in November. They are achieving all the results internally. It's really just the processing runs, which we're limited with, but there's 175,000 tonnes sitting at Ernest Henry available for processing. There is a run happening in the next few weeks, and then there would be a final 2 runs in January and February next year, which will process the last of the tonnes for Mt Colin.
The work then is about Barbara. As I said, we do have the amendment approved as a minor amendment. It is -- feasibility study is underway to look at the options and wait forward for Barbara as the next project.
In Jaguar, the focus for the quarter was actually on gold exploration on the on-site work. The big opportunity for Jag is it sits right in the middle of really big gold mining companies, good gold exploration.
The Heather Bore deposit, as you can see there, various results over the years. We did 2 drill holes really focused on structural geology, not necessarily targeting specific gold. We did get some gold intersections, but the main aim is to start to refine that ore body or that potential ore body as a gold deposit going forward. So, there's work being done on there.
The other piece of work we're doing is really looking at the restart scenarios. And as I said earlier, we have locked in an option for that, and we'll take and start discussions with the Bore in this quarter around the various restart options for Jaguar.
At Stockman, mainly the work -- the additional test work, the Albion process test work, which was done before was very successful. We're now doing test work across the ore body, but it's mainly focused on capital and operating costs to ensure we understand the economics of the Albion process as an add-on to the processing flow sheet for Stockman.
We're doing some groundwater environmental quality reporting that's been submitted, and we keep on investing and playing our role as a in the region around school improvements and commitments to the community as we move the project forward.
At a corporate level, closing cash receivables, as I said earlier, was $39.1 million. Cash available is $25.5 million. We have put another $2 million in environmental bonds. We just put those bonding up to $12 million in restricted cash. We got the $40 million position with Washington Soul Patts as debt. And as everyone on this call probably knows that we have been working on the refinancing of the debt and bonding. That process is well underway. We have, as you would have seen, an extension from ANZ until mid-November, and that process should be finished towards the back end of November or mid-November, at least announced the terms which we're looking at. So it's well underway, and that process currently is looking at refinancing both debt and bonds in one position.
So, what's the focus for the next quarter? The paste fill line at Budgerygar need to be finished off and be in production by January. Constellation drilling will finish off -- drilling will finish November. The update of the reserve or the resource will be done by March.
The Apollo / Coronation West prospects at Cracow and the definition and defining that western structure is well underway. Mt Colin will finish off in November, and then it's about starting the closure plan for Mt Collin and finish off the Barbara study and then make a decision on which is the best way forward for Barbara once we've done those studies.
The Jaguar scenarios that will come to conclusion towards the back end of this quarter and the decision on what's the best way forward on a restart for Jag will be made by the Board. And obviously, the refinancing bonds currently targeted for November to be replaced.
That's the summary for the quarter. So it was once again, a really good quarter. Balance sheet is improving all the time. Operations is resetting. We've made some management changes you would have seen in the quarter. We've got a new COO, Paul Harris, taking on operational responsibility and Ian Shepherd taking on the project and technical responsibilities at an executive level as we move the business forward.
With that, I'm happy to take any questions from anyone online.
I've got 2 questions here. I got the question, what is it to make a decision to reopen Jaguar from Peter Cooper?
Look, it's all about the economics. The plan currently is a smaller volume, higher grade restart. We're then bringing in specifically at the Bentley mine with the Turbo deposit. And then once you're up and running, you will start to bring in the Jaguar mine and some of the other deposits available for the business going forward. It all will come down to the economics. It is a good resource. It's good grades, and we strongly believe that once you got it up and running, there would be a 5-plus to 10-years mine life. It's just getting it back up running at a very efficient and focus on productivity and the size of what you do is going to be pretty important.
Are there any other questions from anyone? Stefan, do you see any hands raised on your side? And if you can, can you open them up?
Yes. There's a question from David Coates.
Congratulations on a good quarter this morning. Just wondering, if you can give us a bit of a sense. I mean, you've talked to a stronger second half and referred to Budgaryiga at Tritton. But is that sort of one of the key factors driving a stronger second half at Tritton? And specifically, one item that sort of seems to have come up again is absenteeism. Is that impacting production at Tritton? Just wondering, what you guys have got in place to sort of remedy that and what's going to boost or lift production at Tritton through the second half of the year?
Yes. No, sure. The second half improve increase of productions is two-fold. One is once the baseline is up and running at Budgerygar, we can push production harder and get more volume out of Budgerygar, while Avoca Tank, and the others continue at the same rate.
And also, the start of the open pit mine, the Murrawombie open pit cutback will start in January. And to the back end of the fourth quarter, we start to see some production actually coming out of that into the plant. So there's two-fold, it's basically those 2.
In the absenteeism, look, absenteeism has always been one of the challenges. We are putting systems in place to manage that better, but it is quite a challenge in the current environment. COVID still plays a role every now and then, and also just people moving around between the different mines in the region, and obviously, trying to replace them. But at this stage, it's not materially impacting production, but it is always something you manage quite closely.
And then sort of flipping that around a bit. Cracow, another great quarter, running at sort of the above the top of the guidance range and making some good cash. Yes, I mean, how sustainable, I suppose, is that? And should we expect that sort of to pull back into the guidance range over the balance of the year? Or some of those earnings going to be carried on?
Probably pushed back into the guidance range, David, sort of the midpoint, I would say. And the reason being is we had a good high-grade stope, which were mined this quarter. And there's a bit more to come, but it will -- just when these small mines, it does fluctuate month-on-month or quarter-on-quarter, but they are well set to achieve better than the plan for FY '25 currently.
And just finally, if I might. Obviously, good news on Barbara, the mine amendment to the permitting there. That's good news. And what is the -- does it sort of change the development time line of that? What's the sort of latest thinking on how Barbara pans out from here with that?
Yes. Look, the development timeframe was, it was always driven by the approval process. So, the mine amendment basically is 3 months, which we now got the mine amendment and we can start. It was a major amendment. It would have been 12 months plus. So right now, we're busy doing with the feasibility study to make sure we got all the quotes from contract mining, because it will be a contract mining operation, or we're looking at owner operator as well as an option, because we've got internal skills and equipment. But that study should be finished in the next few months -- well, next month with the decision on how do we move the new North Queensland mines or business forward. I see Paul -- Paul's hand.
I'll enable Paul's mic.
Firstly, just at attributed and following on from Dave's question. Obviously, you've got those 3 different ore sources coming online or combining together in the second half of this financial year. I guess, just on the Murrawombie cutback, just remind me how much pre-strips required there and then just when can we expect first ore?
So, first ore will come in towards -- in around May is the current plan, April, May with -- so we're doing a 2-stage cutback. Overall, we'll mine. The tonnes to the plant is about 1.3 million tonnes at 1.3% roughly is the production profile, and that will come out in about 15 months. So between May and FY '26, you'll see most of that production coming out.
Yes. No, good stuff. And the pre-strip preceding that?
I'll have to come back to you on that, Paul. I don't have it right in front of me.
No, that's fine.
But -- it's not a huge pre-strip because it's already been pit already mined before. But I can come back to you on that.
Yes, perfect. And then just at Mt Colin, you've obviously got that stockpile there waiting, awaiting processing, but you had a couple of issues this quarter with oxidization. Should we, I guess, assume a portion of this existing stockpile is oxidized?
So, it's always been -- when we mined the cave material, most of that was an oxide, a high oxide. So, when you put -- we always try to get a blend through the Ernest Henry mill around 50-50 oxide sulfides and gives you a good average outcome. The last run was done at 75% oxide and 25% sulfides, which then impacts -- which impacted the recoveries quite a bit because you get lower recoveries with the oxides.
What that means is there's less oxides going forward in the next 3 runs. So, you'll pick that up. Overall, we don't expect a major change to the overall result of what we expect out of the ore body.
Okay. So it's not -- it's more of a factor of the ore body rather than sitting up there on surface and oxides.
Yes.
Okay. And then just finally, just on Jaguar, obviously, some impressive gold drill hits there. Does this, I guess, change your thinking at all on the asset in terms of moving forward or I guess, other abilities to realize value on that project?
No, I don't think it changes our view about the way forward. The way forward is always a restart on the base metal side. But the gold is a good opportunity for us to extract more value. Now, it sits right in between Thunderbox from -- very close to Thunderbox actually. And if you find a decent sized ore body, you obviously got people who would be interested to do something with it. So, it's always been one of those opportunistic side.
So on a restart of Jag, you will always have -- you should have a gold exploration play, as part of your plan for Jag as a strategic option.
Yes. No. Understood. Especially in these, gold price environment.
So, Neil has asked a question around are the path to retire debt at this stage. So, Neil, right now, it's more about the focus of refinancing the current debt and then work out what's the best way forward. We have got projects with the restart of Murrawombie pit, you want to invest in Constellation.
So capital allocation will take a priority on the debt retirement. But obviously, at these sort of gold prices, you don't know what the end result is going to be and always debt retirement would be high on the to-do list.
Prayatshu ask a question report mentioned about $5.2 million about financing cost. I'll have to come back to you on the breakdown, but the $5.2 million on financing costs will mainly be driven by interest payments, but I'll come back to you on, if there's something else other than interest on debt -- on the debt and other payments.
I don't see any other questions or any other hands raised. And if there's no more online questions, I'll give it another 30 seconds or so, and then we will close the session.
All right. Well, thank you, everyone. I really appreciate your time for this feedback on the quarterly results presentation. Thank you very much.