Taseko Receives Approvals for US$100 Million in Additional Financing for Florence Copper
Taseko Receives Approvals for US$100 Million in Additional
Financing for Florence Copper
VANCOUVER, BC
,
Nov. 6, 2023
/CNW/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO) (NYSE American: TGB) (LSE: TKO) ("Taseko" or the "Company") is
pleased to provide an update on two additional financing transactions, totalling
US$100 million
, for its Florence Copper Project in
Arizona, USA
. The
Company has been notified that Taurus Mining Royalty Fund L.P. ("Taurus") has obtained investment committee approval for a
US$50 million
royalty, and Societe Generale has received credit approval for a
US$50 million
senior secured debt facility. Upon closing and satisfaction of
conditions precedent, proceeds from these project level financings will be available to Florence Copper to fund the construction and development of
the commercial production facility.
Stuart McDonald
, President and CEO of Taseko, commented, "The Taurus royalty and the project loan facility from Societe Generale complement
the previously announced commitments from Mitsui and Bank of America. A total of
US$175 million
from these four well-regarded industry
participants is a strong endorsement of Florence Copper's technical merits, attractive economics, and favorable environmental attributes."
"Florence Copper will supply 85 million pounds of copper, now defined a critical material by the Department of Energy, to the US domestic market.
With the permitting process complete and these new financings expected to close in the coming months, we can now begin construction of the
commercial facility at
Florence
," concluded Mr. McDonald.
Additional Florence Financing Details
Florence Project Royalty
The
US$50 million
royalty ("Royalty") has received investment committee approval from Taurus. The Royalty will be for 1.95% of the gross revenue
from the sale of all copper from Florence Copper for the life of mine. The
US$50 million
of consideration is payable upon the satisfaction of
customary conditions precedent for closing. The Royalty will be registered on title and will otherwise be unsecured.
Senior Secured Project Loan Facility
The
US$50 million
senior secured debt facility will be provided by Societe Generale subject to completion of definitive documentation and the
satisfaction of conditions precedent. The facility also contains a
US$25 million
uncommitted accordion feature which can be exercised by the
Company in the future to increase its size to
US$75 million
if needed, subject to additional credit approval at that time.
The maturity date of the
Florence
debt facility will be five years from the date of closing, with no scheduled principal repayments until the maturity
date when any outstanding amounts will be repayable. The facility contains covenants and restrictions customary for a project loan facility. The
facility will have a first lien charge over the assets of
Florence
and an unsecured guarantee from the Company until completion. Societe Generale's
credit approval will be formalized in a commitment letter containing customary conditions.
Endeavour Financial is acting as the Company's financial adviser in connection with these transactions.
Stuart McDonald
President and CEO
No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This document contains "forward-looking statements" that were based on Taseko's expectations, estimates and projections as of the dates as of
which those statements were made. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such
as "outlook", "anticipate", "project", "target", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "should" and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results,
level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
These included but are not limited to:
uncertainties about the future market price of copper and the other metals that we produce or may seek to produce;
changes in general economic conditions, the financial markets, inflation and interest rates and in the demand and market price for our input
costs, such as diesel fuel, reagents, steel, concrete, electricity and other forms of energy, mining equipment, and fluctuations in exchange
rates, particularly with respect to the value of the U.S. dollar and Canadian dollar, and the continued availability of capital and financing;
uncertainties resulting from the war in
Ukraine
, and the accompanying international response including economic sanctions levied against
Russia
, which has disrupted the global economy, created increased volatility in commodity markets (including oil and gas prices), and disrupted
international trade and financial markets, all of which have an ongoing and uncertain effect on global economics, supply chains, availability of
materials and equipment and execution timelines for project development;
uncertainties about the continuing impact of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") and the response of local, provincial, state, federal and
international governments to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, on our operations (including our suppliers, customers, supply chains, employees
and contractors) and economic conditions generally including rising inflation levels and in particular with respect to the demand for copper and
other metals we produce;
inherent risks associated with mining operations, including our current mining operations at
Gibraltar
, and their potential impact on our ability to
achieve our production estimates;
uncertainties as to our ability to control our operating costs, including inflationary cost pressures at
Gibraltar
without impacting our planned
copper production;
the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover material mining or operational risks;
uncertainties related to the feasibility study for
Florence
copper project (the "Florence Copper Project" or "Florence Copper") that provides
estimates of expected or anticipated capital and operating costs, expenditures and economic returns from this mining project, including the
impact of inflation on the estimated costs related to the construction of the Florence Copper Project and our other development projects;
the risk that the results from our operations of the Florence Copper production test facility ("PTF") and ongoing engineering work including
updated capital and operating costs will negatively impact our estimates for current projected economics for commercial operations at
Florence Copper;
uncertainties related to the accuracy of our estimates of Mineral Reserves (as defined below), Mineral Resources (as defined below),
production rates and timing of production, future production and future cash and total costs of production and milling;
the risk that we may not be able to expand or replace reserves as our existing mineral reserves are mined;
the availability of, and uncertainties relating to the development of, additional financing and infrastructure necessary for the advancement of our
development projects, including with respect to our ability to obtain any remaining construction financing potentially needed to move forward
with commercial operations at Florence Copper;
our ability to comply with the extensive governmental regulation to which our business is subject;
uncertainties related to our ability to obtain necessary title, licenses and permits for our development projects and project delays due to third
party opposition, particularly in respect to Florence Copper that requires one key regulatory permit from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency ("EPA") in order to advance to commercial operations;
our ability to deploy strategic capital and award key contracts to assist with protecting the Florence Copper project execution plan, mitigating
inflation risk and the potential impact of supply chain disruptions on our construction schedule and ensuring a smooth transition into construction
once the final permit is received from the EPA;
uncertainties related to First Nations claims and consultation issues;
our reliance on rail transportation and port terminals for shipping our copper concentrate production from
Gibraltar
;
uncertainties related to unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings;
changes in, and the effects of, the laws, regulations and government policies affecting our exploration and development activities and mining
operations and mine closure and bonding requirements;
our dependence solely on our 87.5% interest in
Gibraltar
(as defined below) for revenues and operating cashflows;
our ability to collect payments from customers, extend existing concentrate off-take agreements or enter into new agreements;
environmental issues and liabilities associated with mining including processing and stock piling ore;
labour strikes, work stoppages, or other interruptions to, or difficulties in, the employment of labour in markets in which we operate our mine,
industrial accidents, equipment failure or other events or occurrences, including third party interference that interrupt the production of minerals
in our mine;
environmental hazards and risks associated with climate change, including the potential for damage to infrastructure and stoppages of
operations due to forest fires, flooding, drought, or other natural events in the vicinity of our operations;
litigation risks and the inherent uncertainty of litigation, including litigation to which Florence Copper could be subject to;
our actual costs of reclamation and mine closure may exceed our current estimates of these liabilities;
our ability to meet the financial reclamation security requirements for the
Gibraltar
mine and Florence Project;
the capital intensive nature of our business both to sustain current mining operations and to develop any new projects, including Florence
Copper;
our reliance upon key management and operating personnel;
the competitive environment in which we operate;
the effects of forward selling instruments to protect against fluctuations in copper prices, foreign exchange, interest rates or input costs such
as fuel;
the risk of changes in accounting policies and methods we use to report our financial condition, including uncertainties associated with critical
accounting assumptions and estimates; and Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A"), quarterly reports and material change reports
filed with and furnished to securities regulators, and those risks which are discussed under the heading "Risk Factors".
For further information on Taseko, investors should review the Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission
www.sec.gov
and home jurisdiction filings that are available at
www.sedar.com
, including the "Risk Factors" included in our Annual
Information Form.
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SOURCE
Taseko Mines Limited
View original content:
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For further information:
For further information on Taseko and Florence Copper, see the Company's website at www.tasekomines.com or
contact: Brian Bergot, Vice President, Investor Relations - 778-373-4533 or toll free 1-877-441-4533
CO: Taseko Mines Limited
CNW 09:00e 06-NOV-23