Taseko Reports First Quarter 2025 Earnings

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO; NYSE American: TGB; LSE: TKO) ("Taseko" or the "Company") reports first quarter 2025 Adjusted EBITDA* of $34 million and Earnings from mining operations before depletion and amortization and non-recurring items* of $39 million. Revenues for the first quarter were $139 million from the sale of 22 million pounds of copper and 364 thousand pounds of molybdenum. The Company recorded a Net loss of $29 million ($0.09 loss per share) and an Adjusted net loss* of $7 million ($0.02 loss per share).

Gibraltar produced 20 million pounds of copper and 336 thousand pounds of molybdenum in the first quarter at Total operating costs (C1) of US$2.26 per pound of copper produced. Mill throughput averaged 87,800 tons per day, which was above design capacity. Copper grades in the quarter averaged 0.19% and copper recoveries were 68%.

At Florence Copper, construction remains on schedule and as of the end of March the overall project completion was at 78%. Construction of the SX/EW plant, surface infrastructure and the wellfield drilling are tracking to plan. In the wellfield, drilling is nearly complete and the last two wells will be constructed in May.  The electrowinning crane has been installed in the plant, allowing the building structure to be completed. Construction of surface infrastructure is also advancing on schedule, including work on the pipe corridor, electrical substation, tank farm, and office and dry buildings.

Stuart McDonald, President and CEO of Taseko, commented, "Through the first 15 months of construction at Florence Copper, all critical aspects of the project remain on schedule and our operating plans are well developed. In the coming months, site construction activities will begin to slow down and in the fall we expect to commence wellfield operations as we advance towards first copper cathode production later in the year. Our project team remains focussed on continued execution of the remaining construction activities, and our growing operations team is planning for the production ramp up in 2026.”

"At our Gibraltar mine, mill throughput exceeded design capacity in the first quarter and head grades were in line with plan.  But copper production in the quarter was impacted by lower than expected metallurgical recoveries from oxidized ore.  Also, challenging ground conditions at the top of the current Connector pit pushback have led to lower mining productivities in recent months which will delay the release of higher-grade ore from the second quarter to the third quarter.  As a result, copper production for 2025 is expected to be about 10 million pounds (~8%) lower than our previous guidance.  Significantly higher grades and recoveries are expected in the second half of this year and into 2026”, continued Mr. McDonald.

Mr. McDonald concluded, "With less than nine months until the startup of Florence Copper, America's next copper mine, Taseko is approaching a period of significant production and cashflow growth.  We are uniquely positioned as the North American copper producer with both near-term production growth and a longer-term growth pipeline.”

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

First Quarter Review

• Earnings from mining operations before depletion, amortization and non-recurring items* was $38.8 million, Adjusted EBITDA* was $34.4 million and cash flows from operations was $55.9 million;
• GAAP net loss was $28.6 million ($0.09 loss per share) and Adjusted net loss* was $6.9 million ($0.02 loss per share);
• Gibraltar produced 20.0 million pounds of copper at a total operating cost (C1)* of US$2.26 per pound of copper produced.  Copper head grade was 0.19% and recovery was 68% for the quarter reflecting the milling of lower grade stockpiled material which contained more oxidized material;
• Gibraltar sold 21.8 million pounds of copper and 364 thousand pounds of molybdenum. The average realized copper price of US$4.24 per pound and Canadian dollar to US dollar exchange rate of 1.43, contributed to revenues of $139.1 million for the period;
• Construction of the Florence Copper commercial production facility is advancing on schedule and on budget, and was approximately 78% complete at March 31, 2025.  A total of 29 production wells were constructed in the quarter bringing the total number of completed wells to 80 of the 90 planned to be drilled during the construction phase.  Wellfield drilling activities are ramping down in April and will be completed on schedule in May.  The solvent extraction and electrowinning areas continue to advance with a focus on pipe and settler welding and electrical installation.  First copper cathode production is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025;
• The Company completed share issuances under its at-the-market ("ATM”) equity offering prospectus, issuing 10.6 million common shares for gross proceeds of $31.0 million (US$21.5 million) in the first quarter;
• The Company has copper collar contracts to secure a minimum copper price of US$4.00 per pound for 81 million pounds of copper for the remainder of 2025; and
• At March 31, 2025, the Company had a cash balance of $121 million and available liquidity of $279 million including its undrawn corporate revolving credit facility.

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

Highlights

On March 25, 2024, the Company completed its acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in Cariboo Copper Corp. ("Cariboo”) from Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. ("Dowa”) and Furukawa Co., Ltd. ("Furukawa”) increasing its effective interest in Gibraltar from 87.5% to 100%.  As a result, the financial results reported in this MD&A reflect the Company's 87.5% effective interest for the period from March 15, 2023 to March 25, 2024 and 100% effective interest thereafter.  For more information on the Company's acquisition of Cariboo, refer to the Financial Statements-Note 12.

*Non-GAAP performance measure. See end of news release.

Review of Operations

Gibraltar mine