Three Valley Copper Suspends Mining Operations and Provides Strategic Review Update
Mon, January 24, 2022, 2:25 PM
TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSXV: TVC) (OTCQB: TVCCF) Three Valley Copper Corp. (“Three Valley Copper” or the “Company”) provides a corporate and operating update on its 95.1% owned Minera Tres Valles (“MTV”) property near Salamanca, Region de Coquimbo, Chile.
Operations Update
Don Gabriel
The underperformance of Don Gabriel, MTV’s open pit operation and primary source of ore for 2021 and 2022, has continued. The Company’s previous belief was that this underperformance was temporary in nature, but Don Gabriel has unfortunately continued to deliver less ore tonnes at lower grades than forecasted. This shortfall has called into question the future economics of the Don Gabriel open pit and the immediate impact to MTV is materially lower current and forecasted cash inflows and revenues resulting in a deteriorating liquidity position.
MTV has prudently decided to temporarily suspend operations and has undertaken to demobilize its contractors and place Don Gabriel into care and maintenance until management and the technical teams have completed their analysis of Don Gabriel and alternatives to the current mine plan.
Papomono
The initial construction of the Papomono block caving mine has been completed and has reached the stage where the caving operation can commence. This timetable is consistent with what has been reported previously and construction costs are in line with forecasted costs. However, MTV has chosen to temporarily halt the start of the block caving operation as the expected cash flows are not sufficient to fully support the ramp-up of Papomono during 2022. Increasing production input costs and the continued underperformance of its open pit operations at Don Gabriel has significantly impacted MTV’s ability to generate the necessary cash flows to fund the planned ramp-up of the Papomono underground mine. MTV’s management and technical teams have concluded that in the absence of taking this action, there would be a significant risk that Papomono would be destabilized if the caving operation was to start without MTV having the funds to continue its orderly ramp-up of production.
Operating Guidance
The Company is now retracting its revised preliminary operating outlook for 2022 and 2023.
The Company’s revised operating guidance for 2021 was to produce between 4,500 and 5,500 tonnes of copper cathodes. Actual production for 2021 was slightly lower than guidance at 4,209 tonnes which represents less than 25% of MTV’s overall copper cathode production capacity.
To further preserve liquidity, MTV has also temporarily suspended its exploration program, and suspended certain sustaining and expansion capital expenditures. Notwithstanding these actions, based on MTV’s current cash flow forecast, MTV will require additional financing in the next several months. Three Valley Copper currently maintains working capital of approximately US$7 million separate from MTV but this is not sufficient to finance the expected funding gap at MTV and fund the Company’s ongoing corporate requirements. Three Valley Copper is reviewing its alternatives while preserving its cash resources.
The cessation of mining activities at MTV may result in one or more events of default under the amended and restated senior secured lending facility. The Company and MTV are currently in discussions with MTV’s senior secured lenders and copper cathode offtake provider to determine if a continuing successful partnership can be maintained through, inter alia, bridge loan financing, additional debt financing, forgiveness or conversion of debt, waivers of operating and other covenants, deferrals of or renegotiation of repayment terms and/or renegotiation of the fixed price portion of the offtake agreement. The Company and MTV are also exploring MTV’s ability to renegotiate the Judicial Reorganization Agreement (“JRA”) executed in August 2020. At this time there can be no assurance that any agreement can be reached with the senior secured lenders and/or offtake provider or that a renegotiation of the JRA is possible, and the Company will continue to report on the progress of such discussions.
Strategic Review Process
The Strategic Review Process has not yet resulted in any binding offers being received by the Company. Discussions remain ongoing but there can be no assurance that such discussions will result in any type of transaction, what the value of any transaction might be, what the terms or timing of such a transaction might be or that the Company will be able to continue as a going concern if no transaction is concluded.
At this time, the Company does not expect the Strategic Review Process to result in an imminent transaction that would provide meaningful value for holders of Three Valley Copper’s equity securities (including securities convertible into or exercisable for equity securities). As a result, holders of Three Valley Copper’s equity securities are cautioned that trading in such securities is highly speculative.
The Company will provide updates when further disclosure is required or otherwise appropriate.
About Three Valley Copper
Three Valley Copper, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is focused on growing copper production from, and further exploration of, its primary asset, Minera Tres Valles. Located in Salamanca, Chile, MTV is 95.1% owned by the Company and MTV's main assets are the Minera Tres Valles mining complex and its 46,000 hectares of exploratory lands. For more information about the Company, please visit www.threevalleycopper.com.
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