Hudbay Delivers Strong First Quarter 2024 Results

Hudbay Minerals Inc. ("Hudbay" or the "company") (TSX, NYSE: HBM) today released its first quarter 2024 financial results. All amounts are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted. All production and cost amounts reflect the Copper Mountain mine on a 100% basis, with Hudbay owning a 75% interest in the mine.

"We delivered another consecutive quarter of strong operational and financial performance with steady free cash flow generation and further debt reduction," said Peter Kukielski, President and Chief Executive Officer. "These results demonstrate the strength of our diversified operating base, with continued contributions from the high-grade Pampacancha deposit in Peru, better-than-planned gold production in Manitoba and benefits starting to be realized from operational stabilization efforts at the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia. We are well on track to achieve all of our production and cost guidance metrics. Hudbay's resilient operating platform offers leading exposure to copper and unique complementary exposure to gold, which together with our quality pipeline of growth assets, provide significant upside potential for further value creation at higher copper and gold prices."

Delivered Strong First Quarter Operating and Financial Results; Production and Cost Guidance Affirmed

  • Enhanced operating platform delivered consolidated copper production of 34,749 tonnes and stronger than expected gold production of 90,392 ounces in the first quarter.
  • Solid operating performance was driven by continued high copper and gold grades at the Pampacancha deposit in Peru, continued high gold grades at Lalor and strong performance from the New Britannia mill in Manitoba, and the operational stabilization efforts at the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia.
  • Achieved revenue of $525.0 million and operating cash flow before change in non-cash working capital of $147.5 million in the first quarter of 2024.
  • Affirmed full year 2024 consolidated copper production and cash cost guidance of 137,000 to 176,000 tonnes of copper at a cash cost of $1.05 to $1.25 per pound i and sustaining cash cost of $2.00 to $2.45 per pound i .
  • Consolidated cash cost i and sustaining cash cost i per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , in the first quarter of 2024, were $0.16 and $1.03, respectively, consistent with strong levels achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023.
  • Peru operations benefited from continued contributions from the high-grade Pampacancha satellite pit, resulting in 24,576 tonnes of copper and 29,144 ounces of gold produced in the first quarter of 2024. Peru cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , in the first quarter improved to $0.43, a 20% decrease compared to the fourth quarter of 2023.
  • Manitoba operations produced 56,831 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2024, exceeding management's quarterly cadence expectations as New Britannia continues to operate well above nameplate capacity and budgeted throughput levels. Manitoba cash cost per ounce of gold produced, net of by-product credits i , was $736 during the first quarter of 2024 and well within guidance expectations.
  • British Columbia operations produced 7,024 tonnes of copper at a cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , of $3.49 in the first quarter. Operational stabilization plans continue to be advanced at the Copper Mountain mine.
  • First quarter net earnings and earnings per share were $18.5 million and $0.05, respectively. After adjusting for a non-cash gain of $5.3 million related to a quarterly revaluation of the closed site environmental reclamation provision, a $12.8 million mark-to-market adjustment loss related to share-based compensation, gold prepayment liability and strategic gold and copper hedges and a $9.0 million write-down of property, plant and equipment ("PP&E"), among other items, first quarter adjusted earnings i per share were $0.16.
  • Cash and cash equivalents increased by $34.6 million to $284.4 million during the first quarter due to strong operating cash flows bolstered by higher copper and gold prices and sales volumes enabling a $43.5 million reduction in net debt i during the quarter.

Operating Performance and Financial Discipline Driving Free Cash Flow and Deleveraging

  • Unique copper and gold diversification provides exposure to higher copper and gold prices and attractive free cash flow generation.
  • Executed on planned higher production levels and achieved continued operating and capital cost efficiencies to generate significant free cash flow in the first quarter.
  • Realized strong margins by maintaining low consolidated cash cost of $0.16 per pound of copper in the first quarter while benefiting from higher copper prices, positioning the company for continued significant cash flow generation in a period of high commodity prices.
  • Achieved adjusted EBITDA i of $214.2 million in the first quarter and a trailing twelve month adjusted EBITDA i of $760.5 million.
  • Reduced net debt i to $994.2 million during the first quarter, which, together with higher levels of adjusted EBITDA i , further improved the company's net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio i to 1.3x compared to 1.6x at the end of 2023.
  • Continued deleveraging efforts with a $10 million repayment of the revolving credit facility balance in January 2024 and an additional $10 million repayment after quarter-end in May 2024.
  • Increased cash and total liquidity by $45.2 million to $618.9 million as at March 31, 2024 compared to the end of 2023.

Continued Execution of Growth Initiatives to Further Enhance Copper and Gold Exposure

  • Post-acquisition plans to stabilize the Copper Mountain operations remain in progress, with a focus on mining fleet ramp-up activities, accelerated stripping and increasing mill reliability. Achieved better than planned copper recoveries of 83% in the first quarter, and stabilization benefits continued to be realized subsequent to quarter end with 83% copper recoveries and approximately 40,000 tonnes per day average mill throughput in the month of April.
  • Constancia's expected mine life extended by three years to 2041 as a result of mineral reserve conversion with the addition of a further mining phase at the Constancia pit.
  • The New Britannia mill achieved record throughput levels, averaging 1,870 tonnes per day in the first quarter, exceeding its original design capacity of 1,500 tonnes per day due to the successful implementation of process improvement initiatives and effective preventative maintenance measures. Received permit to increase New Britannia throughput to 2,500 tonnes per day.
  • Achieved copper recoveries of approximately 92% and gold recoveries of approximately 68% at the Stall mill in the first quarter of 2024 as the company continues to benefit from the Stall mill recovery improvement project, which was completed in 2023.
  • The development of an access drift to the 1901 deposit in Snow Lake remains on track and on budget. 1901 is located within 1,000 metres of the existing underground ramp access to the Lalor mine. The drift is expected to reach mineralization in late-2024, which is intended to enable confirmation of the optimal mining method and conducting drilling to further evaluate the orebody and upgrade inferred gold resources to reserves.
  • Progressing the three prerequisites plan (the "3-P plan") for sanctioning Copper World with deleveraging advancing towards targeted levels and remaining key state permits expected in 2024.
  • Drill permitting for highly prospective Maria Reyna and Caballito properties near Constancia continues to advance through the regulatory process with environmental impact assessment applications submitted for both properties in recent months.
  • Largest annual exploration program in Snow Lake underway consisting of geophysical surveys and drill campaigns testing the newly acquired Cook Lake claims, former Rockcliff properties and near-mine exploration at Lalor.
  • Advancing Flin Flon tailings reprocessing opportunities through metallurgical test work and early economic evaluation to potentially produce critical minerals and precious metals while reducing the environmental footprint.
  • Entered into an option agreement with Marubeni Corporation relating to three exploration projects located near Hudbay's existing Flin Flon processing facilities.

Summary of First Quarter Results

Consolidated copper production of 34,749 tonnes in the first quarter of 2024 declined from the strong levels achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023 but was in line with mine plan expectations. Consolidated gold production of 90,392 ounces in the first quarter exceeded expectations. First quarter production benefitted from the continued mining of high copper and gold grades at the Pampacancha deposit in Peru, continued high gold grades mined at Lalor and strong performance from the New Britannia mill in Manitoba, and the operational stabilization efforts at the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia. Full year 2024 production guidance for all metals has been affirmed.

Industry-leading consolidated cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , was $0.16 in the first quarter of 2024, consistent with the favourable levels achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023. This was primarily the result of continued high by-product credits, partially offset by higher mining costs and lower copper production. Consolidated sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , was $1.03 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to $1.09 in the fourth quarter of 2023. This improvement was primarily due to lower sustaining capital expenditures. Full year 2024 consolidated cash cost, sustaining cash cost and capitalized expenditures guidance has been affirmed.

Cash generated from operating activities in the first quarter of 2024 of $139.7 million was lower than the fourth quarter of 2023 but better than anticipated, primarily because of strong gold sales volumes and higher realized copper prices, partially offset by a $30.1 million increase in cash taxes paid mainly in Peru. Operating cash flow before change in non-cash working capital of $147.5 million also exceeded expectations due to the same reasons.

Similarly, adjusted EBITDA i of $214.2 million in the first quarter of 2024 benefited from the solid operating performance outlined above and remained comparable to the strong levels achieved in recent quarters, including $274.4 million in the fourth quarter and $190.7 million in the third quarter of 2023.

Net earnings and earnings per share in the first quarter of 2024 were $18.5 million and $0.05, respectively, compared to net earnings and earnings per share of $33.5 million and $0.10, respectively in the fourth quarter of 2023. Adjusted net earnings i and adjusted net earnings per share i in the first quarter of 2024 were $57.6 million and $0.16 per share, after adjusting for a $5.3 million non-cash gain related to the quarterly revaluation of the environmental reclamation provision at the closed sites, a $12.8 million mark-to-market revaluation loss related to share-based compensation expense, a revaluation of the gold prepayment liability and a revaluation of the company's strategic gold and copper hedges, and a $9.0 million write-down of PP&E, among other items.

As at March 31, 2024, total liquidity increased to $618.9 million, including $284.4 million in cash and cash equivalents as well as undrawn availability of $334.5 million under the company's revolving credit facilities. Net debt declined by $43.5 million during the quarter to $994.2 million as at March 31, 2024. Based on expected free cash flow generation beyond the first quarter of 2024, the company continues to make progress on the deleveraging targets as outlined in the 3-P plan for sanctioning Copper World.

Consolidated Financial Condition ($000s) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Cash and cash equivalents 284,385 249,794 255,563
Total long-term debt 1,278,587 1,287,536 1,225,023
Net debt 1 994,202 1,037,742 969,460
Working capital 2 200,850 135,913 100,987
Total assets 5,231,283 5,312,634 4,367,982
Equity 3 2,107,532 2,096,811 1,574,521
Net debt to adjusted EBITDA 1,4 1.3 1.6 2.1
1 Net debt and net debit to adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.
2 Working capital is determined as total current assets less total current liabilities as defined under IFRS and disclosed on the consolidated interim financial statements.
3 Equity attributable to owners of the company.
4 Net debt to adjusted EBITDA for the 12 month period.


Consolidated Financial Performance Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Revenue $000s 524,989 602,189 295,219
Cost of sales $000s 373,035 405,433 228,706
Earnings before tax $000s 67,750 80,982 17,430
Net earnings $000s 18,535 33,528 5,457
Basic earnings per share $/share 0.05 0.10 0.02
Adjusted earnings per share 1 $/share 0.16 0.20 0.00
Operating cash flow before change in non-cash working capital $ millions 147.5 246.5 85.6
Adjusted EBITDA 1 $ millions 214.2 274.4 101.9
1 Adjusted earnings per share and adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section.


Consolidated Production and Cost Performance
Three Months Ended 1
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Contained metal in concentrate and doré produced 2
Copper tonnes 34,749 45,450 22,562
Gold ounces 90,392 112,776 47,240
Silver ounces 947,917 1,197,082 702,809
Zinc tonnes 8,798 5,747 9,846
Molybdenum tonnes 397 397 289
Payable metal sold
Copper tonnes 33,608 44,006 18,541
Gold 3 ounces 108,081 104,840 49,720
Silver 3 ounces 1,068,848 1,048,877 541,884
Zinc tonnes 6,119 7,385 5,628
Molybdenum tonnes 415 468 254
Consolidated cash cost per pound of copper produced 4
Cash cost $/lb 0.16 0.16 0.85
Sustaining cash cost $/lb 1.03 1.09 1.83
All-in sustaining cash cost $/lb 1.32 1.31 2.07
1 Includes 100% of Copper Mountain mine production. Hudbay owns 75% of Copper Mountain mine. As Copper Mountain was acquired on June 20, 2023, there were no comparative figures for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
2 Metal reported in concentrate is prior to deductions associated with smelter contract terms.
3 Includes total payable gold and silver in concentrate and in doré sold.
4 Cash cost, sustaining cash cost and all-in sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits, are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.

Peru Operations Review

Peru Operations Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Constancia ore mined 1 tonnes 2,559,547 973,176 3,403,181
Copper % 0.31 0.30 0.34
Gold g/tonne 0.04 0.04 0.04
Silver g/tonne 2.79 2.26 2.52
Molybdenum % 0.01 0.01 0.01
Pampacancha ore mined tonnes 2,214,354 5,556,613 897,295
Copper % 0.56 0.56 0.49
Gold g/tonne 0.32 0.32 0.52
Silver g/tonne 4.64 4.84 5.12
Molybdenum % 0.02 0.01 0.01
Total ore mined tonnes 4,773,901 6,529,789 4,300,476
Strip ratio 4 1.95 1.26 1.84
Ore milled tonnes 8,077,962 7,939,044 7,663,728
Copper % 0.36 0.48 0.33
Gold g/tonne 0.15 0.25 0.08
Silver g/tonne 3.48 4.20 3.69
Molybdenum % 0.01 0.01 0.01
Copper recovery % 84.9 87.4 81.7
Gold recovery % 73.4 77.6 56.8
Silver recovery % 70.7 78.0 60.7
Molybdenum recovery % 43.2 33.6 34.8
Contained metal in concentrate
Copper tonnes 24,576 33,207 20,517
Gold ounces 29,144 49,418 11,206
Silver ounces 639,718 836,208 552,167
Molybdenum tonnes 397 397 289
Payable metal sold
Copper tonnes 23,754 31,200 16,316
Gold ounces 42,677 38,114 11,781
Silver ounces 753,707 703,679 392,207
Molybdenum tonnes 415 468 254
Combined unit operating cost 2,3 $/tonne 10.92 12.24 11.47
Cash cost 3 $/lb 0.43 0.54 1.36
Sustaining cash cost 3 $/lb 1.06 1.21 2.12
1 Reported tonnes and grade for ore mined are estimates based on mine plan assumptions and may not reconcile fully to ore milled.
2 Reflects combined mine, mill and general and administrative ("G&A") costs per tonne of ore milled. Reflects the deduction of expected capitalized stripping costs.
3 Combined unit costs, cash cost and sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits, are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.
4 Strip ratio is calculated as waste mined divided by ore mined.

During the first quarter of 2024, the Peru operations produced 24,576 tonnes of copper, 29,144 ounces of gold, 639,718 ounces of silver and 397 tonnes of molybdenum. While high grade copper and gold ore continued to be mined from Pampacancha in the first quarter of 2024, the mill processed less Pampacancha ore than in the fourth quarter of 2023, which resulted in lower copper, gold and silver production, in line with mine plan expectations. The company is on track to achieve its 2024 production guidance for all metals in Peru.

The Constancia operations benefited from strong mill throughput, averaging 89,000 tonnes per day in the first quarter. Mill ore feed has reverted to the typical blend of approximately one-third from Pampacancha and two-thirds from Constancia, which is expected to continue throughout 2024. The operations benefited from strong cost performance, achieving lower unit operating costs, cash cost and sustaining cash cost compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Cash cost also benefited from higher gold sales volumes in the first quarter of 2024.

Total ore mined in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 27% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, and was in line with the mine plan, which included supplemental ore feed from stockpiles during the quarter as the company advances pit stripping activities. Ore mined from Pampacancha during the first quarter was 2.2 million tonnes at average grades of 0.56% copper and 0.32 grams per tonne gold.

Ore milled during the first quarter of 2024 was 2% higher than the fourth quarter of 2023 mainly due to the treatment of softer ore from stockpiles. Milled copper and gold grades decreased in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 as a result of a normalized blending of ore feed from Pampacancha, as described above. Recoveries of copper, gold and silver during the first quarter of 2024 were 84.9%, 73.4% and 70.7%, respectively, and were in line with metallurgical models.

Combined mine, mill and G&A unit operating costs i in the first quarter were $10.92 per tonne, 11% lower than the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily due to lower milling costs and higher ore throughput.

Cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , in the first quarter of 2024 was $0.43, a 20% improvement over the favourable levels achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily due to higher by-product credits, lower milling costs, lower treatment and refining costs and lower freight costs, partially offset by higher copper production. Cash cost for the quarter was below the low end of the 2024 guidance range primarily due to high gold by-product credits, and it is expected to increase during the remainder of 2024 with full year cash cost expected to be within the 2024 guidance range.

Sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits i , for the first quarter of 2024 was $1.06, a 12% improvement over the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily due to the same factors affecting cash cost.

The collective bargaining agreement with the labour union representing a portion of the Constancia workforce expired in November 2023, and Hudbay continues to negotiate the terms of a new agreement with the union.

In March 2024, the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines indicated an intention to make regulatory changes to allow mining companies to increase their permitted mill throughput levels by up to 10%. The company is monitoring the status of this proposed regulation and evaluating the potential to increase future production at Constancia.

Manitoba Operations Review

Manitoba Operations Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Lalor
Ore mined tonnes 407,708 372,384 373,599
Gold g/tonne 4.84 5.92 3.96
Copper % 0.84 1.04 0.57
Zinc % 2.92 2.20 3.32
Silver g/tonne 23.44 28.92 18.24
New Britannia
Ore milled tonnes 170,409 165,038 143,042
Gold g/tonne 7.03 8.03 6.05
Copper % 1.13 1.46 0.61
Zinc % 0.82 0.85 0.76
Silver g/tonne 21.6 27.97 22.39
Gold recovery 1 % 88.6 89.0 87.9
Copper recovery % 96.2 91.6 91.7
Silver recovery 1 % 82.0 83.2 79.1
Stall Concentrator
Ore milled tonnes 219,358 228,799 242,619
Gold g/tonne 3.07 4.22 2.78
Copper % 0.64 0.73 0.59
Zinc % 4.54 3.20 4.81
Silver g/tonne 24.46 28.63 17.14
Gold recovery % 68.0 67.5 61.9
Copper recovery % 91.7 92.0 87.0
Zinc recovery % 88.4 78.5 84.4
Silver recovery % 59.8 61.8 56.3
Total contained metal in concentrate and   doré 2
Gold ounces 56,831 59,863 36,034
Copper tonnes 3,149 3,735 2,045
Zinc tonnes 8,798 5,747 9,846
Silver ounces 219,823 255,579 150,642
Total payable metal sold
Gold 3 ounces 62,003 63,635 37,939
Copper tonnes 2,921 3,687 2,225
Zinc tonnes 6,119 7,385 5,628
Silver 3 ounces 231,841 246,757 149,677
Combined unit operating cost 4,5 C$/tonne 235 216 216
Gold cash cost 5 $/oz 736 434 938
Gold sustaining cash cost 5 $/oz 950 788 1,336
1 Gold and silver recovery includes total recovery from concentrate and doré.
2 Doré includes sludge, slag and carbon fines in three ended March 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and March 31, 2023.
3 Includes total payable precious metals in concentrate and in doré sold.
4 Reflects combined mine, mill and G&A costs per tonne of ore milled.
5 Combined unit cost, gold cash cost and sustaining cash cost per ounce of gold produced, net of by-product credits, are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.

The Manitoba operations produced 56,831 ounces of gold, 3,149 tonnes of copper, 8,798 tonnes of zinc and 219,823 ounces of silver during the first quarter of 2024. Production of gold in the first quarter was better than expected as a result of many operational improvement initiatives and record performance from the New Britannia mill, as described below. The company is on track to achieve its 2024 production guidance for all metals in Manitoba.

The strong production results in the first quarter of 2024 were partly attributed to the successful implementation of improvement initiatives at the Lalor mine that were completed in the second half of 2023 and in early 2024. Noteworthy improvements include high shaft availability, efficient ore hoisting, stope fragmentation reduction and mucking productivity enhancements. In 2024, the company's primary focus entails implementing stope design modifications aimed at improving mucking efficiency throughout a stope's lifecycle. The company also continues to focus on maintaining the quality of ore production with elevated metal grades through diligent efforts to minimize dilution and enhance ore recovery from stopes.

Total ore mined in Manitoba in the first quarter of 2024 was 9% higher than the fourth quarter of 2023. Grades for all metals reflect the successful execution of the company's strategic mine plan that prioritizes gold and copper production with a focus on enhanced ore recovery. This resulted in the continued mining of higher gold and copper grade zones and robust grade control practices, including assaying and sampling of blastholes, which further improved ore quality. This also resulted in reduced mining from the zinc areas, lowering the overall zinc grade at Lalor in the first quarter of 2024, in line with the mine plan.

Consistent with the company strategy of allocating more Lalor ore feed to New Britannia, the New Britannia mill throughput averaged a record 1,870 tonnes per day in the first quarter of 2024, a 4% improvement over the previous record level achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023. Recoveries of gold, copper and silver in the first quarter of 2024 were 88.6%, 96.2% and 82.0%, respectively.

The Stall mill processed 4% less ore in the first quarter of 2024 than the fourth quarter of 2023, which is aligned with the strategy of allocating more Lalor ore feed to New Britannia, as noted above. With the completion of the Stall mill recovery improvement project in 2023, recoveries of gold, copper and silver in the first quarter of 2024 were consistent with the fourth quarter, achieving targeted gold recovery levels of approximately 68%.

Combined mine, mill and G&A unit operating costs i in the first quarter of 2024 were C$235 per tonne, a small increase of 9% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 due to higher mining costs as a result of lower capitalized development costs and longer haulage distances and higher milling costs at Stall associated with lower throughput.

Cash cost per ounce of gold produced, net of by-product credits i , in the first quarter of 2024 was $736, an increase compared to the uncharacteristically low fourth quarter of 2023 which benefitted from record gold production and higher by-product credits. However, the first quarter cash cost was well positioned at the lower end of the 2024 cash cost guidance range, and the company expects full year gold cash cost to remain within the 2024 guidance range.

Sustaining cash cost per ounce of gold produced, net of by-product credits i , in the first quarter of 2024 was $950, an increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily due to the same factors affecting cash cost as well as lower sustaining capital costs during the quarter.

The New Britannia mill achieved record quarterly throughput of 1,870 tonnes per day in the first quarter due to ongoing improvement initiatives and effective preventative maintenance measures. Noteworthy enhancements in the elution circuit, which facilitates efficient carbon transfer and gold stripping, have bolstered gold recovery to doré. During the first quarter, Hudbay received a permit approval from the Manitoba Environment and Climate Change ministry ("MECC") to increase the New Britannia mill production rate above nameplate capacity to 2,500 tonnes per day. This key approval aligns with the company's long-term objectives to further increase gold production at the Snow Lake operations by directing more gold ore from Lalor to the New Britannia mill to achieve higher gold recoveries.

At the Anderson tailings facility, Hudbay successfully improved the tailings deposition process during the quarter, leveraging new equipment and procedural refinements, enabling optimized storage capacity and deferred dam construction capital to future years. To further optimize the storage capacity of the facility, a permit to conduct a subaerial tailings deposition trial study was submitted to MECC during the quarter.

British Columbia Operations Review

British Columbia Operations  
Three Months Ended 5  
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Ore mined 1 tonnes 3,722,496 2,627,398
Waste mined tonnes 15,276,598 14,032,093
Strip ratio 2 4.10 5.34
Ore milled tonnes 3,180,149 3,261,891
Copper % 0.27 0.33
Gold g/tonne 0.07 0.06
Silver g/tonne 1.19 1.36
Copper recovery % 83.4 78.8
Gold recovery % 61.8 54.1
Silver recovery % 72.4 73.8
Total contained metal in concentrate   2
Copper tonnes 7,024 8,508
Gold ounces 4,417 3,495
Silver ounces 88,376 105,295
Total payable metal sold
Copper tonnes 6,933 9,119
Gold ounces 3,401 3,091
Silver ounces 83,300 98,441
Combined unit operating cost 3,4 C$/tonne 23.67 20.90
Cash cost 4 $/lb 3.49 2.67
Sustaining cash cost 4 $/lb 4.85 3.93
1 Reported tonnes and grade for ore mined are estimates based on mine plan assumptions and may not reconcile fully to ore milled.
2 Strip ratio is calculated as waste mined divided by ore mined.
3 Reflects combined mine, mill and G&A costs per tonne of ore milled. Reflects the deduction of expected capitalized stripping costs.
4 Combined unit operating cost, cash cost and sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits, are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.
5 Copper Mountain mine results are stated at 100%. Hudbay owns 75% of Copper Mountain mine.

During the first quarter of 2024, the British Columbia operations produced 7,024 tonnes of copper, 4,417 ounces of gold and 88,376 ounces of silver. Production of copper and silver was lower than the fourth quarter of 2024 primarily as a result of lower head grades, partially offset by higher recoveries. Production of gold was higher than the fourth quarter of 2024 as a result of higher grades and higher recoveries. The company is on track to achieve 2024 production guidance for all metals in British Columbia.

Since completing the acquisition of Copper Mountain on June 20, 2023, Hudbay has been focused on advancing operational stabilization plans, including opening up the mine by adding additional mining faces and re-mobilizing idle haul trucks, optimizing the ore feed to the plant and implementing plant improvement initiatives that mirror Hudbay's successful processes at Constancia. While the benefits of these stabilization plans are not expected to be fully realized until 2025, the company successfully increased the total tonnes moved and has seen stronger mill performance as demonstrated by higher mill availability and above-target copper recoveries of 83.4% in the first quarter of 2024, achieving the highest quarterly copper recoveries in the last decade. Stabilization benefits continued to be realized into April with 83% copper recoveries and approximately 40,000 tonnes per day average mill throughput, an increase of approximately 9% over throughput levels in the first quarter.

Hudbay has exceeded the targeted $10 million in annualized corporate synergies and is on track to realize the three-year annual operating efficiencies target.

Total ore mined at Copper Mountain in the first quarter of 2024 was 3.7 million tonnes, a 42% increase versus the fourth quarter of 2023. The mine operations team continues to implement a fleet production ramp up plan to remobilize idle capital equipment at the Copper Mountain site as part of the accelerated stripping program to access higher head grades. This plan entails remobilization of the mining truck fleet, deployment of an additional shovel, production drill and associated equipment. During the quarter, the company also advanced the delivery of five haul trucks to self-perform additional stripping activities over the next three years at a lower cost than the contractor mining approach that was contemplated in the technical report. As a result, total material moved is expected to continue to increase quarter over quarter in line with the mine plan.

The mill processed 3.2 million tonnes of ore during the first quarter of 2024, a 3% decrease versus the fourth quarter of 2023. Benefiting from stabilization and reliability initiatives within the comminution circuit, the average mill availability during the first quarter of 2024 increased by approximately 4% to 90.4%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, while maintaining a stable throughput rate. Mill throughput in the first quarter 2024 was impacted by reduced reliability of the crushing circuit, caused primarily by elevated levels of magnetite and scrap metal as mining progresses through areas of historical underground workings. During the quarter, a number of initiatives were advanced to address these issues and other identified constraints and improve throughput to targeted levels, with the benefits expected to be realized throughout the rest of 2024. These initiatives include reprogramming of the mill expert system, installation of advanced semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) control instrumentation, redesign of the SAG liner package and updated operational procedures intended to remove magnetite from the pebble stream.

Maintenance practices to improve mill availability continue to be a key pillar of the stabilization initiatives. The first quarter planned maintenance shutdown focused on achieving 100% compliance to planned execution. Future maintenance practice enhancements are planned for rollout over the second and third quarters of 2024, which entail the implementation of improved maintenance management processes and a change in the maintenance organizational structure. Work has begun to analyze the trade-off among the various alternatives to further enhance mill performance.

Milled copper grades during the first quarter of 2024 averaged 0.27%, lower than the fourth quarter of 2023 but higher than the reserve grade of 0.25%. Copper recoveries of 83.4% were higher than the fourth quarter of 2023 and higher than expectations for the first quarter due to relieving the regrind circuit constraint and implementing the flotation operational strategy improvements, including reagent selection and dose modification.

Work continues on the expert system that controls mill feed with implementation expected during the second quarter. Throughput in April increased to approximately 40,000 tonnes per day as the mill began realizing benefits from the recalibrated expert system, amongst other initiatives. The benefits of the operational stabilization improvements are expected to continue to be realized throughout 2024. The company is also accelerating engineering studies to debottleneck and increase the nominal plant capacity to 50,000 tonnes per day earlier than was contemplated in the technical report.

Combined mine, mill and G&A unit operating costs in the first quarter of 2024 were C$23.67 per tonne milled, 13% higher than the fourth quarter of 2023 primarily due to higher mining costs. Combined unit operating costs are expected to decrease over time as the company continues to implement its stabilization and optimization initiatives at Copper Mountain. As the hiring and training of additional haul truck drivers continues, the company expects to have a fully trained complement of truck drivers by July to support the larger mining fleet, which is expected to increase material moved and reduce unit operating costs.

Cash cost and sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits, in the first quarter of 2024 were $3.49 and $4.85, respectively. Cash cost for the quarter was above the upper end of the 2024 guidance range; however, it is expected to decline during the remainder of 2024 and the full year cash cost is expected to be within the 2024 guidance range.

Generating Free Cash Flow with Increased Production and Continued Financial Discipline

Hudbay delivered a third successive quarter of positive free cash flow during the first quarter of 2024 as the company executed its plan for higher copper and gold production from Pampacancha and higher gold production at Lalor, both driven by higher grades, throughput and recoveries. The company continues to expect to see strong production levels throughout 2024 from sustained higher grades in Peru and Manitoba, along with additional production from Copper Mountain.

During the first quarter, Hudbay completed $10 million in net repayments on its revolving credit facilities. The company also completed three additional months of deliveries under the gold forward sale and prepay agreement, further reducing the outstanding gold prepayment liability, and is scheduled to fully repay the gold prepay facility by August 2024. Despite these debt repayments and gold deliveries, the company increased its cash and cash equivalents to $284.4 million and reduced overall net debt to $994.2 million as at March 31, 2024, compared to $249.8 million and $1,037.7 million, respectively, as at December 31, 2023. The $43.5 million decline in net debt, together with higher levels of adjusted EBITDA i in the first quarter, have improved Hudbay's net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio i to 1.3x compared to 1.6x at the end of 2023. Subsequent to quarter-end, the company continued the deleveraging efforts with an additional $10 million repayment on the revolving credit facilities in May 2024.

During the first quarter, the company continued to exercise financial discipline and take steps to support free cash flow generation during the stabilization period at Copper Mountain. To this end, Hudbay entered into new forward sales contracts at Copper Mountain for a total of 3,600 tonnes of copper production over the twelve-month period from May 2024 to April 2025 at an average price of $3.97 per pound, as well as zero-cost collars for 3,000 tonnes of copper production over the twelve-month period from May 2024 to April 2025 at an average floor price of $4.00 per pound and an average cap price of $4.36 per pound. As at March 31, 2024, 15.9 million pounds of copper forwards and 19.8 million pounds of copper collars were outstanding, representing approximately 44% of 2024 production guidance levels for Copper Mountain. The company also entered into zero-cost collars for 36,000 ounces of gold production over the period from April to December 2024 at an average floor price of $2,088 per ounce and an average cap price of $2,458 per ounce.

Annual Reserve and Resource Update

Hudbay provided its annual mineral reserve and resource update on March 28, 2024. Current mineral reserve estimates at Constancia and Pampacancha total an aggregate of approximately 548 million tonnes at 0.27% copper with approximately 1.5 million tonnes of contained copper. The expected mine life of Constancia has been extended by three years to 2041 as a result of the successful conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves with the addition of a further mining phase at the Constancia pit following positive geotechnical drilling studies in 2023. There remains potential for further reserve conversion and future mine life extensions at Constancia through an additional 172 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources at 0.22% copper and 37 million tonnes of inferred resources at 0.40% copper, in each case, exclusive of mineral reserves.

Current mineral reserve estimates in Snow Lake total 17 million tonnes with approximately 2 million ounces in contained gold, and the expected mine life of the Snow Lake operations has been maintained until 2038. The Snow Lake operations continue to achieve higher gold production levels due to the New Britannia mill operating well above design capacity, the recent completion of the Stall mill recovery improvement project in 2023 and the implementation of several optimization initiatives at the Lalor mine to improve the quality of ore production and minimize waste dilution. There remains another 1.4 million ounces of gold in inferred resources in Snow Lake that have the potential to maintain strong annual gold production levels beyond 2030 and further extend the mine life in Snow Lake. The company is advancing an access drift at the nearby 1901 deposit to enable infill drilling aimed at converting the inferred mineral resources in the gold lenses to mineral reserves.

Current mineral reserve estimates at the Copper Mountain mine total 367 million tonnes at 0.25% copper and 0.12 grams per tonne gold with approximately 900,000 tonnes of contained copper and 1.4 million ounces of contained gold. Hudbay acquired the Copper Mountain mine as part of the acquisition of Copper Mountain Mining Corporation in June 2023. The company holds a 75% interest in the Copper Mountain mine, while Mitsubishi Materials Corp. holds the remaining 25% interest. The current mineral reserve estimates support a 21-year mine life, as previously disclosed in Hudbay's first National Instrument 43-101 technical report in respect of the Copper Mountain mine filed in December 2023 (the "Copper Mountain Technical Report"). There exists significant upside potential for reserve conversion and extending mine life beyond 21 years through an additional 140 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources at 0.21% copper and 0.10 grams per tonne gold and 370 million tonnes of inferred resources at 0.25% copper and 0.13 grams per tonne gold, in each case, exclusive of mineral reserves.

Hudbay released updated three-year production guidance with its annual mineral reserve and resource update, as presented below. Consolidated copper production over the next three years is expected to average 153,000 ii tonnes, representing an increase of 16% from 2023 levels. Consolidated gold production over the next three years is expected to average 272,500 ii ounces, reflecting continued high annual gold production levels in Manitoba and a smoothing of Pampacancha high grade gold zones in Peru over the 2023 to 2025 period. Annual production at the Constancia operations is expected to average approximately 101,000 ii tonnes of copper and 62,000 ii ounces of gold over the next three years. Annual gold production from Snow Lake is expected to average approximately 185,000 ii ounces over the next three years, in line with 2023 levels. Annual copper production at the British Columbia operations is expected to average approximately 41,000 ii tonnes of copper over the next three years. British Columbia production guidance ranges in 2024 and 2025 are wider than typical ranges and coincide with the operation ramp up activities over the stabilization period. Copper production at the Copper Mountain mine is expected to increase by 32% in 2026 compared to 2024, reflecting operational improvements consistent with the Copper Mountain Technical Report.

3-Year Production Outlook
Contained Metal in Concentrate and Doré 1
2024 Guidance 2025 Guidance 2026 Guidance
Peru
Copper tonnes 98,000 - 120,000 94,000 - 115,000 80,000 - 100,000
Gold ounces 76,000 - 93,000 70,000 - 90,000 15,000 - 25,000
Silver ounces 2,500,000 - 3,000,000 2,700,000 - 3,300,000 1,500,000 - 1,900,000
Molybdenum tonnes 1,250 - 1,500 1,200 - 1,600 1,500 - 1,900
Manitoba
Gold ounces 170,000 - 200,000 170,000 - 200,000 170,000 - 200,000
Zinc tonnes 27,000 - 35,000 25,000 - 33,000 18,000 - 24,000
Copper tonnes 9,000 - 12,000 8,000 - 12,000 10,000 - 14,000
Silver ounces 750,000 - 1,000,000 800,000 - 1,100,000 800,000 - 1,100,000
British Columbia 2
Copper tonnes 30,000 - 44,000 30,000 - 45,000 44,000 - 54,000
Gold ounces 17,000 - 26,000 24,000 - 36,000 24,000 - 29,000
Silver ounces 300,000 - 455,000 290,000 - 400,000 450,000 - 550,000
Total
Copper tonnes 137,000 - 176,000 132,000 - 172,000 134,000 - 168,000
Gold ounces 263,000 - 319,000 264,000 - 326,000 209,000 - 254,000
Zinc tonnes 27,000 - 35,000 25,000 - 33,000 18,000 - 24,000
Silver ounces 3,550,000 - 4,455,000 3,790,000 - 4,800,000 2,750,000 - 3,550,000
Molybdenum tonnes 1,250 - 1,500 1,200 - 1,600 1,500 - 1,900
1 Metal reported in concentrate and doré is prior to treatment or refining losses or deductions associated with smelter terms.
2 Includes 100% of Copper Mountain mine production. Hudbay owns 75% of Copper Mountain mine.

Advancing Permitting at Copper World

The first key state permit required for Copper World, the Mined Land Reclamation Plan, was initially approved by the Arizona State Mine Inspector in October 2021 and was subsequently amended to reflect a larger private land project footprint. This approval was challenged in state court, but the challenge was dismissed in May 2023. In late 2022, Hudbay submitted the applications for an Aquifer Protection Permit and an Air Quality Permit to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Hudbay continues to expect to receive these two outstanding state permits in 2024. Hudbay also received the floodplain use permit approval from Pima County in April 2024.

Copper World is one of the highest-grade open pit copper projects in the Americas iii with proven and probable mineral reserves of 385 million tonnes at 0.54% copper. There remains approximately 60% of the total copper contained in measured and indicated mineral resources (exclusive of mineral reserves), providing significant potential for Phase II expansion and mine life extension. In addition, the inferred mineral resource estimates are at a comparable copper grade and also provide significant upside potential.

Exploration Update

Progressing Maria Reyna and Caballito Exploration Permits

Hudbay controls a large, contiguous block of mineral rights with the potential to host mineral deposits in close proximity to the Constancia processing facility, including the past producing Caballito property and the highly prospective Maria Reyna property. The company commenced early exploration activities at Maria Reyna and Caballito after completing a surface rights exploration agreement with the community of Uchucarcco in August 2022. As part of the drill permitting process, environmental impact assessment applications were submitted for the Maria Reyna property in November 2023 and for the Caballito property in April 2024.

Executing Largest Snow Lake Exploration Program

The planned 2024 exploration program is Hudbay's largest Snow Lake program in company history and consists of modern geophysical programs and multi-phased drilling campaigns:

  • Modern geophysics program – A majority of the newly acquired Cook Lake and former Rockcliff claims have been untested by modern deep geophysics, which was the discovery method for the Lalor deposit. A large geophysics program is currently underway including surface electromagnetic surveys using cutting-edge techniques that enable the team to detect targets at depths of almost 1,000 metres below surface.
  • Multi-phased drilling program – The results from the winter 2024 surface drill program near Lalor are being analyzed and the company is planning follow-up drill programs for the balance of 2024.

The goal of the 2024 exploration program is to test mineralized extensions of the Lalor deposit and to find a new anchor deposit within trucking distance of the Snow Lake processing infrastructure, which has the potential to extend the life of the Snow Lake operations beyond 2038.

Advancing Access to the 1901 Deposit

In the first quarter of 2024, the company commenced the development of a smaller profile drift from the existing Lalor ramp towards the 1901 deposit. The 1901 development and exploration drift is proceeding on schedule and on budget and is expected to reach the mineralization in late-2024, followed by planned definition drilling in 2025 intended to confirm the optimal mining method, evaluate the orebody geometry and continuity, and convert inferred mineral resources in the gold lenses to mineral reserves. In addition to the benefits of being able to cycle development rounds faster, the smaller profile drift has significantly reduced the cost per metre of advance by 33% compared to average 2023 development costs incurred at Lalor.

Unlocking Value Through Flin Flon Tailings Reprocessing

Hudbay is advancing studies to evaluate the opportunity to reprocess Flin Flon tailings where more than 100 million tonnes of tailings have been deposited for over 90 years from the mill and the zinc plant. The studies are evaluating the potential to use the existing Flin Flon concentrator, which is currently on care and maintenance after the closure of the 777 mine in 2022, with flow sheet modifications to reprocess tailings to recover critical minerals and precious metals while creating environmental and social benefits for the region. The company is completing metallurgical test work and an early economic study to evaluate the tailings reprocessing opportunity.

The Flin Flon tailings facility contains materials generated from the metallurgical complex and confirmatory drilling has been conducted over the last several years:

  • Mill tailings – Initial confirmatory drilling completed in 2022 indicated higher zinc, copper and silver grades than predicted from historical mill records while confirming the historical gold grade. In 2023, Hudbay advanced metallurgical test work and evaluated metallurgical technologies, including the signing of a test work co-operation agreement with Cobalt Blue Holdings ("COB") examining the use of COB technology to treat Flin Flon mill tailings. Initial results from preliminary roasting test work were encouraging in converting more than 90% of pyrite into pyrrhotite and molten sulphur, and the project has been advanced to the next stage of testing.
  • Zinc plant tailings – This section of the tailings facility was previously unable to be drilled in 2022 due to water levels from operations. The water levels have receded since the completion of operations in mid-2022, and in 2024, Hudbay completed an initial confirmatory drill program in this portion of the tailings facility with results pending.

A key benefit of tailings reprocessing is the potential to reduce the environmental footprint by removing acid-generating properties of the tailings, which would improve the environmental impacts through higher quality water in the tailings facility and reduce the need for long-term water treatment.

Marubeni Flin Flon Exploration Partnership

In March 2024, Hudbay entered into an option agreement (the "Marubeni Option Agreement") with Marubeni Corporation, pursuant to which Hudbay has granted Marubeni's wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary an option to acquire a 20% interest in three projects located within trucking distance of Hudbay's existing processing facilities in the Flin Flon area. Pursuant to the Marubeni Option Agreement, the option holder must fund a minimum of C$12 million in exploration expenditures over a period of approximately five years in order to exercise its option. All three projects hold past producing mines that generated meaningful production with attractive grades of both base metals and precious metals. The properties remain highly prospective with potential for further discovery based on the attractive geological setting, limited historical deep drilling and promising geochemical and geophysical targets.

Upon successful completion of the option holder's earn-in obligations and the exercise of the option, a joint venture will be formed to hold the selected projects with Hudbay, acting as operator, holding an 80% interest and Marubeni indirectly holding the remaining 20% interest.

Website Links

Hudbay:

www.hudbay.com

Management's Discussion and Analysis:

https://www.hudbayminerals.com/MDA524

Financial Statements:

https://www.hudbayminerals.com/FS524

Conference Call and Webcast

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
Webcast: www.hudbay.com
Dial in: 1-416-764-8650 or 1-888-664-6383
Additional Dial-in

Qualified Person and NI 43-101

The technical and scientific information in this news release related to the company's material mineral projects has been approved by Olivier Tavchandjian, P. Geo, Senior Vice President, Exploration and Technical Services. Mr. Tavchandjian is a qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

For a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and resources at Hudbay's material mineral properties, as well as data verification procedures and a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates of scientific and technical information may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing or other relevant factors, please see the technical reports for the company's material properties as filed by Hudbay on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.

Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures

Adjusted net earnings (loss), adjusted net earnings (loss) per share, adjusted EBITDA, net debt, cash cost, sustaining and all-in sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, cash cost and sustaining cash cost per ounce of gold produced, combined unit costs and ratios based on these measures are non-IFRS performance measures. These measures do not have a meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with IFRS and are not necessarily indicative of operating gross profit or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate these measures differently.

Management believes adjusted net earnings (loss) and adjusted net earnings (loss) per share provides an alternate measure of the company's performance for the current period and gives insight into its expected performance in future periods. These measures are used internally by the company to evaluate the performance of its underlying operations and to assist with its planning and forecasting of future operating results. As such, the company believes these measures are useful to investors in assessing the company's underlying performance. Hudbay provides adjusted EBITDA to help users analyze the company's results and to provide additional information about its ongoing cash generating potential in order to assess its capacity to service and repay debt, carry out investments and cover working capital needs. Net debt is shown because it is a performance measure used by the company to assess its financial position. Net debt to adjusted EBITDA is shown because it is a performance measure used by the company to assess its financial leverage and debt capacity. Cash cost, sustaining and all-in sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced are shown because the company believes they help investors and management assess the performance of its operations, including the margin generated by the operations and the company. Cash cost and sustaining cash cost per ounce of gold produced are shown because the company believes they help investors and management assess the performance of its Manitoba operations. Combined unit cost is shown because Hudbay believes it helps investors and management assess the company's cost structure and margins that are not impacted by variability in by-product commodity prices.

The following tables provide detailed reconciliations to the most comparable IFRS measures.

Adjusted Net Earnings (Loss) Reconciliation

Three Months Ended
(in $ millions) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Net earnings for the period 18.5 33.5 5.4
Tax expense 49.3 47.5 12.0
Earnings before tax 67.8 81.0 17.4
Adjusting items:
Mark-to-market adjustments 1 12.8 12.7 6.8
Foreign exchange loss 4.8 4.2 0.3
Inventory adjustments 1.4
Variable consideration adjustment - stream revenue and accretion 4.0 (5.0 )
Premium paid on redemption of notes 2.2
Re-evaluation adjustment - environmental provision 2 (5.3 ) 34.0 (8.2 )
Insurance recovery (4.2 )
Value-added-tax recovery (3.9 )
Write off fair value of the Copper Mountain bonds (1.0 )
Reduction of obligation to renounce flow-through expenditures (0.7 )
Restructuring charges 0.9 0.6
Loss on disposal of investments 0.7
Write-down/loss on disposal of PP&E 9.0 6.6 0.1
Adjusted earnings before income taxes 93.3 133.6 12.1
Tax expense (49.3 ) (47.5 ) (12.0 )
Tax impact on adjusting items 13.6 (14.8 )
Adjusted net earnings 57.6 71.3 0.1
Adjusted net earnings ($/share) 0.16 0.20 0.00
Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding (millions) 350.8 349.1 262.0
1 Includes changes in fair value of the gold prepayment liability, Canadian junior mining investments, other financial assets and liabilities at fair value through net earnings or loss and share-based compensation expenses.
2 Changes from movements to environmental reclamation provisions are primarily related to the Flin Flon operations, which were fully depreciated as of June 30, 2022, as well as other Manitoba non-operating sites.

Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation

Three Months Ended
(in $ millions) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Net earnings for the period 18.5 33.5 5.4
Add back:
Tax expense 49.3 47.5 12.0
Net finance expense 44.0 48.9 35.0
Other expenses 16.3 10.6 5.0
Depreciation and amortization 109.3 121.9 67.4
Amortization of deferred revenue and variable consideration adjustment (23.2 ) (26.5 ) (15.9 )
Adjusting items (pre-tax):
Re-evaluation adjustment - environmental provision (5.3 ) 34.0 (8.2 )
Inventory adjustments 1.4
Option agreement proceeds (0.4 )
Share-based compensation expense 1 5.7 3.1 1.2
Adjusted EBITDA 214.2 274.4 101.9
1 Share-based compensation expenses reflected in cost of sales and selling and administrative expenses.

Net Debt Reconciliation

(in $ thousands)
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Total long-term debt 1,278,587 1,287,536 1,225,023
Less: Cash and cash equivalents 284,385 249,794 255,563
Net debt 994,202 1,037,742 969,460
(in $ millions, except net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio)
Net debt 994.2 1,037.7 969.5
Adjusted EBITDA (12 month period) 760.5 647.8 467.3
Net debt to adjusted EBITDA 1.3 1.6 2.1


Trailing Adjusted EBITDA Three Months Ended LTM 1
(in $ millions) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Sept. 30, 2023 Jun. 30, 2023
Net earnings (loss) for the period 18.5 33.5 45.5 (14.9 ) 82.6
Add back:
Tax expense (recovery) 49.3 47.5 38.7 (15.8 ) 119.7
Net finance expense 44.0 48.9 30.9 30.5 154.3
Other expenses 16.3 10.6 8.9 13.9 49.7
Depreciation and amortization 109.3 121.9 113.8 88.7 433.7
Amortization of deferred revenue and variable consideration adjustment (23.2 ) (26.5 ) (16.8 ) (18.1 ) (84.6 )
Adjusting items (pre-tax):
Re-evaluation adjustment - environmental provision (5.3 ) 34.0 (32.4 ) (4.7 ) (8.4 )
Inventory adjustments 1.4 0.9 2.3
Option agreement proceeds (0.4 ) (0.4 )
Share-based compensation expenses 2 5.7 3.1 2.1 0.7 11.6
Adjusted EBITDA 214.2 274.4 190.7 81.2 760.5
1 LTM (last twelve months) as of March 31, 2024.
2 Share-based compensation expense reflected in cost of sales and administrative expenses.

Copper Cash Cost Reconciliation

Consolidated Three Months Ended
Net pounds of copper produced 1
(in thousands) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Peru 54,181 73,209 45,233
British Columbia 2 15,485 18,755
Manitoba 6,942 8,234 4,508
Net pounds of copper produced 76,608 100,198 49,741
1 Contained copper in concentrate.
2 Includes 100% of Copper Mountain mine production, Hudbay owns 75% of Copper Mountain mine. As Copper Mountain was acquired on June 20, 2023, there were no comparative figures for the period ended March 31, 2023.


Consolidated Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Mining 102,133 1.33 89,587 0.89 64,538 1.30
Milling 83,474 1.09 90,763 0.91 61,039 1.23
G&A 38,335 0.50 38,937 0.39 26,555 0.53
Onsite costs 223,942 2.92 219,287 2.19 152,132 3.06
Treatment & refining 27,664 0.36 35,665 0.36 18,495 0.37
Freight & other 27,062 0.36 32,273 0.32 17,776 0.36
Cash cost, before by-product credits 278,668 3.64 287,225 2.87 188,403 3.79
By-product credits (266,686 ) (3.48 ) (271,738 ) (2.71 ) (146,111 ) (2.94 )
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 11,982 0.16 15,487 0.16 42,292 0.85


Consolidated Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Supplementary cash cost information $000s $/lb 1 $000s $/lb 1 $000s $/lb 1
By-product credits 2 :
Zinc 14,589 0.19 18,474 0.18 17,374 0.35
Gold 3 209,812 2.74 216,178 2.16 93,479 1.88
Silver 3 23,039 0.30 22,698 0.23 11,998 0.24
Molybdenum & other 19,246 0.25 14,388 0.14 23,260 0.47
Total by-product credits 266,686 3.48 271,738 2.71 146,111 2.94
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 11,982 15,487 42,292
By-product credits 266,686 271,738 146,111
Treatment and refining charges (27,664 ) (35,665 ) (18,495 )
Share-based compensation expense 355 301 79
Inventory adjustments (24 ) 1,402
Change in product inventory 9,554 29,326 (9,409 )
Royalties 2,873 1,032 706
Depreciation and amortization 4 109,273 121,812 67,422
Cost of sales 373,035 405,433 228,706
1 Per pound of copper produced.
2 By-product credits are computed as revenue per consolidated financial statements, amortization of deferred revenue and pricing and volume adjustments.
3 Gold and silver by-product credits do not include variable consideration adjustments with respect to stream arrangements. Variable consideration adjustments are cumulative adjustments to gold and silver stream deferred revenue primarily associated with the net change in mineral reserves and resources or amendments to the mine plan that would change the total expected deliverable ounces under the precious metal streaming arrangement. For the three months ended March 31, 2024 the variable consideration adjustments amounted to an expense of $3,849, the three months ended December 31, 2023 $nil, and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 income of $4,885.
4 Depreciation is based on concentrate sold.


Peru Three Months Ended
(in thousands) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Net pounds of copper produced 1 54,181 73,209 45,233
1 Contained copper in concentrate.


Peru Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023  
Mar. 31, 2023  
Cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Mining 29,220 0.54 30,336 0.41 26,786 0.59
Milling 43,624 0.80 50,199 0.69 46,191 1.03
G&A 23,092 0.43 24,909 0.34 16,466 0.36
Onsite costs 95,936 1.77 105,444 1.44 89,443 1.98
Treatment & refining 14,975 0.28 19,626 0.27 10,603 0.24
Freight & other 16,580 0.30 20,854 0.28 12,427 0.27
Cash cost, before by-product credits 127,491 2.35 145,924 1.99 112,473 2.49
By-product credits (104,329 ) (1.92 ) (106,227 ) (1.45 ) (50,899 ) (1.13 )
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 23,162 0.43 39,697 0.54 61,574 1.36


Peru Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
$000s $/lb 1 $000s $/lb 1 $000s $/lb 1
By-product credits 2 :
Gold 3 69,533 1.28 77,517 1.05 19,301 0.43
Silver 3 15,550 0.29 14,322 0.20 8,577 0.19
Molybdenum 19,246 0.35 14,388 0.20 23,021 0.51
Total by-product credits 104,329 1.92 106,227 1.45 50,899 1.13
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 23,162 39,697 61,574
By-product credits 104,329 106,227 50,899
Treatment and refining charges (14,975 ) (19,626 ) (10,603 )
Share-based compensation expenses 116 85 (14 )
Change in product inventory 14,077 8,048 (11,135 )
Royalties 2,118 1,456 665
Depreciation and amortization 4 71,030 85,722 41,960
Cost of sales 5 199,857 221,609 133,346
1 Per pound of copper produced.
2 By-product credits are computed as revenue per consolidated financial statements, including amortization of deferred revenue and pricing and volume adjustments.
3 Gold and silver by-product credits do not include variable consideration adjustments with respect to stream arrangements.
4 Depreciation is based on concentrate sold.
5 As per IFRS consolidated interim financial statements.


British Columbia Three Months Ended  
(in thousands) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Net pounds of copper produced 1 15,485 18,755
1 Contained copper in concentrate.


British Columbia Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Mining 28,553 1.85 19,015 1.01
Milling 23,374 1.51 25,218 1.35
G&A 3,897 0.25 5,643 0.30
Onsite costs 55,824 3.61 49,876 2.66
Treatment & refining 3,476 0.22 4,850 0.26
Freight & other 4,293 0.28 4,654 0.25
Cash cost, before by-product credits 63,593 4.11 59,380 3.17
By-product credits (9,543 ) (0.62 ) (9,286 ) (0.50 )
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 54,050 3.49 50,094 2.67


British Columbia Three Months Ended  
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Supplementary cash cost information $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
By-product credits 2 :
Gold 7,564 0.49 6,876 0.37
Silver 1,979 0.13 2,410 0.13
Total by-product credits 9,543 0.62 9,286 0.50
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 54,050 50,094
By-product credits 9,543 9,286
Treatment and refining charges (3,476 ) (4,850 )
Share-based compensation expenses 5
Change in product inventory (3,965 ) 8,469
Royalties 755 (424 )
Depreciation and amortization 3 11,649 5,489
Cost of sales 4 68,561 68,064
1 Per pound of copper produced.
2 By-product credits are computed as revenue per consolidated financial statements, including pricing and volume adjustments.
3 Depreciation is based on concentrate sold.
4 As per consolidated interim financial statements.

Sustaining and All-in Sustaining Cash Cost Reconciliation

Consolidated Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
All-in sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 11,982 0.16 15,487 0.16 42,292 0.85
Cash sustaining capital expenditures 62,314 0.80 87,609 0.87 47,869 0.96
Capitalized exploration 2,100 0.03 5,150 0.05
Royalties 2,873 0.04 1,032 0.01 706 0.02
Sustaining cash cost, net of by-product credits 79,269 1.03 109,278 1.09 90,867 1.83
Corporate selling and administrative expenses & regional costs 18,094 0.24 12,727 0.13 10,215 0.20
Accretion and amortization of decommissioning and community agreements 1 4,007 0.05 8,967 0.09 1,958 0.04
All-in sustaining cash cost, net of by-product credits 101,370 1.32 130,972 1.31 103,040 2.07
Reconciliation to property, plant and equipment additions:
Property, plant and equipment additions 46,220 54,040 33,554
Capitalized stripping net additions 31,983 40,861 26,984
Total accrued capital additions 78,203 94,901 60,538
Less other non-sustaining capital costs 2 26,982 19,945 19,850
Total sustaining capital costs 51,221 74,956 40,688
Capitalized lease an equipment financing payments 8,274 8,708 4,702
Community agreement cash payments 800 2,274 1,189
Accretion and amortization of decommissioning and restoration obligations 3 2,019 1,671 1,290
Cash sustaining capital expenditures 62,314 87,609 47,869
1 Includes accretion of decommissioning relating to non-productive sites, and accretion and amortization of current community agreements capitalized to Other assets.
2 Other non-sustaining capital costs include Arizona capitalized costs, capitalized interest, capitalized exploration, right-of-use lease asset additions, equipment financing asset additions and growth capital expenditures.
3 Includes amortization of decommissioning and restoration PP&E assets and accretion of decommissioning and restoration liabilities related to producing sites.


Peru Three Months Ended  
Mar. 31, 2024  
Dec. 31, 2023  
Mar. 31, 2023  
Sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 23,162 0.43 39,697 0.54 61,574 1.36
Cash sustaining capital expenditures 29,779 0.55 42,351 0.58 33,564 0.74
Capitalized exploration 1 2,100 0.04 5,150 0.07
Royalties 2,118 0.04 1,456 0.02 665 0.02
Sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced 57,159 1.06 88,654 1.21 95,803 2.12
1 Only includes exploration costs incurred for locations near to existing mine operations.


British Columbia Three Months Ended 1
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced $000s $/lb $000s $/lb
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 54,050 3.49 50,094 2.67
Royalties 20,361 1.31 24,063 1.28
Cash sustaining capital expenditures 755 0.05 (424 ) (0.02 )
Sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced 75,166 4.85 73,733 3.93
1 As Copper Mountain was acquired on June 20, 2023, there were no comparative figures for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Gold Cash Cost and Sustaining Cash Cost Reconciliation

Manitoba Three Months Ended  
(in thousands) Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Net ounces of gold produced 1 56,831 59,683 36,034
1 Contained gold in concentrate and doré.


Manitoba Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Cash cost per ounce of gold produced $000s $/oz $000s $/oz $000s $/oz
Mining 44,360 780 40,236 673 37,752 1,048
Milling 16,476 290 15,346 256 14,848 412
G&A 11,346 200 8,385 140 10,089 280
Onsite costs 72,182 1,270 63,967 1,069 62,689 1,740
Treatment & refining 9,213 162 11,189 186 7,892 219
Freight & other 6,189 109 6,765 113 5,349 148
Cash cost, before by-product credits 87,584 1,541 81,921 1,368 75,930 2,107
By-product credits (45,734 ) (805 ) (55,928 ) (934 ) (42,131 ) (1,169 )
Gold cash cost, net of by-product credits 41,850 736 25,993 434 33,799 938


Manitoba Three Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Supplementary cash cost information $000s $/oz 1 $000s $/oz 1 $000s $/oz 1
By-product credits 2 :
Copper 25,635 451 31,489 526 21,097 585
Zinc 14,588 257 18,473 308 17,374 482
Silver 3 5,510 97 5,966 100 3,421 95
Other 239 7
Total by-product credits 45,734 805 55,928 934 42,131 1,169
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Cash cost, net of by-product credits 41,850 25,993 33,799
By-product credits 45,734 55,928 42,131
Treatment and refining charges (9,213 ) (11,189 ) (7,892 )
Inventory adjustments (24 ) 1,402
Share-based compensation expenses 234 216 93
Change in product inventory (558 ) 12,809 1,726
Royalties 41
Depreciation and amortization 4 26,594 30,601 25,462
Cost of sales 5 104,617 115,760 95,360
1 Per ounce of gold produced.
2 By-product credits are computed as revenue per consolidated interim financial statements, amortization of deferred revenue and pricing and volume adjustments.
3 Silver by-product credits do not include variable consideration adjustments with respect to stream arrangements.
4 Depreciation is based on concentrate sold.
5 As per IFRS consolidated interim financial statements.


Manitoba Three Months Ended  
Mar. 31, 2024  
Dec. 31, 2023  
Mar. 31, 2023  
Sustaining cash cost per pound of gold produced $000s $/oz $000s $/oz $000s $/oz
Gold cash cost, net of by-product credits 41,850 736 25,993 434 33,799 938
Cash sustaining capital expenditures 12,173 214 21,195 354 14,304 397
Royalties 41 1
Sustaining cash cost per pound of gold produced 54,023 950 47,188 788 48,144 1,336


Combined Unit Cost Reconciliation

Peru Three Months Ended
(in thousands except ore tonnes milled and unit cost per tonne)
Combined unit cost per tonne processed Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Mining 29,220 30,336 26,786
Milling 43,624 50,199 46,191
G&A 1 23,092 24,909 16,466
Other G&A 2 (7,688 ) (8,303 ) (1,539 )
Unit Cost 88,248 97,141 87,904
Tonnes ore milled 8,078 7,939 7,664
Combined unit cost per tonne 10.92 12.24 11.47
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Unit cost 88,248 97,141 87,904
Freight & other 16,580 20,854 12,427
Other G&A 7,688 8,303 1,539
Share-based compensation expenses 116 85 (14 )
Change in product inventory 14,077 8,048 (11,135 )
Royalties 2,118 1,456 665
Depreciation and amortization 71,030 85,722 41,960
Cost of sales 3 199,857 221,609 133,346
1 G&A as per cash cost reconciliation above.
2 Other G&A primarily includes profit sharing costs.
3 As per IFRS consolidated interim financial statements.


Manitoba Three Months Ended
(in thousands except tonnes ore milled and unit cost per tonne)
Combined unit cost per tonne processed Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023 Mar. 31, 2023
Mining 44,360 40,236 37,752
Milling 16,476 15,346 14,848
G&A 1 11,346 8,385 10,089
Less: Other G&A related to profit sharing costs (4,131 ) (1,522 ) (1,139 )
Unit cost 68,051 62,445 61,550
USD/CAD implicit exchange rate 1.35 1.36 1.35
Unit cost - C$ 91,748 85,013 83,193
Tonnes ore milled 389,767 393,837 385,661
Combined unit cost per tonne - C$ 235 216 216
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Unit cost 68,051 62,445 61,550
Freight & other 6,189 6,765 5,349
Other G&A related to profit sharing 4,131 1,522 1,139
Share-based compensation expenses 234 216 93
Inventory adjustments (24 ) 1,402
Change in product inventory (558 ) 12,809 1,726
Royalties 41
Depreciation and amortization 26,594 30,601 25,462
Cost of sales 2 104,617 115,760 95,360
1 G&A as per cash cost reconciliation above.
2 As per IFRS consolidated interim financial statements.


British Columbia Three Months Ended  
Combined unit cost per tonne processed Mar. 31, 2024 Dec. 31, 2023
Mining 28,553 19,015
Milling 23,374 25,218
G&A 1 3,897 5,643
Unit cost 55,824 49,876
USD/CAD implicit exchange rate 1.35 1.37
Unit cost - C$ 75,282 68,168
Tonnes ore milled 3,180 3,262
Combined unit cost per tonne - C$ 23.67 20.90
Reconciliation to IFRS:
Unit cost 55,824 49,876
Freight & other 4,293 4,654
Share-based compensation expenses 5
Change in product inventory (3,965 ) 8,469
Royalties 755 (424 )
Depreciation and amortization 11,649 5,489
Cost of sales 2 68,561 68,064
1 G&A as per cash cost reconciliation above
2 Other G&A primarily includes profit sharing costs.
3 As per consolidated financial statements.
4 As Copper Mountain was acquired on June 20 2023, there were no comparative figures for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward-looking information. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "budget", "guidance", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "strategy", "target", "intends", "objective", "goal", "understands", "anticipates" and "believes" (and variations of these or similar words) and statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" "occur" or "be achieved" or "will be taken" (and variations of these or similar expressions). All of the forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by this cautionary note.

Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the company's production, cost and capital and exploration expenditure guidance, expectations regarding reductions in discretionary spending and capital expenditures, the ability of the company to stabilize and optimize the Copper Mountain mine operation and achieve operating synergies, the fleet production ramp up plan and the accelerated stripping strategies at the Copper Mountain site, the ability of the company to complete business integration activities at the Copper Mountain mine, the estimated timelines and pre-requisites for sanctioning the Copper World project and the pursuit of a potential minority joint venture partner, expectations regarding the permitting requirements for the Copper World project (including expected timing for receipt of such applicable permits), the expected benefits of Manitoba growth initiatives, including the advancement of and timeline for the development and exploration drift at the 1901 deposit, the benefits and results of the option agreement entered into with Marubeni Corporation, the company's future deleveraging strategies and the company's ability to deleverage and repay debt as needed, expectations regarding the company's cash balance and liquidity, the company's ability to increase the mining rate at Lalor, the anticipated benefits from completing the Stall recovery improvement program, expectations regarding the ability to conduct exploration work and execute on exploration programs on its properties and to advance related drill plans, including the advancement of the exploration program at Maria Reyna and Caballito and the status of the related drill permit application process, the ability to continue mining higher-grade ore in the Pampacancha pit and the company's expectations resulting therefrom, expectations regarding the ability for the company to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the company's evaluation and assessment of opportunities to reprocess tailings using various metallurgical technologies, expectations regarding the prospective nature of the Maria Reyna and Caballito properties, the anticipated impact of brownfield and greenfield growth projects on the company's performance, anticipated expansion opportunities and extension of mine life in Snow Lake and the ability for Hudbay to find a new anchor deposit near the company's Snow Lake operations, anticipated future drill programs and exploration activities and any results expected therefrom, anticipated mine plans, anticipated metals prices and the anticipated sensitivity of the company's financial performance to metals prices, events that may affect its operations and development projects, anticipated cash flows from operations and related liquidity requirements, the anticipated effect of external factors on revenue, such as commodity prices, estimation of mineral reserves and resources, mine life projections, reclamation costs, economic outlook, government regulation of mining operations, and business and acquisition strategies. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the company at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.

The material factors or assumptions that Hudbay has identified and were applied in drawing conclusions or making forecasts or projections set out in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to:

  • the ability to achieve production, cost and capital and exploration expenditure guidance;
  • the ability to achieve discretionary spending reductions without impacting operations;
  • no significant interruptions to operations due to social or political unrest in the regions Hudbay operates, including the navigation of the complex political and social environment in Peru;
  • no interruptions to the company's plans for advancing the Copper World project, including with respect to timely receipt of applicable permits and the pursuit of a potential joint venture partner;
  • the ability for the company to successfully complete the integration and optimization of the Copper Mountain operations, achieve operating synergies and develop and maintain good relations with key stakeholders;
  • the ability to execute on its exploration plans and to advance related drill plans;
  • the ability to advance the exploration program at Maria Reyna and Caballito;
  • the success of mining, processing, exploration and development activities;
  • the scheduled maintenance and availability of the company's processing facilities;
  • the accuracy of geological, mining and metallurgical estimates;
  • anticipated metals prices and the costs of production;
  • the supply and demand for metals the company produces;
  • the supply and availability of all forms of energy and fuels at reasonable prices;
  • no significant unanticipated operational or technical difficulties;
  • no significant interruptions to operations due to adverse effects from extreme weather events, including the current forest fire in the Flin Flon region and potential seasonal forest fires that may affect the regions in which the company operates;
  • the execution of the company's business and growth strategies, including the success of its strategic investments and initiatives;
  • the availability of additional financing, if needed;
  • the company's ability to deleverage and repay debt as needed;
  • the ability to complete project targets on time and on budget and other events that may affect the company's ability to develop its projects;
  • the timing and receipt of various regulatory and governmental approvals;
  • the availability of personnel for the company's exploration, development and operational projects and ongoing employee relations;
  • maintaining good relations with the employees at the company's operations;
  • maintaining good relations with the labour unions that represent certain of the company's employees in Manitoba and Peru;
  • maintaining good relations with the communities in which the company operates, including the neighbouring Indigenous communities and local governments;
  • no significant unanticipated challenges with stakeholders at the company's various projects;
  • no significant unanticipated events or changes relating to regulatory, environmental, health and safety matters;
  • no contests over title to the company's properties, including as a result of rights or claimed rights of Indigenous peoples or challenges to the validity of the company's unpatented mining claims;
  • the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation and no significant unanticipated litigation;
  • certain tax matters, including, but not limited to current tax laws and regulations, changes in taxation policies and the refund of certain value added taxes from the Canadian and Peruvian governments; and
  • no significant and continuing adverse changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets (including commodity prices and foreign exchange rates).

The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks related to the ongoing business integration of Copper Mountain and the process for designing, implementing and maintaining effective internal controls for Copper Mountain, the failure to effectively complete the integration and optimization of the Copper Mountain operations or to achieve anticipated operating synergies, political and social risks in the regions Hudbay operates, including the navigation of the complex political and social environment in Peru, risks generally associated with the mining industry and the current geopolitical environment, including future commodity prices, currency and interest rate fluctuations, energy and consumable prices, supply chain constraints and general cost escalation in the current inflationary environment, risks related to the renegotiation of collective bargaining agreements with the labour unions representing certain of the company's employees in Manitoba and Peru, uncertainties related to the development and operation of the company's projects, the risk of an indicator of impairment or impairment reversal relating to a material mineral property, risks related to the Copper World project, including in relation to permitting, project delivery and financing risks, risks related to the Lalor mine plan, including the ability to convert inferred mineral resource estimates to higher confidence categories, dependence on key personnel and employee and union relations, risks related to political or social instability, unrest or change, risks in respect of Indigenous and community relations, rights and title claims, risks related to extreme weather events, including risks arising from the current forest fire in the Flin Flon region, potential seasonal forest fires that may affect the regions in which the company operates and other severe storms, operational risks and hazards, including the cost of maintaining and upgrading the company's tailings management facilities and any unanticipated environmental, industrial and geological events and developments and the inability to insure against all risks, failure of plant, equipment, processes, transportation and other infrastructure to operate as anticipated, compliance with government and environmental regulations, including permitting requirements and anti-bribery legislation, depletion of the company's reserves, volatile financial markets and interest rates that may affect the company's ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, the failure to obtain required approvals or clearances from government authorities on a timely basis, uncertainties related to the geology, continuity, grade and estimates of mineral reserves and resources, and the potential for variations in grade and recovery rates, uncertain costs of reclamation activities, the company's ability to comply with its pension and other post-retirement obligations, the company's ability to abide by the covenants in its debt instruments and other material contracts, tax refunds, hedging transactions, as well as the risks discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's most recent Annual Information Form and under the heading "Financial Risk Management" in the company's most recent management's discussion and analysis, each of which is available on the company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and the company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov.

Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Hudbay does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

Note to United States Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which may differ materially from the requirements of United States securities laws applicable to U.S. issuers.

About Hudbay

Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is a copper-focused mining company with three long-life operations and a world-class pipeline of copper growth projects in tier-one mining-friendly jurisdictions of Canada, Peru and the United States.

Hudbay's operating portfolio includes the Constancia mine in Cusco (Peru), the Snow Lake operations in Manitoba (Canada) and the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia (Canada). Copper is the primary metal produced by the company, which is complemented by meaningful gold production. Hudbay's growth pipeline includes the Copper World project in Arizona (United States), the Mason project in Nevada (United States), the Llaguen project in La Libertad (Peru) and several expansion and exploration opportunities near its existing operations.

The value Hudbay creates and the impact it has is embodied in its purpose statement: "We care about our people, our communities and our planet. Hudbay provides the metals the world needs. We work sustainably, transform lives and create better futures for communities." Hudbay's mission is to create sustainable value and strong returns by leveraging its core strengths in community relations, focused exploration, mine development and efficient operations.

For further information, please contact:

Candace Brûlé
Vice President, Investor Relations
(416) 814-4387
investor.relations@hudbay.com

____________________
i Adjusted net earnings (loss) and adjusted net earnings (loss) per share; adjusted EBITDA; cash cost, sustaining cash cost and all-in sustaining cash cost per pound of copper produced, net of by-product credits; cash cost and sustaining cash cost per ounce of gold produced, net of by-product credits; combined unit costs, net debt and any ratios based on these measures are non-IFRS financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. For further information and a detailed reconciliation, please see the "Non-IFRS Financial Performance Measures" section of this news release.
ii Calculated using the mid-point of the guidance range.
iii Sourced from S&P Global, August 2023.


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NOVA ROYALTY COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF ROYALTY ON HUDBAY'S COPPER WORLD AND ROSEMONT COPPER PROJECTS

NOVA ROYALTY COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF ROYALTY ON HUDBAY'S COPPER WORLD AND ROSEMONT COPPER PROJECTS

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(All dollar amounts are in United States Dollars unless otherwise indicated)

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S&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Changes to the S&P/TSX Composite Index

The shareholders of Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX: LUN) together with BHP Group Limited and Filo Corp. (TSX: FIL) have agreed to the terms of a Plan of Arrangement resulting in the combination of the two companies. Each share of Filo Corp. will be exchanged for 2.3578 shares of Lundin Mining or C$33.00 cash subject to proration of a max cash of C$2,767 million and maximum share consideration of 92.1 million Lundin Mining shares.

In expectation of the arrangement closing, Filo Corp. will be removed from the S&P/TSX Composite Index prior to the open of trading on January 15, 2025 . The shares outstanding of Lundin Mining will be increased at the same time to reflect the issuance of shares.

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S&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Changes to the S&P/TSX Composite Index

The shareholders of Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX: LUN) together with BHP Group Limited and Filo Corp. (TSX: FIL) have agreed to the terms of a Plan of Arrangement resulting in the combination of the two companies. Each share of Filo Corp. will be exchanged for 2.3578 shares of Lundin Mining or C$33.00 cash subject to proration of a max cash of C$2,767 million and maximum share consideration of 92.1 million Lundin Mining shares.

In expectation of the arrangement closing, Filo Corp. will be removed from the S&P/TSX Composite Index prior to the open of trading on January 15, 2025 . The shares outstanding of Lundin Mining will be increased at the same time to reflect the issuance of shares.

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2025 Copper Outlook Report

2025 Copper Outlook Report

2025 Copper Outlook Report

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By registering, we're sharing our 2025 outlook report with you today but as an exciting bonus, you will get early access to our eagerly awaited 2026 Outlook Report once it's available.

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Copper Outlook 2025

Copper Price 2024 Year-End Review

Copper was trading on the COMEX at under US$4 per pound at the beginning of 2024, but by May 21, the red metal's price had surged to a record high of US$5.11 per pound.

Price momentum at the start of the year was owed to several factors, including increasing demand from energy transition sectors, bottlenecks at Chinese refiners and near-zero copper treatment charges.

The price was volatile through the second and third quarters, slipping back below US$4 per pound before soaring above US$4.50 at the end of Q3. Read on for more on how copper performed in 2024, from prices to supply and demand.

Copper price in Q4

Copper started the fourth quarter of the year on a strong note. On October 2, the metal reached its quarterly high of US$4.60 before starting a month-long slide to US$4.31 on October 31.

Volatility was the story at the start of November. Copper soared to US$4.45 on November 5 before dropping to US$4.22 on November 6, then spiked to US$4.41 on November 7; finally, it crashed to US$4.05 on November 15.

Copper price, Q4 2024.

Copper price, Q4 2024.

Chart via Trading Economics.

While copper did see a couple of rallies as the year ended, it only briefly broke through resistance of US$4.20 from December 9 to 11 before settling toward the US$4 mark at the end of the month.

As of December 23, the copper price was sitting at US$4.02.

Copper concentrate market to stay tight

In an October report, Fastmarkets predicts that the concentrate market will remain tight in 2025.

This tightness will continue to impact refiner treatment charges. Though they are expected to rebound to around US$20 to US$30 per metric ton (MT), they will still be short of the US$80 mark reached in 2023.

The situation has become more challenging as new operations, particularly in China, expand capacity in 2024. Fastmarkets anticipates no change in the situation in 2025, as new smelters are set to come online in China, Indonesia and India. The additional capacity will see more refiners fighting for the available supply.

The research firm says several other factors are contributing to copper concentrate shortages, including the loss of material from First Quantum Minerals' (TSX:FM,NYSE:FM) Cobre Panama mine after it was ordered shut down in November 2023. Other miners that have cut their production forecasts are also adding to supply woes.

For example, Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) revised its copper production guidance when it released its third quarter results on October 23. In its release, Teck indicates that the updated range now stands at 420,000 to 455,000 MT, down from the 435,000 to 500,000 MT estimated at the start of the year.

The company said the reduction was due to challenges with labor availability and problems with autonomous systems in its new haul trucks at its Highland Valley mine in BC, Canada.

China’s economy dragging on copper

A significant headwind for copper at the end of 2024 has been the continued challenges posed by China’s faltering economy. Although the country has introduced stimulus measures, they have made little difference.

The most recent stimulus announcement came on December 24, when the Chinese government announced it would issue US$411 billion worth of special treasury bonds in 2025. This package would be the highest on record, and would represent an increase over the US$137 billion issued in the past year.

The move follows President Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the country’s annual economic policy meeting on December 11 and 12. Xi said at the time that the economy was stable, and that the government would be working to boost consumption through looser monetary policy and more active fiscal policy. Few details were given on how the country would achieve its goals, and the US$411 billion debt injection could be the first sign of that policy.

In addition, in September, the Chinese government announced measures to increase credit, support cities in purchasing unsold homes and restructure debt. These efforts have failed to turn around the world’s second largest economy.

China is the world’s largest copper consumer, and any shift in the strength of the nation's economy will have implications for the price trajectory of base metal.

How did copper perform for the rest of the year?

Copper price in Q1

Copper supply was in focus in Q1 as First Quantum provided an update on its Cobre Panama mine.

The mine was forced to close at the end of 2023 after the Panamanian Supreme Court walked back a company-friendly deal initially approved in October 2023.

At the beginning of 2024, First Quantum pursued several avenues to resolve the issue and reopen the mine, including arbitration. It also waited for the results of Panama’s May election in hopes of more mining-friendly leadership.

Copper price in Q2

The second quarter was dominated by news of output curtailments at Chinese smelting operations.

The cuts came as lower production levels from copper miners began to stress treatment charges at refiners as they competed for the limited availability of copper concentrate.

Speaking to the Investing News Network at the time, Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights, said that 50 percent of the world’s smelting capacity is in China. For that reason, the end price is dictated by treatment and refining charges, which nearly turned negative due to the lack of available concentrate.

In turn, this pushed the price of copper prices higher at major exchanges.

“So there’s the cathode price. That’s stated in the LME, and Shanghai and the COMEX in the states. But if the market is tight in any of those regions locally, you will see a cathode premium … over the price of the copper,” he said. “People are willing to pay more to incentivize people that have copper inventory to release it into the market."

Copper price in Q3

Copper supply and demand both saw growth during Q3.

The International Copper Study Group reported in an October 21 release that mined production of copper had increased by 2 percent year-on-year to 14.86 million MT during the first eight months of 2024.

Much was owed to 3 percent growth from Chile, with increases at BHP’s (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Escondida mine, as well as the Collahausi mine, which is a joint venture between Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF), Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) and Mitsui (OTC Pink:MITSF,TSE:8031).

Output from the Democratic Republic of Congo increased 11 percent, while Indonesia's production rose 22 percent.

At the same time, demand increased slightly by 2.5 percent. Much of the additional demand came from 2.7 percent growth in Asian markets, which includes a 0.5 percent increase in Chinese refined copper imports.

Investor takeaway

The copper market has been tight all year, with new demand accelerating beyond new mine supply.

This demand growth is expected to continue as the world transitions from fossil fuels to renewable technologies that require more copper, like wind and solar. However, copper demand is still constrained by weakness in the Chinese economy, particularly in its housing sector, which is an important driver of global demand for the metal.

Ultimately, in the longer term, copper supply will be lacking from new projects and expanded production to meet demand. The base metal is expected enter a supply deficit over the next few years.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.

Copper Price Forecast: Top Trends for Copper in 2025

Copper prices saw impressive gains in 2024, even breaking the US$5 per pound mark in May. However, the red metal's gains didn't last, and by the end of the year copper had retreated back to the US$4 range.

The start of 2025 could be eventful, with Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office, a new stimulus package coming into effect in China and a continued push for greener technologies around the world.

What will these factors mean for copper prices in the new year? Will they rise, or can investors expect the base metal to remain rangebound? Here's a look at what experts see coming for the important commodity.

How will Trump's presidency impact US copper projects?

Trump will be sworn in for his second term as US president on January 20.

During his campaign, he made bold promises that could shake up the American resource sector, pushing a "drill, baby, drill" mantra and committing to increasing oil production in the country.

When it comes to copper, Trump's proposed changes to environmental regulations could have key implications. While the Biden administration has sought to toughen these rules, Trump will look to relax them.

In an email to the Investing News Network (INN), Eleni Joannides, Wood Mackenzie's research director for copper, said changes to environmental regulations are likely to benefit the mining sector overall.

“The former president has already pledged to overturn a 20 year moratorium on mining in Northern Minnesota. This pro-mining approach means more mines could be permitted and put into production,” she said.

One project that was being planned before the Biden administration restricted access to federal lands in the Superior National Forest belongs to Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Antofagasta (LSE:ANTO,OTC Pink:ANFGF). The company has been working to advance its underground copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum-metals group project since 2006, and has submitted plans to state and federal regulatory agencies.

Another copper-focused project that may benefit from the incoming Trump administration is Northern Dynasty Minerals' (TSX:NDM,NYSEAMERICAN:NAK) controversial Pebble project in Alaska.

The company has been exploring the Bristol Bay region since acquiring the property in 2001, but the US Army Corps of Engineers denied approval in 2020; the Environmental Protection Agency did the same in 2021.

Northern Dynasty has been fighting these decisions at both the state and federal level. It reached the Supreme Court in January 2024, but was denied a hearing until the dispute is examined at the state level.

On December 20, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy added his support for the project when he petitioned the incoming president to issue an Alaska-specific executive order on his first day in office. The order would effectively reverse decisions made by the Biden administration, including the permitting of the Pebble project.

In addition to Pebble, projects like Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO) and BHP’s (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) Resolution, and Hudbay Minerals' (TSX:HBM,NYSE:HBM) Copper World, both of which are in Arizona, may benefit from Trump’s plan to reduce permitting times on projects worth over US$1 billion.

Currently, large-scale operations like these can take up to 20 years to move from exploration to production in the US. Copper is considered a critical mineral for the energy transition, and is increasingly becoming a security concern as the US is largely dependent on China for its supply of copper.

Copper price volatility expected under Trump tariff turmoil

As tensions continue to grow between the west and eastern nations like China and Russia, it may not take much to threaten markets for critical materials, including copper.

Trump has already promised to impose a 60 percent tariff on all goods coming from China.

A tariff on copper imports could upend the president-elect's plans for the resource sector. It would increase the prices of copper imports and disrupt the overall economy.

“The risk is that the president-elect’s threatened tariffs, including 60 percent on China and 20 percent on all other nations, could derail global economic growth, lead to higher inflation and, with that, tighten monetary policy and also lead to a change in trade flows. Copper will suffer if demand takes a hit," Joannides said.

"In addition, there is likely to be continued volatility in prices,” she added.

In its recent analysis of Trump’s policies, ING sees an overall negative impact on global metals demand.

The firm believes that many of his plans, including tariffs, will cause the US Federal Reserve take a longer-term approach to reducing interest rates, which could affect investment in large-scale copper projects.

S&P Global expressed a similar view after Trump's win. Immediately after the election, copper prices sank 4 percent to fall under US$4.30, with the firm suggesting that is likely just the beginning. The organization notes that while the market may have already priced in Trump’s tariffs, a larger trade war could impact prices even further.

Economic recovery in China could further boost copper prices

China's faltering economy has been a major headwind for copper over the past several years.

The country's housing market accounts for roughly 30 percent of global demand for the red metal, meaning that any shifts could have significant implications for the copper market.

The sector has been struggling for the past few years as the country deals with economic issues, including fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused disruptions to supply chains and a spike in unemployment.

Ultimately, economic factors struck China's real estate sector, an important driver of the country’s gross domestic product; this caused the collapse of the nation's top two developers, China Evergrande Group and Country Garden.

So far, the government’s attempts to stimulate the economy and jumpstart the beleaguered real estate sector have largely failed. In September, it announced measures aimed at property buyers, such as reducing interest rates for existing mortgages by 50 points and cutting the minimum downpayment requirement for homes to 15 percent.

Other changes introduced at the time include more help from the People’s Bank of China, which will provide a lending facility for state-owned firms to acquire unsold flats for affordable housing.

China followed this up with an announcement in November that it will provide additional support for local governments by increasing their debt-raising capacity by 6 trillion yuan over the next six years.

While these measures may not be felt for some time, kickstarting the Asian nation's real estate sector could be a boon for copper producers and investors.

“If the Chinese real estate market were to post a recovery, this would see domestic demand for copper tick higher and could lead to a tighter supply and demand balance overall, assuming all other things remain unchanged. This would underpin even higher prices than we are currently projecting,” said Joannides.

Copper industry needs more investment dollars

With copper demand projected to grow long term, supply-side concerns are rising. According to Joannides, there is already recognition that copper exploration has been underinvested over the past few years.

“We are seeing signs this could change. Much of the growth over the last five years has come from brownfield expansions rather than greenfield/new discoveries," she explained to INN.

"Technology will likely help increase the chance of discovery, and broadly I would say that policymakers are now more supportive of mineral exploration as the push to secure critical raw materials supply has moved up the agenda."

Joannides pointed to greenfield projects already in the pipeline, including Capstone Copper’s (TSX:CS,OTC Pink:CSCCF) Santo Domingo in Chile, Southern Copper’s (NYSE:SCCO) Tia Maria in Peru and Teck Resources' (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) Zarfanal in Peru.

There's also Northmet, a Teck and Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) joint venture in Minnesota.

Rising copper prices could also increase the flow of money from the major companies into the junior space, where most of the exploration is currently occurring.

“Copper has become the standout strategic preference for the major mining companies. The risk-adjusted cost of developing organic copper assets is higher than the cost of acquiring them,” Joannides said.

This kind of acquisition activity could help reduce the development time of assets compared to companies starting exploration from scratch.

Investor takeaway

While copper supply and demand conditions are expected to remain tight in 2025, competing forces are at play.

One of the biggest factors is Trump’s return to the White House. If the president-elect takes action as quickly as he has promised, investors could soon gain insight on the long-term implications of his policies.

In terms of China, it will take time to get the property sector back to where it was before the pandemic; however, there may be sparks early in the year as new measures start to work their way through the market.

During 2025 it may be even more prudent than usual for investors to do their due diligence on copper and keep an eye on the forces that may affect the market.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals.

Editorial Disclosure: Los Andes Copper, Osisko Metals and Quetzal Copper are clients of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.

The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.

5 Best-performing Copper Stocks on the TSX in 2024

Copper prices surged in 2024, breaking the US$5 per pound barrier for the first time.

Prices have since retreated, but have largely traded above US$4, as well as above the average 2023 price of US$3.83.

Copper demand remains high in energy transition sectors, but supply has been affected by bottlenecks at Chinese smelters, which cut production during the first half of the year due to low treatment charges.

Against that backdrop, how have TSX-listed copper companies performed? Learn about the top five best-performing copper stocks in 2024 by year-to-date gains below. Data for this article was retrieved on December 16, 2024, using TradingView's stock screener, and only companies with market capitalizations greater than C$50 million are included.

1. Trilogy Metals (TSX:TMQ)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 189.29 percent
Market cap: C$259.05 million
Share price: C$1.62

Trilogy Metals is a polymetallic exploration and development company working to advance its Upper Kobuk mineral projects in Northern Alaska, US, which it owns in a 50/50 joint venture with South32 (ASX:S32,OTC Pink:SHTLF).

Its most advanced asset is the Arctic copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver project.

In an updated feasibility study released in February 2023, the company reported projected annual payable production volumes of 148.68 million pounds of copper, 172.6 million pounds of zinc, 25.75 million pounds of lead, 32,538 ounces of gold and 2.77 million ounces of silver. After tax, the net present value for Arctic is pegged at US$1.11 billion, with an internal rate of return of 22.8 percent and a payback period of 3.1 years. The mine life is set at 13 years.

Trilogy’s other key asset is the Bornite copper-cobalt project, located 25 kilometers southwest of its Arctic project. It has seen historic exploration dating back to the 1950s. A January 2023 technical report estimates the inferred resource at 6.51 billion pounds of copper from 202.7 million metric tons (MT) of ore with an average grade of 1.46 percent copper.

The company has spent much of this year advancing roadwork to provide access to its projects, but has faced some headwinds while working with the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

In an April 22 update, Trilogy said the BLM had filed a final supplemental environmental impact statement, which identified “no action” as the preferred alternative. This move effectively blocked the construction of the access road.

Trilogy said it would review the final supplemental environmental impact statement, consider its options and determine its next steps. For its part, the BLM formally rejected the proposed access route in a June record of decision, but presented several alternatives that outline lessened impact on BLM-managed lands.

The company’s most recent news came on October 8, when it released its Q3 results.

Shares of Trilogy reached a year-to-date high of C$1.89 on November 22.

2. Northern Dynasty Minerals (TSX:NDM)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 75.9 percent
Market cap: C$387.16 million
Share price: C$0.73

Northern Dynasty Minerals is an exploration and development company focused on the Pebble project, a copper-molybdenum-gold-silver project located 200 miles southwest of Anchorage in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, US.

Northern Dynasty says the site is “one of the greatest stores of mineral wealth ever discovered.” It hosts a measured and indicated copper resource of 6.5 billion MT and an inferred copper resource of 4.5 billion MT. Measured and indicated resources for molybdenum, gold and silver total 1.26 million MT, 53.82 million ounces and 249.3 million ounces, respectively.

The project stalled in 2020 during the permitting phase following a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) veto that suggested the proposed mine would damage the Bristol Bay watershed. However, shares of the company surged following Northern Dynasty's July 2023 announcement that Alaska had appealed to the US Supreme Court to reverse the veto.

Earlier in 2024, the US Supreme Court declined to hear the matter on procedural grounds, sending it back to the federal district court and federal circuit of appeals before the Supreme Court would hear it.

In a release on January 16, Northern Dynasty said it was still working its way through state court.

Further updates on the case came on March 15, when the company said it had filed two separate actions to vacate the EPA’s veto, and on April 15, when Alaska filed its own suit to vacate it. On June 26, the company reported that two Alaska native village corporations had also filed suits to overturn the EPA ruling.

The most recent news came on August 19, when the Federal District Court in Alaska granted Northern Dynasty’s motion to modify the complaint against the EPA by adding the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as a defendant. This request was made because Northern Dynasty said the EPA decision was based on the original USACE permit denial and should be linked. The company believes the actions taken by the EPA and USACE were wrongful and politically motivated.

Shares of Northern Dynasty reached a year-to-date high of C$0.76 on December 11.

3. NGEX Minerals (TSX:NGEX)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 74.45 percent
Market cap: C$2.64 billion
Share price: C$12.63

NGEx Minerals, part of the Lundin Group, is a copper and gold explorer focused on projects in Argentina and Chile. Its primary focus is the Los Helados and Lunahuasi (formerly Potro Cliffs) projects, both located within the Vicuña copper-gold district on the border of Argentina and Chile. The district is controlled by companies within the Lundin Group.

In December 2023, the company released an updated resource estimate for Los Helados, reporting a high-grade core resource of 510 million tonnes at 0.72 percent copper equivalent at a cut-off grade of 0.6 copper equivalent.

NGEx shares have traded alongside rising copper and precious metal prices throughout the year, but several events have also significantly supported movement for the company.

On February 20, the company received approval to begin trading on the TSX. President Wojtek Wodzicki said the graduation was a milestone for NGEx and would provide greater visibility and access to fundraising opportunities.

The company's Q2 results further supported its shares. The company said it had completed a successful drill program at Lunahuasi, drilling 15 holes totaling 12,952 meters and noting that the system remained open in all directions. It also indicated that the program returned several high-grade intersections, with one highlight of 2.31 percent copper equivalent over 429.4 meters, including an intersection of 4.26 percent copper equivalent over 102.7 meters.

The company said the results demonstrate significant size potential with high-grade mineralization occurring over an area of 900 meters by 400 meters and to depths of 960 meters. The most recent news came on November 12, when NGEx released its Q3 results. The company said it had started a Phase 3 drill program at Lunahuasi, with six rigs in operation and 20,000 meters planned. The program aims to grow the deposit via step-out drilling.

4. First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 71.9 percent
Market cap: C$16.18 billion
Share price: C$18.60

First Quantum Minerals is a copper mining and development company with a global portfolio of assets.

Its primary asset is the Cobre Panama mine, located west of Panama City, Panama. The mine boasts 3 billion MT of proven and probable reserves and represents 1 percent of the world’s copper supply. The mine was ordered to close down in November 2023 after the Panamanian Supreme Court invalidated an extension to the mine's license.

In a December 2023 release, the company said it was working on developing a closure plan for the mine; however, it also noted that it was pursuing all appropriate legal avenues to protect its investment and rights.

In its Q1 results, released on April 24, First Quantum said it was continuing to work on a preservation and safe management plan for Cobre Panama and was also working to deliver the 121,000 MT of concentrate that remain on site.

Due to the ongoing situation in Panama, the company noted that it had undergone a refinancing program to improve its balance sheet and liquidity. This program included working out a prepayment agreement with Jiangxi Copper (SHA:600362,HKEX:0358) for US$500 million, the completion of a US$1.6 billion senior secured second lien at 9.38 percent due in 2029 and the issuance of 139.93 million common shares to raise US$1.15 billion.

The company also operates several mines in Zambia, including its Kansanshi copper-gold mine, Sentinel copper mine and Enterprise nickel mine. Earlier in the year, First Quantum warned that production might be impacted in 2024 due to severe drought conditions caused by El Nino, which has reduced water levels in the Kafue and Zambezi rivers. The government declared a national emergency in March, and power generation in the country has been impacted.

First Quantum said it had minimized power disruptions due to offtake agreements with third-party traders for power sourced from the Southern African Power Pool. Due to increased power curtailments since the Q1 release, the firm has had to increase the amount of power sourced from regional sources to 193 megawatts from the original 80 megawatts.

In the company’s third quarter results, First Quantum reported the production of 116,088 MT of copper, 11 percent higher than in Q2, but down from 221,550 MT produced in Q3 2023. The production drop was largely attributed to the closure of Cobre Panama, which contributed 112,734 MT during the quarter last year. Cash costs came in at US$1.57 per pound during Q3, US$0.16 lower than the previous quarter. While the power deals pushed cash costs higher, the company mitigated costs through gold by-product credits during Q3, as well as higher copper production and lower fuel costs.

Both Kansanshi and Sentinel reported increased copper production during Q3. Kansanshi saw its highest levels since Q4 2021 with 49,810 MT, while Sentinel recorded copper production of 58,412 MT, an increase of 4,817 MT over Q2.

Shares of First Quantum reached a year-to-date high of C$20.70 on December 5.

5. Hudbay Minerals (TSX:HBM)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 68.46 percent
Market cap: C$4.86 billion
Share price: C$12.23

Hudbay Minerals is a copper production and development company with operational mines in Peru and Canada. It also has projects in Peru and in the US. According to the company's Q3 results, the Constancia copper mine and neighboring Pampacancha satellite pit in Peru produced a combined 21,220 MT of copper in the three months ended on September 30, an increase over the 19,217 MT produced in the previous quarter.

In Canada, Hudbay’s 75 percent owned Copper Mountain mine in BC produced 6,736 MT of copper, and its wholly owned Snow Lake operations in Manitoba achieved record results in the quarter.

The operation produced 3,398 MT of copper, a 29 percent increase over Q2, when wildfires in the region impacted production. Both mines also produce gold and silver, and Snow Lake also produces zinc.

In addition to its mining assets, the company is advancing its Copper World project in Arizona, US. In its report for the first quarter, the company indicates that it is continuing to work on getting final state permits for the site and expects to receive them sometime in 2024. When complete, Copper World is expected to have a 20 year life.

According to a March 28 annual reserve and resource update, Copper World holds proven and probable average reserves of 385 million MT of ore grading 0.54 percent copper.

In an August 29 release, Hudbay announced it had received an aquifer protection permit from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The company said the permit brings the project a step closer to being fully permitted.

The company is also working on its Mason project in Nevada, US. Hudbay is developing Mason as a long-term future asset with a 27 year mine life. A resource estimate shows a measured and indicated resource of 2.22 billion MT at an average grade of 0.29 percent copper, and an inferred resource of 237 million MT averaging 0.24 percent copper.

On May 24, Hudbay completed an upsized bought-deal offering, generating aggregate gross proceeds of US$402.5 million. The funds will be used for near-term growth initiatives, such as mill optimization at Copper Mountain.

Shares of Hudbay reached a year-to-date high of C$14.15 on May 20.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, own shares of Northern Dynasty Minerals.

Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

5 Best-performing Junior Copper Stocks on the TSXV in 2024

Copper supply and demand have tightened in recent years, creating price volatility.

In 2024, copper prices reached record levels, breaking through the US$5 per pound mark for the first time.

Copper is one of the most important metals for the emerging green economy. It is essential for transmitting electricity, and is needed to produce wind turbines, electric cars and a wide array of electronic devices.

Even though demand continues to increase yearly, supply is failing to keep up. This has been a primary factor in copper’s record-breaking 2024, but what does that mean for small-cap mining companies on the TSX Venture Exchange?

Below are the five best-performing junior copper stocks since the start of 2024. Data for this article was gathered on December 18, using TradingView's stock screener, and all companies had market caps of over C$10 million at that time.

1. Koryx Copper (TSXV:KRY)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 317.78 percent
Market cap: C$66.49 million
Share price: C$0.94

Koryx Copper is focused on the advancement of copper exploration projects in Namibia and Zambia. Its flagship asset is the Haib copper-molybdenum project located in Southern Namibia near the border with South Africa.

In an amended preliminary economic assessment (PEA) filed on January 8, the company indicated 20 million metric tons (MT) per year of ore processing with 85 percent copper recovery for a yearly production rate of 38,337 MT of London Metal Exchange copper metal and an additional 51,081 MT of copper sulfate.

The company is currently working toward releasing an enhanced PEA in mid-2025.

Since the start of 2024, Koryx has published various assay results from exploration at Haib, including on August 8, when the company provided final results from a Phase 1 drill program. The company highlighted near-surface grades of 0.3 percent copper over 44 meters, including an intersection of 0.5 percent copper over 8 meters.

President and CEO Pierre Léveillé said the program shows the deposit can deliver grades of over 0.3 percent copper for substantial widths in the project area, as well as above-average grades in the outer limits of the deposit.

Following the final results, Koryx released an updated resource estimate for Haib on September 10. Haib hosts an indicated resource of 1.46 million MT of contained copper from 414 million MT of ore at an average grade of 0.35 percent copper, plus an inferred resource of 1.14 million MT of copper from 345 million MT of ore at 0.33 percent copper.

On November 15, Koryx closed the third and final tranche of a non-brokered private placement, raising C$18 million. In the release, the company also noted it had begun an 8,200 meter Phase 2 drilling program at Haib. Additionally, it reported the start of Phase 2 metallurgical testwork as it works to de-risk its metallurgical processing plan.

Shares of Koryx reached a year-to-date high of C$1.24 on September 24.

2. Hannan Metals (TSXV:HAN)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 305.56 percent
Market cap: C$92.75 million
Share price: C$0.73

Explorer Hannan Metals is focused on advancing gold, silver and copper deposits in Latin America.

The San Martin project is a joint venture with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), a Japanese government agency established in 2004 to secure stable resources and fuel supplies. Under the terms of the agreement, JOGMEC can earn up to a 75 percent stake in the project if all its funding goals are met.

The site is located northeast of Tarapoto, Peru, and hosts a copper and silver system with 120 kilometers of combined strike. The Tabalosos target has shown grades of 4.9 percent copper and 62 grams per MT (g/t) silver over 2 meters.

Hannan also wholly owns the Valiente project, which hosts a previously unknown porphyry and epithermal mineralized belt within a 140 kilometer by 50 kilometer area containing copper, gold, molybdenum and silver.

Results from two channel samples were reported in early August, and they confirmed extensive leached copper mineralization at the Previsto Central prospect. The two channels, separated by 700 meters, had grades of 0.22 percent copper over 126 meters and 0.16 percent copper over 192 meters.

Hannan said the results continue to further the company's understanding of the mineralization system, with gold-rich areas at higher elevations that transition into copper-rich areas at lower elevations.

This was followed by news on October 8 that the company completed the first stage of an induced polarization (IP) geophysical survey at the Previsto prospect. Combined with its other data, the results confirmed a 6 kilometer by 6 kilometer copper-gold porphyry epithermal mineralization system and identified seven high-priority targets.

In the most recent update on the analysis of the IP survey on December 5, the company singled out two significant types of anomalies. There is a high-chargeability, low-resistivity zone covering 2.4 kilometers of strike up to a depth of 500 meters, with soil containing up to 0.23 parts per million gold, as well as high-chargeability, high-resistivity zones along 1 kilometer of strike that host boulders containing up to 1.98 g/t gold and 29 g/t silver.

Hannan announced on November 25 that it had received approval from the Peruvian government for a maiden drill program at Valiente’s Belen permit area. The approval allows 40 drill platforms over 702 hectares across three prospects.

Before drilling commences in the second quarter of 2025, the company said its next steps are to reapply for a certificate of non-existence of archaeological remains, which it expects before the end of 2024. It must also submit a permit application to initiate activities, which is expected in the first quarter of 2025.

Shares of Hannan reached a year-to-date high of C$0.87 on December 9.

3. Sandfire Resources America (TSXV:SFR)

Company Profile

Year-to-date gain: 227.78 percent
Market cap: C$301.89 million
Share price: C$0.295

Sandfire Resources America is a copper development company focused on its Black Butte copper project, which is located east of Helena, Montana, in the US. In 2021, a state district court revoked the company's mine operating permit for Black Butte, halting construction activities for the underground mine.

Sandfire describes the property as one of the highest-grade undeveloped copper deposits in the world. According to a 2020 resource estimate, the project's Johnny Lee deposit holds measured and indicated resources of 10.9 million MT grading 2.9 percent copper for a total of 311,000 MT of contained copper.

Shares of Sandfire soared following a February 26 decision by the Montana Supreme Court to reinstate the company's mine operating permit. The win was a crucial step for construction of the mine to continue.

In its management discussion and analysis for the quarter ended on September 30, the company said that since December 2023 it had completed 10,000 meters of a planned 20,000 meters of drilling. Additionally, Sandfire said its main focus at the site was expanding the resource at the Johnny Lee lower copper zone. The latest measured and indicated estimations put grading at the zone at 6.8 percent copper from 1.2 million MT.

Sandfire is focused on improving Black Butte's economics as it works towards a final investment decision. The most recent update from the project came on December 18, when the company released an exploration update highlighting a high-grade copper intercept of 19.46 percent copper over 3.19 meters from a depth of 471.86 meters.

Although much of Sandfire’s focus in 2024 has been on the exploration and development of Black Butte, the company’s parent company, Sandfire Resources (ASX:SFR), also has two copper-producing assets: Motheo in the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana and MATSA in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Spain.

Shares of Sandfire reached a year-to-date high of C$0.395 on May 13.

4. Awalé Resources (TSXV:ARIC)

Press ReleasesCompany Profile

Year-to-date gain: 203.57 percent
Market cap: C$36.89 million
Share price: C$0.425

Awalé Resources is a copper and gold explorer focused on its Odienné project in Côte D’Ivoire.

The site, located in the West African country’s northwest region, covers an area of 2,462 square kilometers across two granted permits and five under application; two are being advanced as part of an earn-in joint venture with major gold miner Newmont (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM). Newmont has the chance to earn up to 65 percent ownership of the permits via exploration expenditures of US$15 million and the delivery of a minimum 2 million ounce gold resource.

On May 15, Newmont advanced to the second phase of its earn-in agreement. The completion of Phase 1 of the agreement came after drilling at the Charger and BBM targets during early 2024 exploration.

For the final 14 percent of the earn-in agreement, Newmont is required to fund an additional US$10 million toward exploration of the project. Company CEO Andrew Chubb said that Awalé is on good footing to deliver exploration success between the funding from Newmont and Awalé's C$11.5 million bought-deal equity financing, closed on May 8.

Awalé has actively explored the project area throughout 2024. On December 5, it announced it had commenced a 4,000 meter diamond drill program at Odienné, which will focus on the BBM and Charger zones.

In the first update from the program on December 18, the company reported that it had expanded the trend at BBM to over 15 kilometers from the Fremen target in the south to the newly defined targets Boba and Fett in the north.

Awalé plans to complete a large IP survey in January 2025 on the entire BBM trend to help refine targets for a 7,000 meter reverse-circulation drill campaign set to begin in February.

Shares of Awalé reached a year-to-date high of C$0.98 on March 26.

Investor Kit

5. Lara Exploration (TSXV:LRA)

Year-to-date gain: 180 percent
Market cap: C$67.73 million
Share price: C$1.40

Lara Exploration is a copper miner, explorer and royalty generator focused on South America.

For 2024, its primary asset has been the Planalto copper project in the Carajas Mineral Province in Pará, Brazil. The property comprises five mineral tenements covering a total area of 3,867 hectares. More than 23,000 meters of drilling have been conducted, and three primary deposits — Homestead, Cupuzeiro and Planalto — have been identified.

The most recent news from the project came on October 17, when Lara filed the technical report for its maiden resource estimate, which outlines a total indicated resource of 252,800 MT of copper from 47.7 million MT of ore with an average grade of 0.53 percent copper. The report also outlines an inferred resource for Planalto of 548,900 MT of copper from 154 million MT of ore with an average grade of 0.36 percent copper.

Lara also owns a 5 percent net profit interest, along with a 2 percent net smelter return royalty, in the Celesta copper mine in Brazil. Its partners are private companies Tessarema Resources and North Extração de Minério.

On November 12, Lara announced that operations had restarted at the mine after it had been placed on care and maintenance while Tessarema worked to reinstate permits to the property. In the release, Lara said that mining and ore processing from stockpiles began in October and is expected to ramp up gradually over the coming months.

Shares of Lara reached a year-to-date high of C$1.60 on October 24.

Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: Awalé Resources is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.

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World Copper Outlook 2025

World Copper Outlook 2025

2025 World Copper Outlook Report

Thank you for requesting our exclusive Investor Report!

This forward-thinking document will arm you with the insights needed to make well-informed decisions for 2025 and beyond.

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BHP headquarters.

BHP Reveals Cohort for Xplor 2025 Critical Minerals Program

Mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) introduced its Xplor 2025 cohort on Monday (January 6), choosing eight out of hundreds of applicants worldwide.

Under Xplor 2025’s terms, each of the companies is entitled to receive an equity-free grant of up to US$500,000 and access to a network of BHP and external industry experts to build out and accelerate their exploration concepts.

The selected companies and the countries they focus on are as follows:

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Filo Sets Election Deadline and Announces Anticipated Closing Date in Connection with the Acquisition by BHP and Lundin Mining

Filo Corp. (TSX: FIL) (Nasdaq First North Growth Market: FIL) (OTCQX: FLMMF) (" Filo " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce that the deadline for registered shareholders (the " Registered Shareholders ") of the issued and outstanding common shares of Filo (the " Filo Shares ") and for holders of stock options of Filo (the " Optionholders ") to make elections in respect of the consideration receivable pursuant to the Arrangement (as defined below) is 5:00 P.M. (Toronto Time) on January 9, 2025 (the " Election Deadline "). PDF Version

The letter of transmittal and election form (the " Letter of Transmittal ") outlines the necessary documentation and information required to be sent to the depositary for the Arrangement, Computershare Investor Services Inc. (the " Depositary "), by each Registered Shareholder and Optionholder in order to receive the consideration to which they are entitled under the Arrangement, and make an election with respect to the form of consideration they wish to receive. For complete instructions, please refer to the Letter of Transmittal previously mailed to Registered Shareholders and Optionholders on December 12, 2024 and also available under Filo's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's corporate website at http://filocorp.com/investors/corporate-filings/ .

News Provided by Canada Newswire via QuoteMedia

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