Ivanhoe Mines announced its results for the quarter ended September 30th 2011. All figures are in US dollars, unless otherwise stated.
Highlights during the quarter and subsequent weeks
1. Overall construction at Oyu Tolgoi continues to advance on budget and reached 54.4% level of completion at the end of Q3 2011. Key elements of the project including the concentrator complex, primary crusher and tailings-thickening ponds remain ahead of schedule. Total capital invested in the project to the end of Q3 2011 was approximately USD 3.2 billion. Facilities required for first ore production in mid 2012 remain on schedule and commercial production is expected to commence in the H1 of 2013.
2. Pre stripping for the Phase I open pit mine on the gold rich Southern Oyu deposits at Oyu Tolgoi began in August 2011. By the end of Q3 2011 approximately 1.3 million tonnes of overburden material had been moved.
3. The development of the first lift of the Phase II underground block cave mine at the Hugo North Deposit continued successfully during Q3 2011. Lateral mine development 1,300 meters below surface at Hugo North is on schedule, achieving an advance during Q3 2011 of 1,187 meters for a total of 9,126 meters completed since tunnelling started in 2008.
4. Construction of Shaft 2 infrastructure is progressing well. The headframe and ancillary buildings were 59.9% complete at the end of Q3 2011. Sinking of the shaft is expected to commence in the second half of November 2011.
5. Oyu Tolgoi’s site based construction workforce was approximately 14,760 at the end of Q3 2011 with approximately 11,680 working on site each day and the balance on leave. Approximately 7,820 Mongolians were employed at the Oyu Tolgoi site with an additional 3,300 Mongolians participating in offsite training and educational programs. These Mongolian employees will form the bulk of the eventual production workforce.\
6. In May 2011, the Oyu Tolgoi Project received the final approvals required to proceed with construction of 220 kilovolt power transmission line from Oyu Tolgoi along 95 kilometre route south to the Mongolia and China international border. Construction of the transmission towers was completed in October 2011 and the stringing of power cables is expected to commence in spring 2012. The transmission line is planned to be extended across the Mongolian border by Chinese contractors to tie into the neighboring Inner Mongolian electrical grid in China.
7. Discussions between the Mongolian and Chinese governments were held during Q2 2011 and Q3 2011 and are expected to conclude a bilateral agreement that would secure the supply of initial electrical power from China. Subject to negotiations and final agreement, the remaining permits, commercial arrangements and power purchase tariffs are expected to be expedited to ensure that imported power will be available at the Oyu Tolgoi site by Q3 2012. In the meantime, additional diesel powered generating capacity has been approved to meet the project’s requirements during the remaining stages of construction.
8. During Q3 2011, Ivanhoe Mines’ 58% owned subsidiary, SouthGobi Resources reported coal sales of USD 60.5 million from its Ovoot Tolgoi mine in southern Mongolia, representing approximately 1.37 million tonnes of coal sold to customers in China at an average realized price of approximately USD 54 per tonne.
9. Ivanhoe Mines’ 59% owned subsidiary, Ivanhoe Australia continues to advance its copper, gold, molybdenum and rhenium mine development projects in the Cloncurry region of Queensland. The Osborne copper and gold project is scheduled to begin initial production in the H1 of 2012; construction of the decline to access the Merlin molybdenum and rhenium deposit had progressed to 1,438 meters by the end of Q3 2011.
10. Altynalmas Gold, 50% owned by Ivanhoe Mines is continuing its drilling program designed to further delineate and upgrade resources and reserves to NI 43-101 standards at the Kyzyl Gold Project in Kazakhstan. Altynalmas Gold is proceeding to advance the development of the project following the completion of a pre feasibility study in 2010.
11. In Q3 2011, Ivanhoe Mines recorded net income of USD 7.3 million compared to a net loss of USD 24.9 million in Q3 2010 which was an increase of USD 32.2 million. Results for Q3 2011 mainly were affected by USD 79.6 million in exploration expenses, USD 54.0 million in cost of sales, USD 21.4 million in general and administrative expenses, USD 35.6 million in foreign exchange losses, USD 19.3 million share of loss of significantly influenced investees, USD 9.1 million loss from discontinued operations and USD 1.9 million in interest expense. These amounts were offset by coal revenue of USD 60.5 million, USD 62.1 million change in the fair value of embedded derivatives, USD 103.0 million gain on settlement of a long term note receivable and USD 5.3 million in interest income.
