Jubilee Metals Group PLC

Registration number (4459850)

Altx share code: JBL

AIM share code: JLP

ISIN: GB0031852162

("Jubilee" or "the Company" or "the Group")

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information according to UK Market Abuse Regulations. Not for release, publication or distribution in whole or in part in, into or from any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction.

Unaudited Condensed Half-Yearly Financial Report for the six months to 31 December 2022

Jubilee Metals Group PLC (AIM: JLP; Altx: JBL), a leader in diversified metals processing, with operations in Africa, today publishes its condensed unaudited Half-Yearly Financial Report for the six-month period ended 31 December 2022 ("H1 FY2023").

Overview

Financials

  • Group Revenue of £63.1 m (H1 FY2022: £63.3 m)
  1. Revenue contribution from combined PGM and chrome sales of £58 m and copper sales of £5.1 m
  1. PGM basket price US$1 453/oz down 11%, partially offset by PGM operational cost management and production output
    1. Realised copper price US$ 6 893/t down 28% on H1 FY2022 with strong market recovery post period
  • EBITDA of £10.3 m (H1 FY2022: £13.7 m)
  • Adjusted EBITDA of £11.8 m (H1 FY2022: £14.9 m)
  • Operating expenses of £9.7 m (H1 FY2022: £10.9 m)
  • Strong net cash flows from operating activities of £16.9 m (H1 FY2022: £2.3 m)
  • Continued investment of £24.1 m (US$28.4 m) in copper and cobalt expansions
  • Closing cash position of £11.7 m (30 June 2022: £16 m)

Operations

  • Lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) of 1.0 in South Africa; LTIFR of 2.9 in Zambia
  1. Regrettable safety incident, related to an engineering service provider that sadly resulted in a fatality
    1. Decisive action taken to take a more direct safety management role of service providers
  • Strong operational performance from the South African PGM and chrome operations despite initial impact of power outages
  • PGM operations recorded 18 208oz all from own operations (H1 FY2022: 20 316oz)
    1. PGM oz up 20% from own operations on the back of Inyoni expansion (H1 FY2022: 15 152oz)
    1. Initial impact of power outages addressed by increased stock holding and installation of back-up power units at chrome operation in November 2022
  • Chrome production up 2.3% to 634 111 tonnes on track to exceed full year guidance of
    1.2 m tonnes despite initial impact of power disruptions
  • Costs remain tightly controlled
    1. Net cost per PGM oz net of chrome credits of US$608
    1. Net cost per copper tonne of US$5 232
  • Copper production of 1 149 tonnes below expectation as a consequence of the delayed ramp-up of Roan Concentrator, mainly due to power and water disruptions in Zambia, now resolved (H1 FY2022: 1 314 tonnes)
    1. Expanded power infrastructure implemented (Feb 2023)
  1. New privately owned water infrastructure implemented (Dec 2022) o Roan Concentrator resumed ramp-up of operations (end Feb 2023)
    o Successfully delivered first cobalt production through commissioning of cobalt hydroxide circuit at Sable Refinery in Zambia adding to its copper refining capability

Strategy and growth projects

  • Jubilee benefits from its ability to produce multi-commodities providing it with a buffer against market volatility
  • Eastern Limb PGM expansion progressing targeting an additional 25 000 PGM oz per annum o Expected to commence construction during Q4 CY2023
  • Ramp-upof copper operations at Roan Concentrator in Zambia recommenced, reaching 80% of capacity at time of announcement, following successful power and water interventions
    o Final phase of ramp-up to commence early April targeting 100% of capacity and full commercialisation of the Southern Copper Refining project during May 2023
  • Roll-outof copper expansion strategy in Zambia refined to align with the security of additional power and water infrastructure
    o Centralised processing footprint offering significant capital savings by enlarging Roan Concentrator and reducing the number of new greenfields operations required for Northern Refinery expansion
  • Discussions well advanced to secure a further refining footprint to serve the targeted Northern Refining expansion strategy
  • Sable Refinery commenced production of cobalt hydroxide achieving export grade with the ability to further expand operations

Full year Outlook FY2023

  • PGM production of 38 000oz unchanged with potential of upwards revision depending on
    South Africa's power supply outlook
  • Chrome operations expected to exceed guidance of 1.2 m tonnes of chrome concentrate with support of stronger chrome prices seen during current period
  • Copper guidance adjusted to 3 000 tonnes, revised to align with the delayed ramp-up of Roan Concentrator and commercialisation of the Southern Copper Refining project
    o Post commercialisation, expected in May 2023, the Southern Copper Refining project, projected to maintain 550 tonnes of copper per month from Roan alone and 130 tonnes from third party supplies
    o Copper prices remain well supported by constrained supply against a strong demand for the metal. Copper price up by 13.6% during January 2023 to date compared with the reporting period
  • The flexibility of Sable Refinery offers Jubilee the ability to pivot between copper and cobalt production to rapidly respond to changing market fundamentals. This flexibility is used at all times to maximise copper equivalent production units.
    o Cobalt prices have come off sharply during the current period therefore Sable is able to pivot towards increased copper production

Statement from Leon Coetzer, CEO:

"Our South African operations delivered a strong performance, with a 20% increase in PGM oz versus H1 FY2022 from own operations while our chrome operations exceeded guidance, despite the impact of initial power interruptions. Costs remained tightly under control, with PGM unit cost remaining close to US$600 per ounce. This positions our PGM operations at the bottom quartile of the industry's cost curve which is of key importance during current volatile markets.

"Our Roan copper concentrator is back on track, with the resumption of the ramp-up of the operations reaching 80% of full capacity by the time of this announcement, after an extended period of water and power outages that have been addressed through our various interventions during February this year.

"Jubilee has shown its resilience, acting speedily to implement solutions that address the infrastructure challenges faced at our operations during the period. The actions taken in South Africa included the implementation of back-up power units at our Windsor operations, which will be expanded over the coming period, while increasing the PGM stock held at our Inyoni operations to buffer against any prolonged power outages at our chrome operations. In Zambia, we expanded our scope and implemented a dedicated, privately owned water infrastructure, to ensure water supply to our Roan operations, while expanding the power infrastructure and entering into a new power arrangement, that significantly enhances the security of supply to our operations. Together, these measures should mitigate against the impact of future power or infrastructure related issues on our operations.

"Our Integrated Southern Copper and Cobalt Refining project has confirmed Jubilee's capability to produce both copper and cobalt from perceived waste and discard materials. It forms the foundation for our teams to drive forward with confidence the implementation of the refined Northern Copper and Cobalt Refining project as we seek to reach in excess of 35 000 tonnes of copper per annum.

"Jubilee's exposure to a multi-commodity operational footprint, offers great flexibility and is of key strategic value, especially in current volatile metal markets. Chrome and Copper prices have remained resilient, and we expect this to translate into an increased contribution to earnings and revenues. Green shoots in cobalt demand started emerging post the period driven by encouraging interest from China's construction sector, which would support a recovery in cobalt demand."

Analyst conference call and webcast

Jubilee will host a conference call and webcast for analysts at 09:00 am UK time today, 20 March 2023. To attend the analysts' call please contact investor relations at jubilee@tavistock.co.uk

Investor call

Management will host a presentation and Q&A session for investors at 11:00 am UK time today. Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free at: https://bit.ly/3kT8Fb9

Investors who already follow Jubilee Metals on the Investor Meet Company platform have automatically been invited. Questions can be submitted pre-event via your Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 9:00 am the day before the meeting or at any time during the live presentation.

Key operational numbers

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

6 m

6 m

%

12 m

31 Dec 2022

31 Dec 2021

change

30 Jun 2022

Unit

(H1 FY2023)

(H1 FY2022)

(FY2022)

Unaudited

Unaudited

Audited

KEY UNITS OF PRODUCTION

PGM ounces:

- Jubilee own operations

Oz

18 208

15 152

20%

35 318

- Third party joint venture

Oz

-

5 164

(100%)

6 268

Total PGM oz

Oz

18 208

20 316

(10%)

41 586

Chrome tonnes

Tonne

634 111

619 900

2%

1 222 452

Copper tonnes produced

Tonne

1 149

1 314

(13%)

2 593

Copper tonnes sold

Tonne

868

1 216

(29%)

2 604

UNIT REVENUE

- PGM revenue per ounce

US$/oz

1 453

1 632

(11%)

1 615

- Chrome revenue per PGM

US$/oz

2 292

2 042

12%

2 269

ounce

Total PGM revenue per ounce

US$/oz

3 745

3 675

2%

3 884

Copper revenue per tonne

US$/t

6 893

9 527

(28%)

9 210

UNIT COST

Net cost per PGM ounce

(after

US$/oz

608

540

13%

408

chrome by-product credits)

Net cost per copper tonne

US$/t

5 232*

5 873

(11%)

5 386

UNIT EARNINGS

Net earnings per PGM ounce

US$/oz

845

1 092

(23%)

1 207

Net earnings per copper tonne

US$/t

1 661*

3 654

(55%)

3 824

  • Cost and net earnings per copper tonne includes disproportionate copper fixed charges at US$300 per copper tonne produced, to secure full power allocation for Sable at 100% capacity

Key financial numbers

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Unit

Unaudited

6m to

Unaudited

6m to

Audited

12m to

GROUP

31 Dec 2022

31 Dec 2021

30 Jun 2022

Revenue

£'000

63 098

63 265

140 007

Attributable earnings(i)

£'000

14 312

19 540

45 337

Adjusted attributable earnings margin(ii)

%

23

31

32

EBITDA

£'000

10 286

13 664

36 774

Adjusted EBITDA (iii)

£'000

11 802

14 916

28 657

Adjusted EBITDA margin

%

19

24

22

PGM

PGM £ revenue

£'000

22 505

24 330

50 507

PGM US$ revenue

US$'000

26 455

33 163

67 135

Attributable PGM £ earnings

£'000

10 587

13 064

28 404

Attributable PGM US$ earnings

US$'000

12 445

17 807

37 755

Attributable PGM US$ earnings margin

%

47

54

56

Total attributable PGM oz sold

oz

18 208

20 316

41 586

PGM revenue per ounce

US$/oz

1 453

1 632

1 615

PGM production unit cost

US$/oz

608

540

408

PGM attributable earnings per ounce

US$/oz

845

1 092

1 207

CHROME

Chrome £ revenue(iv)

£'000

35 500

30 436

71 148

Chrome US$ revenue

US$'000

41 731

41 487

94 370

Attributable chrome £ earnings

£'000

2 501

3 217

9 428

Attributable chrome US$ earnings

US$'000

2 940

4 385

12 454

Attributable chrome earnings margin

%

7.0

10.6

13.3

Attributable chrome tonnes sold

tonnes

634 111

619 900

1 222 452

Chrome earnings per PGM ounce

US$/oz

161

216

300

COPPER

Copper £ revenue

£'000

5 092

8 499

18 352

Copper US$ revenue

US$'000

5 986

11 585

23 983

Attributable copper £ earnings

£'000

1 227

3 260

7 505

Attributable copper US$ earnings

US$'000

1 442

4 444

9 958

Attributable copper earnings margin

%

24.2

38.4

40.9

Attributable copper tonnes sold

tonnes

868

1 216

2 604

Copper US$ revenue per tonne sold

US$/t

6 893

9 527

9 210

Attachments

  • Original Link
  • Original Document
  • Permalink

Disclaimer

Jubilee Metals Group plc published this content on 19 March 2023 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 24 March 2023 15:38:31 UTC.