Santacruz Silver - Acquisition Of 500 TPD Mill To Unlock Production Growth At San Lucas, Freeing Up Milling Capacity At Their 3 Other Bolivian Mines
The KE ReportShow Notes
Arturo Préstamo Elizondo, Executive Chairman and CEO of Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSX: SCZ) (NASDAQ: SCZM) (FSE: 1SZ), joins me to review the acquisition of a 500 tpd mill dedicated to their San Lucas ore-sourcing business; which will then free up milling capacity at their 3 other mining complexes in Bolivia. In addition, we discuss the growth on tap at their Zimapan Mine in Mexico, the near-term production that should begin by year-end at their Soracaya Project, and the potential for future project acquisitions.
On September 18th, the Company announced the acquisition of a 500-tonne-per-day ("tpd") milling facility located in Bolivia, comprising two 250-tonne-per-day processing circuits, each equipped with selective flotation systems for the recovery of lead and zinc with high-grade silver contents. The newly acquired facility will be solely dedicated to processing ore sourced through the Company's wholly-owned Bolivian subsidiary, San Lucas, providing additional milling capacity to support continued expansion of its third-party ore-sourcing business.
By transitioning materials from San Lucas to the acquired facility, Santacruz will free up capacity at its existing three mine processing facilities at Bolivar, Porco, and Caballo Blanco, allowing the Company to advance its mine development plans and increase production from its own operations in Bolivia without internally competing for available processing capacity.
This milling facility is expected to be commissioned during the fourth quarter of 2026 and to reach commercial production by year-end 2026. The total investment in the milling facility is expected to be approximately US$14 million, inclusive of acquisition, commissioning and all costs required to bring the facility to commercial production.
Next we shifted over to the combination of exploration success at the Level 960 and the improved efficiencies at the Zimapan Mine in Mexico. Operations will be stepping up over the next few quarters from processing higher grade material at better costs.
Additionally, the operations team is advancing their silver-dominant Soracaya mine, where there is already a decline ramp into this project with initial stope access in 2 areas. The company has been working on the optimization plan and getting equipment lined up to start mining. Once the permit is received in the near-term, then the plan is to get the mine into initial ramp-up production by December of 2026. Full production will begin in 2027 with the potential to add another 2-3 million ounces of mostly silver contribution to the company’s production profile.
Wrapping up, we discussed their guidance this year for just over 10 million ounces of silver equivalent production, and the delta in their lower valuation compared to other mid-tier silver producing peers. Arturo highlights their clean balance sheet, lack of royalites or stream hindering financials, and the potential for future accretive acquisitions in the Americas; in addition to the growth initiatives at all their current mines that could be catalysts for a rerating higher.
If you have any follow up questions for Arturo regarding Santacruz Silver, then please email those to me at [email protected].
In full disclosure, Shad is a shareholder of Santacruz Silver at the time of this recording, and may choose to buy or sell shares at any time.
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