Capstone Mining places Yukon’s Minto Mine on temporary care and maintenance
Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian base metals mining company, focused on copper. — Photo courtesy Capstone Mining Corp.
Capstone Mining Corp. ("Capstone" or the "Company") (TSX: CS) and Pembridge Resources plc ("Pembridge") have elected to terminate the agreement for the sale of the Minto Mine ("Minto") (the "Transaction"). Due to unfavourable equity market conditions, Pembridge has been unsuccessful in completing the financing required to complete the Transaction. Additionally, to preserve Minto's value, Capstone is putting Minto on temporary care and maintenance, while continuing to explore value maximizing alternatives, including discussions with Pembridge and other potentially interested parties.
Mining operations will cease imminently with milling operations expected to be completed in the next few weeks once the current ore stockpile is processed. Costs to place the mine on care and maintenance are estimated to be approximately US$5 million in each of 2018 and 2019, with the ongoing costs expected to be under US$4 million annually thereafter for environmental compliance and other activities. Approximately 200 employees and contractors will be affected. Minto will retain a core team of employees to oversee the site and meet environmental monitoring and legal obligations during the care and maintenance phase.
"The decision to put Minto on care and maintenance while we seek alternatives is to preserve and maximize its value," said Darren Pylot, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone. "The team will ensure Minto can be restarted efficiently and safely once the copper and equity markets improve. Minto has been an important part of Capstone's history and we thank the team at Minto for their commitment and dedication."
About Capstone Mining Corp.
Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian base metals mining company, focused on copper. We are committed to the responsible development of our assets and the environments in which we operate. Our two producing mines are the Pinto Valley copper mine located in Arizona, US and the Cozamin polymetallic mine in Zacatecas State, Mexico. In addition, Capstone has the large scale 70% owned copper-iron Santo Domingo development project in Region III, Chile, in partnership with Korea Resources Corporation, the Minto copper mine in Yukon, Canada currently on care and maintenance, as well as a portfolio of exploration properties. Capstone's strategy is to focus on the optimization of operations and assets in politically stable, mining-friendly regions, centred in the Americas. Our headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and we are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Further information is available at www.capstonemining.com.
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