Perpetua Resources Commences Detailed Engineering and Signs Procurement Contract with Idaho Power to Advance Stibnite Gold Project Towards Construction Decision
Rhea-AI Summary
Perpetua Resources (NASDAQ: PPTA) has completed basic engineering and initiated detailed engineering for its Stibnite Gold Project, marking significant progress toward construction. The project demonstrates robust economics with a $3.7 billion after-tax NPV (5%) and 27% IRR at spot prices, or $1.4 billion NPV and 15.4% IRR at consensus prices.
The project is positioned to become the lowest-cost gold project in Tier 1 jurisdictions, with All-In Sustaining Costs averaging $435 per gold ounce in the first four years and under $760 over the mine's life. The project boasts a 4.8 million gold ounce reserve with annual production of approximately 300,000 ounces over 15 years.
Perpetua has signed a procurement contract with Idaho Power for powerline materials and could see an increase in its existing $1.8 billion EXIM Bank indication of interest due to a 15% increase in projected U.S. job creation.
Positive
- Project shows $3.7B after-tax NPV and 27% IRR at spot prices
- Lowest cost gold project in Tier 1 jurisdictions with AISC of $435/oz in first 4 years
- Substantial 4.8M gold ounce reserve with 15-year mine life
- Potential increase to $1.8B EXIM Bank financing due to 15% job creation increase
- Strong antimony by-product potential for defense and technology sectors
Negative
- High initial capital requirement of $2.2B
- Longer payback period of 3.2 years at consensus prices
- Significant price sensitivity with NPV dropping to $1.4B at consensus prices
Insights
The Stibnite Gold Project's latest financial update reveals a world-class asset with exceptional economics and strategic significance. The project's $435/oz AISC in the first four years positions it as the lowest-cost gold project across Tier 1 jurisdictions, driven by two key advantages: low-cost hydropower and valuable antimony credits. This cost structure provides significant margin protection even in lower gold price environments.
The project's economics demonstrate remarkable resilience across price scenarios. At spot prices (
The procurement contract with Idaho Power represents a strategic move to secure critical infrastructure components ahead of construction. Access to low-cost hydropower will be a important competitive advantage, particularly given rising energy costs affecting many mining operations globally.
The potential increase in EXIM bank funding beyond the initial
The detailed engineering phase marks a critical de-risking milestone. With 4.8M oz of gold reserves and a 15-year mine life producing 300,000 oz annually, Stibnite represents a rare combination of scale, longevity, and cost efficiency in a tier-one jurisdiction. The project's sensitivity analysis demonstrates strong upside leverage to metal prices while maintaining viability in conservative scenarios, indicating a robust investment case with significant optionality.
Successful completion of basic engineering and cost update of Stibnite Gold Project confirms world class asset with the lowest cost gold project located in a Tier 1 jurisdiction1, driven by low-cost hydro power and valuable antimony by-product essential for national defense, energy, and technology sectors.
Robust project economics underpins $3.7 billion after-tax net present value (
Over
"The Stibnite Gold Project is among an elite class of gold projects, with industry leading costs, a world-class reserve of 4.8 million gold ounces and annual production profile of approximately 300,000 ounces over a 15-year life," said Jon Cherry, President & CEO of Perpetua Resources. "With the Final Record of Decision published and basic engineering complete, Perpetua looks forward to finalizing our few remaining ancillary permits, and securing financing to start construction in 2025 to become a reliable source of the critical mineral antimony for defense needs."
As Perpetua advances towards a construction decision later this year, the Company has signed a procurement contract with Idaho Power to begin down payments on several critical long-lead power line items.
"We're pleased to partner with Perpetua Resources to power the country's next major mineral resource project right here in
The Financial Update is a key milestone to support Perpetua in formalizing its loan application process in connection with the U.S. Export-Import Bank ("EXIM")
The Financial Update was prepared by the Company and is based, in part, on the basic engineering work completed to date using the fourth quarter of 2024 as a base date for cost estimates. It is intended to be read as a supplemental financial update to the Company's technical report titled "Stibnite Gold Project, Feasibility Study Technical Report,
1Based on a comprehensive list of gold projects in |
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS1,2
Early Production Years 1-4 | Life-of-Mine Years 1-15 | |
Recovered Gold Total (Koz) | 1,852 | 4,223 |
Recovered Antimony3 Total (Mlbs) | 69.1 | 106.5 |
Recovered Gold Annual Average (Koz) | 463 | 296 |
Cash Costs (net of by-product credits, $/gold oz) 4 | ||
Total Cash Costs (net of by-product credits, $/gold oz) 5 | ||
All-In Sustaining Costs (AISC) (net of by-product credits, $/gold oz) 6 | ||
Initial Capital, net – including contingency ($M) 7 | ||
Early Production Years 1-4 | Life-of-Mine Years 1-15 | |
Spot - | ||
After-Tax Net Present Value (NPV | ||
Annual Average EBITDA10 | ||
Annual Average After-Tax Free Cash Flow (FCF)11 | ||
Internal Rate of Return (After-Tax) 12 | 27.1 % | |
Payback Period in Years (After-Tax) | 2.2 years | |
Consensus - | ||
After-Tax Net Present Value (NPV | ||
Annual Average EBITDA10 | ||
Annual Average After-Tax Free Cash Flow (FCF)11 | ||
Internal Rate of Return (After-Tax) 12 | 15.4 % | |
Payback Period in Years (After-Tax) | 3.2 years | |
(1) For additional information regarding the Financial Update, including underlying assumptions and risks, see the Financial Update included in the Current Report. (2) The Financial Update assumes (3) Antimony is a chemical element included on the (4) Cash Costs consist of mining costs, processing costs, mine-level G&A and by-product credits. By-product credits calculated based on consensus pricing. Cash Costs is a non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release. (5) Total Cash Costs consist of Cash Costs, royalty costs, treatment costs, refining costs, and transportation costs. By-product credits calculated based on consensus pricing. Total Cash Costs is a non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release (6) AISC includes Total Cash Costs plus sustaining capital costs. By-product credits calculated based on consensus pricing. AISC is a non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release. (7) Initial Capital, net, reflects estimated total capital expenditures of (8) Spot prices are defined as (9) Net Present Value (NPV) is defined as the present value of future after-tax cash flows of the project discounted at an annual rate of (10) EBITDA consists of total revenue minus operating costs, offsite charges and royalties. EBTIDA is a non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release. (11) After-Tax Free Cash Flow consists of EBITDA as adjusted for changes in net working capital, all capital expenditures (initial, sustaining, and closure capital expenditures), and salvage value, less taxes payable. Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP measure. See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release. (12) Internal rate of return (IRR) is defined as the after-tax discount rate at which the net-present value of the project reaches zero. The Financial Update assumed a combined state and federal effective tax rate of (13) Consensus prices are defined as | ||
ECONOMIC SENSITIVITIES1,2
Spot6 | Consensus7 | A | B | C | D | |
Gold Price Assumption ($/oz) | ||||||
Antimony Price Assumption ($/lb) | ||||||
Silver Price Assumption ($/oz) | ||||||
Average Annual EBITDA3 ($M) | ||||||
After-Tax: | ||||||
Average Annual Free Cash Flow3 ($M) | ||||||
Payback period (years) | 2.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
Net Present Value (NPV | ||||||
Internal Rate of Return (%)5 | 27.1 % | 15.4 % | 19.1 % | 22.3 % | 25.3 % | 29.0 % |
(1) For additional information regarding the Financial Update, including underlying assumptions and risks, see the Financial Update included in the Current Report. (2) The Financial Update assumes (3) See Non-GAAP Measures at the end of this release. (4) Net Present Value (NPV) is defined as the present value of future after-tax cash flows of the project discounted at an annual rate of (5) Internal rate of return (IRR) is defined as the after-tax discount rate at which the net-present value of the project reaches zero. The Financial Update assumed a combined state and federal effective tax rate of (6) Spot prices are defined as (7) Consensus prices are defined as | ||||||
About Perpetua Resources and the Stibnite Gold Project
Perpetua Resources Corp., through its wholly owned subsidiaries, is focused on the exploration, site restoration and redevelopment of gold-antimony-silver deposits in the Stibnite-Yellow Pine district of central
Forward-Looking Information
Investors should be aware that the
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, disclosure regarding the ability of the Company to achieve the results in the Financial Update and the 2020 Feasibility Study; the assumptions, qualifications and limitations of the results of the Financial Update, including the economic results (Cash Costs, Total Cash Costs, EBITDA, NPV, IRR, FCF and AISC calculations) and the sensitivity analysis of the variables included therein; other assumptions underlying the Financial Update, including regarding inflation, labor, regulatory and permitting outcomes and timing, construction timing, production capacity and expectations, LOM estimates, or expected mining methods; the expected outcomes of the Stibnite Gold Project, including our reserves and resources; our ability to comply with and obtain permits related to the Stibnite Gold Project; our plans to submit a financing application to
Forward-Looking Information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Perpetua Resources to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the industry-wide risks and project-specific risks identified in the 2020 Feasibility Study, the TRS and Company's public filings; changes in exploration programs based upon results of exploration; failure of mining methods or processes to operate as anticipated; changes in estimated mineral reserves or mineral resources; changes in commodity prices or exchange rates; availability of construction materials or equipment; equipment failure, accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry; environmental risks, including changes in environmental laws and regulations and changes in the application of standards pursuant to existing US federal and
Cautionary Statement Regarding Reserve and Technical Information
The reserves, technical and scientific information in respect of the Stibnite Gold Project in this news release, is based upon information contained in the technical report titled "Stibnite Gold Project, Feasibility Study Technical Report,
The updated financial information in respect of the Stibnite Gold Project in this news release is based upon Financial Update and basic engineering work completed by Ausenco, which is presented in the Company's Current Report. The Financial Update should be read as a supplemental financial update to the 2020 Feasibility Study with respect to economic information regarding the Project. Neither the Financial Update nor the studies or data underlying such update modifies the Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves reported in the TRS or the material assumptions and information pertaining to such disclosure. The information contained in the Financial Update is subject to the assumptions, exclusions and qualifications set forth in the Current Report, as well as those contained in the 2020 Feasibility Study and the TRS, except to the extent explicitly updated in the Financial Update. For additional information regarding the Financial Update and the underlying assumptions and qualifications, investors are encouraged to refer to the Current Report filed with the SEC and with the Canadian securities regulators on February 13, 2025.
The 2020 Feasibility Study, the TRS and the Financial Update are intended to be read as a whole and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.
Qualified Person: The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Christopher Dail, AIPG CPG #10596, Exploration Manager for Perpetua Resources Idaho, Inc. and a qualified person as defined in NI 43-101 and in S-K 1300. Mr. Dail is not responsible for statements attributed to officers and directors of the Company or third parties, or other non-technical information in this news release.
Non-GAAP Measures
This news release includes disclosure of certain non-GAAP financial measures or ratios, including expected Cash Costs, Total Cash Costs, All-In Sustaining Costs (AISC), Average Annual EBITDA and Annual Average Free Cash Flow (FCF) with respect to the expected results of the Project as presented in the Financial Update. The Company uses these measures to evaluate the Company's future operating performance and provide visibility into the economics of our future mining operations. We believe the projected non-GAAP financial measures included in this news release provide readers with additional meaningful comparisons between the Company's Financial Update and its peer companies. These projected non-GAAP financial measures are not historical measures of financial performance and are not presented in accordance with GAAP. They may exclude items that will be significant in understanding and assessing our financial results. Therefore, these measures should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative or superior to GAAP measures. You should be aware that these measures have no standardized meaning under GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures used by other companies.
For purposes of the Financial Update, we define "Cash Costs" as the sum of mining costs, processing costs, mine-level G&A and by-product credits; we define "Total Cash Costs" as the sum of Cash Costs, royalty costs, treatment costs, refining costs, and transportation costs; we define "All-In Sustaining Costs" as the sum of Total Cash Costs and sustaining capital costs (all costs required to sustain operations); we define earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) as total revenue minus operating costs, offsite charges and royalties; we define "Free Cash Flow" as EBITDA as adjusted for changes in net working capital, all capital expenditures (initial, sustaining, and closure capital expenditures), and salvage value; and we define After-Tax FCF as FCF less taxes payable. FCF does not entirely represent cash available for discretionary expenditures due to the fact that the measure does not deduct payments required for debt service and other items. Annual averages of non-GAAP measures represent the total value of the non-GAAP measure divided by the number of years during the forecast period.
As the Project is not in production, the prospective non-GAAP financial measures are based on the estimated revenues, costs and other metrics set forth in the Financial Update, and are subject to the assumptions, qualifications and exceptions set forth in the 2020 Feasibility Study and the TRS, as updated by the Financial Update. See the economic model included in the Current Report for additional information regarding these measures. The Financial Update is not a true cash flow model as defined by financial accounting standards but rather a representation of Project economics at a level of detail appropriate for a feasibility study level of engineering and design. As such, the projected non-GAAP measures included in this news release cannot be reconciled to comparable GAAP measures without unreasonable effort.
The non-GAAP financial measures included in this presentation are forward-looking statements and remain subject to the risks and uncertainties set forth in the section titled "Forward-Looking Statements" in this news release.
SOURCE Perpetua Resources Corp.