Peru Copper reports third quarter financial results
15 Novembre 2006 - 12:49AM
PR Newswire (US)
VANCOUVER, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Peru Copper Inc.
(TSX:PCR/AMEX:CUP/BVL: CUP) ("Peru Copper" or the "Company") today
filed its financial results for the nine months ended September 30,
2006. Peru Copper is involved in the acquisition and exploration of
potentially mineable deposits of copper in Peru. On June 11, 2003,
Peru Copper entered into the Toromocho Option Agreement ("Toromocho
Option") with Empresa Minera del Centro del Peru S.A.
("Centromin"), a Peruvian state-owned mining company, whereby
Centromin granted the Company the option to acquire its interest in
the mining concessions and related assets of the Toromocho Project.
Financial Results The Company prepares its consolidated financial
statements in accordance with accounting policies and practices
generally accepted in Canada ("Canadian GAAP") and in U.S. dollars.
For the nine months ended September 30 2006, the Company recorded a
loss of $2.5 million as compared to a loss of $2.3 million for the
same period in 2005. Peru Copper's administration expenses
increased to $3.8 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2006, up from $3.0 million for the same period in 2005. Peru Copper
expenses all costs not directly related to its exploration and
drilling efforts at the Toromocho Project. The Company capitalizes
all stock-based compensation of the vesting of options to employees
and consultants that work directly on the Toromocho Project. All
other stock-based compensation is expensed. In the nine months
ended September 30, 2006, stock-based compensation of $1.5 million
was expensed in respect to the vesting of options to directors,
officers, employees and consultants, compared to $1.3 million in
2005. Professional fees increased to $1.1 million in the current
period, up from $0.7 million in 2005 primarily due to the costs
associated with meeting filing obligations in Canada as well as the
United States, including F-1 amendments and internal control
documentation in preparation for compliance with the requirements
of the U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Listing and filing fees
increased due to the Company being listed on three exchanges.
Additionally, the total administrative expenses were offset by $1.3
million of interest earned on cash balances. The Company maintains
its cash and short-term, low risk investments in institutions with
high credit worthiness. All of the Company's $24.5 million of
exploration expenses during the nine month period ended September
30, 2006 have been capitalized to exploration properties in
accordance with Canadian GAAP and all administration expenses of
the Company have been expensed. Included in the $24.5 million are:
deposit of $15 million for the construction of a water treatment
plant, $1.3 million for drilling; salaries and consulting fees of
$2.3 million; supplies and general costs of $3.0 million; value
added tax of $1.0 million; assays and sampling costs of $0.3
million; stock-based compensation of $0.7 million; acquisition and
lease costs of $0.8 million and other costs of $0.4 million. As at
November 6, 2006, the Company had 59 employees and several
consultants working on the Toromocho Project. Cash used in
operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2006
was $1.0 million as compared to cash flows used in operating
activities of $0.7 million for the nine month period ended
September 30, 2005. The increase in cash used in operating
activities relates to increased administration expenses and an
increase in prepaid expenses and advances related to insurance.
Cash used in investing activities in the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 was $25.4 million as compared to $14.8 million
in the period ended September 30, 2005. $15 million of the cash
used in the nine months was transferred to escrow; these funds will
be used for the construction of the Kingsmill water treatment
plant. In addition, the Company has capitalized $8.6 million in
other direct exploration expenditures, invested $1.0 million as a
deposit on an option agreement, and spent $1.8 million in the
acquisition of loans. Cash from financing activities in the period
ended September 30, 2006 was comprised of $41.9 million from the
exercise of 21.3 million warrants, broker warrants and agent
options. Exploration and Development Program On March 27, 2006, the
Company filed an updated Technical Report based on the results of
the recent pre-feasibility study for the Company's Toromocho
Project. The technical report was prepared by Independent Mining
Consultants Inc. ("IMC") of Tucson, Arizona. Changes in the
Technical Report result in an increase in the estimated Net Present
Value ("NPV") of the Company's Toromocho Project from US$814
million to US$922 million and increase in the estimated Internal
Rate of Return ("IRR") from 16.0% to 16.7% (both on an after tax
basis) when compared to the NPV and IRR reflected in the
pre-feasibility study. Based upon the updated Technical Report, the
Toromocho Project now has 1.375 billion tonnes of proven and
probable reserves at an average copper equivalent of 0.71% and an
additional 601 million tonnes as measured and indicated resource at
an average copper equivalent of 0.57%. The study also reported 151
million tonnes of inferred mineralized material at an average
copper equivalent of 0.61%. Toromocho is now estimated to have 22
billion pounds of contained copper and 791 million pounds of
molybdenum. On August 28, 2006, the Company announced that it had
commissioned Aker Kvaerner Metals to conduct a Feasibility Study
for its Toromocho Project. The Company estimates that the study
should be completed in approximately twelve months. On September
14, 2006, the Company announced that it had commissioned AMEC S.A.
to conduct a feasibility study and environmental impact assessment
for the construction of a water treatment plant to treat acid
drainage water from the Kingsmill Tunnel. The Kingsmill Tunnel was
constructed in the mid 1930's to drain mine workings. The tunnel
crosses beneath mining concessions in the Morococha mining
district. The water collected by the tunnel is highly acidic and
contains quantities of certain elements which could exceed
permissible limits. The water treatment plant will eliminate a
major source of pollution in the area During the nine months ended
September 30, 2006, the Company received cash proceeds of $41.9
million on the exercise of 20,113,100 common share purchase
warrants and 1,193,780 share purchase options. On October 3, 2006,
the Company entered into an option to purchase 1,350 hectares from
the Yauli community for future use as a tailings deposit. The terms
of the agreement provide that the Company will contribute $0.7
million toward community projects before October 4, 2009. On
October 10, 2006, the Company resolved a land dispute between the
community of Pucara and Empresa Minera del Centro del Peru S.A.
("Centromin'). The Company's interest in this resolution relates to
the fact that the subject land lies within the boundaries of the
Toromocho Option that the Company has with Centromin. In exchange
for abandoning a legal action against Centromin, Pucara has
accepted land and improvements in equipment and facilities valued
at $2.0 and either 500,000 shares of Peru Copper common stock, or a
cash payment in an amount equal to the value of 500,000 shares of
Peru Copper common stock on October 10, 2006. On October 13, 2006,
the Company completed its due diligence of Austria Duvaz and
entered into option agreements to purchase all of its mining
concessions. Austria Duvaz owns an estimated 225 hectares of mining
concessions in the Morococha mining district. Approximately 60
hectares are directly adjacent to the concessions, which comprise
the Toromocho pit as delineated in the Company's pre-feasibility
study that was completed earlier this year. Through a share
purchase agreement the Company acquired Minera Centenario SAC
("Centenario"), which will own outright 26 mining concessions and
have partial ownership interests in another 4 concessions by a
reorganization process enacted by Austria Duvaz. In exchange, the
Company has agreed to cancel outstanding debt of Austria Duvaz and
pay an additional sum to shareholders of Centenario. In a separate
option agreement the Company will have the right to acquire
interests in an additional 30 mining concessions of Austria Duvaz
within a period of five years. In exchange for this option, the
Company will assume additional obligations of Austria Duvaz and pay
Austria Duvaz a business interruption fee should the option be
exercised prior to the end of the fifth year. The total cost of
both agreements to the Company is $24 million and is comprised of:
payments to the shareholders of Austria Duvaz of $8.0 million,
general creditor debt cancellation of $13.1 million and financial
institutions debt cancellation of $2.9 million (paid). The
contractual parties agreed on an appendix in the frame agreement,
signed on March 16th, 2006, which enumerated the amount of the debt
and identified creditors. The total value of such debt is $13.1
million. However, the Company has the right to renegotiate payment
terms and conditions in order to obtain the highest economic
benefit. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - The United States
Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies,
in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral
deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or
produce. We use certain terms in this press release, such as
"mineral deposit", that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S.
registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC.
U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our
Form F-3 Registration Statement, File # 333-121527, which may be
secured from us, or from the SEC's website at
http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements in this release that are forward-looking statements are
subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific
factors identified in the Peru Copper Inc. periodic filings with
Canadian Securities Regulators. Such forward-looking information
represents management's best judgment based on information
currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed
and actual future results may vary materially. Peru Copper does not
assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Safe
Harbor Statement under the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the statements of
historical fact contained herein, the information presented
constitutes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those with
respect to the price of copper, the timing of completion of
exploration activities and the determination and amount of
estimated mineral resources involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results,
performance or achievement of Peru Copper Inc. to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such
factors include, among others, risks related to the exploration and
potential development of the properties owned by the company, risks
related to international operations, the actual results of current
exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations,
changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined,
future prices of copper, silver, molybdenum and gold, as well as
those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in
the Form F-3 as on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
in Washington, D.C. Although Peru Copper Inc. has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results
not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no
assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual
results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. CONTACT:
Patrick De Witt, Director of Investor Relations, (604) 689-0234,
DATASOURCE: Peru Copper Inc. CONTACT: Patrick De Witt, Director of
Investor Relations, (604) 689-0234,
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