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Murray Ward
Kaiser Reef has capped off a productive March quarter by significantly bolstering its balance sheet and maintaining a steady flow of precious metals from its multi-asset Australian operations.
The company reported total gold production of 5,534 ounces, helping drive its closing cash position to a healthy A$45.6 million.
The operational performance was spearheaded by the Henty gold mine in Tasmania, which contributed 5188 ounces of gold and a handy 4810 ounces of silver during the three-month period to April.
Meanwhile, the Maldon gold project in Victoria’s historic golden triangle chipped in 346 ounces of gold as the company continues to ramp up its processing capabilities.
‘We head into the June quarter with a fully funded balance sheet,and a gold price environment that continues to generate strong returns.’
Kaiser Reef managing director Brad Valiukas
Beyond the production figures, Kaiser made significant strides in its capital management, shrinking its gold loan by 312 ounces to 728 ounces, a net reduction of A$2.2M.
The company also made final gold deliveries to clear its hedge program with Auramet, worth A$3.7M. Additionally, it settled the final 150-ounce payment on its loan to Catalyst, originally tied to the acquisition of the Henty gold mine, delivering a net impact of about A$1.1 million.
In effect, Kaiser has cleared the decks and now has full exposure to the booming current gold price going forward.
Kaiser Reef managing director Brad Valiukas said: “We head into the June quarter with a fully funded balance sheet, clear operational priorities at both assets, and a gold price environment that continues to generate strong returns.”
At the Henty underground operation, underpinned by a 199,000-ounce ore reserve and a 400,000-tonne-per-annum processing plant, the company is focused on extending the mine life.
At the same time, Kaiser’s Victorian operations at Maldon saw a strategic lift after the company moved to a second shift, doubling throughput capacity at the mine’s 200,000-tonne-per-annum processing plant. With ample low-grade mill feed available, management expects the project to move towards a self-funding model, supporting ongoing high-impact exploration.
Kaiser’s dual-asset strategy aims to leverage established infrastructure across two Tier-1 jurisdictions. The company’s total mineral resource estimate currently stands at 5.42 million tonnes grading 3.59 grams per tonne(g/t) for 625,000 contained gold ounces.
In Tasmania, Henty weighs in with a hefty 4.11Mt running at 3.32g/t for 438,000 ounces of gold. In Victoria, the Union Hill mine at Maldon hosts a robust mineral resource of 1.31Mt grading 4.4g/t gold for 187,000 ounces. Additionally, a substantial surface stockpile at Union Hill containing 570,000 tonnes at 0.48g/t gold is in place to provide immediate mill feed.
Kaiser looks to have its tail up. With a hefty A$45.6 million war chest and the handbrake finally off its gold price exposure, the company appears to be in a prime spot to capitalise on the booming gold price.
Punters would do well to keep a close eye on Maldon’s growing throughput numbers as it doubles capacity. Meanwhile, with grades likely to improve in the coming quarter at Henty, Kaiser could be in for a golden finish to the financial year.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
