KIRKLAND LAKE, ONTARIO — (Marketwire) — 12/13/12 — Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (the „Company“), (TSX: KGI)(AIM: KGI) an operating and exploration gold mining company, today announces financial and operational results for the second quarter of its fiscal year 2013 (August, September, and October 2012).
Mr. Harry Dobson, Chairman commented, „The focus of the Company remains the execution of the Mine Expansion Project to a production capacity of 2,200 tons of ore per day. Reaching this milestone will be a key step towards achieving the Company-s goal of becoming a sustainable and consistently profitable intermediate gold mining company. The current critical path activity for this Expansion Project is the Service Cage Project. Regrettably, delays in completing this critical path activity have resulted in a delay in the overall Project, and are preventing the Company from meeting its production goals for the current fiscal year. Accordingly, the Company is reducing its guidance for the year ending April 30 to between 90,000 to 110,000 ounces of gold sold. This setback notwithstanding, the Company does remain committed to reaching the above referenced production capacity of 2,200 tons per day as close to the original plan target date of January 2014 as practicable.“
Mr. Mark Tessier, Chief Operating Officer, added, „The current critical path item in this expansion project is the Service Cage Project, which will allow hoisting of ore and waste to begin to exceed the current 1,000 ton per day limit. Unfortunately, the completion of this Project continues to be delayed by technical issues with the hoist, primarily software and electronic issues; and also by additional shaft work that had to be moved up in the overall project schedule, and into the scope of the Service Cage Project. The delay in this Project has delayed the ramp up in ore tonnage produced that should have begun in Q2, has delayed the hiring and training of necessary underground workers, and has delayed development work required to access higher grade ore that was required to allow the Company to produce at the planned ore grades this year.“
„The Service Cage Project is close to completion, but due to past delays in this Project, the Company is currently allowing in its projections that the Project will not be fully complete before the end of Q3, and that ore tonnage will not begin to ramp up until mid Q4, as a precaution. The Company is also slowing the expected rate of that ore tonnage ramp up to reflect the additional time that will be required to hire and train needed underground workers, and to reflect the time that will be required to complete the development work in the Mine that has been delayed.“
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE QUARTER
OUTLOOK
The Company-s ability to achieve production goals and targets is being impacted by the complex multi-year Exploration and Expansion Project that the Company is currently implementing. The Company-s current and future production targets will therefore include additional contingencies to reflect the potential for greater variances arising from unanticipated or unknown problems, for unexpected challenges or delays that may arise, and for the higher priority status of project work over production. Work on next fiscal year-s budget will begin shortly. At this time, the Company intends to budget based on gold sales of 150,000 to 180,000 ounces for fiscal year 2014, again using the methodology outlined above. The Company intends to increase gold sales further from these levels in future years. Please refer to the Company-s Management Discussion and Analysis available on SEDAR and the Company-s website for further information.
About the Company
Kirkland Lake Gold-s corporate goal is to create a self sustaining and long lived intermediate Gold Mining Company based in the historic Kirkland Lake Gold Camp. The Company plans to do this by increasing production capacity to 2,200 tons of ore per day in several stages, and by decreasing production costs by realizing the economies of scale associated with that higher production capacity. At the same time, the company is committed to maintaining a significant exploration program aimed at developing and maintaining a property wide reserve and resource base sufficient to sustain a mine life of more than ten years for as long as practicable.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains statements which constitute „forward-looking statements“, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to the future business activities and operating performance of the Company. The words „may“, „would“, „could“, „will“, „intend“, „plan“, „anticipate“, „believe“, „estimate“, „expect“ and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These factors include the Company-s expectations in connection with the projects and exploration programs being met, the impact of general business and economic conditions, global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future conditions, fluctuating gold prices, currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar versus the United States Dollar), possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in accounting policies, changes in the Company-s corporate mineral resources, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, changes in project development, construction, production and commissioning time frames, risks related to joint venture operations, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, higher prices for fuel, power, labour and other consumables contributing to higher costs and general risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, unexpected changes in mine life, seasonality and unanticipated weather changes, costs and timing of the development of new deposits, success of exploration activities, permitting time lines, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims, and limitations on insurance, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Company-s annual Management-s Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form for the year ended April 30, 2012 filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at .
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company has attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as otherwise required by applicable law.
Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange has reviewed and neither accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Contacts: Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Brian Hinchcliffe President +1 705 567 5208 +1 705 568 6444 (FAX)
Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. Lindsay Carpenter Director of Investor Relations +1 416-840-7884 +1 705 568 6444 (FAX)
NOMAD: Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Katherine Roe +44 (0) 20 7 8862500
NOMAD: Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Callum Stewart +44 (0) 20 7 8862500
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