Jan. 21, 2025

Liontown shows signs of life

We’ve got 3 big ones today with the quaterlies starting to roll through. 

First up is Liontown, with a number of positives coming from their Kathleen Valley ramp up, followed up by gold giant Northern Star, who’ve been investing heavily across the board. 

Lastly we chat about Yancoal, who’ve continued adding to the cash pile while investors get itchy for a divvie. 

Sign-up for the Director’s Special 

 

Please read our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer here 

 

Thank you to our Partners: 

 

Mineral Mining Services – Your preferred mining contractor 

 

enquiry@mineralms.com.au - 1300 546 117 

 

Grounded - Infrastructure for remote mining and civil projects Australia wide 

 

Paul Natoli - pn@groundedgroup.com.au 

 

Sandvik Ground Support – The only ground support you’ll ever need 

 

https://www.dsiunderground.com/contact 

 

CRE Insurance – Insurance Brokers for the Construction, Resources and Energy sectors 

 

davidh@creinsurance.com.au - +61 2 9493 6100 

 

K-Drill – Safe, reliable, and productive surface RC drilling 

 

drew@k-drill.com.au - +61 416 015 876 

 

Daishsat – Geophysical survey experts 

 

nathan.daish@daishsat.com - +61 433 261 071 

 

Saltbush Contracting - Bulk Haulage (Mine to mill) and earthmoving specialists 

 

lachlan@saltbush.net - +61 400 722 059 

 

Get Wet Solutions – Setting the standard in water bladder tank technology 

 

matt.hall@getwetsolutions.com.au - +61 475 627 569 

 

Buy Money of Mine MERCH 

 

Join our exclusive Money Miners Facebook Group & request access to the Hooteroo chat group. 

 

Money of Mine on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram 

(0:00:00)Introduction

(0:00:52)Liontown operating cash positive (sort of)

(0:18:44)Northern Star in growth mode

(0:29:13)Yancoal Divvie?

1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,560
Righty O money.
That's not good.

2
00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,760
Sorry listeners, right O money
miners.

3
00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,360
Doesn't count unless I go deaf
in the first few minutes.

4
00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:11,760
That's probably why my audio
I've got to sort my audio out

5
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,080
because it's just this one peak
at the start and everything else

6
00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,520
is.
So I turn the dial down for the

7
00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,280
first bit and then I adjust it
up so I can hear you normally

8
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:21,280
afterwards.
Right.

9
00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:23,800
Maybe I'll cut them.
Interesting.

10
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,600
Is this the episode?
I think it is mate.

11
00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:30,120
What are we talking about today?
Lawntown.

12
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,200
Northern Star.
Yankov.

13
00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,800
What a mix 3.
The table of contents.

14
00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:38,920
Three big companies, three
different commodities.

15
00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,160
Quarterly season.
Yeah, mate.

16
00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:45,720
I've got a ramp up story, what a
massively cash generative story

17
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:48,080
compared to a lot of the other
companies we talk about and then

18
00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,240
we've got a growth.
Story.

19
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,120
A growth story.
Which one are we starting with?

20
00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:57,760
Let's go lime town in respect of
what got us started at money of

21
00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,960
mine, the lithium bull market.
Still that.

22
00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,319
Popular, I reckon.
Mate, there's there's yes.

23
00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:10,800
Are they paying a dividend soon?
Best, worst time of breath all.

24
00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:13,400
I loved it.
He's like, he's like my

25
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,720
chairman.
My chairman is, he's eager for

26
00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,280
always asking about it.
Don't.

27
00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,480
Worry.
Oh, loved it.

28
00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:23,360
Loved it, right.
Take it away, Jade.

29
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,000
Everybody up.
Oh God, they were up 10%.

30
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:29,880
They're up as high as 15%.
I think they were finished about

31
00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,160
12 or something.
Yeah, it was good.

32
00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:33,600
It was good, right on the
operations.

33
00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,480
We'll talk about, you know ramp
up obviously cash generation

34
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,800
getting a bit a bit of a better
sense of what costs are going to

35
00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:41,480
look like.
So I think that's the maybe,

36
00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,440
yeah, maybe maybe I mean better
than what it was last quarter.

37
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,480
We're getting an idea, but
obviously it's that you know,

38
00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,200
transition from open pit to
underground that we're going to

39
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,160
see over the year.
So it's hard to get a proper

40
00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:57,480
gauge, but let's talk about what
we kind of do know.

41
00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,440
What we do know is that for the
half year we're now in, that's

42
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,920
the first half of this calendar
year, they guided to Aussie 775

43
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:12,280
to 855 per tonne on a spot, 6%
basis unit operating costs.

44
00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:13,960
So not not all in sustaining
costs.

45
00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,880
That metric came in at $1000,
but obviously that's for the the

46
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,640
quarter before.
So it's put them in decent stead

47
00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:23,040
to to kind of get there over the
half year.

48
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,960
We're now in on a production
basis just under 90,000 tons.

49
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,640
That came in a lot stronger than
a lot of people thought and just

50
00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:33,680
maintaining that should hit the
guidance numbers that I just

51
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:38,960
presented because I sort of said
170 to one 85,000 tons.

52
00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,120
So looking at an all in
sustaining cost, getting a bit

53
00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,680
closer to what your real costs
are actually like we're talking

54
00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,960
US $763 a ton including freight
790.

55
00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:57,160
Compare that with the sales
price which they spoke about 806

56
00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,680
U.S. dollars and you can see
it's yeah, it's kind of close

57
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,120
bearing in mind that is
provisional.

58
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,120
So you have to look into the
footnotes with a fair few of the

59
00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,920
things they talk about here.
But what that really means is

60
00:03:08,920 --> 00:03:13,480
that 31,000 of the 80 odd 1000
tons that they sold was

61
00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,720
provisionally marked as of
December 31, hadn't actually

62
00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,440
been sold.
So the actual price they receive

63
00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:23,000
could be a bit higher, given
that spot prices have been

64
00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,800
trending higher.
And there's a yeah, there's a

65
00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:28,280
whole thing with how their
contracts are set up, the prices

66
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,000
actually get that we don't kind
of need to get into.

67
00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,480
It's a bit detailed, but.
So they realized price is 806

68
00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,520
for SC six equivalent and
they're selling at SC 5.2.

69
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:39,920
Correct.
That's right.

70
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,320
Yeah, produced a 5.2% product,
which seems, but those costs

71
00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,200
were on an SC6 basis as well.
OK, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

72
00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:51,960
Gotcha Bra Aussie.
Dollar helpful there too as

73
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:53,320
well, right?
Like if you're reporting on

74
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,280
standing costs in the US.
Exactly, Aussie dollar was a

75
00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,800
tailwind on a few fronts as
well.

76
00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,920
They've obviously got a part of
cash at the moment and stuff,

77
00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,440
but yeah, on those ones, like
with most commodities, we talk

78
00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,880
about helping them out for the
time being.

79
00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,360
Right.
So they said they generated 17

80
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,320
mil of net cash from operations.
That's right.

81
00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,160
Is that is, is that, is that
valid?

82
00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,400
Jonas Benedict.
Well.

83
00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,280
That is, that is what they said
and it's by the accounting book

84
00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:28,800
because they haven't yet said
that they have reached

85
00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,960
commercial production.
So they they gave a fair bit of

86
00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:33,640
detail here.
Credit to them for that.

87
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,520
So you can talk off 5 million of
commissioning costs that were

88
00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:38,880
capitalized they said.
So they say sort of underneath

89
00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,560
it, 12 million is roughly the
numbers.

90
00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,400
But then you know, as we're
going to talk about you get into

91
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,360
a whole lot more detail and it
and it really comes to that open

92
00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,400
pit versus underground mining
difference.

93
00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,600
What's being capitalized.
A lot of that underground

94
00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,640
development has been capitalized
as you can see clearly in the

95
00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,360
waterfall chart here somewhat to
the right.

96
00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,000
It's.
All been capitalized.

97
00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,680
On the underground side, yeah,
that, that's right.

98
00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,600
Yeah.
So expecting commercial

99
00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:10,040
production to be announced
around mid this year, first

100
00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,880
opening is starting in Q4 of
this financial year.

101
00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,120
So next quarter from where we
are today and then open pit

102
00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,280
mining, we'll see in about a
year's time.

103
00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:22,000
So that really ties back to why
I said we haven't got a firm

104
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,240
understanding of what costs are
going to look like because

105
00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,120
there's going to be that
transition period over the next

106
00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:28,520
year.
Yeah.

107
00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,640
And I think because everyone,
everyone wants to and a lot of

108
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,320
the questions on the call were
like trying to get a guard for

109
00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,280
the, you know, the sustaining
capital because at the moment

110
00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:39,680
it's it's an open pit they're
developing in underground.

111
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:45,040
So it appears that that you
know, 28 million that they've

112
00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,680
said capital underground
development and other

113
00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,120
sustaining, they've sort of
bundled that together.

114
00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:56,320
I think other sustaining is
referencing level development

115
00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:00,960
and all drive development that
will be will be sustaining in

116
00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:02,400
the future.
Yeah, work.

117
00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,440
On on the fence these sort of.
Things operating development in

118
00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,000
the future, but because they're
not producing from the

119
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,440
underground yet product like
they're using, they got 30 odd

120
00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:15,320
thousand ton of ore development,
they're saying that is in that

121
00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,000
bundle, yeah, which looked a bit
high.

122
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,680
So I think in the future it's
like a good chunk of that 28

123
00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:26,400
million that'll be the operating
development will be not I'm not

124
00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,680
sure how much of A chunk, but
there will be a chunk of that.

125
00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,400
There will be flicked over to
that payments for operating

126
00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,480
costs and it'll be a underground
environment, not an open pit

127
00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,120
mine.
And they spoke to this as well,

128
00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:39,480
right?
We, we listened back to the

129
00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,240
question a couple times.
The indication they gave that

130
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:45,800
that sustaining total, you know,
28 is a bit higher, that should

131
00:06:45,840 --> 00:06:48,800
moderate a bit.
Expect that to come down in

132
00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:52,520
future as a sort of standard
sustaining capital number that

133
00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,400
needs to be spent every quarter.
But I think and but that'll be.

134
00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,480
That will come down.
But I think that'll be.

135
00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:01,960
Goes into the other.
Part the query is how much is

136
00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,320
the the operating cost going to
go up when you go and when a lot

137
00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:08,320
of that's gone because they're
still going to have they've got

138
00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,480
two jumbos operating they're
always going to have a minimum

139
00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,000
of two jumbos or they anticipate
they said they deferred the

140
00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,480
third jumbo to I think it was
calendar year 26.

141
00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,200
So it's, it's going to be a
pretty whether the, whether they

142
00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,440
do, they're always going to be
probably doing a bit of decline

143
00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,480
or like, sorry, they're going
to, it's going to cost a pretty

144
00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:30,800
similar amount each quarter for
A2 jumbos to develop over 300

145
00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,880
meters each.
So that cost is not really going

146
00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:35,320
to change.
It's always going to be there

147
00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:37,680
and they're going to be trying
to get that same amount of

148
00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,040
output out of them.
Yeah.

149
00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,880
So there's yeah.
So it's going to be a big, I

150
00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,720
know when the open pit finishes,
you're going to replace the open

151
00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,280
pit equipment and the open pit
mining with underground

152
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,480
equipment.
So they, it's there is a change

153
00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:55,960
out, but underground is you
would think it's more expensive

154
00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:58,920
than open pit.
This is going to be a pretty

155
00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,240
bulk mining version of
underground.

156
00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:06,280
So yeah, that's we weren't
really known until probably FY20

157
00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,880
6 anyway, right.
So the quarter one, quarter 2

158
00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,440
till that's all.
Cash generation here is, is the

159
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,120
open pick cost, but obviously
the long term here is undergo,

160
00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:15,480
yeah.
Exactly.

161
00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,640
I think that's fair to say.
And on the development, it was a

162
00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,280
decent quarter again sort of
edged out to be a record quarter

163
00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,400
of I think 30 odd meters like
you said, a bit over 300 per

164
00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,960
jumbo per month, which is
decent.

165
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:31,280
And you know, good signs like
ventilation, raised bores, you

166
00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,400
know, pace reticulation and the
pace plant, all these

167
00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,159
infrastructure type projects
were ahead on schedule, which

168
00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:39,640
is, you know, positives.
And there and there will be a

169
00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,280
lot of in that mine development
and everything there will be

170
00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,200
costs at the moment like your
early ventilation raises like

171
00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,800
even though there is 1/3
decline, I to my knowledge that

172
00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,280
is the ventilation drive.
But there setting up the your

173
00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,360
first vent rises if there is any
of the surface like a fresh air

174
00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:00,200
intakes escape ways like but
there's the pump stations, the

175
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,920
substations and all that.
So that they're when they were

176
00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,360
talking about the early heavy
capital that is going on.

177
00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:08,400
It will.
There will be some of it, but

178
00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:11,680
not as much now as not as much
as there is now.

179
00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,400
Over the quarter they built up a
handy amount of stockpiles as

180
00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,440
well, which is they risk that
that period we're going to see

181
00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,040
over the next year if there is
any sort of hiccups along the

182
00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,800
way. 1.3 million tons now in
stockpile mostly built up from

183
00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:29,320
clean ore plus the you know the
all sorting stockpile that they

184
00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:33,600
call it, which they've actually
spoken about putting together

185
00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,200
through the plant all together
as opposed to what the previous

186
00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:41,200
plan was or sorting it.
You know that that is product

187
00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,760
that sort of sits there or that
sits there with more dilution,

188
00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,360
more kind of deleterious
elements if you like.

189
00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:48,040
But they're trialing different
things.

190
00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:50,880
And they said in January they're
already trialing humping that

191
00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,920
all together, lumping that all
together and then just putting

192
00:09:53,920 --> 00:09:56,320
it through, seeing what the
outcome is, seeing if they can

193
00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:58,400
still get the right recoveries
and those sorts of things.

194
00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,440
So that sort of leads us to talk
a bit about the the recoveries

195
00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:05,840
of the whole operation.
Yeah.

196
00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,360
What are they up to 59%?
59%.

197
00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,640
Recovery targeting 70.
For December, that's right.

198
00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,560
So as Tony O called it, this is
the the Holy Grail of of lithium

199
00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:21,080
sort of production recoveries
are super, super important.

200
00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,600
There'd be an area that I'm sure
heaps of analysts scrolled to

201
00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:24,760
they were, they were keen to
see.

202
00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,280
So talking about throughput, yet
about 620,000 tons go through

203
00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:33,160
that's you know comes out at a
bit over 2.4 million tons per

204
00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:34,560
annum, yeah.
Nearly 2 1/2.

205
00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:38,920
Yeah, on a 2.8 nameplate.
So they're getting there on that

206
00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:45,200
front, 70% by Q3 FY20, 6 is what
they said they want.

207
00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,280
So essentially one year to get
themselves up from what they did

208
00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,880
in December, 59% to 70%.
Beyond that we don't actually

209
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,760
get too much information like
they they previously put out

210
00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,080
what the week to week
improvements were in the last

211
00:10:58,080 --> 00:10:59,920
quarter.
But now we just get a a kind of

212
00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:03,320
standard number for each month
and that went from 52 to 54 to

213
00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,680
59 over the three months of the
quarter, so.

214
00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:08,760
And that's pretty like, and
that's pretty impressive that

215
00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,760
it's going up and they're
lifting the throughput because

216
00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:12,840
that like when you're lifting
the throughput, you're like

217
00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,400
you're going all in.
That's like I'm sure there's a

218
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:19,120
lot of live changes and
everything that goes on with the

219
00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,520
other how the plant works.
But yeah, if it's heading in the

220
00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:27,040
direction in the they're nearly
at 2.8 million tonne, that's

221
00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,960
yeah, that's good.
But like as we said, between the

222
00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:33,040
the and he may he talked to it
as well like the the massive

223
00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,040
balancing act they got between
the reagents, the the, the, the

224
00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,040
de sliming, Yeah.
And the ground size.

225
00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:44,000
The ground size, yeah, so.
Can't have it too big, can't

226
00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:44,920
have it too small.
It's a Nah.

227
00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:48,600
It's a balancing act.
And interesting to see what the

228
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:54,000
underground feed if that is
going to you know, change change

229
00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,480
the recipe for how the plants
going to work compared to the

230
00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:59,040
open pit. 100%, we'll keep our
eyes peeled for that one.

231
00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,360
The feed grade did improve this
quarter versus last, so 1.3

232
00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,920
versus 1.2, better grade, better
recoveries.

233
00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,080
You know, we all kind of have
spoken about that quite a bit,

234
00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,080
but overall the trend was very
positive and I think it kind of

235
00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,360
exceeded expectations to be
honest.

236
00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:17,120
I think most expectations were
just straight lining where we

237
00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,280
were to 70% in a year and a
bit's time.

238
00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,840
And if you're calling it like
that, it was an improvement.

239
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,240
And yeah, they're on the right
track there.

240
00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:28,600
But like I sort of said, there
was about one page covered with

241
00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,480
a couple charts there.
So we'll have to wait and see

242
00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,040
what the team can chalk up
there.

243
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,280
I think they're and they'll be
going straight to the high

244
00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:38,040
grade.
I would imagine underground

245
00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:40,240
like.
I think that's a pretty good

246
00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:41,960
that.
Would be the best place to go.

247
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:43,600
So it'd be interesting to see
even though there was only

248
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,800
30,000 ton of development or if
they're getting going straight

249
00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:49,880
to the high grade, you might say
a bit of a lift from the

250
00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:53,080
development or component that is
a bit of high grade going

251
00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,600
through the feed next quarter to
lift it all up with the pit.

252
00:12:56,680 --> 00:12:59,600
And then yeah.
So they might, as I said, it

253
00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,040
might cost more underground, but
if they can, if they're targeted

254
00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:06,280
high grade straight up and
getting, you know, the 1.6%

255
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,360
shit, no, the reserve grade was
what 1.44?

256
00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,960
So if they're getting well above
that at the start, definitely

257
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:13,880
help things along.
I.

258
00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:15,840
Think it will go for?
That good stuff.

259
00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,280
On that sort of theme, let's
talk about the cash because

260
00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:20,680
that's what really matters for
this for this company in their

261
00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:24,000
sort of crunch point that we're
in, ended last quarter with

262
00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:29,480
263,000,000, ended this quarter
with about 193,000,000.

263
00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,040
And the numbers are always going
to be lumpy, single asset

264
00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:34,480
company, non precious.
We're talking about four

265
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:39,160
shipments that went out over the
space of the the quarter, but

266
00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,000
you had another 45,000,000.
So if that's 70 million sort of

267
00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,760
difference there 45 was project
CapEx, so 11,000,000 more of

268
00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:49,800
that needs to go out over the
next half year and that's sort

269
00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,920
of done which is good because
that was an improvement on what

270
00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,320
was flagged just a quarter ago.
But we're getting closer and

271
00:13:56,320 --> 00:14:00,280
closer to seeing what that could
look like in in due time.

272
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:05,560
And with about 200 ish million
in cash, you've got 700 odd

273
00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:10,080
million in debt.
So that's roughly 410 coming

274
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,480
from the the notes with LG and
then about 3:30 including what's

275
00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:18,200
been capitalized with forward,
both roughly sort of five years.

276
00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,600
The five years started mid last
year for the LG component and

277
00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,360
it's going to start mid this
year for the forward component.

278
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,240
Right now they're still
capitalizing all the interest

279
00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,160
expenses, so they don't have to
pay those ones.

280
00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:33,560
But by 6 months into this year,
they're going to be paying

281
00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:35,120
interest on the forward
component.

282
00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:37,400
And by mid next year, they're
going to be paying interest on

283
00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,200
the LG component.
So that's more expenses, that's

284
00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,720
cash going to go out the door
each quarter or each half year

285
00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,040
in the LG case that they need to
pay.

286
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,640
So a lot of eyes are on those
two.

287
00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,240
I think like the, you know, the
bullet payment in what, 20-30

288
00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,440
that's, you know, a bit similar
to Regis, it'll just be there

289
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,400
forever and hopefully just knock
her off 6 months early and

290
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,160
should be all good hopefully.
700 million is a fair bit of

291
00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,000
cash, but I've no doubt that the
lithium environment will go

292
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,120
through a few sort of ups and
downs between now and then.

293
00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,960
And maybe if there's a a really
rich spell and things are going

294
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,960
well, you can refinance things
and, you know, capitalize on a,

295
00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,560
on a better environment.
It's a it's a long way away.

296
00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:20,800
Thankfully for the company, it's
not something right up in their

297
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:21,320
face.
Yeah.

298
00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,280
I think, I think once production
starts and as we said, they'll

299
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,120
be targeting the high grade
underground, they'll be

300
00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:33,360
hopefully, probably Q1, FY20 6
will be the sugar hit period

301
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:37,600
because they they should
technically be free bogging a

302
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:40,720
shit load of high grade dirt
underground.

303
00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,560
They won't have to be pace
filling like they'll just,

304
00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:46,560
they'll open up a few like
Stokes at once and they'll just

305
00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:50,200
start ripping out the good stuff
and that'll be gone straight to

306
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,640
the plant.
Because until those initial

307
00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,160
stops are empty, they don't have
to be pace filling.

308
00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,120
They don't have to be spending
money on cement and everything.

309
00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:00,640
There's that.
That's when they're really got

310
00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,080
to make the most of that
underground to try and get a bit

311
00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,160
of cash in the door.
They'd be crossing their fingers

312
00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:08,880
and toes that that coincides
with a period of of good

313
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,640
pricing, right.
And you know, on the, on that

314
00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,600
sort of note, we heard them
reference and it was in the news

315
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,680
over the weekend that Albemarle
sold a lot.

316
00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,400
I mean it was a kind of one
paragraph article, so not too

317
00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,080
much that came out about it, but
the price they quoted and I'm

318
00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,600
not sure when it was actually
changing hands was US $921.00

319
00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,240
for SE6.
So regardless, that's better

320
00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:34,400
than where we were half a half a
year ago.

321
00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:37,680
And you know, if that sort of
trend continues along with the

322
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,480
improvements in operations and
everything, then it could, you

323
00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,080
know, inch their way towards a
bit of a better place.

324
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:47,280
Yeah, yeah, they could.
Just like could just mine all

325
00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,160
high grade and not fill them
like Nifty did.

326
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:54,000
Let's hope it doesn't come to
that, that I dramatically chalk

327
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:55,520
off the the life of the
operation.

328
00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:58,920
But I mean, yeah, taking a step
back the the quarter

329
00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,840
operationally was a lot of
positives in there.

330
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,520
Doesn't really speak to the
valuation of the business or

331
00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,720
anything like that.
You know, like we said, dividend

332
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,079
might be a while away still, but
there was a lot of positives to

333
00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:12,440
kind of take and it's kind of
understandable why the why the

334
00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:14,800
share price ticked up 10 odd
percent today.

335
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:17,359
Yeah, I just want to go.
I want to go back to the the

336
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,560
cement, Sorry to keep hopping on
about pace fill.

337
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,960
I just want to know, I don't
know who's supplying that cement

338
00:17:24,079 --> 00:17:26,359
up there because that that's
that's going to be the most

339
00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:30,600
critical thing for that
operation is that pace fill

340
00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,960
consistency and everything in
the future because there's the

341
00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,760
paste backfill production
balance.

342
00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:41,040
I'll just recommend once I do
figure out who is supplying the

343
00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:45,320
cement, get them to call Derek
Hurd from the CNB Ground Sport

344
00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:50,040
Division and get some tips on
how to consistently supply a

345
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,480
product to a mining operation
forever.

346
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,800
Because don't you think the CNB
Ground Sport Division are the

347
00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:01,600
best in the game for delivering
shit every day forever?

348
00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:03,560
It's not just bolts, it's
everything you need, right?

349
00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,480
Yeah.
Cement is exactly the same as

350
00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:07,880
ground sport.
You're going to be using it

351
00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,400
every day.
Call Derek, get some tips from

352
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:13,960
the best maybe if they should
start seeing Vic cement.

353
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,080
Maybe they should.
That is actually that actually

354
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,680
sounds good too.
Logical next step.

355
00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,040
Seeing Vic Cement.
What do you think of what do you

356
00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,120
think of mines that that don't
have DSI ground shit just.

357
00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,680
Shit, uninvestable.
Uninvestable, pretty much, yeah,

358
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,880
the the CapEx number's huge, The
operating cost is huge.

359
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,240
The waterfall chart just ends up
going backwards.

360
00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:41,920
So yes, give you give yourself a
good waterfall chart and call

361
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,680
Derek Hurd go DSI.
Oh, buddy.

362
00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:46,000
Alright, Maddie, let's talk
about.

363
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:46,960
DSI.
DSI.

364
00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,320
Sandvik, DSI.
Still in my heart.

365
00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:52,800
Alright, let's talk about
Northern Star.

366
00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:55,240
Oh God, bloody can Northern
Star.

367
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:56,960
Can you just go back to having
Paulson's?

368
00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:01,560
It's so much simpler, so much
going on here, and I don't think

369
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,200
I've provided.
Anything but company.

370
00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,240
Anyway, it's pretty flat, pretty
flat.

371
00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:09,360
Seems to be tracking the gold
price today.

372
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:14,600
So what 410,000 oz sold all in
Stein and cost 2128.

373
00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:19,600
So they've said underlying free
cash flow of 72 million and that

374
00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:24,320
does include 60 million of
equipment, finances and leases.

375
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:27,560
This for a $18 billion company
by the way, pretty bloody big.

376
00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:32,040
So oz and cost second-half
weighted.

377
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:37,600
So because they've sold 804
ounces, 804,000 oz so far and so

378
00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,160
they need to sell another
921,000 ounces to hit the

379
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:45,440
midpoint of their guidance,
1.725 million oz.

380
00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:51,480
So now the big sounds like it
was a bit of a pivotal quality,

381
00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:53,520
you'd say something.
They said they're working four

382
00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:58,080
years towards is at KCGM.
The East Wall remediation is

383
00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,200
done.
Done.

384
00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,040
That's that's wow, that's
awesome.

385
00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:03,880
Yeah.
So they're actually now going to

386
00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:07,880
access the Golden Pike N ounces
in the pit floor.

387
00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,760
So they're talking about like
grades of you know, 2G a ton in

388
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,120
those pit floor benches.
So that's going to be the kicker

389
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:20,280
for so because you can see how
much for KCGM for the open pit,

390
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:22,200
how much lower the open pit tons
were.

391
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,360
So just a bit over 1,000,000 ton
compared to like three and a

392
00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:28,400
half million ton for the quarter
one year ago.

393
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:34,240
So and so it sounds like that is
really going to ramp up for the

394
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,840
second-half and that's where a
lot of the ounce uplift is going

395
00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,280
to come from to meet the
guidance.

396
00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:44,040
What do you say?
I think Simon was the COI was

397
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,480
saying it was like something
like 50,000 ounces in a bench or

398
00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,520
something like those two green
benches.

399
00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:52,240
So there's, yeah, a lot of lot
of good dirt down there.

400
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:58,960
So I would anticipate that that
open pit grade and the tons are

401
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:00,960
really going to lift in the KCGM
pit.

402
00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,560
So my 2 grand open pit, she's
bloody deep down there, bud.

403
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:05,240
That's deep.
Yeah.

404
00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:06,640
Fucking hell.
It's like driving up from an

405
00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,840
underground.
But yeah, anyway, sure, they've

406
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,160
been doing it for a while.
They're going to keep doing it.

407
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:17,520
So oh say and they're freaking
humming at bloody KCGM

408
00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:20,920
underground. 7.2 kilometres of
development for the quarter, so

409
00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,000
2400 a month.
So I don't know, they probably

410
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:27,160
got bloody 8 jumbo 0 something
and 7.4 kilometres of

411
00:21:27,160 --> 00:21:31,080
development at Jundee.
So nearly 2500 a month there.

412
00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:36,880
So still bloody flying delivered
120,000 ounces of the 400 odd

413
00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:39,280
into hedges.
So that's why they averaged

414
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,560
realized sale prices are 3700 an
ounce.

415
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:47,320
So interestingly did not add any
further hedging commitments.

416
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,040
Consider out of the three out of
the last four quarters, they've

417
00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:58,040
always added hedges, added a big
chunk, bloody 285,000 oz or

418
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,920
something 12 months ago.
So yeah, you'd think at this

419
00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,080
really high gold price, I
thought they probably would have

420
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:08,240
got a good price for some adding
some hedges, but they haven't.

421
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,080
So it'd be interesting to see if
they're hedging policy will

422
00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,560
change.
Still 1.7 million oz hedged at

423
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:19,040
3242 delivered up until the June
half 28.

424
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,760
Gotcha.
So yeah, it feels like.

425
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,640
Yeah.
One of those that without

426
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,560
context, it's, I mean, there's a
lot of Oz hedged there,

427
00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,080
obviously, but they produce a
lot, a lot of gold.

428
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:31,560
But maybe they're copping some
Flack on the on the on some of

429
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,360
the hedge book or or maybe the
typical thing that happens with

430
00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:37,520
capital allocators in the mining
just to get like a pro cyclical

431
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,480
and they're like, oh, damn it,
this isn't working, I'll stop

432
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,960
it.
I as, as you say, as I said, I

433
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,800
think it was the quarterly, last
quarterly conference call.

434
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,720
They're like, look, hedging
never works in a rising gold

435
00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,600
price environment.
The gold price had been rising.

436
00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,400
Fair decades now, but yeah, I
mean it looks like the classic

437
00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,440
1/3 for the next three years,
yeah.

438
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,600
So 600 odd 1000, they're doing
what you say, 1.71 third yeah,

439
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:05,080
yeah.
And it just looks like you said

440
00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:09,200
they're the June half in 28.
They haven't upped it.

441
00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:11,760
You know, classically they would
have added another 300 odd

442
00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:16,720
thousand for for that half year
period and they've sort of held

443
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,160
the trigger on that one, so.
Yeah, so see what they do next

444
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,800
month.
And so they also received about

445
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:28,880
206 bucks from Goldfields after
they converted their the con

446
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,080
note they had with a Cisco.
Someone told me about this they.

447
00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,240
Put my radar, yeah, yeah.
So it was right.

448
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,840
It was just in October.
So obviously they converted the

449
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,560
con note into Cisco shares.
Then obviously Goldfields took

450
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,040
out of Cisco mining.
So it looks like they profited.

451
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,800
I think it's 37 million
something from that.

452
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:50,320
But it's funny on the on the
debt front, because their their

453
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:56,040
debt is AUS $600 million bond.
So the actual Australian dollar

454
00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,560
value of that debt since the
last quarter's going up $100

455
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,360
million because it was at $0.69
last quarter.

456
00:24:02,360 --> 00:24:04,000
Now the Aussie dollar is at what
6?

457
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,360
It was marked at $0.62.
You know who else has a lot of

458
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:12,280
US denominated debt?
Good friends of the show.

459
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:20,120
So, yeah, so for that
772,000,000 underlying free cash

460
00:24:20,120 --> 00:24:23,520
flow, they spent another
79,000,000 on the share buyback.

461
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,600
So it looks like about 50
million to go on that $300

462
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,720
million planned buyback.
I think that's I think that

463
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,280
added up to 250 million total
spent so far.

464
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,800
So.
What about the CapEx, mate?

465
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:41,760
800 bucks. 800 bucks spent for
the first half so far.

466
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:47,160
So 1/2 billion is scheduled.
So sounds like that E warmer

467
00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:52,520
remediation was you know a good
added to why it was a bit more

468
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,520
first half weighted.
So as we repeat going through

469
00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:02,160
high CapEx period with the KCGM
expansion, so a bit below 400

470
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:10,360
mill 1/4 total that's so I guess
the CapEx outside the KCGM

471
00:25:10,360 --> 00:25:15,560
expansion is still 250 mill 1/4
plus another 125 mill 1/4 for

472
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,280
the KCGM side.
So you think of evolutions

473
00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:24,840
CapEx, they're about 185 to 187
in the last two quarters each

474
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:26,960
quarter.
Granted bloody Northern Stars

475
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:30,200
market caps 18, bill evolutions
711.

476
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:33,760
So, but yeah, show it.
It probably does show a bit that

477
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,680
Evos are probably a bit more in
cash harvest mode in a way

478
00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:39,280
north.
Of Montgari, that's The only

479
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:40,480
exception.
That way, that's where the

480
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:41,440
money's going.
Yeah.

481
00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,680
And even that's getting to the
the sort of more than halfway

482
00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:46,840
through that that spend here
there as well.

483
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,960
But I mean it strikes you when
you hear the free cash flow

484
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:52,400
number that you said at the
beginning, 70 million for a $18

485
00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:53,600
billion company.
Yeah.

486
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,960
And you look, you know a lot of
CapEx being spent.

487
00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,040
Around the grounds and because
you could say they're in growth

488
00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:04,640
mode until what FY20 7 when the
KCGM expansion is is complete

489
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,920
and degree then Hemi if that
goes through they didn't buy it

490
00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:13,440
on comments regarding Hemi just
said won't really give much

491
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:15,600
until the transaction goes
through which is scheduled for

492
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:17,760
May.
But if you think that you know

493
00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:20,760
KCGM expansion's going to finish
then bring on another

494
00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:26,080
potentially 2 billion at least
CapEx for to build Hemi.

495
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:28,760
Yeah.
It's going to be in another

496
00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,880
section of it's, it's equivalent
to the KCGM mill expansion plus

497
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,280
more probably more way more
CapEx to to build that.

498
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,440
So it's it's sort of.
They put out their quarterly

499
00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,720
today too.
And there was there was one

500
00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:46,280
bullet around approvals in a
yeah, a deferment of a, of a of

501
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,000
AI think it was a federal,
federal approval for by 6

502
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:50,880
months.
I mean, everyone was expecting

503
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:52,240
something along those lines
anyway, yeah.

504
00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:57,480
Yeah, I think, I think once that
once that Degray transaction

505
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:03,480
goes hopefully goes through or
maybe before, who knows, It'd be

506
00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:05,480
interesting to see if they're
going to be divesting some

507
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,200
assets or not like Karasuddin
possibly at the top of the list

508
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:12,000
hearing that mine life
extensions there would need a

509
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,560
bit more proving up to extend
it.

510
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:20,000
Like look at Thunderbox and
Thunderbox and Bronze Wing, like

511
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,120
that's their highest cost sort
of operations, you know,

512
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,480
definitely probably take John D
in Pogo, keep all the Kalgoorlie

513
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:29,320
stuff to feed the shit out of
the mill there.

514
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:32,360
Yeah.
Now that now that Hemi's

515
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:35,640
probably possibly coming into
the portfolio bit of cash in the

516
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,680
door that should be heading
straight to Paul Natali's pocket

517
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:40,800
for the great, the Hemi camp for
Grounded.

518
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,880
Definitely, that's thought make
that easy.

519
00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,440
Easy for Paul, but easy for
Northern Star as well.

520
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:49,040
It's it's hot out in the
pilgrimage.

521
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,920
But you know what makes working
in hot weather better?

522
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,240
Paul Natali and and grounded it
will happen in front of you

523
00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:58,600
mentioned where it's like out of
travel.

524
00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:01,400
Have a look at where it is right
up in the bloody.

525
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,920
It's not the it's the shoulder
of Australia.

526
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,280
But there is no exception.
Tony O said it'd been 40° every

527
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:12,160
day out at Kathleen Valley.
There's nowhere in WA where you

528
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,000
don't need a grounded camp.
Oh right, well, and especially

529
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,520
in this one because have a look
at what it coincides with.

530
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,200
Raging day.
Severe tropical cyclones, that

531
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:24,600
is like Emmy is there and all
also in that frickin purple

532
00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:29,960
patch, which means the hottest
place in hottest band in

533
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,760
Australia.
So I'll tell you what, if I'm

534
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,000
going up there, I will want that
bloody Hemi camp to be freaking

535
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,680
cyclone proof and supercharged.
Air Con and my grounded have the

536
00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,440
ones they have those camps ready
to go.

537
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:45,720
They're the people for you,
camp.

538
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,360
'S the wrong word.
I think we've got to call them.

539
00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:48,720
Resort.
Resorts.

540
00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,880
Yeah, Resort.
Village Village feels like a

541
00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,240
retirement thing, but they're
better than that.

542
00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:54,320
Yeah, you know who else calls
them Resort Trav?

543
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,520
The same the same company that
has a lot of US denominated Ted.

544
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:01,960
Oh mate, I'll tell you what, if
I'm going up to the up to the

545
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:06,160
friggin see how the poor there,
London might just make a good

546
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,480
recruitment decision and put put
another J spot on the WA map.

547
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:11,280
Go grounded.
Go.

548
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:11,960
Grounded.
Let's.

549
00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:14,720
Talk about Yanko.
Yanko.

550
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,160
Yanko, Trey, have you tuned into
this one?

551
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,440
Doom doom, doom.
Yes, for all the filthy cold

552
00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,360
stock lovers out there, which I
am one of.

553
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,880
Ding Ding Ding.
You're right, Maddie, I own yow

554
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:27,160
is that there's a few things
happening with the ankle at the

555
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,400
moment, which which kind of puts
them in the spotlight, makes

556
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,480
them kind of interesting.
You know, you can come up with,

557
00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,960
yeah, get your thesis for why
the stock price might move

558
00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,360
either way based on, you know,
where they're at and what their

559
00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,640
capital allocation is and the
quarterly results that they

560
00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,880
dropped like yesterday, they
always drop them off to market

561
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:47,160
pretty strong.
Cash up 480 million bucks in the

562
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,680
quarter.
So the stock price shot up 6%,

563
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:53,240
which is pretty hefty hefty move
for an $8.4 billion market cap

564
00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:57,280
company notably that the cash
balance is is 30% of that market

565
00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:02,120
cap standing at 2.5 billion
Aussie dollars as at the 31st of

566
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,640
December.
That the cash balance is key

567
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,800
focus for for shareholders who
are trying to read into like

568
00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:11,800
every word as if it's like, you
know, the Fed reserve minutes to

569
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,080
figure out if they if they're
going to get a juicy dividend in

570
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:15,920
three months time or not
because.

571
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:19,000
The dot plot.
Yes, what are you going to get?

572
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,960
And it like we kind of, you
know, talked about a fair bit

573
00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,880
last year when, when, when
Yankel determined to to pay no

574
00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:32,000
interim dividend, you know, I
think it was like 3:00-ish

575
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,560
months ago, it caused kind of a
bit of mayhem.

576
00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,400
The share price, you know, just
just fell off pretty

577
00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,880
dramatically as a lot of the,
you know, the yield hungry

578
00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,200
shareholders.
They, they had their base case

579
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:44,720
squashed.
They were, they were hoping for

580
00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:48,080
a payout back then.
But of course, the Yankel's

581
00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:52,600
rationale at the time is was
because they were they were in

582
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,080
the the bidding process Bangla
American's portfolio, they were

583
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:59,280
retaining cash for for to put in
a competitive offer.

584
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:01,800
But in the NP body got the
chocolates.

585
00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,040
But the bulk of that portfolio
when Yankel stayed on the on the

586
00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,040
on the sidelines now, but
they're now, you know, rumored

587
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,480
to be pretty interested in
buying Kestrel instead, which is

588
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,360
undergoing its own sale process.
All of that to say, most of

589
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,400
Yanko's shareholders would be
absolutely thrilled to see the

590
00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:23,400
company's sideline, it's M&A
agenda and focus on on divvies

591
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,920
instead.
But the trouble is most of the

592
00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,320
shareholders account for very
little of the actual

593
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,840
shareholding because it's it's
too, too top 2.

594
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:35,280
Chinese shareholders own 70% of
the the shares in the company

595
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,640
and the rest of us are frankly
passengers to to their agenda, I

596
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:40,440
think.
So what's your view?

597
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:43,160
Dividend or not?
That that's the, that's the

598
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:49,480
question on, on everyone's mind
when, when Divvy and they were,

599
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:52,000
they were taking webcast
questions on the call.

600
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,920
You can kind of tell they were
getting peppered with Divvy

601
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:57,760
questions.
I'll I'll play a few snips for

602
00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,480
you guys.
There are several questions

603
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,520
coming through on the topic of
dividend, dividend outlook,

604
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:09,040
dividend policy, capacity for
dividends into the future

605
00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,520
periods.
Kevin, during the scripted

606
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,520
comments, we had a an
introduction saying that we have

607
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,360
some capacity for dividends.
Are you able to expand on the

608
00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,640
the company's policy and what we
can say at this time ahead of

609
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,720
the the board meeting?
Sure.

610
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:29,960
Thanks, Brendan.
A time as what a Brandon just

611
00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,880
mentioned about the company
strategy doesn't change same

612
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:39,160
thing for dividend policy, it
doesn't change.

613
00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,960
I can reiterate the policy
again.

614
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:49,640
Why have this 50% NPAP or 50%
free cash flow, whichever is

615
00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:55,440
higher case is the guideline for
you know the the management to

616
00:32:55,920 --> 00:33:01,200
plan our dividend distribution.
I didn't know that dividend is

617
00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:05,200
about the decision.
So both will meet in February to

618
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:11,440
decide you know in this case in
2024 a full year dividend also

619
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:16,520
on dividend, this is something
way just back to what Brendan

620
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,080
just mentioned about a corporate
strategy is a part of our

621
00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:25,040
Capital Management philosophy.
Basically, balancing a growth

622
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:31,120
story outweighs a good return to
our shareholders as Yankee

623
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,200
doesn't have any debt, so we
don't really need to worry about

624
00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,360
the cash outflow to manage our
facilities.

625
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:41,920
As a result, it's very much to
see how the efficient cash flow

626
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:47,000
to manage well the growth
opportunity and also our return

627
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:52,480
to our shareholders, which with
these $2.5 billion cash in the

628
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:54,800
bank, we definitely are able to
manage.

629
00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:59,040
Thank you.
That's a fucking sick bloody

630
00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,360
video.
I think I've sexed that up for

631
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:01,880
you.
Yeah.

632
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,240
Oh oh, that's not how it was
released.

633
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,560
No, no, it was actually really
bad audio quality.

634
00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:08,880
But I've I'm proof of audio
quality and added some pictures

635
00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:10,320
for you too.
Man, oh, how good's that.

636
00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:11,840
I thought you ain't told you've
done.

637
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:14,719
That no, no, no.
And then?

638
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:19,840
I'd do that for the Bella Vista
Cordley. 10 minutes later in the

639
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:24,520
call we got this as well.
We better you.

640
00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:29,040
Follow up questions on that
topic of dividend, Kevin, do we

641
00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:33,960
have an expectation for
distributions in terms of finals

642
00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:38,560
and dividend, finals and income
dividend over the coming year,

643
00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:40,880
even if you've already touched
on, it's very much at the

644
00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,280
Board's discretion?
Thanks Brandon.

645
00:34:44,880 --> 00:34:47,880
I noticed some comments on on on
the web link.

646
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:54,920
I can see question relates to
the company's skip 2024 interim

647
00:34:54,920 --> 00:35:00,760
dividends and which is actually
the good, good example for us to

648
00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:04,600
say we've been balancing and
managing the dividend on for

649
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:09,560
year basis and then subject to
the corporate initiative and the

650
00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:14,760
strategy in a priority.
So we still you seek and stick

651
00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:19,400
on to the existing corporate
dividend policy and the way

652
00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:24,440
we'll assess the dividend return
to our shareholders basically

653
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,000
assessing the full year
performance.

654
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,200
So you can see a lot, a lot of
dividend questions are really

655
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:30,640
just coming through on that
webcast.

656
00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:32,760
Another one of.
The dividend, he's coming up

657
00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,040
again, Kevin.
You got the picture.

658
00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,120
Oh, is there like.
So here's a question from a

659
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:41,320
member of the Steve Ray Fund.
Yeah.

660
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:46,360
After what happened when they
announced they weren't doing a

661
00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,200
dividend and the share, share
price going from mid sevens down

662
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:54,040
to below 6 and everything like
as I asked you before, like if

663
00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:56,680
they did release a dividend,
normally stocks go ex dividend

664
00:35:56,680 --> 00:35:59,640
and go down the same proportion.
But if they did release a

665
00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:05,200
dividend, which would indicate
they're not pursuing M&A, would

666
00:36:05,240 --> 00:36:08,120
it like the stock rate right
back up to where it possibly

667
00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:08,840
was?
Yeah.

668
00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,360
What's the thoughts?
What's the public thoughts

669
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:12,520
there?
You're all trying to figure out

670
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,040
what's priced in and are you
going to get a better outcome

671
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,200
than what the stock price is
currently pricing in?

672
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,240
My thinking on this has changed
a little bit, but I actually

673
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:24,960
think the the stock is pricing
in, you know, a, a, a just a

674
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,920
relatively normal kind of
dividend to be based on the

675
00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:31,280
dividend policy, not super
dividend.

676
00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,720
Yeah.
Now if if the the announcement

677
00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:37,080
of that dividend is is above
expectations, I'd expected the

678
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:40,560
the share price to to shoot up
and then X dividend, it'll it'll

679
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,920
fall off, you know, but but it's
all about when that dividend,

680
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,240
the quantum of it is announced.
Is it above or below

681
00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:49,120
expectations?
Shareholders, shareholders, you

682
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,320
can tell by how, how frequently
people ask about dividends.

683
00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,400
Shareholders care way more about
dividends than they care about

684
00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,160
M&A.
But like I said, you know them

685
00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,200
us small 30% of the shareholders
don't really have too much of A

686
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:04,280
say when you've got the other
70% would have the biggest say

687
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,280
in this vehicle.
But that you know, that's what

688
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:08,080
you get with your ankle.
It's cheap for a reason, of

689
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:10,760
course.
To add to that Maddie, to to

690
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:12,560
your question specifically, I
think if they were to

691
00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,080
accommodate that with wording
saying hey, we're now on a

692
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,560
strict dividend policy, we are
no longer looking at M&A.

693
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,160
You know, those sorts of words
and stuff might encourage

694
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,400
shareholders and might be a bit
more of a catalyst.

695
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:28,560
Yeah, conjunction with their,
you know, I.

696
00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:31,800
I brought up their dividend
policy in the Constitution and

697
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:35,920
like on the like the, the way I
read it because I was just

698
00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:38,880
trying to figure out everything.
The way I read it is like they

699
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:43,760
are they, they, they, they are
committed to paying 50% of free

700
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:46,680
cash flow or impact, whichever
is higher in each financial

701
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,640
year.
So the fact they didn't pay the

702
00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:52,040
interim one just means that it's
going to be a, you know, a

703
00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:53,680
higher one in the end of
financial year.

704
00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,440
However, there are provisions in
this dividend policy to pay to

705
00:37:56,720 --> 00:38:00,200
pay a lower one if prudent.
And there's also provision to

706
00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,720
pay to pay no one if they if, if
it's, you know, particularly

707
00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:07,240
financially prudent to do so.
I don't know if like my base

708
00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:09,560
case isn't that they're going
to, I just think they'll pay,

709
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,080
you know, 50%.
That's my base case.

710
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:16,160
And we've got first half
earnings already and Yankel,

711
00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,560
they actually report their
financial year in a calendar

712
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:20,440
year basis.
So we've got the two quarters

713
00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:22,760
already for the for the
second-half of that financial

714
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:25,680
year you can estimate.
And Pat, yeah, pretty close to

715
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:28,760
1.5 billion for that full
financial calendar year, which

716
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,800
kind of gets you close.
If you if you take 50% of that,

717
00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:35,520
you kind of get about $0.57 per
share as a, as a base case

718
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,200
dividend on is how I think about
it.

719
00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,200
And that would still leave
Yankel if they paid out $0.50,

720
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,960
you know, it's a $0.50 divvy on
a $6.32 stock today.

721
00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:51,600
It's only like a, it's like a 9%
divvy that would, that would

722
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,480
still leave your ankle with a
shit load of cash on balance

723
00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:56,280
sheet too.
Like, you know, they'd have over

724
00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:58,440
1 1/2 billion dollars of cash
left on their balance sheet,

725
00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:02,760
which in an ideal world that
would mostly distribute to

726
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,120
shareholders as well.
That'd be great.

727
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:08,520
But much more likely they're
just going to hoard it for M&A

728
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:10,720
optionality, going to have to
wait until February for.

729
00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:15,400
That day, is there a chance that
no the XDV date will be later

730
00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:17,600
than?
Because I'd like to see you get

731
00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:21,360
your dividend so you could spend
it in Darba when you're over.

732
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:23,240
There also in February.
Next week.

733
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:24,680
So now it'd be too late,
wouldn't it?

734
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:28,160
Yeah, I can't come early Feb.
We might still be in Africa.

735
00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:30,280
Yeah, yeah.
Just Yankel, can you please take

736
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:34,320
the boys travel into account?
Travel.

737
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,520
Yeah.
Divvy would go a long way in the

738
00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:37,400
DRC as well.
What?

739
00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:41,240
Are.
You going to get up like get you

740
00:39:41,240 --> 00:39:43,400
might end up with a mining asset
or something.

741
00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:45,720
JD bit of a little back end a
deal.

742
00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:47,840
And that be a cop of mine.
Yeah maybe, maybe you can bloody

743
00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:50,640
I have to pay like a few 100
bucks for some immunizations

744
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,280
just to go to the DRC.
So maybe maybe the divvy can

745
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:57,440
help subsidise my medical costs?
I can't wait till he's come back

746
00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,880
from in Darbar and say, look, we
own and we own.

747
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,480
Picked up a couple twitches.
Picked up a couple of million oz

748
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:07,080
while we're over there.
If you go to Daba, hit us up.

749
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:09,080
Yeah, Be good to catch up with
you while you're over there.

750
00:40:09,080 --> 00:40:10,200
Money minus.
We are pumped.

751
00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:15,080
I'll start finding a shell.
Alrighty, let's talk a bit about

752
00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:19,200
the the state of coal markets,
specifically thermal coal.

753
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,520
In this case is that is Yang
coal space product.

754
00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,520
Yeah, like I mean elevated coal
markets 2022, they've rolled off

755
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:29,320
and you can see both, both
thermal and met seaborne indices

756
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:31,640
constantly.
It's like grinding lower and

757
00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:35,960
lower for the last two years and
but even as prices have have

758
00:40:36,080 --> 00:40:39,000
moderated, Yanko still captures
like a really healthy cash

759
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,760
margin because it's mines are
generally very low cost.

760
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:45,360
A lot of costs as well, inch and
higher and higher.

761
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:47,560
Yep.
So it's impressive to still make

762
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:48,840
a decent chunk of.
Money totally.

763
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,000
I mean, they they bought these
mines off like the luxury Tinto.

764
00:40:52,120 --> 00:40:55,520
So it's no surprise that like
they are really, you know, locos

765
00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:57,600
mines.
All my, a lot of my mates I went

766
00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,400
to uni with did a lot back work
at Mount Thorley, yeah, back in

767
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,400
the day, which was, you know,
one of their.

768
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:03,200
Ones.
Yep, Yep.

769
00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:06,760
Again, it was the Rio days.
Yeah, I could actually find it

770
00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:10,960
cost curve of of seaborne
thermal thermal coal like you

771
00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:13,880
know the cost curve.
But here's the the two

772
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:16,960
components of that chart anyway,
total cash costs and and

773
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:20,120
production.
You can see the the three mines

774
00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:23,040
of yen coal that account for the
vast, vast majority of their

775
00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:26,680
production are all, you know,
relatively low cost and and

776
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:30,240
large scale.
They're big operations, yeah,

777
00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:34,720
seriously big operations, yeah.
So what about the the bear case

778
00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:36,920
for the company?
What are you kind of thinking

779
00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:40,040
there as a as a shareholder?
I think there's there are a few

780
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,440
things.
As usual bear case involves less

781
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:46,200
than optimal capital allocation.
The nearest risk being you know,

782
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:50,080
overpaying for Kestrel.
But but honestly, like buying

783
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,240
anything is possible for this
company, like they always talk

784
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:59,200
about like, you know, they buy
base metals, they buy things in

785
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:00,480
other countries and all that
sort of stuff.

786
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,680
And today, like we haven't seen
anything silly on that front.

787
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,400
But it doesn't mean you you rule
it out, especially when a lot of

788
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,120
the talk is is about being
acquisitive for a growth story.

789
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:13,080
But you know, I think it's worth
drawing the money miners

790
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:17,120
attention to a somewhat ominous
resignation of the CEO David

791
00:42:17,120 --> 00:42:20,120
Malt announced a week ago.
He was he was CEO for five

792
00:42:20,200 --> 00:42:21,480
years.
And when when this was

793
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:25,280
announced, it was announced,
aftermarket said he's active

794
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:29,000
duty seized from today, which
meant that Mister Ning you

795
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,840
stepping in as acting CEO.
And then in less than a month

796
00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:36,160
before David Malt resigned,
another independent non exec

797
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:39,200
director, Geoffrey Raby stood
down from the board too.

798
00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:44,480
Now when asked him to call
today, the responses were

799
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:47,200
basically insisting that there's
no change to the strategy from

800
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:49,240
the company with the CEO
transition, etcetera, etcetera.

801
00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:51,800
But you know, my mind begs the
question.

802
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:55,320
I think Cassini could look at
the those resignations and come

803
00:42:55,320 --> 00:42:59,000
up with a reasonable hypothesis
that there was some wrestle over

804
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,000
strategy like that.
That's a reasonable, you know,

805
00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:03,360
possibility here.
I could could yank all, for

806
00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,680
example, be like red hot on
Kestrel despite it being an

807
00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:07,080
average asset.
That's like, you know, a

808
00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:09,480
plausible thing in my mind, or
it could be litany of other

809
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:11,720
things.
But I don't just assume that

810
00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:14,400
there's there's no strategy
differences when you see kind of

811
00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,760
a an effective immediately sort
of resignation.

812
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:20,840
The CEO doesn't leave effective
immediate if all things are just

813
00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:22,840
tickety boos.
Technically, employment

814
00:43:23,240 --> 00:43:25,080
continued.
That might have just been a

815
00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:27,080
provision of a contract or
payments or something.

816
00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:29,200
But yeah, he's active duties,
yes.

817
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,360
You pay out the the next three
months or six months or

818
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:33,800
whatever, but we don't want you
here tomorrow.

819
00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:38,960
Like it's not a great sign.
The announcement also said I was

820
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:41,520
basically saying we, we agree.
There's no, there's no, there's

821
00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:44,640
basically no disagreements
between the board and the CEO.

822
00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,160
Yeah, yeah.
I don't always believe that, but

823
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,520
yeah, anyway.
Who else is in the hunt for

824
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:52,680
Kestrel?
This there'd be the usual

825
00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:56,520
suspects in resources would be
right up there in some, you

826
00:43:56,520 --> 00:44:00,000
know, they might be be looking
at a consortium again with, you

827
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:03,600
know, like Stanmore and the
Vijaya family as we've seen them

828
00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:07,200
pop up in the past.
But yeah, it could be who knows

829
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:09,560
Maddie, like I think the take
away, have you seen what's

830
00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:11,920
happened to Peabody stock share
price since they bought the

831
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:13,200
Anglo portfolio?
It's halved.

832
00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:16,600
Oh wow, It's been hammered.
So the markets, yeah.

833
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:19,280
I mean, the balance sheet is, is
really stretched.

834
00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:20,920
METCO was under a fair bit of
pressure.

835
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,600
You know, it's like when's the
last time a stock's been

836
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:27,040
punished for, you know,
overpaying for for coal, for a

837
00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:28,640
coal portfolio.
It's it's it's really

838
00:44:28,640 --> 00:44:29,480
interesting to watch.
So a.

839
00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:32,480
Bit of shareholder alienation as
well.

840
00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:35,880
Yeah, yeah, Portion of the basic
lease, kind of like the decision

841
00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:38,560
with with Yankel 3 months ago.
Yeah, yeah.

842
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:44,200
And the, the, the Met market has
a few other pressures, you know,

843
00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:46,240
on at the thermal hasn't quite
had yet.

844
00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:51,880
Notably, I think there was some
agreement recently for, for, for

845
00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,600
Chinese export or import
capacity from Mongolia to lift

846
00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:58,800
from 80 to 120 million tons per
annum.

847
00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:03,120
And that obviously just, you
know, just places or Seabournet

848
00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:05,720
coal from the market as well.
So you know, it's more

849
00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:08,840
complicated, yada yada.
But yeah, let's see what happens

850
00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:10,640
here.
The the last, yeah.

851
00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:12,880
And I think that's like the last
thing to point out is, is that

852
00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:14,680
some analysts are also bearish.
The animal called too.

853
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,440
I read a note yesterday that
China's reaching peak, well,

854
00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:24,320
trying to reach peak thermal in
2024, there was just like $25 to

855
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:28,560
$30 per tonne premium in in
Newcastle over onshore China

856
00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:31,960
volumes which persisted for most
in 2024, which has sort of been

857
00:45:31,960 --> 00:45:36,960
eroded over the last year.
Indonesian supplies harming in

858
00:45:36,960 --> 00:45:41,240
India's increased domestic
production and in these increase

859
00:45:41,240 --> 00:45:43,000
their own domestic production,
they've felt like this increase

860
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:46,400
the gender of self-sufficiency.
So those are the that's the big

861
00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:49,880
case for thermal coal as well.
I think like yeah, I'm obviously

862
00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:52,440
taking the other side of that
that trade, but that doesn't

863
00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:54,240
mean I'm right.
Like I could very well be wrong.

864
00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:57,920
Yeah, but oh mate, if you're
still, if you're still producing

865
00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:00,560
it, it's not going anywhere
anytime soon.

866
00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,520
Yeah, it's an interesting market
and people a bit bearish China

867
00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:06,720
generally as well as that sort
of peak, peak energy importing

868
00:46:06,720 --> 00:46:08,440
kind of narrative and all these
sorts of things.

869
00:46:08,720 --> 00:46:11,160
It's an interesting little point
we're in.

870
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:14,200
It's not going anywhere in
Australia anytime soon, that's

871
00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:15,680
for sure.
But and.

872
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:18,520
A lot of companies impacted by
what you just said as well, you

873
00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:20,680
know, Glencore being a big one
too.

874
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:21,520
Totally.
Yeah.

875
00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:26,000
So, so Glencore at the moment,
they're they're majority

876
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:28,280
thermal.
Yeah, yeah.

877
00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:30,200
After buying Elk Valley like
that's just.

878
00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:32,880
Before before Elk Valley they're
majority thermal.

879
00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:38,000
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But now they're majority met,

880
00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:39,920
yeah.
They're they're Aussie coal

881
00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:43,360
assets are majority thermal a
little bit good assets up in

882
00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:45,280
Canada now that are met coal.
Yeah.

883
00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:49,080
Gotcha, Gotcha all.
Righty couple of partners to

884
00:46:49,080 --> 00:46:53,400
thank.
Mineral mining services are not

885
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,720
majority open pit.
They are open pit.

886
00:46:55,960 --> 00:46:59,960
Bloody mining contractors don't
go underground to art like that

887
00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:04,960
are paid grounded Chuck AG spot
up at Hemet can't wait samba

888
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:11,960
ground support division CRE
insurance K drill Daish SAT and.

889
00:47:11,960 --> 00:47:15,960
Saltbush.
Contract and get wet solutions

890
00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:18,920
off Nathan Daish.
Congratulations on coming

891
00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:20,480
father.
Well done.

892
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:25,360
Well done Daishy.
Everybody miners Information

893
00:47:25,360 --> 00:47:27,840
contained in this episode of
Money of Mine is of general

894
00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:30,160
nature only and does not take
into account the objectives,

895
00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:33,480
financial situation or needs of
any particular person.

896
00:47:33,800 --> 00:47:36,840
Before making any investment
decision, you should consult

897
00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:39,880
with your financial advisor and
consider how appropriate the

898
00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:43,600
advice is to your objectives,
financial situation and needs.