TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2018 /CNW/ - Detour Gold Corporation (TSX: DGC) ("Detour Gold" or the "Company") today announces fourth quarter and full year 2017 operating results and 2018 guidance for its Detour Lake mine located in northeastern Ontario.

All 2017 numbers are preliminary figures, unaudited and subject to final adjustment. All amounts are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Refer to the end of this news release for an explanation and discussion of the non-IFRS measures total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") and IFRS measure free cash flow before financing activities. The Company's fourth quarter and full year 2017 financial results will be released on March 8, 2018.

2017 Highlights

• Annual gold production of 571,463 ounces; fourth quarter gold production of 150,046 ounces
• Annual average mill throughput of 58,508 tpd and mining rate of 274,000 tpd; fourth quarter average mill throughput of 54,144 tpd and mining rate of 294,000 tpd
• AISC estimated at $1,065 per ounce sold for the full year; fourth quarter estimated AISC of $990 per ounce sold
• Convertible notes repaid in November 2017
• Total debt repayments of $88 million for the year
• Year-end cash and cash equivalents of approximately $134 million

"The Company had a solid operating year at Detour Lake, achieving its mining and milling rate targets to attain the mid-range of its annual production and cost guidance. The Company generated $115 million of free cash flow (before financing activities) of which $88 million was used to repay debt," commented Paul Martin, President and CEO. "For 2018, we are targeting another solid year with a 9% increase in gold production and continued free cash flow growth. Management continues to evaluate the options for improving its production and cash flow profile by bringing ounces forward from 2021 and 2022. This assessment is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018."

2017 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Operational Results

• Fourth quarter gold production of 150,046 ounces, the Company's second quarter this year at above 150,000 ounces, bringing total gold production for the year to 571,463 ounces, within the mid-range of its annual production guidance of 550,000 to 600,000 ounces and representing an increase of 6% from 2016.
• In the fourth quarter, the mill facility processed 5.0 million tonnes (Mt) of ore at a record head grade of 1.04 g/t with recoveries of 90%. Mill throughput was lower than planned mainly due to repairs required to the primary crusher. For the year, the mill processed 21.4 Mt of ore at a head grade of 0.93 g/t and recoveries of 90%.
• A total of 27.0 Mt (ore and waste) was mined in the fourth quarter (equivalent to mining rates of 294,000 tpd), representing a third consecutive quarter of improvement. For the year, a total of 100.1 Mt was mined, in line with budget.
• The gold in-circuit inventory returned to normal levels during the fourth quarter.

• Total capital expenditures for 2017 are estimated at $178 million, within the guidance of $160 to $180 million. Sustaining capital expenditures totaled approximately $141 million versus guidance of $155 million and capitalized stripping costs totaled $34 million versus guidance of $14 million. Non-sustaining capital expenditures amounted to $3 million.
• AISC for 2017 are estimated at $1,065 per ounce sold, within the mid-range of the guidance of $1,025 and $1,125 per ounce sold. For the fourth quarter, AISC are estimated at $990 per ounce sold.

2017 Financial Update

• The convertible noteholders were repaid $320.5 million of principal and $8.8 million of interest at the maturity date of November 30, 2017.
• Debt repayments for the year amounted to $88 million, including a discretionary $30 million payment made in December towards its Revolving Credit Facility.
• As at December 31, 2017, the Company had $156 million of zero-cost collars to hedge its Canadian dollar costs whereby it can sell U.S. dollars at an average rate of 1.25 and can participate up to an average of 1.32. This represents a hedge coverage ratio of approximately 25% for projected 2018 expenditures.
• As at December 31, 2017, the Company has approximately $134 million of cash and cash equivalents, approximately $200 million available from its $500 million Credit Facility, and net debt of $136 million.

• Gold production is expected to be between 600,000 and 650,000 ounces for 2018, an increase of 9% from 2017 (based on the mid-point of the guidance).
• The mine plan calls for approximately 112 Mt to be mined from the Detour Lake pit in 2018. The average waste to ore strip ratio for the year is estimated at 3.7:1. There are specific months during the year where this strip ratio will be above the life of mine pit average and stripping costs will be capitalized.
• The mine plan includes the addition of a CAT6060 shovel and two CAT795 trucks in the first quarter, bringing the available fleet to seven shovels and 34 trucks supported by a ROM fleet.
• The Detour Lake operation is forecast to process approximately 22 Mt of ore in 2018. Head grade is expected to average 0.99 g/t, with quarter to quarter variance of 10%. Mill recoveries are expected to range between 90% and 91.5%.
• 2018 AISC are expected to range from $1,050 to $1,150 per ounce sold, with total cash costs from $670 to $730 per ounce sold. Due to the variability of gold production and the timing of capital expenditures, the Company expects that AISC will be above the yearly guidance in the first half of the year.
• Capital expenditures are expected to total between $210 and $230 million.

• The Company is expected to incur non-sustaining capital expenditures of $9 million.

Principal assumptions used for the 2018 guidance include:

Sensitivity Analysis:

• At a gold price of $1,300/oz and CAD vs US exchange rate of 1.25, the Company is expected to generate approximately $115 million of free cash flow before financing activities. A $50/oz change in the gold price impacts closing cash by approximately $30 million.
• A $0.05 change in the CAD vs US exchange rate impacts closing cash by approximately $20 million.

2018 Exploration

• The total exploration budget for 2018 is approximately $10 million. Drilling programs are planned for this winter and summer at a number of key targets on the Detour Lake and Burntbush properties.
• With the results of the recently completed 4,750 metre drilling program at a spacing of 12.5 metres and an improved geological interpretation, the Company is completing the block model for Zone 58N. Pending the results, the Company would proceed with an initial mineral resource estimate and defining an advanced exploration program to test the underground mining potential of Zone 58N.

2018 Financial Outlook

• The 2018 corporate general and administrative expense is estimated at $21 million and excludes share-based compensation. Share-based compensation for the Company is estimated at $11 million.
• The Company expects to record interest expense and pay interest costs of approximately $14 million in 2018.
• Depreciation expense is expected to be approximately $280 per ounce of gold sold, subject to the Company completing its 2017 year-end reserve and resource estimate.

Upcoming Events

The Company is evaluating the opportunity of improving its near-term gold production and cash flow profile by accelerating access to the higher grades currently being processed in 2021 and 2022. Management anticipates that the results of this assessment will be completed in the second quarter of 2018.

Technical Information

The scientific and technical content of this news release was reviewed, verified and approved by Drew Anwyll, P.Eng., Senior Vice President, Technical Services, a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects."

About Detour Gold

Detour Gold is an intermediate gold producer in Canada that holds a 100% interest in the Detour Lake mine, a long life large-scale open pit operation.

Non-IFRS Performance Measures
This news release refers to total cash costs and AISC, which are non-IFRS performance measures. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company. The non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers.

The 2017 Financial Statements and MD&A are expected to be issued on March 8, 2018. Reconciliation of these figures will be included.

All-in sustaining costs

The Company believes this measure more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold. The Company calculates all-in sustaining costs as the sum of total cash costs (as described below), share-based compensation, corporate general and administrative expense, exploration and evaluation expenses that are sustaining in nature, reclamation cost accretion, sustaining capital including deferred stripping, and realized gains and losses on hedges due to operating and capital costs, all divided by the total gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce figure.

Total cash costs  

Detour Gold reports total cash costs on a sales basis. Total cash costs include production costs such as mining, processing, refining and site administration, agreements with Aboriginal communities, less non-cash share-based compensation and net of silver sales divided by gold ounces sold to arrive at total cash costs per gold ounce sold. The measure also includes other mine related costs incurred such as mine standby costs and current inventory write downs. Production costs are exclusive of depreciation and depletion. Production costs include the costs associated with providing the royalty in kind ounces.

All-in sustaining costs and total cash costs do not have any standardized meaning whether under IFRS or otherwise and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers. Accordingly, other companies may calculate these measures differently as a result of differences in underlying principles and policies applied. Differences may also arise to a different definition of sustaining versus non-sustaining capital. These measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The Company has included the additional IFRS measure:

Free cash flow before financing activities

Free cash flow before financing activities is calculated as cash flow from operations less cash flow from investing activities. It provides useful information to management and investors as an indicator of the cash generated from the Company's operations before consideration of how those activities are financed.

Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains certain forward-looking information as defined in applicable securities laws (referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the amount of mineral resources and mineral reserves and exploration targets; (ii) the amount of future production over any period; (iii) assumptions relating to recovered grade, average ore recovery, internal dilution, mining dilution and other mining parameters set out in the technical reports, studies and disclosure of the Company; (iv) assumptions relating to revenues, operating cash flow and other revenue metrics set out in the Company's disclosure materials; (v) mine expansion potential and expected mine life; (vi) expected time frames for completion of permitting and regulatory approvals; (vii) future capital and operating expenditures; (viii) future exploration plans; (ix) future gold prices; and * sources of and anticipated financing requirements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "continues", "forecasts", "projects", "predicts", "intends", "anticipates", "targets", or "believes", or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements regarding estimated AISC of $1,065 per ounce sold for 2017 and $990 per ounce sold for the fourth quarter, estimated 2017 total cash costs of $716 million, estimated 2017 year-end cash and cash equivalents of approximately $134 million, estimated 2017 free cash flow (before financing activities) of  $115 million, estimated 2017 capital expenditures of approximately $178 million, which include sustaining capital expenditures of $140 million, capitalized stripping costs of $34 million, and non-sustaining capital expenditures of $3 million, a 9% increase in gold production in 2018 of between 600,000 and 650,000 ounces, 112  Mt to be mined from the Detour Lake pit in 2018, an estimated average waste to ore strip ratio for 2018 of 3.7:1, the processing of approximately 22 Mt of ore in 2018 from the Detour Lake operation, 2018 head gold grade averaging approximately 0.99 g/t with quarter to quarter variance of 10%, 2018 gold recoveries of 90% to 91.5%, a 2018 AISC range of $1,050 to $1,150 per ounce sold with estimated total cash costs of $670 to $730 per ounce sold, 2018 capital expenditures of between $210 and $230 million and the use and classification of such expenditures, approximately $100 million of free cash flow before financing activities in 2018 based on a gold price of $1,300 per ounce and a CAD vs US exchange rate of 1.25, an exploration budget of $10 million for 2018 and how such funds are to be spent, the Company completing the block model for Zone 58N and pending the results proceeding with an initial mineral resource estimate and defining an advanced exploration program to test the underground mining potential of Zone 58N, 2018 estimated corporate general and administrative expenses of $21 million (exclusive of share-based compensation), estimated 2018 share-based compensation of $11 million, estimated interest expense and interest costs of $14 million, estimated depreciation expense of $280 per ounce sold, and completing in the second quarter of 2018 the assessment of improving the near-term gold production and cash flow profile by accelerating access to the higher grades currently being processed in 2021 and 2022. 

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are beyond Detour Gold's ability to predict or control and may cause Detour Gold's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, gold price volatility, changes in debt and equity markets, a reduction in the Company's available cash resources, the uncertainties involved in interpreting geological data, risks relating to variations in recovered grades and mining dilution, variations in rates of recovery, changes or delays in mining development and exploration plans, the success of mining, development and exploration plans, changes in project parameters, risks related to the receipt of regulatory approvals,  increases in costs, environmental compliance and changes in environmental legislation and regulation, delays in the consultation and permitting process for West Detour, interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, general economic conditions and other risks involved in the gold exploration and development industry, as well as those risk factors discussed in the section entitled "Description of Business - Risk Factors" in Detour Gold's 2016 AIF and in the continuous disclosure documents filed by Detour Gold on and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking statements in this press release are also based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about the following: a constant gold price of $1,250/oz in 2018, a constant diesel fuel price of C$0.75 per litre in 2018, a constant CAD vs US exchange rate of 1.25 in 2018 and a constant power cost of C$0.03 per kilowatt hour in 2018;  the availability of financing for exploration and development activities; operating and capital costs; the Company's available cash resources in 2018; the Company's ability to attract and retain skilled staff; the mine development and production schedule and related costs; dilution control; sensitivity to metal prices and other sensitivities; the supply and demand for, and the level and volatility of the price of, gold; timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for development projects and other operations; the timing and results of consultations with the Company's Aboriginal partners; the supply and availability of consumables and services; the exchange rates of the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar; energy and fuel costs; required capital investments; estimates of net present value and internal rate of returns; the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates, production estimates and capital and operating cost estimates and the assumptions on which such estimates are based; market competition; ongoing relations with employees and impacted communities and general business and economic conditions.  Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date hereof, or such other date or dates specified in such statements. Detour Gold undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.  If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Detour Gold

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