Earnings Call Transcript - IAG Q3 2025

Graeme Jennings, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you, operator, and welcome, everyone, to our conference call today. Joining us on the call are Renaud Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer; Martin Newson, Chief Financial Officer; Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer; Annie Torkia Lagace, Chief Legal and Strategy Officer; and Dorna Quinn, Chief People Officer. We are calling today from IAMGOLD's Toronto office, which is located on Treaty 13 territory on the traditional lands of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. At IAMGOLD, we believe respecting and upholding indigenous rights is founded upon relationships that foster trust, transparency, and mutual respect. Please note that our remarks on this call will include forward-looking statements and refer to non-IFRS measures. We encourage you to refer to the cautionary statements and disclosures on non-IFRS measures included in the presentation and reconciliations of these measures in our most recent MD&A, each under the heading non-GAAP Financial Measures. With respect to the technical information to be discussed, please refer to the information in the presentation under the heading Qualified Person and Technical Information. The slides referenced on this call can be viewed on our website. I'll now turn the call over to our President and CEO, Renaud Adams.

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Thank you, Graeme, and good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. This is an exciting time for IAMGOLD with another quarter of production, led by strong performance at Cote Gold and Essakane mines, helping to fuel record cash flow generation for the company. The current strong gold market has been very well-timed for IAMGOLD, coinciding with the advancement of our assets, allowing the company to advance our strategic plans ahead of schedule. We are proud of this transformation and also to introduce today our new logo and refreshed brand, which we believe reflects who we are today. We are extremely proud of our roots and history. But now our name stands for innovative, accountable mining. IAMGOLD is a modern gold mining company that is proudly Canadian with strong cash flow and significant long-term growth opportunities ahead. We mine with a redefined purpose in mind, putting safety, responsibility, and people first. We hold ourselves accountable and embrace change and drive innovations at every level from smarter systems and technology to better ways of working. There are many highlights to discuss for IAMGOLD today from our operations, financial achievement, and an improved share buyback program, which remains subject to TSX approval. We will also discuss our forward-looking plans, including the expansion scenario for Cote Gold, which is expected to demonstrate significant upside to the current mine plan at Cote. Finally, we will cover the recent announcement of acquisitions to consolidate the Chibougamau region in Quebec to create an elegant complex. These transactions further position IAMGOLD as a leading modern Canadian-focused multi-asset gold mining company. I am proud of our team's achievement and remain confident in our ability to deliver enduring values for our investors and partners while maintaining a steadfast commitment to safety and accountability. Turning to the quarter, and we're now on Slide 5. At IAMGOLD, the safety of our people and communities remains our top priority. In the third quarter, our total recordable injury rate was 0.56, a 15% improvement year-over-year on a 12 months rolling average and comparing well with our industry peers. We are focused on advancing our critical risk management program, including an important integration of contractor into the IAMGOLD way of safety management with the goal to reduce high-potential incidents. Looking at operations on an attributable basis, IAMGOLD produced 190,000 ounces of gold in the third quarter. The quarterly performance was led by strong results at Cote, which produced a record 106,000 ounces on a 100% basis, followed by improved quarter-over-quarter attributable production at Essakane as the mine saw grades bounce back while mining deeper into Phase 7 of the pit. Year-to-date, IAMGOLD has reported 524,000 ounces of attributable production. As we will walk through in a moment, production is expected to be the highest in the fourth quarter, positioning the company well to achieve our guidance target of 735,000 to 825,000 ounces of gold this year. On a cost basis, IAMGOLD reported third-quarter cash cost of $1,588 an ounce and an all-in sustaining cost of $1,956 an ounce. Costs remain higher year-to-date as the record gold prices directly translate into higher royalty compounded with the new royalty regime in Burkina Faso, as well as higher unit costs at Cote from an increased proportion of supplementary contracted crushing to stabilize operations during our first full shutdown and until the second cone crusher is installed in the fourth quarter. Cash costs and all-in sustaining costs for the year are expected to be at the top end of the guidance range, though we expect to see a strong end to the year with higher expected cash flow in the fourth quarter on improved production and higher margins. With that, I will pass the call over to our CFO to walk us through our financial highlights.

Martin Newson, CFO

Thank you, Renaud, and good morning, everyone. It was indeed an important quarter for IAMGOLD as we were able to use the strong financial results to take significant steps towards our goal of deleveraging the company and advancing our plans to reward shareholders. Mine site free cash flow was $292.5 million in the third quarter, a record achieved at IAMGOLD's high production levels following the ramp-up of the project, increasing the company's exposure to the gold price during a record high gold price environment. The record mine site free cash flow improves our financial position and the company's net debt was reduced by $210.7 million to $813.2 million at the end of the third quarter. IAMGOLD had $314.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and approximately $391.9 million available on the credit facility, resulting in total liquidity at the end of the third quarter of approximately $707.2 million. As we noted last quarter, Essakane declared a significant dividend in June of approximately $855 million, representing all of the undistributed profits of Essakane up to and including the 2024 financial year. IAMGOLD's 85% portion of the dividend net of taxes was approximately $680 million and is expected to be paid over the next 12 months through a revised framework that enables payments to be made at any time of the year based on the cash generated in excess of working capital requirements by Essakane. At September 30, $186 million of IAMGOLD's consolidated cash and cash equivalents was held by Essakane in Burkina Faso, which was used to pay IAMGOLD a dividend of $98 million in early October. The remaining portion of the company's dividend receivable was converted into a shareholder account, with the first payment against the shareholder account of $56 million also received in October. The company expects to receive monthly payments going forward. These funds were used to make additional payments of $170 million against the company's second lien notes, with $130 million of the original $400 million remaining outstanding on the 4th of November. Holistically, when we consider our liquidity outlook under a high gold price environment, we are in the fortunate position to continue to repay debt and commence in the not-too-distant future on another of our strategic initiatives, which is to reward our shareholders. Accordingly, subsequent to quarter end, our Board of Directors approved a share buyback program to be put in place through an NCIB program, allowing for the purchase of up to approximately 10% of IAMGOLD's outstanding common shares. All common shares purchased under the NCIB will be either canceled or placed under trust to satisfy future obligations under the company's share incentive plan. IAMGOLD will file a notice of intention to implement an NCIB with the TSX, which is subject to TSX approval. Following the approval, IAMGOLD will be allowed to purchase these common shares over a 12-month period in the open market. This initiative reflects management's confidence in the company's long-term value and its commitment to disciplined capital allocation. The actual number of common shares that may be purchased, if any, and the timing of such purchases will be determined by the company based on a number of factors, including the company's financial performance, the availability of cash flows, and the consideration of other uses of cash, including capital investment opportunities and debt reduction. Turning to our financial results, revenues from continuing operations totaled $706.7 million from sales of 203,000 ounces on a 100% basis at a record average realized price of $3,492 per ounce. Cost of sales, excluding depreciation, was $324.2 million, and adjusted EBITDA was a record $359.5 million compared to $221.7 million in the third quarter last year. At the bottom line, adjusted earnings per share in the third quarter was $0.30.

Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer

Thank you, Martin. Starting with Cote Gold, it was a strong quarter with Cote reaching new milestones while maintaining stable performance at the processing plant. Notably, the plant underwent its first full shutdown in August, which was executed successfully. I'm very proud of our team at Cote. It's important to remember that it's still the first full year of operation at the mine with nameplate throughput achieved at the end of Q2. Our teams are learning every day how to better position Cote for success, including the refinement of the mine plan, maintenance schedules, and identifying efficiencies to drive continuous improvement. Now looking at the third quarter, Cote produced 106,000 ounces on a 100% basis, which is a record quarter of production for the mine. Mining activity totaled 11.5 million tonnes in the quarter with 3.8 million ore tonnes mined, equating to a strip ratio of 2:1. The average grade mined was 0.96 grams per tonne, in line with plan and demonstrating good reconciliation with our reserve and grade control model. Looking ahead, mining activities will continue to work on extending the pit perimeter to support efficient gold mining and also in preparation for the future expansion of Cote. On processing, mill throughput totaled 3 million tonnes in the quarter, averaging near nameplate in July and September. The first annual maintenance shutdown in August was successful, with the comprehensive maintenance cycle completed and including the replacement of the high-pressure grinding roll tires, relining of the ball mill, changes to the primary crusher's outer shell, and additional maintenance work on the electrical infrastructure. Head grade averaged 1.18 grams per tonne with feed material comprised of a combination of direct feed ore and stockpiles. Mill recoveries averaged 94% in the quarter, which continues to be above design rates. Turning to cost, a major driver of cost this year has been associated with the temporary aggregate crusher, which is being contracted to support the processing plant. The plant was built with a single secondary cone crusher as part of the crushing circuit. Through day-to-day operations, we learned that this is a bottleneck. This has been addressed with the addition of a second cone crusher to sustainably achieve the nameplate throughput rate and provide redundancy during shutdowns. We accelerated the push to achieve nameplate to midyear from our original target of Q4 in part because we found a way to maximize throughput and offset the bottleneck by incorporating an additional refeed system using a contractor aggregate plan. Moving ahead, nameplate by 5 to 6 months allows for maximizing tonnes milled today versus waiting for the second cone crusher to provide the additional facility. This may account for an extra $4 per tonne milled, yet brings the opportunity to monetize tonnes already mined through the end of the year. In the third quarter, the aggregate crusher processed a higher proportion of ore due to the shutdown in August. The use of the aggregate crusher is expected to be reduced following the installation of the secondary cone crusher in Q4 and eventually eliminated. Looking at mining costs, we averaged $4.51 per tonne in the third quarter. Mining costs are higher than planned due to higher tire wear and also impacted by the operation of the aggregate crusher and the feed system. The aggregate crusher requires the utilization of mining equipment to feed it, including haul trucks and a shovel, resulting in higher amounts of rehandling that is accounted to mine. These trucks will decrease into 2026 as further operational improvements are made and the elimination of the contracted aggregate plan. Milling unit costs also increased in the quarter, averaging $22 per tonne milled. The temporary aggregate crusher system has a direct impact on our processing unit cost as it is more costly to operate. In the third quarter, we relied on it more due to the August shutdown. Overall, we estimate around $6 per tonne was associated with the cost of the aggregate crusher in the third quarter. Maintenance costs to replace the HPGR tire and wear components accounted for $1.87 per tonne during the quarter. Unit costs are expected to decline over the course of 2026 following the installation of the additional cone crusher in the fourth quarter of this year. Looking ahead, we remain confident in our Cote Gold production guidance of 360,000 to 400,000 gold ounces on a 100% basis, which is essentially a doubling of production from last year. As noted here, we expect cash costs to exceed the top end of our updated guidance range of $1,100 to $1,200 per ounce sold, primarily due to a combination of higher royalties impacted by a significant increase in gold price, an increase in the expected usage of supplementary crushing during the year to support the mill feed, and the expensing of certain parts and supplies that were previously expected to be capitalized. Taken together, Cote is performing very well from the operation of this site less than 20 months after pouring its first gold. We are looking forward to seeing the impact of the installation of the second cone crusher in Q4 on availability and throughput, paving the way for future expansion options, which leads us to what is the most exciting slide, the advancement of the Cote Gas and super pit scenario. As we have discussed previously, we are working towards announcing in 2026 an updated mine plan that envisions the Cote operating at a higher throughput, targeting a significantly larger ore base from both Cote and Gosselin. The first step is drilling out the super pit of Cote and Gosselin to provide the resource foundation for the mine plan. Our drills are busy at work with over 50,000 meters drilled so far this year with the goal to infill and upgrade mine and bring the bulk of mineralization there into measured and indicated. Our currently designed Cote has the mining capacity to average an annual ore mining rate of 50,000 tonnes per day versus our current nameplate processing rate of 36,000 tonnes per day. As part of the 2026 technical report, we will look to find the right balance between an increased processing rate with mining rates targeting the combined Cote Gosselin super pit. In this scenario, we anticipate a mine plan that prioritizes the expansion of the plant, which should be implemented years before other major capital items that would be part of the super pit scenario, including tailings capacity expansion and all. The updated mine plan and technical report is expected to be completed by the end of next year. In the interim, we will continue to focus on optimizing Cote, reducing our cost profile, and capturing low-hanging opportunities for operational improvements and capacity expansion. Turning to Quebec. In the third quarter, Westwood produced 23,000 ounces, bringing the year-to-date production to 76,000 ounces, tracking below the bottom end of the guidance range of 125,000 to 140,000 ounces. The third quarter at Westwood saw similar results as prior quarters this year as mining activities underground operated at lower grade stopes, encountering areas of challenging ground conditions that resulted in higher-than-expected dilution and lower mining recoveries. The teams are implementing mitigation measures that include changes in blasting techniques and refinement, stope design, and sequencing. We are already seeing improvements from these efforts in October, with the average grade so far this month from underground averaging over 9 grams per tonne in the month. The Grand Duc open pit added another quarter of decent ore volumes with a reported 315,000 tonnes mined. Open pit activities from Grand Duc are currently being evaluated for an expansion and extension of the pit. The outline scenario would push the pit into Phase 4, which would allow for mining until 2027. Mill throughput in the third quarter was 250,000 tonnes, which was below the average throughput rate over the previous quarter due to a 14-day shutdown of the plant in July for the replacement of a critical gear in the grinding circuit, resulting in plant availability in the quarter of 75% versus 90% in the same prior year period. We expect to see mill throughput return to near 90% as we see in the fourth quarter. As a result of the low availability and lower tonne milled, we saw an increase in milling unit costs in the quarter. Likewise, mining costs also remained elevated due to an increase in the number of stopes prepared underground to set up the mine for the remainder of the year, combined with an increase in mining costs, labor costs, and exclusive power consumption. Together, cash costs were $1,924 an ounce in the quarter. Looking at this year, as noted, Westwood production is expected to be below the bottom end of the range of 125,000 to 140,000 ounces. Accordingly, and despite unit cost improvement expected in the fourth quarter, the annual average cash costs are expected to be above the guided range of $1,275 to $1,375 per ounce, and AISC is expected to be above the range of $1,800 to $1,900 per ounce. The turnaround in October is expected to be sustainable as we continue to refine stope design and the varying underground condition at Westwood. Despite the challenges in the first 9 months of this year, I'm very proud of the team there as they have demonstrated their innovative and accountable mindset to operation, safety, and environmental care.

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Turning to Essakane. It was a strong quarter for the mine with production of 108,000 gold ounces on a 100% basis or 92,000 ounces based on our 85% interest. Production rebounded on higher grades as mining activities were deeper into Phase 7. Mining activity totaled 8.7 million tonnes, with ore tonnes mined of 3.2 million tonnes, equating to a strip ratio of 1.7:1. Total tonnes mined were lower than prior periods as the mining fleet did not operate at full capacity in August due to a fuel shortage in the country. The situation improved in September and the mining fleet was able to operate at capacity to end the quarter and into October. Net throughput was 3.1 million tonnes at an average head grade of 1.18 grams per tonne. The transition to the higher grade benches in Phase 7 was initially expected earlier in the year but was realized in the third quarter. Grades have continued to reconcile positively to the reserve model in October, positioning the mine for a strong fourth quarter. On a cost basis, Essakane reported cash costs of $1,737 per ounce, and AISC at $1,914 an ounce in the quarter, an improvement on the prior quarter. Despite the production improvement, costs remained elevated in the quarter. Over the same period last year, royalty costs have increased 61% on a per-ounce basis due to the strong gold market and the new royalty decrease. Royalties accounted for $283 an ounce in the third quarter. Additional drivers include a higher proportion of mining costs being expensed, as well as higher maintenance activities and an increase in consumable costs, including diesel and grinding media. With the equivalent labor, contractor, and facility costs also increased due to the appreciation of the local currency, which is tied to the euro. Looking ahead, we estimate that Essakane will be at the midpoint of the 100% basis estimate of 400,000 to 440,000 ounces, which equates to the lower end of the attributable production guidance target based on 85% of 360,000 to 400,000 ounces. Production is expected to be higher in the first quarter due to the higher grade as the mining sequence moves in the primary zone of Phase 7. Cash costs are expected to be at the higher end of the guidance target of $1,600 to $1,700 per ounce sold, and AISC is expected to be $1,850 to $1,950 per ounce sold. Looking beyond next year, we are initiating conversations with the government on the mining lease renewal when ours expires in 2028. While the cost of operations in the country have risen, Essakane continues to be a world-class mine and an important member of the Burkinabe. The mine has over 2 million ounces in reserves and is positioned to generate significant free cash flows moving forward. With that, I will pass it back to Renaud to discuss our latest exciting news coming from Chibougamau Chapais. Thank you, Bruno. I really want to take a moment here to talk about our news from 2 weeks ago when IAMGOLD announced the proposed acquisitions of Northern Superior and Orbec mine for total consideration of approximately $267 million in shares of IAMGOLD and approximately $13 million in cash. The strategic rationale for these transactions is clear when you look at this map here. Our goal was to consolidate IAMGOLD's land position and gold resources in the Chibougamau Chapais district, where IAMGOLD, Nelligan, and Monster Lake assets are located, creating the next great Canadian mining camp. Our Nelligan deposit has 3.1 million ounces indicated and another 5.2 million ounces of inferred with rapid growth from minimal drilling in recent years. Nelligan is a large-scale open pit style of deposit with average grades around 0.95 grams a tonne. Monster Lake, located approximately 15 kilometers north of Nelligan, is a high-grade underground style project. Prior to the acquisition announcement, we were looking at putting out economics on Nelligan and Monster Lake, envisioning a project that would take most of the ore feed from Nelligan with a high-grade kicker from Monster Lake. The potential additions of Philibert may result in a revised timeline of technical study and proposed mining scenario. Northern Superior's primary asset, Philibert, is an open pit style deposit located 8 kilometers northeast of Nelligan. Philibert has estimated mineral resources of approximately 2 million ounces at an average of 1.1 grams of gold, making it at this time smaller but yet higher grade than Nelligan. In the consolidated scenario in a conceptual mill to pit and underground complex mine plan, we envision Philibert as having the potential to be the initial deposit due to the higher grade infrastructure advantage, providing important synergies versus a stand-alone Nelligan. This year, we have drilled over 16,000 meters at Nelligan and over 17,000 meters at Monster Lake, with both projects having seen the programs' upside and continued success at the drill pit. Upon completion of the transaction, we look forward next year to putting together a comprehensive program at Philibert to extend and expand mineralization as we look to bring all these assets together. As of today, the combination of Nelligan and Monster Lake with Northern Superior's assets and Orbec's property, which are now referred to as the Nelligan Mining Complex, will rank as the fourth largest pre-production gold camp in Canada, with estimated mineral resources of over 3.8 million ounces indicated and 8.7 million ounces inferred. The closing of the proposed transactions remains subject to shareholder votes from both Northern Superior and Orbec shareholders, as well as other customary closing conditions for transactions of that nature. Together, this asset has a bright future, and we look forward to welcoming the Northern Superior and Orbec shareholders to the IAMGOLD team. It will be an exciting year for us with significant value growth opportunity ahead and many catalysts, starting with the upside scenario for Cote Gold, but also including the advancement of the Nelligan mining complex, as well as the valuable contribution of Westwood and Essakane. So thank you for your support. With that, I would like to pass the call back to the operator for the Q&A.

Sathish Kasinathan, Analyst, BofA Securities

Congrats on a strong quarter in addition to initiating share buybacks. My first question is on Cote Gold. So once the secondary crusher is installed, can you give us a sense of the anticipated cost improvements? Maybe talk about how you see the exit rate of cost as you exit 2025?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Yes. It's an excellent question. As we mentioned, we appreciate the very high record free cash flow at Cote and everywhere, but that doesn't take away our focus on cost. We made a conscious choice in Q2 to maintain the aggregate plant functioning, maximizing throughput, maximizing grade by allowing more rehandling and maximizing grade and production and free cash flow. It has worked just perfectly. Now as you've mentioned, moving forward. So as Bruno mentioned in his note or Maarten both, there's about $6 a tonne right from the start on a per tonne of ore by using and operating the aggregate plant. And we think that with the second crusher, we'll be capable to generate our own stockpile internally. So that's one of the focuses. So right from the start down the road, and I'm not saying that's going to be a walk in the park in a quarter. But on the milling side, definitely, our objective remains to stabilize eventually down the road towards the $12. We appreciate that there are other assets maybe that could do slightly better. But for us at $12, we believe with the kind of design and configuration, that's probably achievable. There will be some transitions, of course, Q1, probably a transition as we enter Q2. On the mining side, yes, we appreciate again, there's rehandling has been a big component of it. Could we stabilize in the short term more towards the 350. So we're working on our plan as we speak. But we believe that the big component here is to be capable to operate without the aggregate plan, which will have a big effect. There are other aspects we need to improve. We need to improve significantly tire consumption, life on it. There's probably room to improve significantly, 50%, 60% consumption. So all that will have an impact on it. Our objective remains down the road to be as close as the $3 per tonne mine. I know there has been inflation all over the place and everyone is facing the same. But this is an objective, not going to be there at the start of the year, but as we advance in the year, 3 and 12 remains our strategic target. And that's the risk becomes pure math. You mine at the reserve grade as we're doing, you try to uplift your grade as you separate the lower grade. And with the 400,000 ounces plus and with a better unit cost and a very low strip ratio at Cote, we definitely see this asset performing amongst the best leading on the cost side. That's what we see. Bruno, do you want to add anything?

Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer

That's exactly right. The mining costs will have better performance once we stop using the aggregate crusher, producing much more leading inland. There are also many projects in terms of improving drilling performance as we drive vertically in the pit with less fracture time. So we expect improvement quarter after quarter.

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

No, no, that's what we could say at this stage as we complete our plan for next year.

Sathish Kasinathan, Analyst, BofA Securities

Yes. That's helpful. Maybe one follow-up on the share buybacks. So I understand that you will begin share repurchases after you pay down the $130 million in debt. But is there a minimum target in mind maybe tied to a certain percentage of free cash flow that we should look at in terms of the potential for buybacks going forward?

Martin Newson, CFO

Once we have the program in plan by the end of the year, it gives us that flexibility to start allocating capital to the different parts of the business. And we're kind of looking at it in thirds, where we would look at internal growth and opportunities as well as we still want to repay the amount drawn on the credit facility, $250 million. And then the third part is buying back shares. We don't have to do this sequentially. We can do all of this at the same time. So we are kind of breaking it down into 2/3, and starting next year, we'll look at the cash being generated and then do it that way. So that's kind of as close as a percentage, I guess, 1/3 that we can give at this point.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

On the balance sheet, I really was impressed on you getting your net debt to EBITDA down so low versus Q2. Sorry, the 4 calls going on at the same time. So I've missed a lot of yours. I want a clarification, if I could. Slide 11, you have a new technical report and mine plan to be released in the second half of '25. I thought that was coming in the second half of '26. Has that been moved forward?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

No. If there was any mention to '25, that would be a typo or a mistake, Tanya. But no, we remain with disclosure of our next Cote Gold expansion late '26.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

I joined the conversation when you mentioned Westwood and noticed the change on the slide, which surprised me. Regarding Côté, you mentioned reducing the processing cost to about $12 and the mining cost to $3. In the previous conference call, it was stated that you expected to reach those cost levels by mid-2026. Should we still expect to see these costs fall within that range in the second half of 2026? Is that a reasonable assumption?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

There are external factors that we do not control, such as inflation. I am monitoring our peers and considering our potential actions, which is our goal. By parking the aggregate plan, we will begin transitioning in Q1, and by Q2, you should notice a significant reduction in rehandling and a more direct feed to final destinations. We will continue to handle the HGO, and if a mine has lower grades temporarily, we will switch to an NGO. Starting in Q2, we expect to see the effects of these changes and will work diligently towards achieving the lowest costs. However, we must manage our consumption, particularly regarding tires and rehandling. I believe we are competitive in terms of procurement, but our focus should be on reducing consumption and better controlling maintenance. We expect the HPGR to operate more effectively at a smaller feed size, which would extend its lifespan. The major impact will come from pricing, and while costs will be influenced by uncontrollable external factors, our intention is to accomplish our goals by 2026.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

Okay. So I should sort of mid-'26 that we should hopefully be there.

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Yes, mid-'26 you should start.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

Yes. Can I follow up with one more technical question? Regarding your reserves and resources, I'm inquiring about what your pricing thoughts are as you finalize your mine plans and consider your pit shells. What pricing assumptions are you using for the end of 2025 and 2026 in terms of inflation in costs?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

The most important aspects are the reserve. As we reevaluate Côté, we are comfortable maintaining the reserve at around 1,700. We will also consider industry alignments, so there is no urgency in this matter. Essakane has a longer short-term mine life, which provides an opportunity to slightly increase and maximize cash flow there. Typically, for our main asset like Côté, we are not anticipating more than 1,700 for the year-end assessment at this time. We are also evaluating long-term resource deposits like Nelligan and expect to test it up to 2,500 as part of our resource evaluation. However, we will be disciplined and do not intend to leverage the full gold price in the short term. Ultimately, we will determine the pricing for the Côté study, but our goal is not to downgrade our asset based on current gold prices.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

I have a financial question. I noticed your net debt to EBITDA target is down to 0.74, and I believe I heard that you plan to reduce your debt by another $250 million in 2026. Is that correct? Should I consider that $250 million for 2026? Do you have a net debt-to-EBITDA target that you're comfortable with, along with a minimum cash balance on the balance sheet, so I can assess my share buyback options?

Martin Newson, CFO

So that is correct. We have $250 million drawn on the credit facility, and we would like to pay that down in 2025 or 2026. But we also have $130 million left on our second lien that we plan to do this year. So that then leads us to next year. We think $200 million to $250 million is a good minimum cash balance for our company. Over time, as I mentioned earlier, we will probably build that up as 1/3 of the capital allocation would go to that. But that's kind of the main benchmark is $200 million to $250 million minimum cash and then pay down that $250 million. So from a net debt-to-EBITDA ratio, that would bring us down to 0.5 or maybe even less. We are comfortable with 1 and lower, but we also understand it's a very high gold price environment. So we don't put all of our targets for net debt-to-EBITDA using a high gold price. So we're kind of looking at it at what would it be at lower gold prices as well. So we don't want it to be much higher than in a lower gold price environment.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

Okay, that's great. If I could ask an exploratory question, I would really like to discuss the Nelligan camp. Renaud, you mentioned there are synergies in that entire area. Once this is completed, it will not be referred to as the Nelligan camp anymore. Can you share your thoughts on whether you're envisioning a central mill to process all of these ores? How do you see this unfolding?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Well, I have the pleasure to be leading the Rosebel Gold Mines at the very early days of IAMGOLD following the takeover of Cambior. At the very early days when I rejoined this company, I was looking at this camp; there was like a kind of an obvious type of look alike, if you will. And I'm sure you're very familiar as well with the Rosebel concept back in time where we started with 2 and eventually had 6 mining areas and so forth. I like that one even further because of the high-grade underground component as well that comes into play. So the kind of the goal is for us, and we've operated this place for many years. So we have a pretty good understanding and mining experience. But think of it as a bit of a kind of a Rosebel concept back in time, definitely a center processing facility kind of gravity center fed and hopefully multiple mining sources that eventually come and go as you advance in time. So that's the closest example I could think of.

Tanya Jakusconek, Analyst, Scotiabank

And one tailings facility or should I think of that as well?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

Sorry. Yes. Definitely. Yes. One tailing. But again, with the new concept and minimizing footprint and the importance of protecting and minimizing environmental footprint, I could see over time a kind of use of a depleted pit to be incorporated in the scenario of how you minimize for tailings purpose. So early stage, but this is our concept here. So the priority will be Philibert, Nelligan, and Monster Lake and eventually, hopefully, as we continue to drill, maybe incorporating more areas.

Mohamed Sidibe, Analyst, National Bank Capital Markets

Apologies, I missed the start of the conference call due to conflict there. But on the grade front, but not at Côté, maybe at Westwood, given the challenging ground conditions, I think you've seen improvement in October in terms of the underground grade there. How should we think about Q4 and maybe next year 2026 as we think about the Westwood grades and the mining rate there?

Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer

The plan for Westwood is that the east side has areas with easier ground conditions but lower grades, while the central and western zones offer better grades but are more challenging to mine. When we encountered these tougher conditions, we adjusted our strategy and shifted production towards the east, which is why grades have been lower this year. We have since modified our blasting and drilling patterns as well as stope designs to better accommodate these conditions. I’m happy to report that in October, we achieved an average grade that exceeded our expectations. Currently, we have about 1.5 months of accessible inventory ahead of us. The algorithm we have implemented over the years is functioning well, but we will continue to refine it at the stope level to ensure safe and profitable extraction in our planned sequence. We made necessary adjustments, and we anticipate a very strong Q4. Looking ahead to 2026, our approach will require balancing the scheduling of stops between the east side and the central zone, which entails careful risk management. Westwood needs to produce 10,000 gold ounces a month to stay on track. I am very confident about the remainder of this year, and 2026 looks promising.

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

If I may just add to this, and thank you, Bruno, for this. To be very frank, like the mine, we did extremely well in '24, rehabilitated all the zones. There is maybe some aspect of it that maybe we try to run a little bit before walking. But the plan is I really have all the confidence that it's pure engineering, and we're already seeing quite a bit of turnaround and back on our feet. But the way we look at the mine is like we'll be absolutely happy, as Bruno says, an average of $10,000 a month, a mine capable to operate sub-2,000, bringing like significant free cash flow and longevity. So that's how we think of this mine for the next 2, 3 years. The future could be very exciting, depending on what happens in uncovering all the resources to the east and so forth. So more to come on that one. But for the time being, when I look at the next 2, 3 years, we'll be absolutely happy with the mine predictable capable to deliver if it's 10,000 a month, sub-2,000. With that, we'll be very happy and it will do very well for us.

Mohamed Sidibe, Analyst, National Bank Capital Markets

That's very helpful. I’d like to shift to Essakane. You mentioned that there was a fuel shortage in the country back in August. As you assess your operations now, we've heard reports of issues in neighboring countries, and it seems that some of the energy from Ivory Coast supplied to Burkina might have faced challenges as well. Are you currently experiencing any effects from fuel pressures at Essakane? What is the most recent update you can provide on that issue?

Bruno Lemelin, Chief Operating Officer

So Mohamed, we are not using the same route as Mali does. So we have very specific supply routes for fuel. So that's one. The second thing is that we have more than 48 days of inventory at the site. So it gives us enough time to rearrange our logistics should we have like some hiccups. We have enough to maintain the operations uninterrupted. So it requires good logistic efforts, and we have continuous support from the government, allowing us to bring the fuel to sites at the appropriate time. But the main strategy was to make sure that we have enough fuel depo at Essakane so we can withstand a long period of time without supplies arriving at Essakane. So in a sense, we're not using the same roads. We don't see the same type of pressures as Mali and so far the other strategy that we have is increased inventory at the site.

Mohamed Sidibe, Analyst, National Bank Capital Markets

Great to hear. And a final question maybe on the complex and great consolidation of the complex there. What should we look at in terms of the next key steps for this complex? I know that you're advancing an exploration campaign with potential resource updates in early 2026. But how could we look at this beyond what are the next key steps for the zone?

Renaud Adams, President and CEO

So just quickly on it. So expect us to focus on resource growth in '26, the incorporations of Philibert. So we need to answer one question that is really key. How big could that Philibert be and how does it fit in the mine plan? Right? So this is the very, very key focus of '26, increased drilling program. We'll be aggressive but smart about the proven record from the team. I'm not concerned at all there. I think we will do a very good use of money deployed there. But that's the very short term. And as I mentioned, we were hoping of maybe putting some sort of a study in '26, but I think it's worthwhile to get great answers. With almost 12 million already, we could only shoot for the 15 million, 20 million camp. And this is what we're going to be doing. We're going to drill, drill, drill and hopefully have a very good updated resource update in late '26. Having said that, Nelligan and Monster Lake will be somewhat updated at year-end with the drilling of '25 in it. But look at it as resource growth in the next year or 2, and then we'll start putting study out there. Anything we could advance and start putting in place, we'll do it. But we have a high, high level of confidence that this is going to be a mining camp. Bruno, if you want to add anything?

Graeme Jennings, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you very much, operator, and as always, thank you, everyone, for joining. If you have any questions, please reach out to Bruno or myself. Thank you all. Be safe. Have a great day.

**Operator, **

This brings to a close today's conference call. You may disconnect your lines. Thank you for your participation, and have a pleasant day.