SILVER ELEPHANT MINING
CORP.
Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL
REPORTING
|
3
|
|
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm
|
4
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
|
6
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Gain
(Loss)
|
7
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
|
8
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
|
9
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
|
10
|
|
2
|
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
|
10
|
|
3
|
BASIS OF CONSOLIDATION
|
11
|
|
4
|
CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES
|
11
|
|
5
|
SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS
|
12
|
|
6
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
|
16
|
|
7
|
SEGMENTED INFORMATION
|
21
|
|
8
|
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
|
21
|
|
9
|
RECEIVABLES
|
22
|
|
10
|
PREPAID EXPENSES
|
22
|
|
11
|
MARKETABLE SECURITIES
|
22
|
|
12
|
RIGHT-OF-USE ASSET
|
22
|
|
13
|
EQUIPMENT
|
23
|
|
14
|
MINERAL PROPERTIES
|
25
|
|
15
|
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES
|
30
|
|
16
|
LEASE LIABILITY
|
31
|
|
17
|
PROVISION FOR CLOSURE AND RECLAMATION
|
31
|
|
18
|
TAX PROVISION
|
32
|
|
19
|
SHARE CAPITAL
|
33
|
|
20
|
CAPITAL RISK MANAGEMENT
|
38
|
|
21
|
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS AND FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
|
38
|
|
22
|
FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT DISCLOSURES
|
39
|
|
23
|
RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
|
40
|
|
24
|
KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL COMPENSATION
|
41
|
|
25
|
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
42
|
|
26
|
CONTINGENCIES
|
42
|
|
27
|
EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING DATE
|
43
|
MANAGEMENT’S
RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING
The annual audited consolidated financial statements (the
“Annual Financial
Statements”), the notes
thereto, and other financial information contained in the
accompanying Management’s Discussion and Analysis
(“MD&A”) have been prepared in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the
International Accounting Standards Board and are the responsibility
of the management of Silver Elephant Mining Corp. The financial
information presented elsewhere in the MD&A is consistent with
the data that is contained in the Annual Financial Statements. The
Annual Financial Statements, where necessary, include amounts which
are based on the best estimates and judgment of
management.
In order to discharge management’s responsibility for the
integrity of the Annual Financial Statements, the Company maintains
a system of internal accounting controls. These controls are
designed to provide reasonable assurance that the Company’s
assets are safeguarded, transactions are executed and recorded in
accordance with management’s authorization, proper records
are maintained, and relevant and reliable financial information is
produced. These controls include maintaining quality standards in
hiring and training of employees, policies and procedures manuals,
a corporate code of conduct and ethics and ensuring that there is
proper accountability for performance within appropriate and
well-defined areas of responsibility. The system of internal
controls is further supported by a compliance function, which is
designed to ensure that we and our employees comply with securities
legislation and conflict of interest rules.
The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing
management’s performance of its responsibilities for
financial reporting and internal control. The Audit Committee,
which is composed of non-executive directors, meets with management
as well as the external auditors to ensure that management is
properly fulfilling its financial reporting responsibilities to the
Board who approve the Annual Financial Statements. The external
auditors have full and unrestricted access to the Audit Committee
to discuss the scope of their audits and the adequacy of the system
of internal controls,
and to review financial reporting
issues.
The
external auditors, Davidson & Company LLP, have been appointed
by the Company’s shareholders to render their opinion on the
Annual Financial Statements and their report is included
herein.
|
“John Lee”
|
“Irina
Plavutska”
|
|
----------------------------------------------------
|
---------------------------------------------------
|
|
John
Lee, Chief Executive Officer
|
Irina
Plavutska, Chief Financial Officer
|
Vancouver,
British Columbia
March
12, 2021
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
To the
Shareholders and Directors of
Silver
Elephant Mining Corp.
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of
financial position of Silver Elephant Mining Corp.
(the “Company”), as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and
2018, and the related consolidated statements of operations and
comprehensive gain (loss), changes in equity (deficiency), and cash
flows for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the
related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial
statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial
statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Silver Elephant Mining Corp. as of December 31, 2020,
2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows
for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 in accordance
with those requirements of International Financial Reporting
Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting
Standards Board.
Going Concern
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared
assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As
discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the
Company has suffered recurring losses from operations that raise
substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.
Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in
Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this
uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the
Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements
based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered
with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States)
(“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with
respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB.
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated
financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due
to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we
engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial
reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not
for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of
the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our
audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of
material misstatements of the financial statements, whether due to
error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those
risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis,
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated
financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the
consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits
provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have
served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.
|
|
|
|
Vancouver,
Canada
|
Chartered
Professional Accountants
|
March
12, 2021
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars)
|
As at
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
8
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
|
Receivables
|
9
|
75,765
|
246,671
|
36,399
|
|
Prepaid
expenses
|
10
|
114,717
|
135,767
|
123,272
|
|
|
|
7,798,631
|
3,400,142
|
5,463,768
|
|
Non-current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Restricted cash
equivalents
|
8
|
34,500
|
34,500
|
34,500
|
|
Reclamation
deposits
|
|
21,055
|
21,055
|
21,055
|
|
Right-of-use
asset
|
12
|
18,430
|
50,023
|
-
|
|
Equipment
|
13
|
153,800
|
159,484
|
101,162
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
14
|
31,806,594
|
23,782,884
|
3,643,720
|
|
|
|
$39,833,010
|
$27,448,088
|
$9,264,205
|
|
Liabilities
and Equity (Deficiency)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current
liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable
and accrued liabilities
|
15
|
$1,759,163
|
$2,420,392
|
$1,636,786
|
|
Lease
liability
|
16
|
20,533
|
32,285
|
-
|
|
|
|
1,779,696
|
2,452,677
|
1,636,786
|
|
Non-current
liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lease
liability
|
16
|
-
|
20,533
|
-
|
|
Provision for
closure and reclamation
|
17
|
695,257
|
266,790
|
265,239
|
|
Tax
provision
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
8,121,918
|
|
|
|
2,474,953
|
2,740,000
|
10,023,943
|
|
Equity
(Deficiency)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share
capital
|
19
|
197,612,182
|
181,129,012
|
173,819,546
|
|
Reserves
|
19
|
24,852,022
|
24,058,336
|
23,413,830
|
|
Deficit
|
|
(185,106,147)
|
(180,479,260)
|
(197,993,114)
|
|
|
|
37,358,057
|
24,708,088
|
(759,738)
|
|
|
|
$39,833,010
|
$27,448,088
|
$9,264,205
|
|
Approved
on behalf of the Board:
|
|
"John Lee"
|
|
|
|
|
"Greg Hall"
|
|
John
Lee, Director
|
|
|
|
|
Greg
Hall, Director
|
Contingencies
(Note 26)
Events
after the reporting date (Note 27)
The
accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Gain
(Loss)
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
General
and Administrative Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertising and
promotion
|
|
$541,029
|
$794,182
|
$471,230
|
|
Consulting and
management fees
|
22
|
570,356
|
251,552
|
255,610
|
|
Depreciation and
accretion
|
|
41,116
|
65,157
|
28,024
|
|
Director
fees
|
22
|
108,600
|
103,805
|
70,378
|
|
Insurance
|
|
100,948
|
93,661
|
55,546
|
|
Office and
administration
|
|
136,274
|
123,904
|
137,289
|
|
Professional
fees
|
|
321,355
|
228,594
|
428,884
|
|
Salaries and
benefits
|
23
|
530,065
|
760,182
|
827,168
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
19
|
770,617
|
707,802
|
553,430
|
|
Stock exchange and
shareholder services
|
|
180,433
|
139,908
|
239,319
|
|
Travel and
accommodation
|
|
93,323
|
236,815
|
231,505
|
|
|
|
(3,394,116)
|
(3,505,562)
|
(3,298,383)
|
|
Other
Items
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs in excess of
recovered coal
|
13
|
(590,204)
|
(120,354)
|
(94,335)
|
|
Foreign exchange
loss
|
|
(64,841)
|
(443,203)
|
(412,663)
|
|
(Impairment)/recovery
of mineral property
|
14
|
-
|
13,708,200
|
(13,994,970)
|
|
Impairment of
prepaid expenses
|
10
|
(121,125)
|
(51,828)
|
(26,234)
|
|
Impairment of
equipment
|
13
|
-
|
-
|
(425,925)
|
|
Impairment of
receivables
|
9
|
(470,278)
|
(16,304)
|
(21,004)
|
|
Loss on sale of
marketable securities
|
|
-
|
-
|
(91,890)
|
|
(Loss)/gain on sale
of equipment
|
|
13,677
|
(9,795)
|
-
|
|
Gain on debt
settlement
|
23, 26
|
-
|
7,952,700
|
50,000
|
|
Other
income
|
|
-
|
-
|
130,936.00
|
|
|
|
(1,232,771)
|
21,019,416
|
(14,886,085)
|
|
Gain/(Loss)
for Year
|
|
(4,626,887)
|
17,513,854
|
(18,184,468)
|
|
Fair value loss on
marketable securities
|
|
-
|
-
|
(81,000)
|
|
Reclassification
adjustment for realized loss
|
|
|
|
|
|
marketable
securities
|
|
-
|
-
|
68,840
|
|
Comprehensive
Gain/(Loss) for Year
|
|
$(4,626,887)
|
$17,513,854
|
$(18,196,628)
|
|
Gain/(Loss)
Per Common Share,
|
|
|
|
|
|
basic
|
|
$(0.03)
|
$0.17
|
$(0.23)
|
|
diluted
|
|
$(0.03)
|
$0.17
|
$(0.23)
|
|
Weighted
Average Number of Common Shares Outstanding,
|
|
|
|
|
|
basic
|
|
137,901,802
|
102,208,111
|
78,445,396
|
|
diluted
|
|
137,901,802
|
102,398,145
|
78,443,396
|
The
accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
(Deficiency)
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income (loss)
|
|
Total Equity
(Deficiency)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2017
|
74,721,790
|
$165,862,805
|
$22,621,202
|
$12,160
|
$(179,808,646)
|
$8,687,521
|
|
Private placements,
net of share issue costs
|
16,061,417
|
6,096,621
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6,096,621
|
|
Warrants issued for
mineral property
|
-
|
-
|
181,944
|
-
|
-
|
181,944
|
|
Exercise of stock
options
|
87,500
|
39,500
|
(15,350)
|
-
|
-
|
24,150
|
|
Exercise of
warrants
|
3,445,420
|
1,470,620
|
(132,453)
|
-
|
-
|
1,338,167
|
|
Bonus
shares
|
1,000,000
|
350,000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
350,000
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
-
|
-
|
758,487
|
-
|
-
|
758,487
|
|
Loss for the
year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(18,184,468)
|
(18,184,468)
|
|
Unrealized loss on
marketable securities
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(12,160)
|
-
|
(12,160)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2018
|
95,316,127
|
$173,819,546
|
$23,413,830
|
-
|
$(197,993,114)
|
$(759,738)
|
|
Private placements,
net of share issue costs
|
22,750,000
|
6,117,991
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6,117,991
|
|
Finders
shares
|
1,179,500
|
366,800
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
366,800
|
|
Debt
Settlements
|
104,951
|
43,030
|
-
|
-
|
|
43,030
|
|
Exercise of stock
options
|
622,500
|
328,095
|
(153,845)
|
-
|
-
|
174,250
|
|
Exercise of
warrants
|
651,430
|
279,050
|
(28,478)
|
-
|
-
|
250,572
|
|
Bonus
shares
|
500,000
|
115,000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
115,000
|
|
Share compensation
for services
|
175,000
|
59,500
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
59,500
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
-
|
-
|
826,829
|
-
|
-
|
826,829
|
|
Gain for the
year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
17,513,854
|
17,513,854
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2019
|
121,299,508
|
$181,129,012
|
$24,058,336
|
-
|
$(180,479,260)
|
$24,708,088
|
|
Private placements,
net of share issue costs
|
38,200,000
|
10,247,206
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
10,247,206
|
|
Finders
units
|
156,900
|
(24,000)
|
24,000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Broker
warrants
|
-
|
(226,917)
|
226,917
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Shares issued for
property acquisition
|
4,000,000
|
2,000,000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,000,000
|
|
Exercise of stock
options
|
1,233,750
|
572,659
|
(272,847)
|
-
|
-
|
299,812
|
|
Exercise of
warrants
|
14,027,670
|
3,273,822
|
(166,628)
|
-
|
-
|
3,107,194
|
|
Bonus
shares
|
1,601,000
|
640,400
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
640,400
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
-
|
-
|
982,244
|
-
|
-
|
982,244
|
|
Loss for the
year
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(4,626,887)
|
(4,626,887)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2020
|
180,518,828
|
$197,612,182
|
$24,852,022
|
-
|
$(185,106,147)
|
$37,358,057
|
The
accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
Net gain/(loss) for
year
|
$(4,626,887)
|
$17,513,854
|
$(18,184,468)
|
|
Adjustments to
reconcile net loss to net cash flows:
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and
accretion
|
64,387
|
65,157
|
28,024
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
770,617
|
707,802
|
553,430
|
|
Unrealized foreign
exchange (gain)/loss
|
-
|
(169,218)
|
580,902
|
|
Share compensation
for services
|
720,900
|
356,003
|
350,000
|
|
(Impairment)/recovery
of mineral property
|
-
|
(13,708,200)
|
13,994,970
|
|
Impairment of
prepaid expenses
|
121,125
|
51,828
|
26,234
|
|
Impairment of
equipment
|
-
|
-
|
425,925
|
|
Impairment of
receivables
|
470,278
|
16,304
|
21,004
|
|
Loss on sale of
marketable securities
|
-
|
-
|
91,890
|
|
(Loss)/gain on sale
of equipment
|
13,677
|
9,795
|
-
|
|
Change in estimate
reclamation provision
|
405,196
|
-
|
-
|
|
Gain on debt
settlement
|
-
|
(7,952,700)
|
-
|
|
|
(2,060,707)
|
(3,109,375)
|
(2,112,089)
|
|
Changes to working
capital items
|
|
|
|
|
Receivables
|
(299,372)
|
(196,079)
|
(22,750)
|
|
Prepaid expenses
and reclamation deposits
|
(100,075)
|
(29,323)
|
(8,896)
|
|
Accounts payable
and accrued liabilities
|
(88,888)
|
659,264
|
(482,952)
|
|
|
(488,335)
|
433,862
|
(514,598)
|
|
Cash
Used in Operating Activities
|
(2,549,042)
|
(2,675,513)
|
(2,626,687)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investing
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
Net
(purchases)/proceeds from marketable securities
|
-
|
-
|
101,550
|
|
Proceeds
on sale of equipment
|
50,695
|
-
|
-
|
|
Purchase of
equipment
|
(111,592)
|
(113,564)
|
(120,416)
|
|
Mineral property
expenditures
|
(6,336,166)
|
(6,123,401)
|
(3,609,896)
|
|
Cash
Used in Investing Activities
|
(6,397,063)
|
(6,236,965)
|
(3,628,762)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing
Activities
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from share
issuance, net of share issue costs
|
10,201,706
|
6,237,791
|
6,096,621
|
|
Proceeds from
exercise of stock options
|
299,812
|
174,250
|
24,150
|
|
Proceeds from
exercise of warrants
|
3,072,194
|
250,572
|
1,338,167
|
|
Lease
payments
|
(37,162)
|
(36,528)
|
-
|
|
Cash
Provided by Financing Activities
|
13,536,550
|
6,626,085
|
7,458,938
|
|
Net Decrease in
Cash
|
4,590,445
|
(2,286,393)
|
1,203,489
|
|
Cash - beginning of
year
|
3,017,704
|
5,304,097
|
4,100,608
|
|
Cash - end of
year
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
Supplemental
cash flow information (Note 25)
The
accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
1.
DESCRIPTION
OF BUSINESS AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
Silver
Elephant Mining Corp. (the “Company”) is incorporated under
the laws of the province of British Columbia, Canada. The
common shares without par value
in the capital of the Company (the
“Common
Shares”) are listed for
trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the
“TSX”) under the symbol “ELEF” and
on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol
“1P2N” and are quoted on the OTCQX® Best Market under the
symbol “SILEF”.
The
Company is an exploration stage company. The Company holds an interest in the Pulacayo
Paca silver-zinc-lead property located in Bolivia and an
100% interest in two vanadium projects in North America, being the
Gibellini vanadium project, which is comprised of the
Gibellini, Louie
Hill and Bisoni vanadium deposits and associated claims located in
the State of Nevada, USA, and the Titan vanadium-titanium-iron
property located in the Province of Ontario, Canada. In 2020, the
Company acquired the Sunawayo silver-zinc-lead and El Triunfo
gold-silver-zinc properties in Bolivia. The Company also has a 100% interest
in the Ulaan Ovoo coal property located in Selenge province,
Mongolia and a 100% interest in the Chandgana Tal coal property and
Khavtgai Uul coal property located in Khentii province,
Mongolia.
The
Company maintains its registered and records office at Suite 1610
– 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,
V6C 1T2.
These consolidated audited annual
financial statements have been prepared under the assumption that
the Company is a going concern, which contemplates the
realization of assets and the payment of liabilities in the
ordinary course of business. As at December 31, 2020, Company has a
deficit of $185.1 million.
The
business of mineral exploration involves a high degree of risk and
there can be no assurance that the Company’s current
operations, including exploration programs, will result in
profitable mining operations. The recoverability of the carrying
value of mineral properties, and property and equipment interests
and the Company’s continued existence is dependent upon the
preservation of its interest in the underlying properties, the
discovery of economically recoverable reserves, the achievement of
profitable operations, the ability of the Company to raise
additional sources of funding, and/or, alternatively, upon the
Company’s ability to dispose of some or all of its interests
on an advantageous basis. These conditions may cast significant
doubt upon the Company’s ability to continue as a going
concern.
In
assessing whether the going concern assumption is appropriate,
management takes into account all available information about the
future, which is at least, but not limited to, twelve months from
the end of the reporting period. Management is aware, in making its
assessment, of uncertainties related to events or conditions that
may cast significant doubt upon the entity’s ability to
continue as a going concern that these uncertainties are material
and, therefore, that it may be unable to realize its assets and
discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business.
Accordingly, they do not give effect to adjustments that would be
necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going
concern and therefore to realize its assets and discharge its
liabilities and commitments in other than the normal course of
business and at amounts different from those in the accompanying
financial statements. These adjustments could be
material.
These
Annual Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards, (“IFRS”) as issued by the
International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”).
The
preparation of financial statements in compliance with IFRS
requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also
requires the Company’s management to exercise judgment in
applying the Company’s accounting policies. The areas where
significant judgments and estimates have been made in preparing
these Annual Financial Statements and their effect are disclosed in
Note 5.
These
Annual Financial Statements have been prepared on a historical cost
basis, except for financial instruments classified as fair value
through profit or loss (“FVTPL”), which are stated at their
fair values. These Annual Financial Statements have been prepared
using the accrual basis of accounting except for
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
2.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
(cont’d…)
cash
flow information. These Annual Financial Statements are presented
in Canadian Dollars, except where otherwise noted.
The
accounting policies set out in Note 6 have been applied
consistently by the Company and its subsidiaries to all periods
presented.
The
Annual Consolidated Financial Statements were reviewed by the Audit
Committee and approved and authorized for issue by the Board of
Directors on March 8, 2021.
3.
BASIS
OF CONSOLIDATION
The Annual Financial Statements comprise the financial statements
of the Company and its wholly owned and partially owned
subsidiaries as at December 31, 2020. Subsidiaries are consolidated
from the date of acquisition, being the date on which the Company
obtains control, and continue to be consolidated until the date
when such control ceases. Effects of transactions between
subsidiaries are eliminated on consolidation. The financial
statements of the subsidiaries are prepared for the same reporting
period as the parent company.
Accounting policies of the
subsidiaries have been changed where necessary to ensure
consistency with the policies adopted by the
Company.
The
Company’s significant subsidiaries at December 31, 2020 are
presented in the following table:
4.
CHANGES
IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Amendment to IFRS 16, COVID‐19‐Related Rent
Concessions
In May
2020, the International Accounting Standards Board
(“IASB”) issued an amendment to permit lessees, as a
practical expedient, not to assess whether particular rent
concessions that reduce lease payments occurring as a direct
consequence of the COVID‐19 pandemic are lease
modifications and instead to account for those rent concessions as
if they are not lease modifications. The amendment is
effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after June
1, 2020, with earlier application permitted. The adoption of this
amendment is not expected to have an impact on the financial
statements.
Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition of
Material
In
October 2018, the IASB issued amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of
Financial Statements, and IAS 8, Accounting Policies, Changes in
Accounting Estimates and Errors, to align the definition of
“material” across the standards and to clarify certain
aspects of the definition. The new definition states that,
“Information is material if omitting, misstating or obscuring
it could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that the
primary users of general purpose financial statements make on the
basis of those financial statements, which provide financial
information about a specific reporting entity.”
These amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or
after January 1, 2020. The amendments to the definition of material
did not have a significant impact on the Annual Financial
Statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
4.
CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(cont’d…)
Future Accounting Pronouncements
The
Company has not early adopted any standard, interpretation or
amendment that has been issued but is not yet
effective.
Amendments to IAS 16: Property, Plant and Equipment: Proceeds
before Intended Use. In May 2020, the IASB issued amendments
to IAS 16, Property, Plant
and Equipment (IAS 16). The amendments prohibit a company from
deducting from the cost of property, plant and equipment amounts
received from selling items produced while the company is
preparing the asset for its intended use. Instead, a company will
recognize such sales proceeds and related costs in profit (loss).
An entity is required to apply these amendments for annual
reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2022. The
amendments are applied retrospectively only to items of property,
plant and equipment that are available for use after the beginning
of the earliest period presented in the financial statements in
which the entity first applies the amendments. We are currently
assessing the effect of this amendment on our financial
statements.
Amendments
to IAS 1: Classification of Liabilities as Current or
Non‐Current
and Deferral of Effective Date. In January 2020, the IASB
issued amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements,
to provide a more general approach to the presentation of
liabilities as current or non‐current based on
contractual arrangements in place at the reporting
date.
These
amendments:
−
specify that the rights and conditions existing at the end of the
reporting period are relevant in determining whether the Company
has a right to defer settlement of a liability by at least twelve
months;
−
provide that management’s expectations are not a relevant
consideration as to whether the Company will exercise its rights to
defer settlement of a liability; and
−
clarify when a liability is considered settled.
On July
15, 2020, the IASB issued a deferral of the effective date for the
new guidance by one year to annual reporting periods beginning on
or after January 1, 2023 and is to be applied retrospectively. The
Company has not yet determined the impact of these amendments on
its financial statements.
5.
SIGNIFICANT
JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS
The
preparation of a company’s financial statements in conformity
with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at
the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of
revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates and
assumptions are continually evaluated and are based on
management’s experience and other factors, including
expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable
under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from these
estimates.
5.1.
Significant
Judgments
The
significant judgments that the Company’s management has made
in the process of applying the Company’s accounting policies,
apart from those involving estimation uncertainties (Annual
financial statements 5.2), that have the most significant effect on
the amounts recognized in the Annual Financial Statements include,
but are not limited to:
(a)
Functional currency
determination
The
functional currency for each of the Company’s subsidiaries is
the currency of the primary economic environment and the Company
reconsiders the functional currency of its entities if there is a
change in events and conditions which determined the primary
economic environment. Management has determined the functional
currency of all entities to be the Canadian dollar.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
5.
SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND
ASSUMPTIONS (cont’d…)
5.1 Significant Judgments (cont’d…)
(b)
Economic
recoverability and probability of future economic benefits of
exploration, evaluation and development costs
Management
has determined that exploratory drilling, evaluation, development
and related costs incurred which have been capitalized are
economically recoverable. Management uses several criteria in its
assessments of economic recoverability and probability of future
economic benefit including geologic and metallurgic information,
history of conversion of mineral deposits to proven and probable
reserves, scoping, prefeasibility and feasibility studies,
assessable facilities, existing permits and life of mine
plans.
Management
has determined that during the year ended December 31, 2020, none
of the Company’s silver and vanadium projects have reached
technical feasibility and commercial viability and therefore remain
within Mineral Properties on the Statement of Financial
Position.
(c)
Impairment (recovery) assessment of deferred exploration
interests
The
Company considers both external and internal sources of information
in assessing whether there are any indications that mineral
property interests are impaired. External sources of information
the Company considers include changes in the market, economic and
legal environment in which the Company operates that are not within
its control and affect the recoverable amount of mineral property
interest. Internal sources of information the Company considers
include the manner in which mineral properties and plant and
equipment are being used or are expected to be used and indications
of economic performance of the assets.
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company wrote-off $13,994,970
of capitalized mineral property costs. During the year ended
December 31, 2019, the Company reversed $13,708,200 of impairment
(Note 14).
(d)
Deferred Tax Assets
and Liabilities
The
measurement of the deferred tax provision is subject to uncertainty
associated with the timing of future events and changes in
legislation, tax rates and interpretations by tax authorities. The
estimation of deferred taxes includes evaluating the recoverability
of deferred tax assets based on an assessment of the
Company’s ability to utilize the underlying future tax
deductions against future taxable income prior to expiry of those
deductions. For deferred tax calculation purposes, Management
assesses whether it is probable that some or all of the deferred
income tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of
deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future
taxable income, which in turn is dependent upon the successful
discovery, extraction, development and commercialization of mineral
reserves. To the extent that management’s assessment of the
Company’s ability to utilize future tax deductions changes,
the Company would be required to recognize more or fewer deferred
tax assets, and future tax provisions or recoveries could be
affected.
5.2 Estimates and Assumptions
The
Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current and various
other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Management believes the estimates are reasonable;
however, actual results could differ from those estimates and could
impact future results of operations and cash flows. The areas which
require management to make significant estimates and assumptions in
determining carrying values include, but are not limited
to:
The recoverability of the carrying value of the mineral properties
is dependent on successful development and commercial exploitation,
or alternatively, sale of the respective areas of
interest.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
5.
SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND
ASSUMPTIONS (cont’d…)
5.2 Estimates and Assumptions
(cont’d…)
Significant
judgment is involved in the determination of useful life and
residual values for the computation of depreciation, depletion and
amortization and no assurance can be given that actual useful lives
and residual values will not differ significantly from current
assumptions.
The carrying value of long-lived assets are reviewed each reporting
period to determine whether there is any indication of impairment.
If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable amount,
the asset is impaired, and an impairment loss is recognized in the
consolidated statement of operations. The assessment of fair
values, including those of the cash generating units (the smallest
identifiable group of assets that generates cash inflows that are
largely independent of the cash inflow from other assets or groups
of assets) (“CGUs”) for purposes of testing impairment,
require the use of estimates and assumptions for recoverable
production, long-term commodity prices, discount rates, foreign
exchange rates, future capital requirements and operating
performance. Changes in any of the assumptions or estimates used in
determining the fair value of long-lived assets could impact the
impairment analysis.
(d)
Allowance for
doubtful accounts, and the recoverability of receivables and
prepaid expense amounts.
Significant
estimates are involved in the determination of recoverability of
receivables and no assurance can be given that actual proceeds will
not differ significantly from current estimations. Similarly,
significant estimates are involved in the determination of the
recoverability of services and/or goods related to the prepaid
expense amounts, and actual results could differ significantly from
current estimations.
Management
has made significant assumptions about the recoverability of
receivables and prepaid expense amounts. During the year ended
December 31, 2020 the Company wrote-off $470,278 (2019 -
$16,304;2018 -
$21,004) of trade receivables which are no longer expected to be
recovered and $121,125 (2019 - $51,828;2018 - $26,234) of prepaid
expenses for which not future benefit is expected to be
received.
(e)
Provision for
closure and reclamation
The
Company assesses its mineral properties’ rehabilitation
provision at each reporting date or when new material information
becomes available. Exploration, development and mining activities
are subject to various laws and regulations governing the
protection of the environment. In general, these laws and
regulations are continually changing, and the Company has made, and
intends to make in the future, expenditures to comply with such
laws and regulations. Accounting for reclamation obligations
requires management to make estimates of the future costs that the
Company will incur to complete the reclamation work required to
comply with existing laws and regulations at each location. Actual
costs incurred may differ from those amounts
estimated.
Also,
future changes to environmental laws and regulations could increase
the extent of reclamation and remediation work required to be
performed by the Company. Increases in future costs could
materially impact the
amounts
charged to operations for reclamation and remediation. The
provision represents management’s best estimate of the
present value of the future reclamation and remediation obligation.
The actual future expenditures may differ from the amounts
currently provided.
Management
uses valuation techniques in measuring the fair value of share
purchase options granted. The fair value is determined using the
Black Scholes option pricing model which requires management to
make certain estimates, judgement, and assumptions in relation to
the expected life of the share purchase options and share purchase
warrants, expected volatility, expected risk-free rate, and
expected forfeiture rate. Changes to these assumptions could have a
material impact on the Annual Financial Statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
5.
SIGNIFICANT JUDGMENTS, ESTIMATES AND
ASSUMPTIONS (cont’d…)
5.2 Estimates and Assumptions
(cont’d…)
The
assessment of contingencies involves the exercise of significant
judgment and estimates of the outcome of future events. In
assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are
pending against the Company and that may result in regulatory or
government actions that may negatively impact the Company’s
business or operations, the Company and its legal counsel evaluate
the perceived merits of the legal proceeding or unasserted claim or
action as well as the perceived merits of the nature and amount of
relief sought or expected to be sought, when determining the
amount, if any, to recognize as a contingent liability or when
assessing the impact on the carrying value of the Company’s
assets. Contingent assets are not recognized in the Annual
Financial Statements.
(h)
Fair value measurement
The
Company measures financial instruments at fair value at each
reporting date. The fair values of financial instruments measured
at amortized cost are disclosed in Note 21. Also, from time to time,
the fair values of non-financial assets and liabilities are
required to be determined, e.g., when the entity acquires a
business, completes
an
asset acquisition or where an entity measures the recoverable
amount of an asset or cash-generating unit at fair value less costs
of disposal. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell
an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction
between market participants at the measurement date.
The
fair value of an asset or a liability is measured using the
assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the
asset or liability, assuming that market participants act in their
economic best interest. A fair value measurement of a non-financial
asset takes into account a market participant’s ability to
generate economic benefits by using the asset in its highest and
best use or by selling it to another market participant that would
use the asset in its highest and best use. The Company uses
valuation techniques that are appropriate in the circumstances and
for which sufficient data are available to measure fair value,
maximising the use of relevant observable inputs and minimising the
use of unobservable inputs. Changes in estimates and assumptions
about these inputs could affect the reported fair
value.
COVID-19
An
emerging risk is a risk not well understood at the current time and
for which the impacts on strategy and financial results are
difficult to assess or are in the process of being assessed. Since
December 31, 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in
governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the
spread of the virus. These measures, which include the
implementation of travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and
social distancing, have caused material disruption to businesses
globally, resulting in an economic slowdown. Global equity markets
have experienced significant volatility and weakness. Governments
and central banks have reacted with significant monetary and fiscal
interventions designed to stabilize economic conditions. The
duration and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is unknown at this
time, as is the efficacy of the government and central bank
interventions. It is not possible to reliably estimate the length
and severity of these developments and the impact on the financial
results and condition of the Company and its operating subsidiaries
in future periods.
COVID-19
may impact Company operations, and consequently, the nature and
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Some of the
specific areas impacted by COVID-19 include, but are not limited
to:
●
Going concern
assessments;
●
Evaluation of
subsequent events;
●
Impairment and
recovery of mineral properties;
●
Fair value
measurements;
●
Employee
termination benefits; and
●
Financial statement
and Management Discussion & Analysis disclosures.
As at
December 31, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the
Company’s critical accounting policies.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY
OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(a)
Restricted
cash equivalents
Restricted
cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments pledged as
collateral for the Company’s credit card and are readily
convertible to known amounts of cash.
Mineral
property assets consist of exploration and evaluation costs. Costs
directly related to the exploration and evaluation of resource
properties are capitalized to mineral properties once the legal
rights to explore the resource properties are acquired or obtained.
These costs include acquisition of rights to explore, license and
application fees, topographical, geological, geochemical and
geophysical studies, exploratory drilling, trenching,
sampling, and activities in relation to evaluating the technical
feasibility and commercial viability of extracting a mineral
resource.
If it
is determined that capitalized acquisition, exploration and
evaluation costs are not recoverable, or the property is abandoned
or management has determined an impairment in value, the property
is written down to its recoverable amount. Mineral properties are
reviewed at least annually for indicators of impairment and are
tested for impairment when facts and circumstances suggest that the
carrying amount may exceed its recoverable amount.
From
time to time, the Company acquires or disposes of properties
pursuant to the terms of option agreements. Options are exercisable
entirely at the discretion of the optionee and, accordingly, are
recorded as mineral property costs or recoveries when the payments
are made or received. After costs are recovered, the balances of
the payments received are recorded as a gain on option or
disposition of mineral property.
(i)
Title to mineral
properties
Although the
Company has taken steps to verify title to the properties on which
it is conducting exploration and in which it has an interest, in
accordance with industry standards for the current stage of
exploration of such properties, these procedures do not guarantee
the Company’s title, nor has the Company insured title.
Property title may be subject to unregistered prior agreements and
non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
(ii)
Realization of
mineral property assets
The
investment in and expenditures on mineral property interests
comprise a significant portion of the Company’s assets.
Realization of the Company’s investment in these assets is
dependent upon the establishment of legal ownership, and the
attainment of successful production from properties or from the
proceeds of their disposal. Resource exploration and development is
highly speculative and involves inherent risks. While the rewards
if an ore body is discovered can be substantial, few properties
that are explored are ultimately developed into profitable
producing mines. There can be no assurance that current exploration
programs will result in the discovery of economically viable
quantities of ore.
The
amounts shown for acquisition costs and deferred exploration
expenditures represent costs incurred to date and do not
necessarily reflect present or future values.
The
Company is subject to the laws and regulations relating to
environmental matters in all jurisdictions in which it operates,
including provisions relating to property reclamation, discharge of
hazardous material and other matters. The Company may also be held
liable should environmental problems be discovered that were caused
by former owners and operators of its properties and properties in
which it has previously had an interest.
The
Company conducts its mineral exploration activities in compliance
with applicable environmental protection legislation. Other than as
disclosed in Note 17, the Company is not aware of any existing
environmental issues related to any of its current or former
properties that may result in material liability to the Company.
Environmental legislation is becoming increasingly stringent and
costs and expenses of regulatory compliance are increasing. The
impact of new and future environmental legislation on the
Company’s operations may cause additional
expenses
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES (cont’d…)
(b)
Mineral properties
(cont’d…)
(iii)
Environmental
(cont’d…)
and
restrictions. If the restrictions adversely affect the scope of
exploration and development on the mineral properties, the
potential for production on the property may be diminished or
negated.
Equipment
is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated
impairment losses, if any. The cost of an item of property and
equipment consists of the purchase price, any costs directly
attributable to bringing the asset to the location and condition
necessary for its intended use, and an initial estimate of the
costs of dismantling and removing the item and restoring the site
on which it is located.
Depreciation
of equipment is recorded on a declining-balance basis at the
following annual rates:
|
Computer
equipment
|
45%
|
|
Furniture
and equipment
|
20%
|
|
Leasehold
improvement
|
Straight
line / 5 years
|
|
Mining
equipment
|
20%
|
|
Vehicles
|
30%
|
|
Right-of-use
asset
|
Straight
line / term of lease
|
When
parts of major components of equipment have different useful lives,
they are accounted for as a separate item of
equipment.
The
cost of major overhauls of parts of equipment is recognized in the
carrying amount of the item if is probable that the future economic
benefits embodied within the part will flow to the Company, and its
cost can be measured reliably. The carrying amount of the replaced
part is derecognized. The costs of the day-to-day servicing of
equipment are recognized in profit or loss as
incurred.
(d)
Impairment of
non-current assets and Cash Generating Units (“CGU”)
At the
end of each reporting period, the Company reviews the carrying
amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether
there is an indication that those assets have suffered an
impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable
amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent
of the impairment loss (if any).
Where
it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an
individual asset, the Company estimates the recoverable amount of
the CGU, where the recoverable amount of the CGU is the greater of
the CGU’s fair value less costs to sell and its value in use
to which the assets belong. In assessing value in use, estimated
future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a
pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of
the time value of money and the risks specific to the
asset.
If the
recoverable amount of an asset (or CGU) is estimated to be less
than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or CGU)
is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is
recognized immediately in the statement of comprehensive loss,
unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which
case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease. Each
project or group of claims or licenses is treated as a CGU.
Discounted cash flow techniques often require management to make
estimates and assumptions concerning reserves and expected future
production revenues and expenses, which can vary from actual. Where
an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of
the asset (or CGU) is increased to the revised estimate of its
recoverable amount, such that the increased carrying amount does
not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had
no impairment loss been recognized for the asset (or CGU) in prior
years.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES (cont’d…)
(e)
Foreign currency
translation
Transactions
in currencies other than the functional currency are recorded at
the prevailing exchange rates on the dates of the transactions. At
each financial position reporting date, monetary assets and
liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the
prevailing exchange rates at the date of the consolidated statement
of financial position. Non-monetary items measured in terms of
historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated. Gains
and losses arising from this translation are included in the
determination of net gain or loss for the year.
(f)
Costs in
excess of recovered coal
Exploration
expenditures are re-classified from Exploration and evaluation
assets to deferred development costs within the property and
equipment category once the work completed to date supports the
future development of the property and such development receives
appropriate approvals.
After
reclassification, all subsequent expenditure on the construction,
installation or completion of infrastructure facilities is
capitalized within deferred development cost. Development
expenditure is net of proceeds from the sale of coal extracted
during the development phase to the extent that it is considered
integral to the development of the mine. Any costs incurred in
testing the assets to determine if they are functioning as
intended, are capitalized, net of any proceeds received from
selling any product produced while testing. Where these proceeds
exceed the cost of testing, any excess is recognized in the
statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive
income.
As the
Company’s Ulaan Ovoo mine has been impaired to a value of
$nil (2019 - $nil, 2018 - $nil), all property costs incurred are
presented net of incidental income earned from the property in all
years presented.
Proceeds
received on the issuance of units, consisting of common shares and
warrants, are allocated first to common shares based on the market
trading price of the common shares at the time the units are
priced, and any excess is allocated to warrants.
The
Company has a share purchase option plan that is described in Note
19. The Company accounts for share-based payments using a fair
value-based method with respect to all share-based payments to
directors, officers, employees, and service providers. Share-based
payments to employees are measured at the fair value of the
instruments issued and amortized over the vesting periods.
Share-based payments to non-employees are measured at the fair value of the
goods or services received or if such fair value is not reliably
measurable, at the fair value of the equity instruments issued. The
fair value is recognized as an expense or capitalized to mineral
properties or property and equipment with a corresponding increase
in option reserve. This includes a forfeiture estimate, which is
revised for actual forfeitures in subsequent periods.
Where
the terms and conditions of options are modified before they vest,
the increase in the fair value of the options, measured immediately
before and after the modification, is also charged to the
consolidated statement of operations over the remaining vesting
period.
Upon
the exercise of the share purchase option, the consideration
received, and the related amount transferred from option reserve
are recorded as share capital.
Basic
loss per share is calculated using the weighted average number of
common shares outstanding during the period. The Company uses the
treasury stock method to compute the dilutive effect of options and
warrants. Under this method the dilutive effect on earnings per
share is calculated presuming the exercise of outstanding
options
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES (cont’d…)
and
warrants. It assumes that the proceeds of such exercise would be
used to repurchase common shares at the average market price during
the period. However, the calculation of diluted loss per share
excludes the effects of various conversions and exercise of options
and warrants that would be anti-dilutive.
Income
tax expense comprises current and deferred tax. Current tax is the
expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income or loss
for the year using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at
the reporting date.
Deferred
tax is recognized in respect of temporary differences between the
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting
purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. Deferred tax
is measured at the tax rates that are expected to be applied to
temporary differences when they reverse, based on the tax laws that
have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset if there is a
legally enforceable right to offset current tax liabilities and
assets, and they relate to income taxes levied by the same tax
authority on the same taxable entity.
A
deferred tax asset is recognized for unused tax losses, tax credits
and deductible temporary differences, to the extent that it is
probable that future taxable profits will be available against
which they can be utilized. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at
each reporting date and are reduced to the extent that it is no
longer probable that the related tax benefit will be
realized.
(k)
Provision for
closure and reclamation
The
Company assesses its equipment and mineral property rehabilitation
provision at each reporting date. Changes to estimated future costs
are recognized in the statement of financial position by either
increasing or decreasing the rehabilitation liability and asset to
which it relates if the initial estimate was originally recognized
as part of an asset measured in accordance with IAS 16 Property, Plant and
Equipment.
The
Company records the present value of estimated costs of legal and
constructive obligations required to restore operations in the
period in which the obligation is incurred. The nature of these
restoration activities includes dismantling and removing
structures; rehabilitating mineral properties; dismantling
operating facilities; closure of plant and waste sites; and
restoration, reclamation and vegetation of affected areas. Present
value is used where the effect of the time value of money is
material. The related liability is adjusted each period for the
unwinding of the discount rate and for changes in estimates,
changes to the current market-based discount rate, and the amount
or timing of the underlying cash flows needed to settle the
obligation.
(l)
Financial
instruments
Classification
Financial assets
are classified at initial recognition as either: measured at
amortized cost, FVTPL or fair value through other comprehensive
income ("FVOCI"). The classification depends on the Company’s
business model for managing the financial assets and the
contractual cash flow characteristics. For assets measured at fair
value, gains and losses will either be recorded in profit or loss
or OCI. Derivatives embedded in contracts where the host is a
financial asset in the scope of the standard are never separated.
Instead, the hybrid financial instrument as a whole is assessed for
classification. Financial liabilities are measured at amortized
cost, unless they are required to be measured at FVTPL or the
Company has opted to measure at FVTPL.
Measurement
Financial assets
and liabilities at FVTPL are initially recognized at fair value and
transaction costs are expensed in the consolidated statement of
loss and comprehensive loss. Realized and unrealized gains and
losses arising from changes in the fair value of the financial
assets or liabilities held at FVTPL are included in the
consolidated
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES (cont’d…)
(l)
Financial
instruments (cont’d…)
Measurement
(cont’d…)
statement of
operations and comprehensive loss in the period in which they
arise. Where the Company has opted to designate a financial
liability at FVTPL, any changes associated with the Company's
credit risk will be recognized
in OCI.
Financial assets and liabilities at amortized cost are initially
recognized at fair value, and subsequently carried at amortized
cost less any impairment.
Impairment
The
Company assesses on a forward-looking basis the expected credit
loss (“ECL”) associated with financial assets measured
at amortized cost, contract assets and debt instruments carried at
FVOCI. The impairment methodology applied depends on whether there
has been a significant increase in credit risk. Please refer to
Note 21 for relevant fair value measurement
disclosures.
At
inception of a contract, we assess whether a contract is, or
contains, a lease. A contract is, or contains, a lease if the
contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified
asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. We assess
whether the contract involves the use of an identified asset,
whether we have the right to obtain substantially all of the
economic benefits from use of the asset during the term of the
arrangement and if we have the right to direct the use of the
asset. At inception or on assessment of a contract that contains a
lease component, we allocate the consideration in the contract to
each lease component on the basis of their relative stand-alone
prices.
As a
lessee, we recognize a right-of-use asset, which is included in
property, plant and equipment, and a lease liability at the
commencement date of a lease. The right-of-use asset is initially
measured at cost, which is comprised of the initial amount of the
lease liability adjusted for any lease payments made at or before
the commencement date, plus any decommissioning and restoration
costs, less any lease incentives received.
The
right-of-use asset is subsequently depreciated from the
commencement date to the earlier of the end of the lease term, or
the end of the useful life of the asset. In addition, the
right-of-use asset may be reduced due to impairment losses, if any,
and adjusted for certain remeasurements of the lease
liability.
A lease
liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease
payments that are not paid at the commencement date, discounted by
the interest rate implicit in the lease, or if that rate cannot be
readily determined, our incremental borrowing rate. Lease payments
included in the measurement of the lease liability are comprised
of:
●
fixed payments,
including in-substance fixed payments, less any lease incentives
receivable;
●
variable lease
payments that depend on an index or a rate, initially measured
using the index or rate as at the commencement date;
●
amounts expected to
be payable under a residual value guarantee;
●
exercise prices of
purchase options if we are reasonably certain to exercise that
option; and
●
payments of
penalties for terminating the lease, if the lease term reflects the
lessee exercising an option to terminate the lease.
The
lease liability is measured at amortized cost using the effective
interest method. It is remeasured when there is a change in future
lease payments arising from a change in an index or rate, or if
there is a change in our estimate or assessment of the expected
amount payable under a residual value guarantee, purchase, and
extension or termination option. Variable lease payments not
included in the initial measurement of the lease liability are
charged directly to profit (loss).
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
6.
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES (cont’d…)
We have
elected not to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities
for short-term leases that have a lease term of 12 months or less
and leases of low-value assets. The lease payments associated with
these leases are charged directly to profit (loss) on a
straight-line basis over the lease term.
The
Company operates in one operating segment, being the acquisition,
exploration and development of mineral properties. Geographic
segmentation of the Company’s non-current assets is as
follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reclamation
deposits
|
$-
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
|
Equipment
|
9,729
|
80,401
|
2,790
|
60,880
|
153,800
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
-
|
13,290,081
|
-
|
18,516,513
|
31,806,594
|
|
|
$9,729
|
$13,370,482
|
$23,845
|
$18,577,393
|
$31,981,449
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reclamation
deposits
|
$-
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
|
Equipment
|
12,005
|
89,826
|
35,721
|
21,932
|
159,484
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
-
|
8,600,658
|
-
|
15,182,226
|
23,782,884
|
|
|
$12,005
|
$8,690,484
|
$56,776
|
$15,204,158
|
$23,963,423
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reclamation
deposits
|
$-
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
$-
|
$21,055
|
|
Equipment
|
14,839
|
22,713
|
33,440
|
30,170
|
101,162
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
-
|
3,643,720
|
-
|
-
|
3,643,720
|
|
|
$14,839
|
$3,666,433
|
$54,495
|
$30,170
|
$3,765,937
|
8.
CASH
AND RESTRICTED CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash
and restricted cash equivalents of the Company are comprised of
bank balances and a guaranteed investment certificate which can be
readily converted into cash without significant restrictions,
changes in value or penalties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
|
Restricted
cash equivalents
|
34,500
|
34,500
|
34,500
|
|
|
$7,642,649
|
$3,052,204
|
$5,338,597
|
Restricted Cash Equivalents
As at
December 31, 2020, a guaranteed investment certificate of $34,500
(2019 - $34,500, 2018 – $34,500) has been pledged as
collateral for the Company’s credit card.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
Trade
receivables are non-interest-bearing and are generally on terms of
30 to 90 days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Input
tax recoverable
|
$73,804
|
$20,741
|
$36,399
|
|
Trade
receivable
|
1,961
|
195,433
|
-
|
|
Subscriptions
receivable
|
-
|
30,497
|
-
|
|
|
$75,765
|
$246,671
|
$36,399
|
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company wrote-off $470,278
(2019 - $16,304, 2018 - $21,004) of receivables which are no longer
expected to be recovered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
General
|
$26,759
|
$44,613
|
$47,215
|
|
Insurance
|
69,096
|
59,815
|
57,883
|
|
Environmental
and taxes
|
6,850
|
6,850
|
8,789
|
|
Rent
|
12,012
|
24,489
|
9,385
|
|
|
$114,717
|
$135,767
|
$123,272
|
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company wrote-off $121,125
(2019 - $51,828, 2018 - $26,234) of prepaid expenses for which no
future benefit is expected to be received.
11.
MARKETABLE
SECURITIES
As at
and during the year ended December 31, 2020 and year ended December
31, 2019, the Company did not have marketable securities. During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company sold all its
marketable securities for proceeds of $162,490 and a realized loss
of $91,890. Following the disposal of the shares, the Company
reclassified the cumulative loss previously recognized in other
comprehensive income of $68,840 to profit and loss on the sale of
marketable securities.
The
following table summarized information regarding the
Company’s marketable securities as at December 31, 2020,
2019, and 2018:
|
Marketable
securities
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
beginning of year
|
$-
|
$-
|
205600
|
|
Additions
|
-
|
-
|
60940
|
|
Disposals
|
-
|
-
|
(162,490)
|
|
Realized
loss on disposal
|
-
|
-
|
(91,890)
|
|
Unrealized
gain/(loss) on market-to-market
|
-
|
-
|
(12,160)
|
|
Balance,
end of year
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
During
the first-time application of IFRS 16 to the Company’s office
lease, the recognition of a right of use asset was required and the
leased asset was measured at the amount of the lease liability
using the Company’s current incremental borrowing rate of
10%. The lease contains no extension or termination options. The
following table presents the right-of-use-asset as at January 1,
2019, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020:
|
Initial
recognition, January 1, 2019
|
$81,617
|
|
Additions
|
-
|
|
Depreciation
|
(31,594)
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2019
|
$50,023
|
|
Depreciation
|
(31,593)
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2020
|
$18,430
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company wrote-off $425,925 of
mining equipment in Bolivia that was no longer in use.
On October 10,
2018, the Company signed a lease agreement (the
“Lease”)
with an arms-length private Mongolian company (the
“Lessee”)
whereby the Lessee plans to perform mining operations at the
Company’s Ulaan Ovoo coal mine and will pay the Company
US$2.00 (the “Production
Royalty”) for every tonne of coal
shipped from the Ulaan Ovoo site premises. The Lessee paid the Company
US$100,000 in cash (recorded as other income on the consolidated
statement of operations) as a non-refundable advance royalty
payment and is preparing, at its own and sole expense, to restart
and operate the Ulaan Ovoo mine with its own equipment, supplies,
housing and crew.
The
Lease is valid for 3 years with an annual advance royalty payment
(“ARP”) for the
first year of US$100,000 which was due and paid upon signing, and
US$150,000 and US$200,000 due on the 1st and 2nd anniversary of the
Lease, respectively. The ARP can be credited towards the US$2.00
per tonne Production Royalty payments to be made to the Company as
the Lessee starts to sell Ulaan Ovoo coal. The 3-year Lease can
be extended upon mutual agreement. The first and second anniversary
payments due have not been collected and the Company has recorded a
full provision in the amount of $470,278 (US$350,000) due to
uncertainty of their collection.
The
impaired value of $Nil for deferred development costs at Ulaan Ovoo
property at December 31, 2020 (2019, 2018 - $Nil) remains
unchanged.
The
following table summarized information regarding the
Company’s equipment as at December 31, 2020, 2019, and
2018:
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2017
|
$100,074
|
$276,830
|
$172,692
|
$1,314,829
|
$1,864,425
|
|
Additions/(Disposals)
|
3,180
|
2,015
|
-
|
24,476
|
29,671
|
|
Impairment
charge
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,314,829)
|
(1,314,829)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2018
|
$103,254
|
$278,845
|
$172,692
|
$24,476
|
$579,267
|
|
Accumulated depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2017
|
$96,695
|
$217,073
|
$129,842
|
$888,904
|
$1,332,514
|
|
Depreciation
for year
|
1,316
|
16,351
|
13,337
|
3,491
|
34,495
|
|
Impairment
charge
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(888,904)
|
(888,904)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2018
|
$98,011
|
$233,424
|
$143,179
|
$3,491
|
$478,105
|
|
Carrying amount at December 31, 2018
|
$5,243
|
$45,421
|
$29,513
|
$20,985
|
$101,162
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2018
|
$103,254
|
$278,845
|
$172,692
|
$24,476
|
$579,267
|
|
Additions/(Disposals)
|
-
|
-
|
46,914
|
-
|
46,914
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2019
|
$103,254
|
$278,845
|
$219,606
|
$24,476
|
$626,181
|
|
Accumulated depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2018
|
$98,011
|
$233,424
|
$143,179
|
$3,491
|
$478,105
|
|
Disposals
|
-
|
-
|
(39,178)
|
-
|
(39,178)
|
|
Depreciation
for year
|
792
|
12,445
|
10,641
|
3,892
|
27,770
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2019
|
$98,803
|
$245,869
|
$114,642
|
$7,383
|
$466,697
|
|
Carrying amount at December 31, 2019
|
$4,451
|
$32,976
|
$104,964
|
$17,093
|
$159,484
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2019
|
$103,254
|
$278,845
|
$219,606
|
$24,476
|
$626,181
|
|
Additions
|
-
|
-
|
111,592
|
-
|
111,592
|
|
Disposals
|
(1,326)
|
-
|
(76,803)
|
-
|
(78,129)
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2020
|
$101,928
|
$278,845
|
$254,395
|
$24,476
|
$659,644
|
|
Accumulated depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2019
|
$98,803
|
$245,869
|
$114,642
|
$7,383
|
$466,697
|
|
Disposals
|
-
|
-
|
(12,431)
|
-
|
(12,431)
|
|
Depreciation
for year
|
2,003
|
6,243
|
40,161
|
3,171
|
51,578
|
|
Balance,
December 31, 2020
|
$100,806
|
$252,112
|
$142,372
|
$10,554
|
$505,844
|
|
Carrying amount at December 31, 2020
|
$1,122
|
$26,733
|
$112,023
|
$13,922
|
$153,800
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14. MINERAL PROPERTIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2017
|
$12,809,550
|
$490,356
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$13,299,906
|
|
Additions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisition
cost
|
$-
|
$425,605
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$425,605
|
|
Deferred
exploration costs:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Licenses,
tax, and permits
|
-
|
387,149
|
-
|
-
|
1,271
|
261,168
|
649,588
|
|
Geological
and consulting
|
51,112
|
1,509,587
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,560,699
|
|
Personnel,
camp and general
|
847,538
|
831,023
|
-
|
-
|
20,590
|
3,741
|
1,702,892
|
|
|
898,650
|
2,727,759
|
-
|
-
|
21,861
|
264,909
|
3,913,179
|
|
Impairment
|
(13,708,200)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(21,861)
|
(264,909)
|
(13,994,970)
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2018
|
$-
|
$3,643,720
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$3,643,720
|
|
Additions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisition
cost
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
|
Deferred
exploration costs:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Licenses,
tax, and permits
|
6,239
|
286,158
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
292,397
|
|
Geological
and consulting
|
964,716
|
3,200,773
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
4,165,489
|
|
Personnel,
camp and general
|
503,071
|
1,470,007
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,973,078
|
|
|
1,474,026
|
4,956,939
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
6,430,965
|
|
Impairment
Recovery
|
13,708,200
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
13,708,200
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2019
|
$15,182,226
|
$8,600,658
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
$23,782,885
|
|
Additions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisition
cost
|
$-
|
$2,253,566
|
$396,936
|
$135,676
|
$-
|
$-
|
$2,786,178
|
|
Deferred
exploration costs:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Licenses,
tax, and permits
|
5,733
|
348,165
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
353,898
|
|
Geological
and consulting
|
1,767,089
|
897,085
|
116,152
|
327,989
|
-
|
-
|
3,108,315
|
|
Personnel,
camp and general
|
584,712
|
1,190,607
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,775,319
|
|
|
2,357,534
|
2,435,857
|
116,152
|
327,989
|
-
|
-
|
5,237,531
|
|
Balance, December 31, 2020
|
$17,539,760
|
$13,290,081
|
$513,088
|
$463,665
|
$-
|
$-
|
$31,806,594
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14.
MINERAL PROPERTIES
(cont’d...)
Gibellini Project, Nevada, United States
Gibellini Project
The Gibellini Project consists of a total of 555 unpatented lode
mining claims that includes: the Gibellini group of 40
claims,
the VC Exploration group of
105 claims, the Bisoni group of 201 claims and the Company group of
209 claims. All the claims are located in Eureka County, Nevada,
USA.
Gibellini Group
The
Gibellini group of claims were acquired on June 22, 2017, through
leasehold assignments from the claimant and then-holder of the
Gibellini mineral claims (the “Gibellini Lessor”). Under the
Gibellini mineral lease agreement (the “Gibellini MLA”), the Company
leased this core group of claims, which originally constituted the
entire Gibellini Project, by, among other things, agreeing to pay
to the Gibellini Lessor annual advance royalty payments. These
payments are tied, based on an agreed formula not to exceed
US$120,000 per year, to the average vanadium pentoxide price of the
prior year (each an "Advance
Royalty Payment"). Upon commencement of production, the
obligation to make Advance Royalty Payments will cease and the
Company will instead maintain its acquisition through lease of the
Gibellini group of claims by paying to the Gibellini Lessor, a 2.5%
net smelter return royalty (the “Gibellini NSR Payments”) until a total of
US$3 million is paid. Thereafter, the Gibellini NSR will be reduced
to 2% over the remaining life of the mine (and referred to
thereafter, as “Production
Royalty Payments”). Upon commencement of production,
any Advance Royalty Payments that have been made will be deducted
as credits against the Gibellini NSR Payments or Production Royalty
Payments, as applicable. The lease is for a term of 10 years,
expiring on June 22, 2027, which can be extended for an additional
10 years, at the Company’s option.
On April 19, 2018, the Gibellini MLA was amended to grant the
Company the option, at any time during the term of the Gibellini
MLA, which ends on June 22, 2027, to require the Gibellini Lessor
to transfer their title over all of the leased mining claims
(excluding four claims which will be retained by the Gibellini
Lessor) (the "Transferred
Claims") to the
Company in exchange for US$1,000,000, which will be deemed an
Advance Royalty Payment (the
“Transfer
Payment”). A credit of
US$99,027 in favour of the Company towards the Transfer Payment was
paid upon the execution of the amendment, with a remaining balance
of US$900,973 on the Transfer Payment due and payable by the
Company to the Gibellini Lessor upon completion of transfer of the
Transferred Claims from the Gibellini Lessor to the Company. The
Advance Royalty Payment obligation and Production Royalty Payments
will not be affected, reduced or relieved by the transfer of
title.
On June
22, 2020, the Company paid US$50,000 (2019 – US$120,000, 2018
– US$101,943) of the Advance Royalty Payment to the Gibellini
Lessor.
During year 2020, the Company expanded the land position at
the Gibellini Project, by staking a total of 32 new claims
immediately adjacent to the Gibellini Project.
The Bisoni Group
On September 18, 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of the Bisoni
vanadium property situated immediately southwest of the Gibellini
Project pursuant to an asset purchase agreement
(the “Bisoni
APA”) dated
August 18, 2020, with Cellcube Energy Storage Systems Inc.
(“Cellcube”).
The Bisoni
property comprised of 201 lode mining claims. As consideration for the acquisition of
the Bisoni property under the Bisoni APA, the Company issued
4 million Common Shares (the “Bisoni APA Shares”) and paid
$200,000 cash to Cellcube. Additionally, subject to TSX approval,
if, on or before December 31, 2023, the price of European vanadium
pentoxide on the Metal Bulletin (or an equivalent publication)
exceeds US$12 a pound for 30 consecutive days, the Company will
issue to Cellcube additional Common Shares with a value of $500,000
calculated based upon the 5-day volume weighted average price of
the Common Shares immediately following the satisfaction of the
vanadium pentoxide pricing condition.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14.
MINERAL PROPERTIES
(cont’d...)
Gibellini Project, Nevada, United States
(cont’d…)
VC Exploration Group
The Company entered into a lease agreement to acquire 10 unpatented
lode claims totaling approximately 207 gross acres (the
“Former Louie Hill Claims”)
from their holders (the “Former Louie Hill Lessors”) on July 10,
2017 (the “Louie
Hill MLA”). The
Former Louie Hill Claims were located approximately 1600
feet south of the Gibellini group of claims. The Former Louie Hill
Claims were subsequently abandoned by the Former Louie Hill
Lessors, and on March 11 and 12, 2018, the Company staked the area
within and under 17 new claims totaling approximately 340 gross
acres, which now
collectively comprise the expanded Louie Hill group of claims (the
“Current Louie Hill Claims”).
On October 22, 2018, the Company entered into a royalty agreement
(the “Royalty
Agreement”)
with the Former Louie Hill Lessors that replaced, on substantially
similar terms, the Louie Hill MLA. The Royalty Agreement
provides for the Company to pay the following royalties to the
Former Louie Hill
Lessors as an advance royalty: (i)
US$75,000 upon the Company achieving Commercial Production (as
defined in the Royalty Agreement) at the Gibellini Project; (ii)
US$50,000 upon the Company selling, conveying, transferring or
assigning all or any portion of certain claims defined in the
Royalty Agreement to any third party and (iii) annually upon the
anniversary date of July 10, 2018, and the anniversary date of
each year thereafter during the term of the Royalty Agreement: (a)
if the average vanadium pentoxide price per pound as quoted on
www.metalbulletin.com (the “Metal Bulletin”) or another
reliable and reputable industry source as agreed by the parties,
remains below US$7.00/lb during the preceding 12 months, US$12,500;
or (b) if the average vanadium pentoxide price per pound as quoted
on Metal Bulletin or another reliable and reputable industry source
as agreed by the parties, remains equal to or above US$7.00/lb
during the preceding 12 months, US$2,000 x average vanadium
pentoxide price per pound up to a maximum annual advance royalty
payment of US$28,000.
Further, the Company will pay to the Former Louie Hill
Lessors a
2.5% net smelter return royalty (the “Louie Hill NSR”) payable on vanadium
pentoxide produced from the area of the Former Louie Hill Claims
contained within the Current Louie Hill Claims. The Company may purchase
three-fifths of the Louie Hill NSR at any time for US$1,000,000,
leaving the total Louie Hill NSR payable by the Company at 1.0% for
the remaining life of the mine. Any Louie Hill Advance Royalty
Payments that have been made at the time of Commercial Production
will be deducted as credits against future payments under the Louie
Hill NSR. The payments under the Royalty Agreement will continue
for an indefinite period and will be payable as long as the
Company, its subsidiaries, or any of their permitted successors or
assigns holds a valid and enforceable mining concession over the
area.
On July
7, 2020, the Company paid US$12,500 (2019 – US$28,000, 2018 -
US$21,491), comprising the Louie Hill Advance Royalty Payment to
the Former Louie Hill Lessors.
On
February 15, 2018, the Company acquired an additional 105 unpatented lode mining claims
located adjacent to its existing Gibellini Project
in Nevada, USA through the
acquisition of VC Exploration (US) Inc, ("VC
Exploration") by
paying a total of $335,661 in cash and issuing 500,000 Common
Share purchase warrants (valued at $89,944) to arm’s-length, private
parties. Each warrant entitles the holder upon exercise, to
acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.50 per Common Share until
February 15, 2021. The acquisition of the VC Exploration has been
accounted for as an asset acquisition as their activities at the
time of the acquisition consisted of mineral claims
only.
The Company Group
During 2017 and 2018, the Company expanded the land position at the
Gibellini Project, by staking a total of 209 new claims immediately
adjacent to the Gibellini Project covering 4091 acres.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14.
MINERAL PROPERTIES
(cont’d...)
Pulacayo Project, Bolivia
The
Company holds an interest in the Pulacayo Paca silver-lead-zinc
project in Bolivia (the "Pulacayo
Project").
The
Pulacayo Project mining rights are recognized by two legally
independent contractual arrangements, one covering all, except the
Apuradita deposit, from a mining production contract (the
"Pulacayo MPC") between the
Company and the Corporación Minera de Bolivia ("COMIBOL"), a Bolivian state mining
company, and the original holder of the rights, executed on October
3, 2019. The Pulacayo MPC grants the Company the 100% exclusive
right to develop and mine at the Pulacayo and Paca concessions for
up to 30 years against certain royalty payments. In connection with
the Apuradita deposit, its rights are covered by a second
contractual arrangement, with the Bolivian Jurisdictional Mining
Authority, acting for the Government of Bolivia, which is in
process of formalization, as a mean of recognition of the acquired
rights to what was originally the mining concession. Until such
time as the contract is formalized, all mining rights, as
recognized in the Bolivian Mining Law 535, can be exercised by the
holder of the ex-concession.
Pursuant
to the Pulacayo MPC, ASC
Bolivia LDC Sucursal Bolivia (“ASC”),
a subsidiary of the Company, has committed to pay monthly
rent of US$1,000 to COMIBOL and US$1,500 monthly rent to the
Pulacayo Ltda. Mining Cooperative until the Pulacayo Project starts
commercial production.
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company determined there were
several indicators of potential impairment of the carrying value of
the Pulacayo Paca property. The indicators of potential impairment
were as follows:
●
change in the
Company’s primary focus to the Gibellini
Project;
●
management’s
decision to suspend further exploration activities;
and
●
no positive
decision from the Bolivian Government to grant mining production
contract to develop the project.
As
result, in accordance with IFRS 6,
Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources and IAS 36, Impairment of Assets, at
December 31, 2018, the Company assessed the recoverable amount of
the Pulacayo Paca property exploration costs and determined that
its value in use is $nil. As at December 31, 2018, the recoverable
amount of $nil resulted in an impairment charge of $13,708,200
against the value of the deferred exploration costs, which was
reflected on the consolidated statement of operations.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company assessed whether
there was any indication that the previously recognized impairment
loss in connection with the Pulacayo Paca property may no longer exist or may have decreased. The
Company noted the following indications that the impairment may no
longer exist:
●
the Company signed
a mining production contract granting the Company the 100%
exclusive right to develop and mine at the Pulacayo Paca
property;
●
the
Company renewed its exploration focus to develop the Pulacayo Paca
property in the current year;
●
the Company re-initiated active exploration and
drilling program on the property;
●
the Company
completed a positive final settlement of Bolivian tax dispute (Note
26).
As the
Company identified indications that the impairment may no longer
exist, the Company completed an assessment to determine the
recoverable amount of the Pulacayo Paca property. In order to
estimate the fair-value of the property the Company engaged a
third-party valuation consultant and also utilized level 3 inputs
on the fair value hierarchy to estimate the recoverable amount
based on the property’s fair value less costs of disposal
determined with reference to dollars per unit of metal in-situ.
With reference to metal in-situ, the Company applied US$0.79 per
ounce of silver resource to its 36.8 million ounces of silver
resources and US$0.0136 per pound of zinc or lead in resource to
its 303 million pounds of zinc and lead.
The
Company also considered data derived from properties similar to the
Pulacayo Paca Property. The data consisted of property transactions
and market valuations of companies holding comparable properties,
adjusted to reflect the possible impact of factors such as
location, political jurisdiction, commodity, geology,
mineralization, stage of exploration, resources, infrastructure and
property size.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14.
MINERAL PROPERTIES
(cont’d...)
Pulacayo Project, Bolivia (cont’d...)
As the
recoverable amount estimated with respect to the above was $31.4
million an impairment recovery of $13,708,200 was recorded during
the year ended December 31, 2019.
Triunfo Project, Bolivia
On July
13, 2020, the Company announced that it had entered into an
agreement (the “Triunfo
Agreement”) with a private party (the “Triunfo Vendor”) for the
right to conduct mining exploration activities (the
“Exploration
Right”) within the El
Triunfo gold-silver-lead-zinc project in La Paz District, Bolivia
(the “Triunfo
Project”) and the right, at the Company’s
election, to purchase the Triunfo Project for US$1,000,000 (the
“Purchase Right”) and together with the
Exploration Right, the “Triunfo Rights”). The Purchase Right
can be exercised at any time after the Triunfo Vendor completes the
required Bolivian administrative procedures for the Triunfo Project
until July 13, 2025 or such further period as the parties may
agree. To secure the Triunfo Rights, the Company paid the
Triunfo Vendor US$100,000 upon execution of the Triunfo
Agreement. Until the Company exercises its Purchase Right,
beginning in 2021 the Company must pay the Triunfo Vendor US$50,000
on June 15 of each year to maintain the Triunfo Rights. The
Company may elect to terminate the Triunfo Agreement at any
time. If the Company exercises the Purchase Right, the
Triunfo Vendor will maintain up to a 5% interest of the profits,
net of taxes and royalties, derived from the sale of concentrate
produced from the Triunfo Project (the “Residual Interest”). If the Company exercises the Purchase Right, the
Company may reduce some or all of the Residual Interest at any time
by making a lump sum payment to the Triunfo Vendor at any
time to reduce some or all of the Residual Interest as
follows:
●
the Residual
Interest may be extinguished for US$300,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 4% for US$250,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 3% for US$200,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 2% for US$150,000; or
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 1% for US$100,000.
Sunawayo Project, Bolivia
On September 7, 2020, the Company announced that it had entered
into a binding sales and purchase agreement (the
“Sunawayo SPA”)
with a private party (the “Sunawayo
Vendor”) to
acquire the Sunawayo silver-lead mining project (the
“Sunawayo
Project”). Subject
to the provisions of the Sunawayo SPA, the Sunawayo Vendor agreed
to irrevocably transfer the mining rights of the Sunawayo Project
to the Company for consideration of US$6,500,000, which payment
consists of US$300,000 paid on execution of the Sunawayo SPA, with
the remaining US$6,200,000 to be paid in cash over a one-year
period in twelve equal monthly installments, starting March 1,
2021.
Previously Impaired Properties
Chandgana Properties, Mongolia
In
March 2006, the Company acquired a 100% interest in the Chandgana
Tal property, a coal exploration property consisting of two
exploration licenses located in the northeast part of the Nyalga
coal basin, approximately 290 kilometers east of Ulaanbaatar,
Mongolia. In
March 2011, the Company obtained a mine permit from Ministry of
Mineral Resources and Energy for the Chandgana Tal coal
project.
In
2007, the Company acquired a 100% interest in the Chandgana
Khavtgai property, a coal exploration property consisting of one
license located in the northeast part of the Nyalga coal
basin.
During
the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company determined there were
several indicators of potential impairment of the carrying value of
the Chandgana Tal and Khavtgai Uul properties. As result, in
accordance with IFRS 6,
Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources and IAS 36, Impairment of Assets, at
December 31, 2017, the Company assessed the recoverable amount of
the Chandgana Properties deferred exploration costs and determined
that its value in use is $nil. As at December 31, 2017, the
recoverable amount of $nil resulted in an
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
14.
MINERAL PROPERTIES
(cont’d...)
Previously Impaired Properties
(cont’d...)
Chandgana Properties, Mongolia
(cont’d...)
impairment
charge of $14,733,067 against the value of the deferred exploration
costs, which was reflected on the consolidated statement of
operations. As at and for the year ended December 31, 2020 and as
for years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no changes
to the impairment assessment and accordingly all costs remain
impaired.
Titan Property, Ontario, Canada
The
Company has a 100% interest in the Titan property, a
vanadium-titanium-iron project located in Ontario, Canada. In
January 2010, the Company entered into an option agreement (the
"Titan Agreement") with
Randsburg International Gold Corp. (“Randsburg”) whereby the Company
had the right to acquire an 80% interest in the Titan property by
paying Randsburg an aggregate of $500,000 (paid), and by incurring
exploration expenditures of $200,000 by December 31, 2010. Pursuant
to the Titan Agreement, Randsburg has the option to sell the
remaining 20% interest in the Titan property to the Company for
$150,000 cash or 400,000 Common Shares.
At
December 31, 2014, due to market conditions, the Company impaired
the value of the property to $nil. On February 10, 2017, the
Company negotiated with Randsburg to acquire the remaining 20%
title interest of Randsburg in the Titan project by issuing to Randsburg 20,000 Common
Shares at a value of $4.81 per Common Share.
Therefore, the Company recorded an impairment loss of $96,200 on
the acquisition of the remaining title interest in the Titan
property which was reflected on the consolidated statement of
operations and comprehensive loss during the year ended December
31, 2017. As there were no benchmark or market changes from January
1, 2015,
to December 31, 2020, the
impaired value of $nil for Titan property remains
unchanged.
15.
ACCOUNTS
PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities of the Company consist of amounts
outstanding for trade and other purchases relating to development
and exploration, along with administrative activities. The usual
credit period taken for trade purchases is between 30 to 90
days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trade
accounts payable
|
$1,717,977
|
$2,420,392
|
$1,636,786
|
|
Accrued
liabilities
|
41,186
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
$1,759,163
|
$2,420,392
|
$1,636,786
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
As at
December 31, 2020, the Company recorded $20,533 of lease liability.
The incremental borrowing rate for lease liability initially
recognized as of January 1, 2019 was 10%.
|
Lease
liability
|
|
|
Initial
recognition, January 1, 2019
|
$81,617
|
|
Cash
flows:
|
|
|
Lease
payments for year
|
(36,528)
|
|
Non-cash
changes:
|
|
|
Accretion
expenses for year
|
7,729
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2019
|
$52,818
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows:
|
|
|
Lease
payments for year
|
(37,162)
|
|
Non-cash
changes:
|
|
|
Accretion
expenses for year
|
4,877
|
|
Balance
at December 31, 2020
|
20,533
|
The
Company does not face a significant liquidity risk with regard to
its lease liability. Lease liability is monitored within the
Company treasury function. The lease liability matures in
2021.
There
were no significant payments made for short-term or low value
leases in the year ended December 31, 2020 (2019 -
$nil).
17.
PROVISION
FOR CLOSURE AND RECLAMATION
The Company’s closure and reclamation costs consists of costs
accrued based on the current best estimate of mine closure and
reclamation activities that will be required at the Ulaan Ovoo site
upon completion of mining activity. These activities include costs
for earthworks, including land re-contouring and re-vegetation,
water treatment and demolition. The Company’s provision for
future site closure and reclamation costs is based on the level of
known disturbance at the reporting date, known legal requirements
and estimates prepared by a third-party specialist.
It is not currently possible to estimate the impact on operating
results, if any, of future legislative or regulatory
developments.
Management used a risk-free interest rate of 1.14% (2019 –
1.72%, 2018 – 1.98%) and a risk premium of 8.66% (2019
– 7%, 2018– 7%) in preparing the Company’s
provision for closure and reclamation. Although the ultimate amount
of reclamation costs to be incurred cannot be predicted with
certainty, the total undiscounted amount of estimated cash flows
required to settle the Company’s estimated obligations is
$4,951,000 over the next 21 years. The cash expenditures are
expected to occur over a period of time extending several years
after the projected mine closure of the mineral
properties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance, beginning
of year
|
$266,790
|
$265,239
|
$244,323
|
|
Change in
estimate
|
405,196
|
-
|
-
|
|
Accretion
|
23,271
|
1,551
|
20,916
|
|
Balance, end of
year
|
$695,257
|
$266,790
|
$265,239
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
The Company’s operations are, in part, subject to foreign tax
laws where interpretations, regulations and legislation are complex
and continually changing. As a result, there are usually some tax
matters in question that may, upon resolution in the future, result
in adjustments to the amount of deferred income tax assets and
liabilities, and those adjustments may be material to the
Company’s financial position and results of
operations.
A reconciliation of income taxes at statutory rates with the
reported taxes is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income (loss) for
the year
|
$(4,626,887)
|
$17,513,854
|
$(18,184,469)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expected income tax
(recovery)
|
$(1,249,000)
|
$4,729,000
|
$(4,910,000)
|
|
Change in
statutory, foreign tax, foreign exchange rates and
other
|
117,000
|
(529,000)
|
389,000
|
|
Permanent
differences
|
269,000
|
(4,861,000)
|
3,833,000
|
|
Share issue
cost
|
(250,000)
|
(103,000)
|
(151,000)
|
|
Adjustment to prior
years provision versus statutory tax returns and expiry of
non-capital losses
|
404,000
|
1,205,000
|
12,000
|
|
Change in
unrecognized deductible temporary differences
|
709,000
|
(441,000)
|
827,000
|
|
Total
income tax expense (recovery)
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
In September 2017, the British Columbia (BC) Government proposed
changes to the general corporate income tax rate to increase the
rate from 11% to 12% effective January 1, 2018 and onwards. This
change in tax rate was substantively enacted on October 26, 2017.
The relevant deferred tax balances have been remeasured to
reflect the increase in the Company's combined Federal and
Provincial (BC) general corporate income tax rate from 26% to
27%.
The significant components of the Company’s temporary
differences, unused tax credits and unused tax losses that have not
been included on the consolidated statement of financial position
are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Temporary
Differences
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exploration and
evaluation assets
|
$6,284,000
|
No expiry
date
|
$6,135,000
|
No expiry
date
|
$19,625,000
|
No expiry
date
|
|
Investment tax
credit
|
23,000
|
2029
|
23,000
|
2029
|
23,000
|
2029
|
|
Property
and equipment
|
1,547,000
|
No expiry
date
|
1,242,000
|
No expiry
date
|
1,138,000
|
No expiry
date
|
|
Share issue
costs
|
1,212,000
|
2041 to
2044
|
747,000
|
2040 to
2043
|
644,000
|
2039 to
2042
|
|
Asset retirement
obligation
|
695,000
|
No expiry
date
|
267,000
|
No expiry
date
|
265,000
|
No expiry
date
|
|
Allowable capital
losses
|
4,150,000
|
No expiry
date
|
5,864,000
|
No expiry
date
|
6,607,000
|
No expiry
date
|
|
Non-capital
losses available for future periods
|
30,569,000
|
2023 to
2040
|
27,024,000
|
2023 to
2039
|
24,109,000
|
2030 to
2038
|
|
Canada
|
30,015,000
|
2029 to
2040
|
26,980,000
|
2029 to
2039
|
21,402,000
|
2029 to
2038
|
|
Mongolia
|
554,000
|
2023 to
2028
|
44,000
|
2023 to
2027
|
-
|
2023 to
2026
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
The
authorized share capital of the Company consists of an unlimited
number of Common Shares. At December 31, 2020, the Company had
180,518,828 (December 31, 2019 – 121,299,508; December 31,
2018 – 95,316,127) Common Shares issued and
outstanding.
On August 8, 2018, the Company
completed a common share split on the basis of ten (10) new Common
Shares, options and warrants for every one (1) old Share, option
and warrant outstanding (the “Split”). All information with
respect to the number of Common Shares and issuance prices for the
time periods prior to the Split was restated to reflect the Common
Share Consolidation and the Split.
During the year ended December 31, 2020
On May
1, 2020 and on May 20, 2020, the Company closed two tranches of a
non-brokered private placement (the "May 2020 Private Placement") for aggregate gross
proceeds of $1,930,500 and share compensation for services of
$45,500 through the issuance of 15,200,000 units of the Company
(each, a "Unit") at a price
of $0.13 per Unit. Each
Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one Common Share purchase
warrant (each, a “Warrant”).
Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at an
exercise price of $0.16 for a period of three years from the date
of issuance. The Company paid $3,250 in cash and issued 156,900
Units as finder’s fees in connection with the May 2020
Private Placement. The Units issued as a finder's fee have
been valued at $24,000
based
on the offering price of the Units under the May 2020 Private
Placement. The Company has recorded the fair value of the
finder’s units as share issuance costs.
The
Company issued 1,601,000 Common Shares with a value of $640,400 as
a bonus payment to certain directors, officers, employees, and
consultants of the Company.
On
September 18, 2020, the Company issued 4,000,000 Common Shares at a
value of $0.50 per Common Share in relation with purchase of Bisoni
Project in Nevada, USA.
On
November 24, 2020, the Company closed its bought deal short form
prospectus offering pursuant to which the Company has issued
23,000,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.40 per Common Share for
aggregate gross proceeds of $9,200,000 (the “Offering”).
Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement,
the Company paid a cash commission to the Underwriters of $534,000,
additional fees of $391,544 and issued 1,335,000 Share purchase warrants as a
finder’s fee in relation with the Offering. The fair
value of $226,917 of the issued warrants determined using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model using the following assumptions:
(1) a risk-free interest
rate of 0.2%; (2) warrant expected life of one year; (3) expected
volatility of 107%, and (4) dividend yield of
nil. The
Company has recorded the fair value of the finder’s units as
share issuance costs.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company issued 1,233,750
Common Shares on the exercise of stock options for total proceeds
of $299,812.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company issued 14,027,670
Common Shares on the exercise of warrants for aggregate gross
proceeds of $3,072,194 and share compensation for services of
$35,000.
During the year ended December 31, 2019
On September 6, 2019, the Company closed its non-brokered private
placement for $2,600,000 through the issuance of 13,000,000 Common
Shares at a price of $0.20 per Common Share. The Company paid
$15,209 and issued 525,000 Common Shares as a finder’s fee
valued at $105,000. $175,000 of the private placement was
for prepaid consulting fees for the Company’s executive
chairman, of which $35,000 is included in prepaid expenses as at
December 31, 2019 and $41,503 for services. Included in accounts
receivable as at December 31, 2019 is $30,497 of subscriptions
receivable.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
19. SHARE CAPITAL (cont’d…)
(b)
Equity issuances
(cont’d…)
During the year ended December 31, 2019 (cont’d…)
On October 18, 2019, the Company closed its non-brokered
private placement for gross proceeds of $3,900,000 through the
issuance of 9,750,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.40 per Share.
Also, the Company issued 654,500 Common Shares as a finder’s
fee valued at $261,800.
On
October 9, 2019, the Company issued 104,951 Common Shares with a
value of $43,030, to its directors to settle director fees debts
owing to them.
The
Company issued 622,500 and 651,430 Common Shares on the exercise of
stock options and warrants respectively for total proceeds of
$424,822.
The
Company
issued 500,000 sign-on bonus Common Shares with a fair
value of $0.23 per Share to an officer valued at
$115,000.
On
September 26, 2019, the Company issued 175,000 Common Shares valued
at $59,500 for consulting services.
During the year ended December 31, 2018
On August 14, 2018, the Company closed its non-brokered private
placement for gross proceeds of $1,137,197 through the issuance of
4,061,417 units of the Company. Each unit is comprised of
one Common Share and one
Common Share purchase warrant. Each
warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional
Common Share of the Company at an
exercise price of $0.40 for a period of three years from the
closing of the first tranche of the placement.
On November 22, 2018, the Company closed its bought deal financing
for gross proceeds of $5,520,000. The Company entered into an
agreement with BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. (“BMO”), under which BMO agreed to buy on a
bought deal basis 12,000,000 Common Shares, at a price of $0.46 per Common Share. The
shares were offered by way of a short form prospectus in each of
the provinces and territories of Canada, except Québec. The
Company incurred $560,576 in cash share issuance
costs.
The
Company issued 87,500 and 3,445,420 Shares on the exercise of stock
options and warrants respectively for total proceeds of
$1,362,317.
On
October 10, 2018, the
Company issued 1,000,000 Common
Shares with a fair value of
$0.35 per Share as a bonus to its new CEO included in Salaries and
benefits.
(c)
Share-based
compensation plan
The
Company has a 20% fixed equity-based compensation plan in place, as
approved by the Company’s shareholders on June 2, 2016 (the
“2016 Plan”),
amended on June 13, 2017 and subsequently amended at the
Company’s annual general meeting of shareholders held on
September 12, 2019 (the “Amended 2016 Plan”). Under the
Amended 2016 Plan the Company may grant stock options, bonus shares
or stock appreciation rights to acquire the equivalent of a maximum
of 14,372,419 of the Company’s Common Shares. All stock
options and other share-based awards granted by the Company, or to
be granted by the Company, since the implementation of the Amended
2016 Plan will be issued under, and governed by, the terms and
conditions of the Amended 2016 Plan. The stock option vesting
terms are determined by the Board of Directors on the date of grant
with a maximum term of 10 years.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company granted
3,820,000 incentive stock options to its directors, officers,
employees and consultants. The options are exercisable at an
exercise prices ranging from $0.22 to $0.50 per Common Share and
expiry dates ranging from January 6, 2025 to August 17, 2025 and
vest at 12.5% per quarter for the first two years following the
date of grant.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
19.
SHARE CAPITAL
(cont’d…)
(c)
Share-based
compensation plan (cont’d…)
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company granted
3,965,000 incentive stock options to its directors, officers,
employees and consultants. The options are exercisable at an
exercise prices ranging from $0.20 to $0.44 per Common Share and
expiry dates ranging from April 1, 2024 to November 15, 2024 and
vest at 12.5% per quarter for the first two years following the
date of grant.
During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company granted
4,040,000 incentive stock options to its directors, officers,
employees and consultants. The options are exercisable at an
exercise prices ranging from $0.22 to $0.65 per Common Share and
expiry dates ranging from February 20, 2023 to November 14, 2023
and vest at 12.5% per quarter for the first two years following the
date of grant.
The
following is a summary of the changes in the Company’s stock
options from December 31, 2017 to December 31, 2020:
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2018
|
9,591,000
|
$0.34
|
|
Granted
|
3,965,000
|
$0.31
|
|
Expired
|
(315,000)
|
$0.65
|
|
Cancelled
|
(2,247,000)
|
$0.32
|
|
Forfeited
|
(794,000)
|
$0.54
|
|
Exercised
|
(622,500)
|
$0.28
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2019
|
9,577,500
|
$0.31
|
|
Granted
|
3,820,000
|
$0.28
|
|
Expired
|
(90,000)
|
$0.50
|
|
Cancelled
|
(1,801,250)
|
$0.30
|
|
Exercised
|
(1,233,750)
|
$0.24
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2020
|
10,272,500
|
$0.31
|
As of
December 31, 2020, the following the Company stock options were
outstanding:
|
|
Expiry
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
|
|
|
$0.50
|
August
17, 2025
|
720,000
|
90,000
|
630,000
|
|
$0.22
|
May
4, 2025
|
2,200,000
|
825,000
|
1,375,000
|
|
$0.33
|
November
15, 2024
|
100,000
|
62,500
|
37,500
|
|
$0.50
|
November
1, 2024
|
1,100,000
|
687,500
|
412,500
|
|
$0.20
|
July
29, 2024
|
1,475,000
|
1,106,250
|
368,750
|
|
$0.33
|
October
17, 2023
|
620,000
|
620,000
|
-
|
|
$0.28
|
April
6, 2023
|
612,500
|
612,500
|
-
|
|
$0.31
|
February
20, 2023
|
200,000
|
200,000
|
-
|
|
$0.35
|
September
1, 2022
|
880,000
|
880,000
|
-
|
|
$0.33
|
June
12, 2022
|
805,000
|
805,000
|
-
|
|
$0.49
|
January
12, 2022
|
620,000
|
620,000
|
-
|
|
$0.20
|
June
2, 2021
|
940,000
|
940,000
|
-
|
|
|
10,272,500
|
7,448,750
|
2,823,750
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
19.
SHARE CAPITAL
(cont’d…)
(c)
Share-based
compensation plan (cont’d…)
Share-based
payment expenses resulting from stock options are amortized over
the corresponding vesting periods. During the years ended December
31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the share-based payment expenses were
calculated using the following weighted average
assumptions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Risk-free
interest rate
|
1.46%
|
1.54%
|
1.77%
|
|
Expected
life of options in years
|
4.06
|
4.45
|
4.4
|
|
Expected
volatility
|
132.47%
|
132.75%
|
135.71%
|
|
Expected
dividend yield
|
|
|
|
|
Expected
forfeiture rate
|
12%
|
|
12%
|
|
Weighted
average fair value of options granted during the year
|
$0.30
|
$0.31
|
$0.32
|
The
expected volatility used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model
is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s
shares. The
expected forfeiture rate is based on the historical forfeitures of
options issued.
Share-based
payments charged to operations and assets were allocated between
deferred mineral properties, and general and administrative
expenses. Share-based payments are allocated between being either
capitalized to deferred exploration costs where related to mineral
properties or expensed as general and administrative expenses where
otherwise related to the general operations of the
Company.
For the
year ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, share-based payments
were recorded as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Operations
|
|
|
|
|
Share
based payments
|
770,617
|
707,802
|
553,430
|
|
|
$770,617
|
$707,802
|
$553,430
|
|
Consolidated
Statement of Financial Position
|
|
|
|
|
Gibellini
exploration
|
124,855
|
79,888
|
87,186
|
|
Pulacayo
exploration
|
86,772
|
39,139
|
117,871
|
|
|
211,627
|
119,027
|
205,057
|
|
Total
share-based payments
|
$982,244
|
$826,829
|
$758,487
|
On July
29, 2019, further to the voluntary forfeiture of share options held
by certain directors, officers, and employees with expiry dates on
April 7, 2020, June 22, 2020, and November 14, 2023, at exercise
prices ranging
from
$0.50 to $0.65, the Company granted 1,275,000 new stock options to
such individuals with an expiry date of July 29, 2024 at an
exercise price of $0.20 per Common Share subject to a two-year
vesting schedule whereby 12.5% vest per quarter following the date
of grant. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the re-issuing
of these options was approved by the TSX and by the shareholders.
There was no increase to the incremental fair value of the share
options as a result of these modifications. The impact of these
modifications was calculated using the following weighted average
assumptions: (1) a
risk-free interest rate of 1.46%; (2) expected life of five years;
(3) expected volatility of 133.89%, (4) forfeiture rate of 12%, and
(5) dividend yield of nil.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
19.
SHARE CAPITAL
(cont’d...)
(d)
Share purchase
warrants
The
following is a summary of the changes in The Company’s share
purchase warrants from December 31, 2017 to December 31,
2020:
|
|
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2018
|
27,318,027
|
$0.15
|
|
Exercised
|
(651,430)
|
$0.38
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2019
|
26,666,597
|
$0.15
|
|
Issued
|
16,691,900
|
$0.18
|
|
Expired
|
(2,759,760)
|
$0.48
|
|
Exercised
|
(14,027,670)
|
$0.21
|
|
Outstanding,
December 31, 2020
|
26,571,067
|
$0.21
|
On February 15, 2018, the Company issued 500,000 Share purchase
warrants as a part of consideration for mining claims acquisition
(Note 14). The fair value of $89,944 of the issued warrants
determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model using the
following assumptions: (1) a risk-free interest rate of
1.9%; (2) warrant expected life of three years; (3) expected
volatility of 116%, and (4) dividend yield of
nil.
On April 23,
2018, the Company issued 500,000 Share
purchase warrants as a part of consideration for services related
to the Gibellini Project. The fair value of $92,000 of the
issued warrants determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing
model using the following assumptions: (1) a risk-free interest rate of 2%;
(2) warrant expected life of three years; (3) expected volatility
of 97.4%, and (4) dividend yield of nil.
As of
December 31,
2020, the following share purchase warrants were
outstanding:
|
|
Expiry
Date
|
Number
of warrants at December 31, 2020
|
|
$0.40
|
November
24, 2021
|
1,335,000
|
|
$0.16
|
May
20, 2023
|
4,962,000
|
|
$0.16
|
May
1, 2023
|
4,994,900
|
|
$0.26
|
June
13, 2022
|
521,590
|
|
$0.26
|
April
12, 2022
|
1,032,500
|
|
$0.26
|
January
13, 2022
|
499,990
|
|
$0.26
|
August
29, 2021
|
1,013,670
|
|
$0.26
|
August
13, 2021
|
198,237
|
|
$0.26
|
July
6, 2021
|
3,863,180
|
|
$0.26
|
June
2, 2021
|
7,500,000
|
|
$0.26
|
January
25, 2021
|
650,000
|
|
|
26,571,067
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
20.
CAPITAL
RISK MANAGEMENT
Management
considers its capital structure to consist of share capital, share
purchase options and warrants. The Company manages its capital
structure and makes adjustments to it, based on the funds available
to, and required by the Company in order to support the
acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. The
Board of Directors does not establish quantitative returns on
capital criteria for management. In order to facilitate the
management of its capital requirement, the Company prepares annual
expenditure budgets that are updated as necessary depending on
various factors. The annual and updated budgets are approved by the
Board of Directors.
The
properties, to which the Company currently has an interest in, are
in the exploration stage; as such, the Company is dependent on
external financing to fund its activities. In order to carry out
the planned exploration and development and pay for administrative
costs, the Company will spend its existing working capital and
raise additional amounts as needed. There were no changes in
managements approach to capital management during the year ended
December 31, 2020. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries are
subject to externally imposed capital requirements.
21.
FAIR
VALUE MEASUREMENTS AND FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value hierarchy
Fair
value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid
to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market
participants at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy
establishes three levels to classify the inputs to valuation
techniques used to measure fair value. The Company utilizes a fair
value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques
used to measure fair value as follows:
Level 1
– quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical
assets or liabilities;
Level 2
– inputs are quoted prices in markets that are not active,
quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets,
inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset
or liability (for example, interest rate and yield curves
observable at commonly quoted intervals, forward pricing curves
used to value currency and commodity contracts and volatility
measurements used to value option contracts), or inputs that are
derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data
or other means;and
Level 3
– inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on
observable market data (unobservable inputs).
The
fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs
and the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs. The following table sets
forth the Company’s financial assets measured at fair value
by level within the fair value hierarchy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2020
|
$7,608,149
|
$-
|
$-
|
$7,608,149
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2019
|
$3,017,704
|
$-
|
$-
|
$3,017,704
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2018
|
$5,304,097
|
$-
|
$-
|
$5,304,097
|
Categories of financial instruments
The
Company considers that the carrying amount of all its financial
assets and financial liabilities measured at amortized cost
approximates their fair value due to their short term nature.
Restricted cash equivalents approximate fair value due to the
nature of the instrument. The Company does not offset financial
assets with financial liabilities. There were no transfers between
Level 1, 2 and 3 for the year ended December 31, 2020.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
21.
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS AND FINANCIAL
INSTRUMENTS (cont’d...)
Fair Value Measurements (cont’d...)
Categories of financial instruments
(cont’d...)
The
Company’s financial assets and financial liabilities are
categorized as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
value through profit or loss
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
|
Amortized
cost
|
|
|
|
|
Receivables
|
$75,765
|
$246,671
|
$36,399
|
|
Restricted
cash equivalents
|
$34,500
|
$34,500
|
$34,500
|
|
|
$7,718,414
|
$3,298,875
|
$5,374,996
|
|
Amortized
cost
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
$1,717,977
|
$2,420,392
|
$1,636,786
|
22.
FINANCIAL
RISK MANAGEMENT DISCLOSURES
Liquidity
risk is the risk that an entity will be unable to meet its
financial obligations as they fall due. The Company manages
liquidity risk by preparing cash flow forecasts of upcoming cash
requirements. As at December 31, 2020,
the
Company had a cash balance of $7,608,149 (December 31,
2019 –
$3,017,704, December 31, 2018 – $5,304,097). As
at December 31, 2020 the Company had accounts payable and accrued
liabilities of $1,759,163
(December
31, 2019 - $2,420,392 December 31, 2018 - $1,636,786), which
have contractual maturities of 90 days or less.
The
Company has a planning and budgeting process in place by which it
anticipates and determines the funds required to support normal
operation requirements as well as the growth and development of its
mineral property interests. The Company coordinates this planning
and budgeting process with its financing activities through the
capital management process in normal circumstances.
The
following table details the Company’s current and expected
remaining contractual maturities for its financial liabilities with
agreed repayment periods. The table is based on the undiscounted
cash flows of financial liabilities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
As
at December 31, 2020
|
$1,759,163
|
$-
|
$1,759,163
|
|
As
at December 31, 2019
|
$2,420,392
|
$-
|
$2,420,392
|
|
As
at December 31, 2018
|
$1,636,786
|
$-
|
$1,636,786
|
Credit
risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail
to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to incur a
financial loss. The Company is exposed to credit risk primarily
associated to cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash
equivalents and receivables, net of allowances. The carrying amount
of financial assets included on the statements of financial
position represents the maximum credit exposure.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
22. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT DISCLOSURES
(cont’d...)
Interest rate risk
is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial
instrument will fluctuate due to changes in market interest rates.
The Company’s cash and restricted cash equivalents primarily
include highly liquid investments that earn interest at market
rates that are fixed to maturity. Due to the short‐ term nature of these
financial instruments, fluctuations in market rates do not have
significant impact on the fair values of the financial instruments
as of December 31, 2020. The Company manages interest rate risk by
maintaining an investment policy that focuses primarily on
preservation of capital and liquidity.
(ii)
Foreign
currency risk
The
Company is exposed to foreign currency risk to the extent that
monetary assets and liabilities held by the Company are not
denominated in Canadian dollars.
The
Company has exploration and development projects in Mongolia and
Bolivia and undertakes transactions in various foreign currencies.
The Company is therefore exposed to foreign currency risk arising
from transactions denominated in a foreign currency and the
translation of financial instruments denominated in US
dollars,
Mongolian tugrik, and Bolivian boliviano into its functional and
reporting currency, the Canadian dollar.
Based
on the above, net exposures as at December 31, 2020, with other
variables unchanged, a 10% (December 31, 2019 – 10%, December
31, 2018 – 10%) strengthening (weakening) of the Canadian
dollar against the Mongolian tugrik would impact net loss with
other variables unchanged by $100,000. A 10% strengthening
(weakening) of the Canadian dollar against the Bolivian boliviano
would impact net loss with other variables unchanged by $73,000. A
10% strengthening (weakening) of the US dollar against the Canadian
dollar would impact net loss with other variables unchanged by
$28,000. The
Company currently does not use any foreign exchange contracts to
hedge this currency risk.
(iii)
Commodity and
equity price risk
Commodity price risk is defined as
the potential adverse impact on earnings and economic value due to
commodity price movements and volatilities. Commodity prices
fluctuate on a daily basis and are affected by numerous factors
beyond the Company’s control. The supply and demand for these
commodities, the level of interest rates, the rate of inflation,
investment decisions by large holders of commodities including
governmental reserves and stability of exchange rates can all cause
significant fluctuations in prices. Such external economic factors
are in turn influenced by changes in international investment
patterns and monetary systems and political developments.
The Company is also
exposed to price risk with regards to equity prices. Equity price
risk is defined as the potential adverse impact on the
Company’s earnings due to movements in individual equity
prices or general movements in the level of the stock
market.
The
Company closely monitors commodity prices, individual equity
movements and the stock market to determine the appropriate course
of action to be taken by the Company. Fluctuations in value may be
significant.
23.
RELATED
PARTY DISCLOSURES
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company had related party
transactions with the following companies, related by way of
directors and key management personnel:
●
Linx Partners Ltd.,
a private company controlled by John Lee, Director, CEO and
Executive Chairman of Prophecy, provides management and consulting
services to the Company.
●
MaKevCo Consulting
Inc., a private company 50% owned by Greg Hall, Director of The
Company, provides consulting services to the Company.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
23.
RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
(cont’d...)
●
Sophir Asia Ltd., a
private company controlled by Masa Igata, Director of The Company,
provides consulting services to the Company.
A
summary of related party transactions by related party is as
follows:
|
|
|
|
Related
parties
|
|
|
|
|
Directors
and officers
|
$1,536,167
|
$1,685,242
|
$1,265,152
|
|
Linx
Partners Ltd.
|
740,000
|
371,000
|
401,044
|
|
MaKevCo
Consulting Inc.
|
32,800
|
21,400
|
21,200
|
|
Sophir
Asia Ltd.
|
26,100
|
19,600
|
19,100
|
|
|
$2,335,067
|
$2,097,242
|
$1,706,496
|
A
summary of the transactions by nature among the related parties is
as follows:
|
|
|
|
Related
parties
|
|
|
|
|
Consulting
and management fees
|
$370,000
|
$218,500
|
$268,456
|
|
Directors'
fees
|
108,600
|
103,805
|
70,378
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
1,387,067
|
1,171,585
|
631,610
|
|
Salaries
|
469,400
|
603,352
|
736,052
|
|
|
$2,335,067
|
$2,097,242
|
$1,706,496
|
As at
December 31, 2020, amounts due to related parties were $1,800
(December 31, 2019 - $30,533;December 31, 2018 - $4,634) and
included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities.
24.
KEY
MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL COMPENSATION
Key
management personnel are those persons having authority and
responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the
activities of the Company, including directors of the
Company.
|
|
|
|
Key
Management Personnel
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries
and short term benefits
|
$522,359
|
$696,751
|
$775,064
|
|
Directors'
fees
|
108,600
|
103,805
|
70,378
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
1,054,812
|
431,037
|
621,339
|
|
|
$1,685,771
|
$1,231,593
|
$1,466,781
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
25.
SUPPLEMENTAL
CASH FLOW INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supplementary
information
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Cash Financing
and Investing Activities
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
issued on acquisition of mineral property
|
$2,000,000
|
$-
|
$-
|
|
Bonus
shares
|
$640,400
|
$115,000
|
$-
|
|
Shares
for services
|
$80,500
|
$241,003
|
$-
|
|
Shares
issued to settle debt
|
$-
|
$43,030
|
$-
|
|
Share
issued recorded as prepaid expenses
|
$-
|
$35,000
|
$-
|
|
Subscription
receivable
|
$-
|
$30,497
|
$-
|
|
Warrants
issued for mineral property
|
$-
|
$-
|
$181,944
|
|
Finders
units
|
$24,000
|
$-
|
$-
|
|
Broker
warrants
|
$226,917
|
$-
|
$-
|
|
Depreciation
included in mineral property
|
$46,932
|
$3,487
|
$27,387
|
|
Equipment
expenditures included in accounts payable
|
$-
|
$472,213
|
$489,890
|
|
Fair value
loss/gain on marketable securities
|
$-
|
$-
|
$12,160
|
|
Mineral property
expenditures included in accounts payable
|
$681,781
|
$1,252,796
|
$1,067,747
|
|
Share-based
payments capitalized in mineral properties
|
$211,627
|
$119,028
|
$205,057
|
|
Reclassification of
contributed surplus on exercise of options
|
$272,848
|
$153,845
|
$15,350
|
|
Reclassification of
contributed surplus on exercise of warrants
|
$166,628
|
$28,478
|
$10,650
|
ASC tax claim
On
January 2, 2015, the Company acquired ASC Holdings Limited and ASC
Bolivia LDC (which together, hold ASC Bolivia LDC Sucursal Bolivia,
which in turn, held Apogee Silver Ltd.’s (“Apogee”) joint venture interest in
the Pulacayo Project) and Apogee Minerals Bolivia S.A. Pursuant to
the terms of the Agreement, the Company agreed to assume all
liabilities of these former Apogee subsidiaries, including legal
and tax liabilities associated with the Pulacayo Project.
During Apogee’s financial year ended June 30, 2014, it
received notice from the Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales, the
national tax authority in Bolivia, that ASC Bolivia LDC Sucursal
Bolivia, now the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, owed
approximately Bs42,000,000 in taxes, interest and penalties
relating to a historical tax liability in an amount originally
assessed at approximately $760,000 in 2004, prior to Apogee
acquiring the subsidiary in 2011.
Apogee
disputed the assessment and disclosed to the Company that it
believed the notice was improperly issued. The Company
continued to dispute the assessment and hired local legal counsel
to pursue an appeal of the tax authority’s assessment on both
substantive and procedural grounds. The Company received a positive
Resolution issued by the Bolivian Constitutional Court that
among other things, declared null and void the
previous
Resolution
of the Bolivian Supreme Court issued in 2011 (that imposed the tax
liability on ASC Bolivia LDC Sucursal Bolivia) and sent the matter
back to the Supreme court to consider and issue a new
resolution.
On November 18, 2019 the Company received Resolution No. 195/2018
issued by the Supreme Court of Bolivia which declared the tax claim
brought by Bolivia’s General Revenue Authority against the
Company’s Bolivian subsidiary as not
proven.
The Resolution is final and binding. Hence neither the Company nor
the Company’s Bolivian subsidiaries owe any outstanding back
taxes to the Bolivian General Revenue Authority.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company and legal counsel
reassessed the status of tax rulings and determined that the
probability of a re-issuance of a tax claim against the Company in
connection with the above was remote. As a result, the Company has
written off the tax liability and recorded a debt settlement gain
in the amount of $7,952,700 on its consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive loss.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
26.
CONTINGENCIES
(cont’d...)
Red Hill tax claim
During
the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company’s wholly-owned
subsidiary, Red Hill Mongolia LLC (“Red Hill”) was issued a letter
from the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division notifying it of the
results of the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division’s VAT
inspection of Red Hill’s 2009-2013 tax imposition and
payments that resulted in validating VAT credits of only
MNT235,718,533 from Red Hill’s claimed VAT credit of
MNT2,654,175,507. Red Hill disagreed with the Sukhbaatar District
Tax Division’s findings as the tax assessment appeared to the
Company to be unfounded. The Company disputed
the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division’s assessment and
submitted a complaint to the Capital City Tax Tribunal. On March 24,
2015, the Capital City Tax Tribunal resolved to refer the matter
back to the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division for revision and
separation of the action between confirmation of Red Hill’s
VAT credit, and the imposition of the penalty/deduction for the tax
assessment. Due to the uncertainty of realizing the VAT balance,
the Company has recorded an impairment charge for the full VAT
balance in the year ended December 31, 2015.
In June 2019, the Company
received a positive resolution issued from the City tax tribunal
regarding the Company’s VAT dispute with the Mongolia tax
office. The resolution, which is binding and final, affirmed Red
Hill’s outstanding VAT credit of 1.169 billion MNT resulted
from past mining equipment purchases.
The VAT credit can be used to offset Red Hill’s taxes and
royalty payments; or be refunded in cash by Mongolia’s
Ministry of Finance within 12 to 24 months processing time.
Due to the credit risk
associated with the VAT credit, the Company has provided a full
valuation provision against the balance.
27.
EVENTS
AFTER THE REPORTING DATE
The following events occurred subsequent to December 31,
2020:
●
On February 5,
2021, the Company closed its non-brokered private placement (the
“February 2021
Placement”) through
the issuance of 10,000,001 Common Shares at a price of $0.375 per
Common Share. The February 2021 Placement raised gross cash
proceeds of $3,750,000. The Company paid $73,875 in cash as
finder’s fees.
●
On February 10,
2021, the Company
acquired the
Minago Nickel Project located in Manitoba, Canada (the
“Minago Project”) (the “Minago Acquisition) by
way of Asset Purchase
Agreement (the “APA”)
with Victory Nickel Inc. (“Victory
Nickel”). Under the
terms of
the APA,
the Company
acquired the Minago Project for aggregate consideration of
US$11,675,000, which consisted of a US$6,675,000
(“Property
Payment”) credit against
certain secured debt owed by Victory Nickel to the Company at
closing and US$5,000,000 in the Company common shares
(“Consideration
Shares”) to be issued over a
one-year period.
In satisfaction of the
Consideration Share to be issued, an initial tranche of 5,363,630
Consideration Shares was issued on February 9,
2021, a further US$2,000,000
worth of Consideration Shares will be issued on or before August
31, 2021, and a further US$1,000,000 worth of Consideration Shares
on or before December 31, 2021. All Consideration
Shares are subject to 4-month plus 1-day statutory hold period. The
Property Payment was a credit in favour of Victory Nickel against
an aggregate of approximately US$12,056,307 owed by Victory Nickel
pursuant a Secured Debt Facility (the “SDF”).
Immediately prior to
acquiring the Minago Project, the Company acquired the SDF for
US$6,675,000 in cash and 3 million of the Company’s common
share purchase warrants (the “Warrants”),
each exercisable until February 8, 2023 at an exercise price
of $0.4764 from an arms-length
party pursuant to a Debt Purchase and Assignment Agreement (the
“DPAA”)
executed on January 15, 2021. The SDF has been restructured to bear
zero percent interest and to expire on February 8, 2026, which will
automatically be extended in 5-year increments. The Company
will credit the remaining balance
under the SDF to Victory Nickel’s benefit, upon completion of
an independent economic study proving positive net present value in
respect of the Minago Project during the term of the
SDF. The Company agreed to
reimburse up to $200,000 of financial advisory services rendered by
Red Cloud Securities Inc.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Notes
to Annual Consolidated Financial Statements
For the
years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
(Expressed in
Canadian Dollars)
27.
EVENTS AFTER THE REPORTING DATE
(cont’d...)
The Company subscribed to 40,000,000 common shares
of Victory Nickel (“VN share”) at a price per VN share
of $0.025 for cash consideration of $1,000,000, which resulted in
the Company owning approximately 29% of Victory Nickel
post-investment on a non-diluted basis. Each VN share is subject to
4-month plus 1-day statutory hold period. Additionally, the
Company agreed to issue to Victory Nickel $2,000,000 in Common
Shares, upon the price of nickel exceeding US$10 per pound for 30
consecutive business days, at any time before December 31, 2023.
The Company granted Victory
Nickel the right of first refusal exercisable until December 31,
2023 with respect to the exploration of the sandstone (non-nickel
bearing sulphides) resources for frac sand extraction at the Minago
Project.
●
4,554,990
Common Share purchase warrants were exercised for total proceeds of
$1,164,297 and 105,000 stock options were exercised for total
proceeds of $28,825.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Currency
expressed in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
CONTENTS
|
1
|
INTRODUCTION
|
3
|
|
2
|
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
|
5
|
|
3
|
YEAR 2018 HIGHLIGHTS AND SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
|
6
|
|
4
|
PROPERTY SUMMARY
|
11
|
|
5
|
SELECTED ANNUAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
54
|
|
6
|
SUMMARY OF QUARTERLY RESULTS
|
55
|
|
7
|
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
2018
|
55
|
|
8
|
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER 2018
|
57
|
|
9
|
PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS
|
58
|
|
10
|
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
|
59
|
|
11
|
CONTINGENCIES
|
62
|
|
12
|
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS
|
63
|
|
13
|
RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
|
63
|
|
14
|
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS
|
64
|
|
15
|
ACCOUNTING CHANGES AND RECENT ACCOUNTING
PRONOUNCEMENTS
|
68
|
|
16
|
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RELATED RISKS
|
69
|
|
17
|
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
|
71
|
|
18
|
DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
|
72
|
|
19
|
CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
|
73
|
|
20
|
DISCLOSURE OF OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA
|
73
|
|
21
|
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
|
73
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
This
Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) of Silver Elephant
Mining Corp. and its
subsidiaries (the “Company”) provides analysis of the
Company’s financial results for the year ended December 31,
2020. The following discussion of performance, financial condition
and future prospects should be read in conjunction with the
accompanying December 31, 2020 audited consolidated financial
statements and the notes to those financial statements (the “Annual Financial
Statements”),
prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting
Standards (“IFRS”), as issued by the
International Accounting Standards Board, and the Company’s
SEC Form 20-F Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2020
(the “2020 Annual
Report”), all of which are available under the Company’s SEDAR profile at
www.SEDAR.com. This MD&A is
current as of March 12, 2021, was reviewed, approved, and
authorized for issue by the Company’s Board of
Directors.
The
information provided herein supplements but does not form part of
the financial statements. Financial information is expressed in
Canadian dollars, unless stated otherwise. All references to "$" or
"dollars" in this MD&A refer to Canadian dollars. References to
"US$" or "USD" in this MD&A refer to United States dollars.
Readers are cautioned that this MD&A contains
“forward-looking statements” and that actual events may
vary from management’s expectations. Readers are encouraged
to read the cautionary note contained herein regarding such
forward-looking statements. Information on risks associated with investing in
the Company’s securities, as well as information about
mineral resources under National Instrument 43-101 –
Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”)
are contained in the 2019 Annual Report which is available
under the Company’s SEDAR profile at
www.sedar.com.
Description of Business
The
Company amalgamated under the laws of the Province of British
Columbia, Canada. The Company’s Common Shares (the
"Common Shares”, and
each, a “Common
Share”) are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (the “TSX”) under the symbol
“ELEF” and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the
symbol “1P2N” and are quoted on the OTCQX under the
symbol “SILEF”.
The
Company is a mineral exploration stage company. The Company's
principal projects are the Pulacayo Paca silver-lead-zinc project
in Bolivia (the "Pulacayo
Project") and the Gibellini vanadium project (the
“Gibellini Project”) located in the State of Nevada,
USA.
The
Pulacayo Project comprises seven mining areas covering an area of
approximately 3,560 hectares of contiguous areas centered on the
historical Pulacayo mine and town site. The Pulacayo Project is
located 18 kilometers east of the town of Uyuni in the Department
of Potosí, in southwestern Bolivia. It is located 460
kilometers south-southeast of the national capital of La Paz and
150 kilometers southwest of the City of Potosí, which is the
administrative capital of the department. The Pulacayo Project is
fully permitted with secured social licenses for
mining.
The
Pulacayo Project mining rights are recognized by two legally
independent contractual arrangements, one covering all, except the
Apuradita deposit, from a mining production contract (the
"Pulacayo MPC") between the
Company and the Corporación Minera de Bolivia ("COMIBOL"), a Bolivian state mining
company, and the original holder of the rights, executed on October
3, 2019. The Pulacayo MPC grants the Company the 100% exclusive
right to develop and mine at the Pulacayo and Paca concessions for
up to 30 years against certain royalty payments. It is comparable
to a mining license in Canada or the United States. In connection
with the Apuradita deposit, its rights are covered by a second
contractual arrangement, with the Bolivian Jurisdictional Mining
Authority, acting for the Government of Bolivia, which is in
process of formalization, as a mean of recognition of the acquired
rights to what was originally the mining concession. Until such
time as the contract is formalized, all mining rights, as
recognized in the Bolivian Mining Law 535, can be exercised by the
holder of the ex-concession.
The
Company also currently holds, through leasehold assignments, a 100%
interest in the claims comprising the Gibellini Project, which the
Company aims to make the first operating primary vanadium mine in
North America, as well as a 100% interest in the Titan
vanadium-titanium-iron property located in Ontario, Canada; a 100%
interest in the Ulaan Ovoo coal property located in Selenge
province, Mongolia; and a 100% interest in each of the Chandgana
Tal coal property and the Khavtgai Uul coal property located in
Khentii province, Mongolia. The Company also holds the land use
right and construction license for the Chandgana 600MW Coal-Fired
Mine Mouth Power Plant project located in Khentil province,
Mongolia.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
General Corporate Information:
|
At
December 31, 2020 and March 12, 2021,
the Company had: (i) 180,518,828 and 200,542,449 Common Shares
issued and outstanding, respectively; (ii) 10,272,500 and
10,167,500 stock options, each exercisable for the purchase of one
Common Share, outstanding, respectively; (iii) 26,571,067 and
25,016,077 Common Share purchase warrants, each exercisable for the
purchase of one Common Share, outstanding,
respectively.
|
Transfer
Agent and Registrar
Computershare
Investor Services Inc.
3rd Floor, 510 Burrard
Street,
Vancouver, BC,
Canada, V6C 3B9
Tel: +1
(604) 661-9400
|
|
|
|
|
Investor and Contact Information
All
financial reports, news releases and corporate information can be
accessed by visiting the Company’s website at:
www.silverelef.com.
Investor
& Media requests and queries:
Email:
ir@silverelef.com
|
Head
Office and Registered Office
Suite
1610 - 409 Granville Street,
Vancouver, BC,
Canada, V6C 1T2
Tel: +1
(604) 569-3661
|
Directors and Officers
As at
the date of this MD&A, The Company’s directors and
officers were as follows:
|
Directors
|
Officers
|
|
John
Lee (Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman)
|
Ronald
Espell, Vice-President, Environment and Sustainability
Danniel
Oosterman, Vice-President, Exploration
|
|
Greg
Hall
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Joaquin
Merino-Marquez, Vice-President, South American
Operations
|
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Masa
Igata
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Irina
Plavutska, Chief Financial Officer
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Marc
Leduc
David
H. Smith
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Brigitte
McArthur, Corporate Secretary
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|
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Audit Committee
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Corporate Governance and Compensation Committee
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Greg
Hall (Chair)
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Greg
Hall (Chair)
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Masa
Igata
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Masa
Igata
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Marc
Leduc
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Marc
Leduc
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Qualified Persons
Danniel
Oosterman, B.Sc.(Hons), P.Geo., is a “qualified person”
within the meaning of NI 43-101 (a "Qualified Person"). Mr. Oosterman serves
as the Company’s Vice-President, Exploration and Qualified
Person. He is not considered independent of the Company given the
large extent that his professional time is dedicated solely to the
Company. Mr. Oosterman has reviewed and approved the technical and
scientific disclosure regarding the mineral properties of the
Company contained in this MD&A.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
2.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained in this MD&A constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of United States
securities laws and "forward-looking information" within the
meaning of Canadian securities laws and are intended to be covered
by the safe harbors provided by such regulations (such
forward-looking statements and forward-looking information are
collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). These
forward looking statements concerns matters anticipated
developments in the Company’s continuing and future
operations in the United States, Canada, Bolivia and Mongolia, and
the adequacy of the Company’s financial resources and
financial projections.
Forward-looking statements in this MD&A are frequently, but not
always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates",
"intends", "believes", "estimates", "potentially" or similar
expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results
"will", "may", "would", "could" or "should" occur or are "to be"
achieved, and statements related to matters which are not
historical facts. Information concerning management's expectations
regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations,
performance, business prospects and opportunities may also be
deemed to be forward-looking statements, as such information
constitutes predictions based on certain factors, estimates and
assumptions subject to significant business, economic, competitive
and other uncertainties and contingencies, and involve known and
unknown risks which may cause the actual results, performance, or
achievements to be different from future results, performance, or
achievements contained in the forward- looking statements. Such
forward-looking statements include but are not limited to
statements regarding the Company's planned and future exploration
and/or development of the Pulacayo Project, the Gibellini Project
and the Titan Project; permitting and feasibility of the Gibellini
Project;the volatility of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") outbreak as a global
pandemic;political instability and social unrest in Bolivia and
other jurisdictions where the Company operates; the Revised Pulacayo Technical Report
(as defined herein), including the anticipated filing thereof; the
Company's goals regarding exploration, and development of, and
production from its projects, and regarding raising capital and
conducting further exploration and developments of its properties;
the Company's future business plans;the Company's future financial
and operating performance; the future price of silver, lead, zinc,
vanadium and other metals; expectations regarding any environmental
issues that may affect planned or future exploration and
development programs and the potential impact of complying with
existing and proposed environmental laws and regulations; the
ability to obtain or maintain any required permits, licenses or
other necessary approvals for the exploration or development of the
Company's projects; government regulation of mineral exploration
and development operations in Bolivia and other relevant
jurisdictions;the Company's reliance on key management personnel,
advisors and consultants; the volatility of global financial
markets;the timing and amount of estimated future operating and
exploration expenditures;the costs and timing of the development of
new deposits;the continuation of the Company as a going concern;the
likelihood of securing project financing;the impacts of changes in
the legal and regulatory environment in which the Company
operates;the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation
and regulatory matters;and other information concerning possible or
assumed future results of the Company's operations, including
development and production of electricity from the Company’s
Chandgana power plant, including finalizing of any power purchase
agreement; estimated future coal production at the Chandgana Tal,
Ulaan Ovoo and Khavtgai Uul coal properties, and other information
concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of the
Company. Refer to Section 4 – Property Summary.
Statements relating to mineral resources are deemed to be
forward-looking statements, as they involve the implied assessment,
based on certain estimates and assumptions, that the mineral
resources described exist in the quantities predicted or estimated
and may be profitably produced in the future. Estimated values of
future net revenue do not represent fair market value. There is no
certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any
portion of the mineral resources.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance
and are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of
management at the date the statements are made including, among
other things, the following: timely receipt of regulatory and
governmental approvals (including licenses and permits) for the
development, construction and production of the Company's
properties and projects; there being no significant disruptions
affecting operations, whether due to labour disruptions, COVID 19
or other causes; currency exchange rates being approximately
consistent with current levels; certain price assumptions for
silver, lead, zinc, vanadium and other metals; prices for and
availability of fuel and electricity; parts and equipment and other
key supplies remaining
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
consistent with current levels and prices; production forecasts
meeting expectations; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral
resource estimates and of any metallurgical testing completed to
date; labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent
with the Company's current expectations; any additional required
financing being available on reasonable terms; market developments
and trends in global supply and demand for silver, lead, zinc,
vanadium and other metals meeting expectations; favourable
operating conditions; political stability; access to necessary
financing; stability of labour markets and in market conditions in
general; and estimates of costs and expenditures to complete the
Company's programs. The Company has no assurance that any of these
assumptions will prove to be correct.
Many of these assumptions are inherently subject to significant
business, social, economic, political, regulatory, competitive and
other risks and uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors
that are not within the control of the Company and could thus cause
actual performance, achievements, actions, events, results or
conditions to be materially different from those projected in the
forward-looking statements. Furthermore, such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors which may cause the actual results, performance or
achievements of the Company to be materially different from those
reflected in the forward-looking statements, whether expressed or
implied. Such factors include, among others, the following: the
Company is an exploration stage company; the cost, timing and
amount of estimated future capital, operating exploration,
acquisition, development and reclamation activities; the volatility
of the market price of the Common Shares; judgment of management
when exercising discretion in the use of proceeds from offerings of
securities; sales of a significant number of Common Shares in the
public markets, or the perception of such sales, could depress the
market price of the Common Shares; potential dilution with the
issuance of additional Common Shares; none of the properties in
which the Company has a material interest have mineral reserves;
estimates of mineral resources are based on interpretation and
assumptions and are inherently imprecise; the Company has not
received any material revenue or net profit to date; exploration,
development and production risks; no history of profitable mineral
production; actual capital costs, operating costs, production and
economic returns may differ significantly from those the Company
has anticipated; foreign operations and political condition risks
and uncertainties; legal and political risk; amendments to local
laws; the ability to obtain, maintain or renew underlying licenses
and permits; title to mineral properties; environmental risks;
competitive conditions in the mineral exploration and mining
business; availability of adequate infrastructure; the ability of
the Company to retain its key management and employees and the
impact of shortages of skilled personnel and contractors; limits of
insurance coverage and uninsurable risk; reliance on third party
contractors; the availability of additional financing on reasonable
terms or at all; foreign exchange risk; impact of anti-corruption
legislation; recent global financial conditions; changes to the
Company's dividend policy; conflicts of interest; cyber security
risks; litigation and regulatory proceedings; the obligations which
the Company must satisfy in order to maintain its interests in its
properties; the influence of third-party stakeholders; the
Company's relationships with the communities in which it operates;
human error; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and
development in general, including the risk of diminishing
quantities or grades of mineralization; and other risks and the
factors discussed under the heading "Key Information - Risk
Factors" in the 2019 Annual Report and in analogous disclosure in
other disclosure documents of the Company
The foregoing list is not exhaustive and additional factors may
affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. Although
the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could
cause actual performance, achievements, actions, events, results or
conditions to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause
performance, achievements, actions, events, results or conditions
to differ from those anticipated, estimated or
intended.
The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the
date of this MD&A and the Company disclaims any obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or results or otherwise,
except as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance
that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as
actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All
forward-looking statements attributable to the Company are
expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.
3.
YEAR 2020 HIGHLIGHTS AND SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
For
further information please view the Company’s 2020 news
releases under the Company’s
SEDAR profile at www.SEDAR.com.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Pulacayo Project
●
In January 2020 the
Company had completed the first of 3 holes of the planned 17 drill
holes at the Pulacayo Project and has mobilized a second drilling
rig to the Pulacayo Project.
●
On January 21,
2020, the Company announced the first
step-out diamond drilling results from the Pulacayo property.
Borehole PUD 267 intercepted 10 meters of mineralization grading
147 g/t silver, 9.8% zinc, and 2.0% lead (539 g/t AgEq) within 35.5
meter mineralization grading 230 g/t AgEq starting 31.5 meters
downhole;
●
On March 6, 2020,
the Company released the results of
its first 2,598 meters of drilling which focused on the western
portion of the Pulacayo Project;
●
On
March 9, 2020, the Company announced a commencement district
exploration program at the Pulacayo Project. The exploration team
will be conducting geological mapping, with relevant sampling and
possible trenching on the property. Induced polarization geophysics
will be conducted in tandem with the field program, with 106
line-kilometers of survey having been outlined. The program is
expected to be completed by June 2020, when the results will have
been evaluated. The intention is to then generate drilling targets
in the district.
●
On July 20, 2020, the Company announced it had
engaged Mercator Geological Services Limited (“Mercator”)
to prepare an updated NI 43-101 compliant technical report for
the Pulacayo Project.
●
On August 11, 2020,
the Company announced diamond infill drilling results from the
Pulacayo Project which demonstrated broad continuity of
mineralization and grade starting from near-surface, consistent
with historic Hochschild mining records, which indicated high grade
mineralization with increasing depth to more than 1,000 meters from
surface.
●
On October 13, 2020,
the Company announced the
results of an NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate
for the Pulacayo Project prepared by Mercator. This mineral
resource estimate has an effective date of October 13, 2020 and
includes an indicated mineral resource of 106.7 million oz of
silver, 1,384.7 million pounds of zinc, and 693.9 million pounds of
lead, and an inferred mineral resource of 13.1 million oz of
silver, 122.8 million pounds of zinc and 61.9 million pounds of
lead. On October 26, 2020, the Company filed an NI 43-101
compliant technical report titled "Mineral Resource Estimate Technical Report for
the Pulacayo Project, Potosí Department, Antonnio Quijarro
Province, Bolivia" prepared by Matthew Harrington, P. Geo,
Michael Cullen, P. Geo, and Osvaldo Arce, P. Geo, of Mercator, with
an effective date of October 13, 2020 and a report date of October
23, 2020 (the "Pulacayo Technical
Report") with Canadian securities regulatory authorities.
The Pulacayo Technical Report is available under the
Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and is discussed in
more detail below, under the heading "Property Summary – Pulacayo Project,
Bolivia". The Company is in the process of finalizing a
revised version of the Pulacayo Technical Report (the "Revised Pulacayo Technical Report"), due
to subsequent revisions to a number of sections of the Pulacayo
Technical Report by the authors thereof; however, the Revised
Pulacayo Technical Report will not contain any changes to the
mineral resource estimates, the interpretation and conclusions, or
the recommendations from those set out in the Pulacayo Technical
Report. The Revised Pulacayo Technical Report will be filed by the
Company with Canadian securities regulatory authorities in
connection with the filing of the final short form prospectus of
the Company in relation to the Offering (as defined
herein).
●
On November 17,
2020 the Company announced that it had filed its independent
amended technical report with a report date of November 12, 2020
and an effective date of October 13, 2020, titled "Mineral Resource
Estimate Technical Report for the Pulacayo Project" (the "Report").
The Report was prepared by Mercator Geological Services Limited on
the Company’s Pulacayo project and has been filed under the
Company’s profile on the System for Electronic Document
Analysis and Retrieval at www.sedar.com.
●
On November 30, 2020 the Company announced that it had received the
complete assay results from the Company’s diamond drill
program at the Paca silver-lead-zinc deposit (“Paca”)
in Bolivia. Reported widths are intercepted core lengths and not
true widths, as relationships with intercepted structures and
contacts
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
vary. Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 77%
to 86% of the reported core length. PND 114, 115, 118 drilled
tested oblique structures parallel to the main east-west trend and
discovered new mineralized zones. PND 114 intersected 16.5 meters
of mineralization grading 55g/t silver equivalent that is to the
north of the Paca north zone. PND 115 intercepted 66 meters of
mineralization grading 75g/t silver equivalent between Paca main
zone and Paca north zone, which are 250 meters apart. PND 118 was
drilled at the eastern edge of the Paca main zone and intersected
112 meters of mineralization grading 50 g/t silver
equivalent.
Gibellini Project
●
On July 16, 2020, the Company announced that the
Notice of Intent (the “NOI”) to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (the “EIS”) for the Gibellini Project was published
on July 14, 2020, in the Federal Register. The NOI formally
commenced the 12-month timeline to complete the National
Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) review and the EIS preparation by the
U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (the
“BLM”).
Acquisitions
●
On July 13, 2020,
the Company announced that it had entered into an agreement (the
“Triunfo
Agreement”) with a private party (the “Triunfo Vendor”) for the
right to conduct mining exploration activities (the
“Exploration
Right”) within the El
Triunfo gold-silver-lead-zinc project in La Paz District, Bolivia
(the “Triunfo
Project”) and the right, at the Company’s
election, to purchase the Triunfo Project for US$1,000,000 (the
“Purchase Right”, and together with the
Exploration Right, the “Triunfo Rights”). The Purchase Right can
be exercised at any time after the Triunfo Vendor completes the
required Bolivian administrative procedures for the Triunfo
Project, expected to occur no later than March 2021, until July 13,
2025 or such further period as the parties may agree. To secure the
Triunfo Rights, the Company paid the Triunfo Vendor US$100,000 upon
execution of the Triunfo Agreement. Until the Company exercises its
Purchase Right, beginning in 2021 the Company must pay the Triunfo
Vendor US$50,000 on June 15 of each year to maintain the Triunfo
Rights. The Company may elect to terminate the Triunfo Agreement at
any time. If the Company exercises the Purchase Right, the Triunfo
Vendor will maintain up to a 5% interest of the profits, net of
taxes and royalties, derived from the sale of concentrate produced
from the Triunfo Project (the “Residual Interest”). If the Company exercises the Purchase Right, the
Company may reduce some or all of the Residual Interest at any time
by making a lump sum payment of up to
US$300,000.
On November 25, 2020
the Company announced
that it had received the complete assay results from the
Company’s first diamond drill program at the Triunfo Project.
Borehole TR007 intercepted 48.9 meters of mineralization grading
0.42 g/t gold, 35.5 g/t silver, 1.17% zinc, and 0.83% lead (1.45
g/t AuEq) within 98.9 meters of mineralization grading 1.04 g/t
AgEq starting 13.0 meters downhole.
●
On August 19, 2020, the Company announced that it
had received its first chip sampling results on the Triunfo
Project. A total of 103 chip
samples were collected from outcrops at surface and from
underground adits and tunnels accessing the main east-west
mineralized trend. The width of the samples varies from 1.0 to
5.3m, exhibiting an average width of 2.5m.
37 Triunfo samples assayed up to 8.3 g/t AuEg. These results confirmed the Triunfo Project
exhibits near-surface Au-Ag-Pb-Zn
mineralization.
●
On September 8, 2020, the Company
announced that it had entered into a binding sales and purchase
agreement (the “Sunawayo SPA”)
with a private party (the “Sunawayo
Vendor”) to
acquire the Sunawayo silver-lead mining project (the
“Sunawayo
Project”)
located immediately adjacent to the Malku Khota silver project in
Bolivia. Subject to the provisions of the Sunawayo SPA, the
Sunawayo Vendor agreed to irrevocably transfer the mining rights of
the Sunawayo Project to the Company for consideration of
US$6,500,000, which payment consists of US$300,000 paid on
execution of the Sunawayo SPA, with the remaining US$6,200,000 to
be paid in cash over a one-year period in twelve equal monthly
installments, starting March 1, 2021.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
●
On September 28, 2020, the Company
announced that all of the initial
forty-eight chip and grab samples collected from surface outcrops
and adits at the Sunawayo Project returned anomalous Ag-Pb assayed
values. Ten of the assayed samples contain either over 100g/t
silver or 10% lead or both. The results exceeded the
Company’s expectations and are an early indication of the
potential for mineral discoveries at Sunawayo. The Company is
mobilizing to start geological and structural mapping to ascertain
the primary controls and trends for mineralization at Sunawayo.
This work will lay the foundation for defining drill targets by
year’s end.
●
On September 18, 2020, the Company’s
wholly owned subsidiary
Nevada Vanadium LLC (“Nevada
Vanadium”)
completed the acquisition of the Bisoni vanadium project (the
"Bisoni
Project") situated
immediately southwest of the Gibellini Project pursuant to an Asset
Purchase Agreement (the “Bisoni
APA”) dated
August 18, 2020, with Cellcube Energy Storage Systems Inc.
(“Cellcube”).
The Bisoni
Project is comprised of 201 lode mining claims, along a
13.8-kilometer strike that covers an area of 16.5 square kilometers
(1,656 hectares), easily
accessed by a graded gravel road extending south from US Highway 50
and is about 25 miles south of the town of Eureka,
Nevada.
●
As consideration
for the acquisition of the Bisoni Project under the Bisoni APA, the
Company issued 4 million Common Shares (the "Bisoni APA Shares") and paid $200,000
cash to CellCube. The Bisoni APA Shares were subject to a Canadian
statutory four month hold period that expired on January 19, 2021.
Additionally, subject to TSX approval, if, on or before December
31, 2023, the price of European vanadium pentoxide on the Metal
Bulletin (or an equivalent publication) exceeds US$12 a pound for
30 consecutive days, the Company will issue to CellCube additional
Common Shares with a value of $500,000, calculated based upon the 5
day volume weighted average price of the Common Shares immediately
following the satisfaction of the vanadium pentoxide pricing
condition.
Corporate
●
During the year
ended December 31, 2020 the Company experienced the following
changes in Directors, Officers and Management as
follows:
o
Michael Doolin
ceased to act as Chief Executive Officer on July 17,
2020;
o
John Lee was
appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer effective July 17,
2020;
o
Ronald Clayton
resigned as a Director on July 31, 2020; and
o
David Smith was
appointed as a Director on August 3, 2020.
●
On January 6, 2020,
pursuant to the Company’s Share-Based Compensation Plan, the
issuance of an aggregate of 1,601,000 Common Shares as 2019 bonus
payments to certain directors, officers, employees and consultants
of the Company;
●
On May 4, 2020, the
Company has
granted in aggregate, 3,000,000 incentive stock options to certain
directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company.
These options are exercisable at a price of $0.22 per Common Share
for a term of five years expiring on May 4, 2025 and vest at 12.5%
per quarter for the first two years following the date of
grant.
●
On July 7, 2020, the Company reported
that all
proposed resolutions were approved at the Company’s Annual
General and Special Meeting of shareholders held on July 7, 2020.
The Company had previously received conditional approval from the
TSX to amend the exercise price of an aggregate of 24,318,927
previously issued Common Share purchase warrants
(the “Original
Warrants”) of the Company to an
exercise price of $0.26 per Common Share
(the “Amendment”)
pending shareholder approval of the Amendment. Pursuant to the
passing of the ordinary resolution approving the Amendment, the
Original Warrants were cancelled and replaced with amended Common
Share purchase warrants with an exercise price of $0.26 per Common
Share (the “Amended
Warrants”), which the Amendment
becoming effective as of July 17, 2020. All other terms of the
Amended Warrants were unchanged from the Original
Warrants.
●
On August 17, 2020,
the Company has granted in aggregate, 720,000 incentive stock
options to certain directors, employees, and consultants of the
Company. These options are
exercisable at a price of $0.50 per Common Share for a term of five
years expiring on August 17, 2025 and vest at 12.5% per quarter for
the first two years following the date of
grant.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
●
During the year
ended December 31, 2020, 14,027,670 Common Share purchase warrants
and 1,233,750 stock options were exercised for total proceeds of
$3,407,006.
Financings:
●
On May 1, 2020 and
on May 20, 2020, the Company closed two tranches of a non-brokered
private placement (the "May
2020 Private
Placement") for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,930,500 and
share compensation for services of $45,500, through the issuance of
15,200,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.13 per Unit.
Each Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one Common Share
purchase warrant (each, a “Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles
the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of
$0.16 for a period of three years from the date of issuance. The
Company paid $3,250 in cash and issued 156,900 Units as
finder’s fees in connection with the May 2020 Private
Placement.
The May
2020 Private Placement proceeds were expected to be used for the
Company’s mineral project development and for general working
capital purposes.
●
On October 20, 2020, the Company announced
that it had entered into an agreement
with Mackie Research Capital Corporation as lead underwriter and
sole bookrunner (the “Lead
Underwriter”), on behalf
of a syndicate of underwriters, including Canaccord Genuity Corp.
and Sprott Capital Partners LP (collectively with the Lead
Underwriter, the “Underwriters”),
pursuant to which the Underwriters agreed to purchase, on a
bought‐deal
basis, 15,000,000 Common Shares of the Company at a price of $0.40
per Common Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $6,000,000
(the “Offering”).
The
Company also granted the Underwriters an option to increase the
size of the Offering by up to an additional number of Common Shares
that in aggregate would be equal to 15% of the total number of
Common Shares to be issued under the Offering, at any time up to 30
days following the closing of the Offering.
●
On
October 21, 2020, the Company announced that it had entered into an
amended agreement with the Lead Underwriter to increase the size of
the Offering to 20,000,000 Common Share at a price of $0.40 per
Common Share for aggregate gross proceeds of $8,000,000. The other
details of the Offering remained unchanged.
●
On November 24, 2020, the
Company announced the closing of the Offering to which the
Company issued 23,000,000 Common Shares at a price of C$0.40 per
Common Share, for aggregate gross proceeds of C$9,200,000,
including the full exercise of the over-allotment option.
The net proceeds from the Offering
will be used for the exploration, development and/or improvement of
the Company’s mineral properties and for working capital
purposes.
Subsequent
Events to December 31, 2020
●
On January 21,
2020, the Company announced completion of a 940 meter diamond
drilling program at the Pero target within the Pulacayo Project and
commencement of a 2,300 meter drilling program at the Sunawayo
Project.
●
On January 22,
2020, the Company announced entering into a binding definitive
Asset Purchase Agreement (“APA”) with Victory Nickel Inc.
(“Victory
Nickel”) to acquire the Minago Nickel Project
(“Minago
Project”), located in Manitoba, Canada.
●
On January 27,
2020, the Company announced the initial drill results from the Pero
discovery within the Pulacayo Project. The Company plans to begin a
geophysical survey over Pero in Q1 2021 to define potential
anomalies in-and-around these newly discovered mineralized zones to
help formulate the next set of drill targets on the
project.
●
On February 5, 2021
the Company closed its non-brokered private placement (the
“February 2021
Placement”) through
the issuance of 10,000,001 Common Shares at a price of $0.375 per
Common Share. The February 2021 Placement raised gross cash
proceeds of $3,750,000. The Company paid $73,875 in
cash as finder’s fees. The Common Shares are subject to a
four month and one day hold period. Proceeds of the February 2021
Placement are expected to be used for exploration, working capital
and general corporate purposes which may include project
evaluations and acquisitions.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
●
On February 10,
2021, the Company has
acquired the
Minago Project (the “Minago Acquisition) by way of
Asset
Purchase Agreement (the “APA”)
with Victory Nickel Inc. (“Victory
Nickel”). Under
the terms
of the APA the Company acquired the Minago Project for aggregate
consideration of US$11,675,000, which consisted of a US$6,675,000
(“Property
Payment”) credit against
certain secured debt owed by Victory Nickel to the Company at
closing and US$5,000,000 in the Company common shares
(“Consideration
Shares”) to be issued over a
one-year period.
In satisfaction of the
Consideration Share to be issued, an initial tranche of 5,363,630
Consideration Shares was issued on February 9,
2021, a further US$2,000,000
worth of Consideration Shares will be issued on or before August
31, 2021, and a further US$1,000,000 worth of Consideration Shares
on or before December 31, 2021. All Consideration
Shares are subject to 4-month plus 1-day statutory hold period. The
Property Payment was a credit in favour of Victory Nickel against
an aggregate of approximately US$12,056,307 owed by Victory Nickel
pursuant a Secured Debt Facility (the “SDF”).
Immediately prior to
acquiring the Minago Project, the Company acquired the SDF for
US$6,675,000 in cash and 3 million of the Company’s common
share purchase warrants (the “Warrants”),
each exercisable until February 8, 2023at an exercise price
of $0.4764 from an arms-length
party pursuant to a Debt Purchase and Assignment Agreement (the
“DPAA”)
executed on January 15, 2021. The SDF has been restructured to bear
zero percent interest and to expire on February 8, 2026, which will
automatically be extended in 5-year increments. The Company
will credit the remaining balance
under the SDF to Victory Nickel’s benefit, upon completion of
an independent economic study proving positive net present value in
respect of the Minago Project during the term of the
SDF. The Company agreed to
reimburse up to $200,000 of financial advisory services rendered by
Red Cloud Securities Inc.
●
On February 24, 2021,
the Company announced that the first drill hole at the Sunawayo
Project has intercepted 137 meters of mineralization grading 36 g/t
silver, starting from zero meters-depts. The
second drill hole intercepted 31 meters of mineralization grading
44 g/t silver, 0.39% lead, and 0.48% zinc from 1 meter-depth. Both
drill holes (240 meters to the southeast of the former) feature
near-uniform silver assays throughout the reported intervals,
indicating that silver mineralization is highly likely to continue
deeper.
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS
This
MD&A contains a number of technical terms relating to
exploration and resource development that may be unfamiliar to a
general reader. The following definitions are provided for
reference and clarification, and reflect their common use and
understanding in the mining industry:
“deposit”
means a mineral deposit which is a mineralized mass that may be
economically valuable, but whose characteristics may require more
detailed information. Mineral resources are calculated from
geological data collected from deposits, however, deposits do not
necessarily reflect the presence of mineral resources.
“mineral
resource” means a
concentration or occurrence of natural, solid, inorganic, or
fossilized organic material in or on the Earth’s crust in
such form and quantity and of such a grade or quality that it has
reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The location,
quantity, grade, geological characteristics, and continuity of a
mineral resource are known, estimated, or interpreted from specific
geological evidence and knowledge. Mineral resources are
sub-divided, in order of increasing geological confidence, into
Inferred, Indicated, and Measured categories. Note that the
confidence level in Inferred Mineral Resources is insufficient
to allow the application of technical and economic parameters or to
enable an evaluation of economic viability worthy of public
disclosure. Regardless of category, a mineral resource is estimated
through application of the guidelines of the Canadian Institute of
Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards for Mineral Resources
and Reserves: Definitions and Guidelines, as amended in 2014. A
“historic” mineral resource estimate refers to a
mineral resource estimate of the quantity, grade, or metal or
mineral content of a deposit that the Company has not verified as
current, and which was prepared before the Company acquired or
entered into an agreement to acquire, an interest in the property
that contains the deposit.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
“project”,
as used in the context of the Pulacayo Project, the
Gibellini Project, the
Triunfo Project, the Sunawayo Project and the Titan Project defined
in this MD&A, refers to a mineral project which, pursuant to NI
43-101, means any exploration, development or production activity,
including a royalty or similar interest in these activities with
respect to base metals, precious metals or industrial metals as it
applies to the Company.
“property”
refers to land concessions for which the Company holds mineral
rights to conduct its activities.
“Qualified
Person” means,
pursuant to NI 43-101, an individual who is an engineer or
geoscientist with at least five years experience in mineral
exploration, mine development or operation, or mineral project
assessment. This individual is a member or licensee in good
standing of a professional association and has to have relevant
experience of the subject matter of the mineral project and the
technical report.
PULACAYO PROJECT, BOLIVIA
The
scientific and technical information in this section of this
MD&A that specifically relates to the current Pulacayo Project
mineral resource estimates for the Pulacayo and Paca deposits has
been extracted or summarized from the Pulacayo Technical Report.
Additional information presented below that pertains to the
Pulacayo Project but does not specifically appear in the Pulacayo
Technical Report has been provided by the Company. The Pulacayo
Technical Report is available under the Company’s SEDAR
profile at www.sedar.com.
The
Company filed the Pulacayo Technical Report on October 26, 2020.
The Company is in the process of finalizing the Revised Pulacayo
Technical Report due to subsequent revisions to a number of
sections of the Pulacayo Technical Report by the authors thereof;
however, the Revised Pulacayo Technical Report will not contain any
changes to the mineral resource estimates, the interpretation and
conclusions, or the recommendations from those set out in the
Pulacayo Technical Report. The Revised Pulacayo Technical Report
will be filed by the Company with Canadian securities regulatory
authorities in connection with the filing of the final short form
prospectus of the Company in relation to the Offering.
The
Pulacayo Project consists of many licenses within which are located
the Pulacayo and Paca mineral deposits, several areas of potential
mineralization and historic tailings piles.
The
Pulacayo Project mining rights are recognized by two legally
independent contractual arrangements, one covering all, except the
Apuradita mining concession, from the Pulacayo MPC between the
Company and COMIBOL, a Bolivian state mining company, and the
original holder of the rights, executed on October 3, 2019. The
Pulacayo MPC grants the Company the 100% exclusive right to develop
and mine at the Pulacayo and Paca mineral deposits for up to 30
years against certain royalty payments. It is comparable to a
mining license in Canada or the United States. In connection with
the Apuradita mining concession, its rights are covered by a second
contractual arrangement, with the Bolivian Jurisdictional Mining
Authority, acting for the State, which is in process of
formalization, as a mean of recognition of the acquired rights to
what was originally the mining concession. Until such time as the
contract is formalized, all mining rights, as recognized in the
Bolivian Mining Law 535, can be exercised by the holder of the
ex-concession.
The
Pulacayo Project comprises seven mining areas covering an area of
approximately 3,560 hectares of contiguous areas centered on the
historical Pulacayo mine and town site. The Pulacayo Project is
located 18 kilometers east of the town of Uyuni in the Department
of Potosí, in southwestern Bolivia. It is located 460
kilometers south-southeast of the national capital of La Paz and
150 kilometers southwest of the City of Potosí, which is the
administrative capital of the department. The Pulacayo Project is
fully permitted with secured social licenses for
mining.
Mineral Resources and Reserves
The
Pulacayo Technical Report describes mineral resources estimated
following the guidelines of the Canadian Institute of Mining,
Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards for Mineral Resources and
Reserves: Definitions and Guidelines, as amended in 2014 (the
“CIM Standards, 2014”). Two mineral resource
estimates were disclosed according to the requirements of
NI 43-101 for the Pulacayo Project, one for the Pulacayo
deposit and one for the Paca deposit (the “Pulacayo MRE” and “Paca MRE”, respectively, and
collectively referred to herein as the “Mineral Resource Estimate”).
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
Mineral Resource Estimate has an effective date of October 13, 2020
and includes an indicated mineral resource of 106.7 million oz of
silver, 1,384.7 million pounds of zinc, and 693.9 million pounds of
lead, and an inferred mineral resource of 13.1 million oz of
silver, 122.8 million pounds of zinc and 61.9 million pounds of
lead. Apogee Mineral Bolivia S.A., the Company’s wholly owned
Bolivian subsidiary, has invested over US$30 million at the
Pulacayo Project since 2006.
The
Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared by Mercator under the
supervision of Matthew Harrington, P. Geo., who is an independent
Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. A contained metal
summary based on the Mineral Resource Estimate for the Pulacayo
Project is reported below:
Pulacayo Project Mineral Resource Estimate Summary of Total
Contained Metal -
Effective October 13, 2020**
|
Zone
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
|
Open
Pit Constrained
|
Indicated
|
47,380,000
|
101.0
|
1,365.0
|
687.5
|
202.0
|
|
Inferred
|
4,165,000
|
8.0
|
80.3
|
53.5
|
14.3
|
|
Out-of-Pit
|
Indicated
|
660,000
|
5.7
|
19.6
|
6.4
|
6.5
|
|
Inferred
|
900,000
|
5.2
|
42.4
|
8.3
|
7.4
|
|
Total:
|
Indicated
|
48,040,000
|
106.7
|
1,384.7
|
693.9
|
208.5
|
|
Inferred
|
5,065,000
|
13.1
|
122.8
|
61.9
|
21.7
|
**Notes:
1.
The Mineral Resource Estimate was prepared in accordance with
NI 43-101, the CIM Definition Standards (2014) and CIM MRMR
Best Practice Guidelines (2019).
2.
*Ag Eq. = silver equivalent (recovered) = (Ag
g/t*89.2%)+((Pb%*(US$0.95/lb. Pb/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy
oz. Ag)*(10,000*91.9%))+((Zn%*(US$1.16/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy
oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*82.9%)). Sulphide zone metal
recoveries of 89.2% for Ag, 91.9% for Pb, and 82.9% for Zn were
used in the silver equivalent (recovered) equation and reflect
metallurgical testing results disclosed previously for the Pulacayo
deposit. A metal recovery of 80% Ag was used for oxide zone mineral
resources.
3.
Metal prices of US$17/oz Ag, US$0.95/lb Pb, and US$1.16 Zn apply. A
currency exchange rate of CDN$1.00 to US$0.75 applies.
4.
Pit-constrained mineral resources are defined for each deposit
within optimized pit shells with average pit slope angles of
45⁰. The Pulacayo MRE was optimized at a 12.3:1 strip ratio
and the Paca MRE was optimized with at a 4.3: strip
ratio.
5.
Base-case sulfide zone pit optimization parameters include: mining
at US$2.00 per tonne; combined processing and general and
administrative (“G&A”) at US$12.50 per tonne
processed; haulage at US$0.50 per tonne processed for the Pulacayo
deposit and US$2.00 per tonne processed for the Paca
deposit.
6.
Base-case oxide zone pit optimization parameters include: mining at
US$2.00 per tonne; combined processing and G&A at US$23.50 per
tonne processed; haulage at US$0.50 per tonne processed for the
Pulacayo deposit and US$2.00 per tonne processed for the Paca
deposit.
7.
Pit-constrained sulphide zone mineral resources are reported at a
cut-off grade of 30 g/t ag eq. within the optimized pit shells and
pit-constrained oxide zone mineral resources are reported at a
cut-off grade of 50 g/t Ag within the optimized pit shells. Cut-off
grades reflect total operating costs used in pit optimization and
are considered to define reasonable prospects for eventual economic
extraction by open pit mining methods.
8.
Out of pit mineral resources are external to the optimized pit
shells and are reported at a cut-off grade of 100 g/t Ag Eq. They
are considered to have reasonable prospects for eventual economic
extraction using conventional underground methods such as long hole
stoping based on a mining cost of $35 per tonne and processing and
G&A cost of $20 per tonne processed.
9.
“Total” mineral resources for the Pulacayo MRE is the
tonnage-weighted average summation of pit-constrained and
out-of-pit Pulacayo deposit mineral resources.
10.
“Total” mineral resources for the Mineral Resource
Estimate is the tonnage-weighted average summation of the total
Pulacayo MRE and Paca MRE.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
11.
Mineral resources were estimated using ordinary Kriging methods
applied to 1 m downhole assay composites capped at 2,300 g/t Ag,
13% Pb and 15% Zn.
12.
Bulk density was interpolated using ordinary Kriging methods for
Pulacayo MRE. An average bulk density of 2.32 g/cm3 or 2.24 g/cm3
was applied to Paca MRE, based on grade domain solid
models.
13.
Mineral resources may be materially affected by environmental,
permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or
other relevant issues.
14.
Mineral resource tonnages have been rounded to the nearest 5,000;
totals may vary due to rounding.
The
Mineral Resource Estimate is based on estimates of pit-constrained
and out of pit mineral resources, details of which are presented in
the following two tables for the Pulacayo and Paca deposits,
respectively. The Pulacayo MRE incorporate 73,016 metres of diamond
drilling (244 surface and 42 underground drill holes). The Paca MRE
incorporates results of 104 diamond drill holes and 6 reverse
circulation drill holes totaling 19,916 meters completed between
2002 and 2020. Geovia Surpac ® Version 2020 was used to create
the Pulacayo Project block models, associated geological and grade
solids, and to interpolate silver-zinc-lead grade. Geovia Whittle
pit optimization software and the PseudoFlow algorithm were applied
for pit shell optimization purposes.
Pulacayo Deposit Combined Pit-Constrained and Out-of-Pit Mineral
Resource Estimate – Effective Date October 13,
2020**
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Zone
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq
Moz
|
*AgEq g/t
|
|
50 Ag
g/t
|
Oxide
In-Pit
|
Indicated
|
1,090,000
|
125
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
25,000
|
60
|
|
|
0.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
30
*AgEq g/t
|
Sulfide
In-Pit
|
Indicated
|
24,600,000
|
76
|
1.63
|
0.70
|
60.1
|
884.0
|
379.6
|
123.4
|
156
|
|
Inferred
|
745,000
|
82
|
1.79
|
0.61
|
2.0
|
29.4
|
10.0
|
3.9
|
164
|
|
100
*AgEq g/t
|
Sulfide
Out-of-Pit
|
Indicated
|
660,000
|
268
|
1.35
|
0.44
|
5.7
|
19.6
|
6.4
|
6.5
|
307
|
|
Inferred
|
900,000
|
179
|
2.14
|
0.42
|
5.2
|
42.4
|
8.3
|
7.4
|
257
|
|
Total:
|
Indicated
|
26,350,000
|
|
|
|
70.2
|
903.7
|
386.0
|
133.4
|
|
|
Inferred
|
1,670,000
|
|
|
|
7.2
|
71.8
|
18.4
|
11.4
|
|
Paca Deposit Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate –
Effective Date October 13, 2020**
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Zone
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
*AgEq g/t
|
|
50 Ag
g/t
|
Oxide
In-Pit
|
Indicated
|
1,095,000
|
185
|
|
|
6.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
345,000
|
131
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
30
*AgEq g/t
|
Sulfide
In-Pit
|
Indicated
|
20,595,000
|
46
|
1.07
|
0.67
|
30.5
|
485.8
|
304.2
|
70.2
|
106
|
|
Inferred
|
3,050,000
|
46
|
0.76
|
0.65
|
4.5
|
51.1
|
43.7
|
9.2
|
94
|
|
Total:
|
Indicated
|
21,690,000
|
|
|
|
37
|
485.8
|
304.2
|
70.2
|
|
|
Inferred
|
3,395,000
|
|
|
|
6
|
51.1
|
43.7
|
9.2
|
|
**See detailed notes on the Mineral Resource Estimate parameters
under preceding Table titled “Pulacayo Project Mineral
Resource Estimate Summary of Total Contained Metal - Effective Date
October 13, 2020”
Pulacayo Deposit Sensitivity Analysis from October 13th, 2020 Mineral
Resource Estimate
The
sensitivity analysis is shown in the following tables showing
various pit-constrained grade-tonnage scenarios for the Pulacayo
deposit based on a range of cut-off grades for the sulphide and
oxide zones.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Pulacayo Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report
for Oxide Zone
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
AgEq g/t
|
|
30 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,760,000
|
92
|
|
|
5.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
35,000
|
55
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
45 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,220,000
|
116
|
|
|
4.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
30,000
|
58
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
90 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
615,000
|
171
|
|
|
3.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
200 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
185,000
|
250
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Cut-off grade for pit-constrained oxide mineral resources is
50 g/t Ag.
Pulacayo Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report
for Sulfide Zone
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
AgEq g/t
|
|
30 AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
24,600,000
|
76
|
1.63
|
0.7
|
60.1
|
|
379.6
|
123.4
|
156
|
|
Inferred
|
745,000
|
82
|
1.79
|
0.61
|
2
|
29.4
|
10
|
3.9
|
164
|
|
45 AgEq
g/t
|
Indicated
|
23,715,000
|
78
|
1.67
|
0.72
|
59.5
|
|
376.4
|
122
|
160
|
|
Inferred
|
735,000
|
83
|
1.81
|
0.61
|
2
|
29.3
|
9.9
|
3.9
|
166
|
|
90 AgEq
g/t
|
Indicated
|
13,700,000
|
121
|
2.17
|
0.99
|
53.3
|
|
299
|
100
|
227
|
|
Inferred
|
290,000
|
154
|
3.62
|
0.97
|
1.4
|
23.1
|
6.2
|
2.9
|
312
|
|
200
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
5,385,000
|
249
|
2.75
|
1.54
|
43.1
|
|
182.8
|
66.3
|
383
|
|
Inferred
|
180,000
|
230
|
4.57
|
1.22
|
1.3
|
18.1
|
4.8
|
2.5
|
426
|
|
400
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,860,000
|
387
|
3.62
|
2.25
|
23.1
|
|
92.3
|
33.8
|
565
|
|
Inferred
|
105,000
|
297
|
5.29
|
1.46
|
1
|
12.2
|
3.4
|
1.8
|
521
|
Note: Mineral resource estimate cut-off grade bolded.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
following table shows sensitivity analysis for the Pulacayo deposit
for out-of-pit grade tonnage scenarios:
Pulacayo Deposit Out-of-Pit Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report for
Sulfide Zone
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
AgEq g/t
|
|
100 AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
660,000
|
268
|
1.35
|
0.44
|
5.7
|
19.6
|
6.4
|
6.5
|
307
|
|
Inferred
|
900,000
|
179
|
2.14
|
0.42
|
5.2
|
42.4
|
8.3
|
7.4
|
257
|
|
150
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
530,000
|
321
|
1.3
|
0.49
|
5.5
|
15.2
|
5.7
|
6
|
354
|
|
Inferred
|
680,000
|
220
|
2.25
|
0.46
|
4.8
|
33.7
|
6.9
|
6.6
|
300
|
|
200
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
435,000
|
359
|
1.41
|
0.53
|
5
|
13.5
|
5.1
|
5.5
|
394
|
|
Inferred
|
505,000
|
260
|
2.37
|
0.54
|
4.2
|
26.4
|
6
|
5.6
|
343
|
|
250
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
350,000
|
397
|
1.53
|
0.59
|
4.5
|
11.8
|
4.6
|
4.9
|
435
|
|
Inferred
|
375,000
|
309
|
2.14
|
0.64
|
3.7
|
17.7
|
5.3
|
4.6
|
381
|
|
300 Ag
Eq g/t
|
Indicated
|
290,000
|
429
|
1.63
|
0.64
|
4
|
10.4
|
4.1
|
4.4
|
468
|
|
Inferred
|
310,000
|
327
|
2.23
|
0.72
|
3.3
|
15.2
|
4.9
|
4
|
403
|
|
350 Ag
Eq g/t
|
Indicated
|
230,000
|
462
|
1.74
|
0.7
|
3.4
|
8.8
|
3.5
|
3.7
|
504
|
|
Inferred
|
225,000
|
358
|
2.18
|
0.85
|
2.6
|
10.8
|
4.2
|
3.1
|
434
|
|
400 Ag
Eq g/t
|
Indicated
|
180,000
|
490
|
1.93
|
0.74
|
2.8
|
7.7
|
2.9
|
3.1
|
538
|
|
Inferred
|
165,000
|
384
|
2.01
|
0.99
|
2
|
7.3
|
3.6
|
2.4
|
455
|
Note: Mineral resource estimate cut-off grade bolded.
Paca Deposit Sensitivity Analysis from October 13th, 2020
MRE
The
Paca deposit is located 7 kilometers north of the Pulacayo deposit.
Sensitivity analysis shown in the following two tables illustrates
various pit-constrained grade-tonnage scenarios at the Paca deposit
based on a range of cut-off grades.
Paca Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report for
Oxide Zone
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
AgEq g/t
|
|
30 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,805,000
|
128
|
|
|
7.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
500,000
|
102
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
45 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,225,000
|
170
|
|
|
6.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
375,000
|
124
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
90 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
800,000
|
231
|
|
|
5.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
235,000
|
159
|
|
|
1.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
200 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
420,000
|
311
|
|
|
4.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
55,000
|
285
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
400 Ag
g/t
|
Indicated
|
80,000
|
493
|
|
|
1.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
5,000
|
459
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Cut-off grade for pit-constrained oxide mineral resources is
50 g/t Ag.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Paca Deposit Pit-Constrained Cut-Off Grade Sensitivity Report for
Sulfide Zone
|
Cut -off Grade
|
Category
|
Rounded Tonnes
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
Ag Moz
|
Zn Mlbs
|
Pb Mlbs
|
*AgEq Moz
|
AgEq g/t
|
|
30 AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
20,595,000
|
46
|
1.07
|
0.67
|
30.5
|
485.8
|
304.2
|
70.2
|
106
|
|
Inferred
|
3,050,000
|
46
|
0.76
|
0.65
|
4.5
|
51.1
|
43.7
|
9.2
|
94
|
|
45 AgEq
g/t
|
Indicated
|
19,315,000
|
48
|
1.11
|
0.69
|
29.8
|
472.7
|
293.8
|
68.3
|
110
|
|
Inferred
|
2,650,000
|
51
|
0.81
|
0.7
|
4.4
|
47.3
|
40.9
|
8.7
|
102
|
|
90 AgEq
g/t
|
Indicated
|
8,600,000
|
87
|
1.38
|
0.95
|
24.1
|
261.6
|
180.1
|
45.4
|
164
|
|
Inferred
|
950,000
|
114
|
0.94
|
0.95
|
3.5
|
19.7
|
19.9
|
5.2
|
171
|
|
200
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
1,810,000
|
256
|
1.22
|
1.22
|
14.9
|
48.7
|
48.7
|
18.5
|
318
|
|
Inferred
|
190,000
|
338
|
0.61
|
0.98
|
2.1
|
2.6
|
4.1
|
2.2
|
360
|
|
400
AgEq g/t
|
Indicated
|
300,000
|
490
|
1.38
|
1.47
|
4.7
|
9.1
|
9.7
|
5.2
|
542
|
|
Inferred
|
50,000
|
545
|
0.39
|
0.82
|
0.9
|
0.4
|
0.9
|
0.9
|
530
|
Note: Mineral resource estimate cut-off grade bolded.
Recent Activities & Updates
2017
During
the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company updated mining
scenarios and budgets, negotiated to resolve legacy financial
obligations, and engaged in deliberations to obtain permission to
restart operations at the Pulacayo Project. The Company has worked
with government officials to obtain assurances that its investments
in exploration and its work toward a production profile at the
Pulacayo Project are financially safe and legally protected. Such
efforts included a meeting with
Bolivia’s Minister of Mining and Metallurgy,
César Navarro, and other mine operators in
Bolivia.
2018
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company determined there were
several indicators of potential impairment of the carrying value of
the Pulacayo Project, including the shift at the time of the
Company’s primary focus to the Gibellini Project. While
management believed and continues to believe that the Pulacayo
Project is a property of merit and warrants continued development,
a write down in accordance with IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of
Mineral Resources and IAS
36, Impairment of Assets of $13,708,200 of previously
capitalized deferred exploration costs to $nil and an impairment
charge of $335,181 on the mining equipment at the Pulacayo Project
has been recognized. This non-cash accounting charge does not
impact the Company’s financial liquidity, or any future
operations and management believes the adjustment to the book value
of this long-lived asset more accurately reflects the
Company’s current market capitalization.
2019
In
September of 2019 the Company initiated its first drilling program
at the Paca deposit area. The program was completed in October of
2019 and consisted of 7 drill holes. The complete detailed
composited drill intersections of mineralization are tabulated in
the following table:
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
|
Hole
|
From(m)
|
To (m)
|
Length
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
AgEq
|
|
(m)
|
|
PND107
|
|
Interval:
|
55
|
109
|
54
|
151
|
1.01
|
1.17
|
238
|
|
including …
|
70
|
77
|
7
|
178
|
0.97
|
1.37
|
271
|
|
and …
|
70
|
109
|
39
|
180
|
1.2
|
1.34
|
283
|
|
and …
|
87
|
109
|
22
|
240
|
1.23
|
1.65
|
355
|
|
PND108
|
|
|
15
|
65
|
50
|
135
|
0.4
|
1.42
|
208
|
|
including …
|
33
|
57
|
24
|
200
|
0.6
|
2.12
|
307
|
|
and …
|
33
|
43
|
10
|
257
|
0.41
|
1.49
|
333
|
|
Interval:
|
94
|
96
|
2
|
160
|
0.94
|
0.52
|
220
|
|
PND109
|
|
Interval:
|
15
|
43
|
28
|
242
|
0.27
|
0.69
|
281
|
|
including …
|
20
|
29
|
9
|
391
|
0.26
|
1.1
|
445
|
|
and …
|
24
|
26
|
2
|
1223
|
0.42
|
3.2
|
1365
|
|
and …
|
37
|
43
|
6
|
282
|
0.31
|
0.52
|
315
|
|
|
75
|
173
|
98
|
15
|
2.47
|
1.28
|
168
|
|
including …
|
93
|
94
|
1
|
167
|
3.64
|
1.24
|
367
|
|
PND110
|
|
Interval:
|
9
|
182
|
173
|
95
|
1.63
|
1.4
|
273
|
|
including…
|
9
|
98
|
89
|
279
|
1.28
|
1.17
|
378
|
|
and…
|
9
|
28
|
19
|
718
|
0.05
|
0.74
|
749
|
|
and…
|
9
|
12
|
3
|
145
|
0.07
|
0.9
|
183
|
|
and…
|
16
|
28
|
12
|
1085
|
0.04
|
0.71
|
1115
|
|
and…
|
44
|
180
|
138
|
87
|
1.59
|
2.01
|
233
|
|
and…
|
44
|
46.5
|
2.5
|
111
|
0.61
|
1.09
|
179
|
|
and…
|
44
|
98
|
54
|
98
|
2.03
|
1.52
|
343
|
|
and…
|
52
|
54
|
2
|
115
|
1.61
|
1.33
|
234
|
|
and…
|
60
|
82
|
22
|
328
|
1.98
|
1.43
|
466
|
|
and…
|
61
|
65
|
4
|
1248
|
1.93
|
2.88
|
1441
|
|
and…
|
86
|
94
|
8
|
270
|
2.83
|
2.74
|
495
|
|
and…
|
97
|
98
|
1
|
155
|
3.26
|
3.03
|
409
|
|
PND111
|
|
Interval:
|
0
|
2.4
|
2.4
|
110
|
0.16
|
0.58
|
139
|
|
PND112
|
|
Interval:
|
12
|
28
|
16
|
154
|
0.08
|
0.39
|
173
|
|
including…
|
21
|
22
|
1
|
890
|
0.05
|
0.31
|
904
|
|
Interval:
|
33
|
36
|
3
|
120
|
0.07
|
2.4
|
216
|
|
Interval:
|
43
|
44.6
|
1.6
|
100
|
0.23
|
1.58
|
171
|
|
PND113
|
|
Interval:
|
3
|
28
|
25
|
196
|
0.04
|
0.29
|
209
|
|
including…
|
3
|
17
|
14
|
185
|
0.04
|
0.38
|
202
|
|
and…
|
21
|
28
|
7
|
310
|
0.04
|
0.19
|
320
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Reported
widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths, as
relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary. Based
on core-angle measurements, true widths are estimated at
approximately 77% of reported core lengths. Silver equivalents
reported are calculated above do not assume metallurgical
recoveries and were calculated using AgEg. (g/t) = Ag (g/t) % +
(Pb% *(US$0.94/lb. Pb /14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$16.50 per Troy oz.
Ag)*10,000) + (Zn% *(US$1.00/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$16.50
per Troy oz. Ag)*10,000). Metal prices used in this silver
equivalent calculation are US$16.50/Troy oz. Ag, US$0.94/lb. Pb and
US$1.00/lb. Zn.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company assessed whether
there was any indication that the previously recognized impairment
loss in connection with the Pulacayo Project may no longer exist or
may have decreased. The Company noted the following indications
that the impairment may no longer exist:
●
the Company signed
the Pulacayo MPC granting the Company the 100% exclusive right to
develop and mine at the Pulacayo Project;
●
the Company shifted
its exploration focus to develop the Pulacayo Project in the during
the year ended December 31, 2019;
●
the Company
re-initiated active exploration and drilling programs on the
Pulacayo Project; and
●
a tax dispute in
Bolivia was settled in the Company’s favour.
As the
Company identified these indications that the impairment may no
longer exist, the Company completed an assessment to determine the
recoverable amount of the Pulacayo Project. In order to estimate
the fair-value of the property the Company engaged a third-party
valuation consultant and also utilized level 3 inputs on the fair
value hierarchy to estimate the recoverable amount based on the
property’s fair value less costs of disposal determined with
reference to dollars per unit of metal in-situ. With reference to
metal in-situ, the Company applied US$0.79 per ounce of silver
resource to its 36.8 million ounces of silver resources and
US$0.0136 per pound of zinc or lead in resource to its 303 million
pounds of zinc and lead. The Company also considered data derived
from properties similar to the Pulacayo Project. This data
consisted of property transactions and market valuations of
companies holding comparable properties, adjusted to reflect the
possible impact of factors such as location, political
jurisdiction, commodity, geology, mineralization, stage of
exploration, resources, infrastructure and property
size.
As the
recoverable amount estimated with respect to the above was $31.4
million, an impairment recovery of $13,708,200 was recorded during
the year ended December 31, 2019.
2020
Drilling
that began at the Pulacayo deposit in December of 2019 was
completed in February of 2020. The Company announced its first set
of results on January 21, 2020, from borehole PUD 267 which
intercepted 10 meters of mineralization grading 147 g/t silver,
9.8% zinc, and 2.0% lead (539 g/t AgEq) within 35.5 meter
mineralization grading 230 g/t AgEq starting 31.5 meters
downhole.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
On
March 6, 2020, the Company released additional results from its
first 2,598 meters of drilling, which focused on the western
portion of the Pulacayo Project and on August 11, 2020, the Company
announced further diamond infill drilling results from the Pulacayo
Project. Complete results of all first phase 2020 drilling are
tabulated below:
|
Hole ID
|
From (m)
|
To (m)
|
Interval (m)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn (%)
|
Pb (%)
|
AgEq
|
|
PUD267*
|
31.5
|
67
|
35.5
|
54.3
|
4.31
|
0.92
|
229.6
|
|
including…
|
117
|
123
|
6
|
47.8
|
1.11
|
0.25
|
89.7
|
|
PUD268
|
21
|
23
|
2
|
20
|
1.34
|
0.77
|
92.6
|
|
PUD274
|
75
|
77
|
2
|
93.5
|
|
0.42
|
98.8
|
|
PUD274
|
82
|
83
|
1
|
83
|
|
0.09
|
77.4
|
|
PUD283
|
248
|
350
|
102
|
145
|
2.56
|
1.05
|
255
|
|
including..
|
248
|
282
|
34
|
9
|
1.05
|
0.22
|
52
|
|
and…
|
282
|
297
|
15
|
35
|
2.99
|
0.4
|
148
|
|
and…
|
297
|
310
|
13
|
157
|
5.15
|
1.47
|
370
|
|
and…
|
310
|
317
|
7
|
225
|
3.74
|
1.15
|
371
|
|
and…
|
317
|
322
|
5
|
1565
|
3.85
|
8.25
|
1825
|
|
and…
|
322
|
329
|
7
|
134
|
1.73
|
1.18
|
222
|
|
and…
|
329
|
350
|
21
|
76
|
2.65
|
0.82
|
188
|
|
PUD284
|
30.5
|
204.2
|
173.7
|
15
|
0.67
|
0.28
|
46
|
|
including…
|
30.5
|
55
|
24.5
|
3
|
2.45
|
0.1
|
20
|
|
and…
|
55
|
65
|
10
|
113
|
2.11
|
1.93
|
243
|
|
and…
|
65
|
79
|
14
|
13
|
1.2
|
0.44
|
69
|
|
and…
|
79
|
101
|
22
|
4
|
0.36
|
0.11
|
20
|
|
and…
|
101
|
204.2
|
103.2
|
10
|
0.59
|
0.18
|
36
|
|
PUD284
|
206.3
|
273
|
66.7
|
112
|
1.94
|
0.46
|
182
|
|
Interval:
|
206.3
|
240
|
33.7
|
46
|
2.12
|
0.41
|
129
|
|
Interval:
|
240
|
256
|
16
|
79
|
2.7
|
0.72
|
189
|
|
Interval:
|
256
|
273
|
17
|
274
|
1.13
|
0.33
|
295
|
|
PUD284
|
282
|
318
|
36
|
26
|
1.01
|
0.34
|
70
|
|
including…
|
282
|
288
|
6
|
13
|
0.94
|
0.27
|
54
|
|
and…
|
288
|
300
|
12
|
60
|
1.48
|
0.61
|
127
|
|
and…
|
300
|
318
|
18
|
7
|
0.72
|
0.18
|
38
|
Reported
widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths, as
relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary. Based
on core-angle measurements, true widths are estimated at
approximately 61% of reported core lengths. Silver equivalent is
calculated as follows: Ag Eq. (g/t) = Ag (g/t)*89.2% + (Pb%
*(US$0.94/ lb. Pb /14.583 Troy oz/lb./US$16.50 per Troy oz.
Ag)*10,000*91.9%) + (Zn% *(US$1.00/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy
oz/lb./US$16.50 per Troy oz. Ag)*10,000*82.9). This calculation
incorporates metallurgical recoveries from test work completed for
Pulacayo in 2013 by Universidad Tecnica de Oruro (UTO), in Oruro
and La Paz, Bolivia as well as at Maelgwyn Mineral Services Africa
(MMSA) in Roodeporrt, South Africa.
The
Company adopts industry recognized best practices in its
implementation of QA/QC methods. A geochemical standard control
sample and one blank sample is inserted into the sample stream
every 20th sample. Duplicates are taken at every 40th sample.
Standards and duplicates including lab duplicates and standards and
are analyzed using Thompson-Howarth plots. Samples are shipped to
ALS Global Laboratories in Ururo, Bolivia for preparation, and then
shipped to ALS Global laboratories for analysis in Lima, Peru.
Samples were analyzed using intermediate level four acid digestion.
Silver overlimits are analyzed using fire assay with a gravimetric
finish. ALS Laboratories sample management system meets all
requirements of International Standards ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO
9001:2015. All ALS geochemical hub laboratories are accredited to
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for specific analytical procedures.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
All
samples are taken from HQ-diameter core which split in half by a
diamond-blade masonry saw. One-half of the core is submitted for
laboratory analysis and the other half is preserved on the
Company’s secured core facility for reference. All core is
geotechnically analyzed, photographed and then logged by geologists
prior to sampling.
On
November 30, 2020, the Company announced that further to the news
release dated October 14, 2020, it has received the complete assay
results from the Company’s diamond drill program at the Paca
deposit. All 5 drill holes intersected mineralization, with the
results shown in the following table:
|
Hole ID
|
From
|
To
|
Length (m)
|
Ag g/t
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
AgEq*
|
|
PND114
|
1.5
|
18.0
|
16.5
|
43
|
0.11
|
0.36
|
55
|
|
PND115
|
3.0
|
69.0
|
66.0
|
48
|
0.10
|
0.80
|
75
|
|
PND116
|
7.0
|
37.0
|
30.0
|
23
|
0.15
|
0.42
|
41
|
|
PND117
|
51.0
|
82.0
|
31.0
|
3
|
0.45
|
0.31
|
31
|
|
PND118
|
18.0
|
38.0
|
20.0
|
25
|
0.09
|
0.09
|
29
|
|
PND118
|
67.0
|
179.0
|
112.0
|
15
|
0.50
|
0.48
|
50
|
|
including…
|
133.0
|
143.0
|
10.0
|
61
|
0.65
|
0.37
|
93
|
(*) Silver equivalent (“AgEq”) calculation is based on
NI43-101 compliant 2020 resource report completed for the Paca
deposit by Mercator Geological Services (see Company’s press
release dated October 13th,
2020). Silver equivalent is calculated as follows: Ag Eq. = Silver
Equivalent (Recovered) = (Ag g/t*89.2%)+((Pb%*(US$0.95/lb.
Pb/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz.
Ag)*(10,000*91.9%))+((Zn%*(US$1.16/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17
per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*82.9%)) and assumed metallurgical
recoveries. Metal prices of US$17/oz Ag, US$0.95/lb Pb, and
US$1.16/lb Zn apply.
Reported widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths,
as relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary.
Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 77% to 86%
of the reported core length.
PND 114, 115, 118 drilled tested oblique structures parallel to the
main east-west trend and discovered new mineralized
zones.
PND 114 intersected 16.5 meters of mineralization grading 55g/t
silver equivalent that is to the north of the Paca north
zone.
PND 115 intercepted 66 meters of mineralization grading 75g/t
silver equivalent between Paca main zone and Paca north zone, which
are 250 meters apart.
PND 118 was drilled at the eastern edge of the Paca main zone and
intersected 112 meters of mineralization grading 50 g/t silver
equivalent.
The Company is integrating the drill results to the recently
completed geomodelling. Commencement of next round of Paca drilling is
tentatively scheduled for the first half of
2021.
In March 2020 the Company further announced that it had commenced
district exploration program at its Pulacayo project. The Company
would be conducting geological mapping, with relevant sampling and
possible trenching on the property. Induced polarization geophysics
would also be conducted in tandem with the field program, with 106
line-kilometers of survey having been outlined.
In July 2020, the Company announced results of rock chip samples
taken from the San Leon underground tunnel. This geological
sampling and mapping program are part of an ongoing district
exploration program announced on March 9, 2020, at the
Company’s Pulacayo Silver Project in Bolivia. A total of 113
chip samples were collected at intervals of from 0.85 to 3.0 meters
to better characterize the geology and alteration of the San Leon
tunnel, which continues for 3km to the south of the mapping area,
passing through the Company’s existing NI43-101 Pulacayo
resource and connects to the town of Pulacayo. The tunnel also
extends to the north for 1 km where historically the Pulacayo
mine’s ore was carted for smelting during the 1800’s.
Sample results are tabulated below:
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
|
Sample ID
|
TYPE
|
Azimuth
|
WIDTH (m)
|
Ag ppm
|
Pb %
|
Zn %
|
Ag Eq. ppm
|
Structure
|
DIP_DIR
|
DIP
|
|
3879
|
Chip
|
350
|
1.5
|
400
|
0.876
|
0.929
|
420
|
Breccia
|
20
|
80
|
|
3883
|
Chip
|
350
|
0.9
|
77
|
0.342
|
0.287
|
91
|
Fault
|
0
|
72
|
|
3881
|
Chip
|
7
|
1.8
|
25
|
0.137
|
0.127
|
32
|
Contact
|
345
|
78
|
|
3878
|
Chip
|
13
|
0.9
|
5
|
0.306
|
0.399
|
29
|
Veinlets
|
0
|
85
|
|
3882
|
Chip
|
338
|
1.8
|
17
|
0.18
|
0.074
|
24
|
Veinlets
|
350
|
65
|
|
3880
|
Chip
|
5
|
1.9
|
6
|
0.132
|
0.102
|
14
|
Veinlets
|
345
|
65
|
Mapping identified a vein system trending in a roughly east-west
direction at the Pacamayo zone (“Veta Pacamayo”). The
vein system measures approximately 175 meters in width south to
north in the tunnel and is situated 1.3 kilometers north of the
Pulacayo resource and 5km south of Paca resource. Highlights of the
tunnel chip samples taken in Veta Pacamayo include 420g/t AgEq*
over 1.5 meters and 91g/t AgEq over 0.9 meters.
The Pulacayo Tajo vein system (Veta Pulacayo) that hosts the
Company’s indicated silver resource of 30.4 million oz @
455g/t and inferred resource of 6.3 million oz at 406 g/t likewise
trends roughly east-west, indicating that the Veta Pacamayo
represents a parallel system that has seen very little exploration
to date.
Geological mapping also identified a transition in the intensity of
alteration (argillic-style) along the San Leon tunnel. Highest
intensity alteration occurs in the Veta Pulacayo, and Veta Pacamayo
areas and coincides with the highest observed chip sample silver
values.
(*) Silver equivalent is calculated as follows: Ag Eq.(g/t) = Ag
(g/t)*89.2%+(Pb% *(US$0.94/ lb. Pb /14.583 Troy oz/lb./US$16.50 per
Troy oz. Ag)*10,000*91.9%) + (Zn% *(US$1.00/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy
oz/lb./US$16.50 per Troy oz. Ag)*10,000*82.9). This calculation
incorporates metallurgical recoveries from test work completed for
the Pulacayo project in 2013.
In September 2020 geological mapping was conducted in the Pero area
of the Pulacayo Project. Pero is located to the southeast of the
Tajo Vein system that hosts the Pulacayo deposit. Geological
mapping and surface sampling identified an area of silver bearing
surface mineralization of up to 200 g/t silver several hundreds of
meters south of the projected east-west Tajo Vein system trend,
suggesting that the Tajo Vein system was offset southward in this
portion of the system where strong alteration can be observed at
surface covering 250 meters by 100 meters wide. This reinterpreted
surface projection of the Tajo Vein system coincides with some
historic Spanish workings in that area of property that date back
to the 16th Century. Highlights of assay results from recent
surface samples at Pero are tabulated below:
|
Sample ID
|
Type
|
Azimuth
|
Width (m)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn%
|
Pb%
|
|
1313
|
Chip
|
210
|
3
|
200
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
|
1314
|
Chip
|
195
|
1.2
|
200
|
0.1
|
0.01
|
|
1295
|
Chip
|
340
|
3
|
164
|
0.0164
|
0.0164
|
|
1297
|
Chip
|
320
|
1.4
|
132
|
0.0132
|
0.0132
|
|
1315
|
Chip
|
200
|
2.9
|
100
|
0.01
|
0.01
|
|
1301
|
Chip
|
240
|
4
|
72
|
0.0072
|
0.0072
|
|
1303
|
Chip
|
200
|
6.4
|
67
|
0.0067
|
0.0067
|
|
1323
|
Chip
|
20
|
4
|
50
|
0.005
|
0.005
|
|
1304
|
Chip
|
150
|
3.7
|
46
|
0.0046
|
0.0046
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
In December 2020 the Company commenced a 940 meter diamond drilling
program at the Pero target within its Pulacayo Project in Bolivia.
Pero is located at the easternmost portion of the Pulacayo deposit
and is the least understood area geologically. Field work in 2020
identified potential structural remobilization in this area that
might explain the erratic nature of mineralization within the Tajo
Vein System as it occurs in this area of the property. A summary of
results from this drilling is tabulated below:
|
BHID
|
From
(m)
|
To
(m)
|
Length
(m)
|
Ag
(g/t)
|
Pb
%
|
Zn
%
|
AgEq*
(g/t)
|
|
PUD285
|
30.6
|
44.6
|
14.0
|
43
|
0.19
|
0.02
|
46
|
|
PUD
285
|
143.0
|
191.0
|
48.0
|
10
|
0.11
|
0.17
|
23
|
|
PUD
286
|
99.0
|
124.0
|
25.0
|
18
|
0.33
|
0.09
|
32
|
|
PUD
286
|
148.0
|
152.0
|
4.0
|
393
|
3.79
|
0.88
|
518
|
|
PUD
286
|
174.0
|
183.0
|
9.0
|
20
|
0.13
|
0.05
|
25
|
|
PUD
287
|
56.0
|
78.0
|
22.0
|
43
|
0.23
|
0.02
|
48
|
|
PUD
287
|
127.0
|
139.0
|
12.0
|
15
|
0.01
|
0.01
|
15
|
*Ag Eq. = Silver Equivalent (Recovered) = (Ag
g/t*89.2%)+((Pb%*(US$0.95/lb. Pb/14.583 Troy oz./lb./US$17 per Troy
oz. Ag)*(10,000*91.9%))+((Zn%*(US$1.16/lb. Zn/14.583 Troy
oz./lb./US$17 per Troy oz. Ag)*(10,000*82.9%)). Sulphide zone metal
recoveries of 89.2% for Ag, 91.9% for Pb, and 82.9% for Zn were
used in the Silver Equivalent (Recovered) equation and reflect
metallurgical testing results disclosed previously for the Pulacayo
Deposit. Reported widths are intercepted core lengths and not true
widths, as relationships with intercepted structures and contacts
vary. Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 75%
to 85% of the reported core length.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company incurred total costs
of $2,357,534 (2019 - $1,474,026; 2018 - $898,650) for the Pulacayo
Project including $1,767,089 (2019 - $964,716; 2018 - $51,112) for
geological and engineering services, $584,712 (2019 - $503,071;
2018 - $847,538) for personnel, legal, general and administrative
expenses and $5,733 (2019 - $6,239, 2018 - $Nil) for fees and
permits.
The
Company also reports that the national COVID-19 quarantine in
Bolivia was lifted in late-June of 2020. The Company has resumed
its work schedule and commenced an exploration program at the
Pulacayo Project consisting of geological mapping of the property.
Work will continue as planned; however the Company will follow the
guidance of federal and local authorities in Bolivia with regards
to COVID-19.
2021 Outlook
The
Company’s 2021 Pulacayo objectives are:
●
Complete
district geological mapping over entire property
●
Complete
induced polarization (geophysics) survey over the entire
property
●
Evaluate
field data to generate drilling targets over property
●
Commence
diamond drilling program testing priority targets on
property
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Sunawayo Project, Bolivia
|
|
On
September 8, 2020, the Company announced that it has entered into
the Sunawayo SPA, a binding sales and purchase agreement with the
Sunawayo Vendor to acquire the Sunawayo Project, a silver-lead
mining project located immediately adjacent to the Malku Khota
silver project in Bolivia.
The
Sunawayo Project is patented land which the Company has secured
rights to explore through the Sunawayo SPA, whereas Malku Khota is
unpatented land administered by COMIBOL. In January of 2020, the
Company applied for a mining production contract with COMIBOL that
would give it the rights to mine and explore Malku Khota. The
application was received by COMIBOL and is currently under review.
While the Company is engaging with COMIBOL to advance this process,
the Company has not been provided with any timelines for any
eventual approval.
|
The
purchase agreement of the Sunawayo Project includes a fully
permitted 100 ton-per-day open-pit mining operation that produces
lead concentrate. The Sunawayo Project has a strike of 17
kilometers which covers 59.5 square kilometers of prospective area.
The Sunawayo Project has ready access to water and power and is
located 165 kilometers by road from Bolivia’s 5th largest
city, Oruro.
Forty-eight
samples, spanning 11 kilometers, were taken at the Sunawayo
Project, where visible mineralization were observed during a recent
site visit conducted in August 2020 by Company geologists who
collected the samples during their visit.
Four
priority targets were identified during this site visit: Caballo
Uma, Pujiuni, Mine Area, and Malku Khota border.
|
Sample
ID
|
Area
|
Type
|
Ag
(g/t)
|
Pb
%
|
Zn
%
|
AgEq
(g/t)
|
|
93323
|
Caballo
Uma
|
CHIP
|
397
|
2.63
|
0.67
|
475
|
|
93329
|
Caballo
Uma
|
CHIP
|
293
|
4.26
|
2.04
|
448
|
|
93327
|
Caballo
Uma
|
GRAB
|
289
|
1.92
|
0.44
|
344
|
|
93324
|
Caballo
Uma
|
GRAB
|
288
|
0.27
|
0.01
|
294
|
|
93303
|
Caballo
Uma
|
CHIP
|
169
|
12.55
|
0.26
|
452
|
|
93321
|
Caballo
Uma
|
GRAB
|
158
|
20
|
0.01
|
597
|
|
93337
|
Pijiuni
|
CHIP
|
477
|
>20
|
0.02
|
916
|
|
93334
|
Pijiuni
|
CHIP
|
37
|
4.28
|
0.03
|
132
|
|
93336
|
Pijiuni
|
CHIP
|
35
|
0.59
|
0.13
|
52
|
|
93347
|
Mine
Area
|
GRAB
|
3
|
>20
|
0.01
|
442
|
|
93346
|
Mine
Area
|
GRAB
|
1
|
14.2
|
0.25
|
320
|
|
93310
|
MK
Border
|
GRAB
|
8
|
0.05
|
0.17
|
14
|
|
93309
|
MK
Border
|
GRAB
|
8
|
0.01
|
0.1
|
11
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Silver
equivalent calculation uses a silver price of $25.00/oz, a zinc
price of $1.10/lb., a lead price of $0.80/lb. (all USD), and
assumes a 100% metallurgical recovery. Silver equivalent values can
be calculated using the following formula: AgEq = Ag g/t + (Zn % x
30.1644 ) + (Pb % x 21.9377). Samples indicating >20% Pb are
calculated using 20% Pb
2021
The
Company commenced the maiden drilling program for the Sunawayo
project in January 2021. The first 2 drillhole results were
received in February 2021, and announced on February 24th, 2021.
The first drill hole intercepted 137 meters of mineralization
grading 36 g/t silver, starting from 0 meters-depth. The second
drill hole intercepted 31 meters of mineralization grading 44 g/t
silver, 0.39% lead, and 0.48% zinc from 1 meter-depth. Both SWD001
and SWD002 (240 meters to the southeast of the former) feature
near-uniform silver assays throughout the reported intervals.
Composited results for SWD001 and SWD002 are tabulated
below:
|
Hole ID
|
From
|
To
|
Length (m)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Pb %
|
Zn %
|
AgEq* (g/t)
|
|
SWD001
|
0.0
|
137.0
|
137.0
|
36
|
0.12
|
0.02
|
39
|
|
SWD002
|
1.0
|
32.0
|
31.0
|
44
|
0.39
|
0.48
|
67
|
|
incl…
|
21.0
|
30.0
|
9.0
|
48
|
0.73
|
1.57
|
112
|
Reported
widths are intercepted core lengths and not true widths, as
relationships with intercepted structures and contacts vary. Based
on core-angle measurements, true widths range from 80% to 85% of
reported core length. (*)Silver equivalent calculation uses a
silver price of $25.00/oz, a zinc price of $1.10/lb., and a lead
price of $0.80/lb. (all USD) and assumes a 100% metallurgical
recovery. Silver equivalent values can be calculated using the
following formula: AgEq = Ag g/t + (Zn % x 30.1644 ) + (Pb % x
21.9377).
These 2
holes were the first results from 15 planned
drillholes.
Summary of the Acquisition of the Sunawayo Project
Subject
to the provisions of the Sunawayo SPA, the Sunawayo Vendor agreed
to transfer the mining rights of the Sunawayo Project to the
Company upon the Company paying it US$6,500,000. That payment
consists of US$300,000 that was paid to the Sunawayo Vendor upon
execution of the Sunawayo SPA with the remaining US$6,200,000 to be
paid in cash over a one-year period in twelve equal monthly
installments, starting March 1, 2021.
As with
the Pulacayo Project, the Company’s objectives for the
remainder of 2020 and 2021 are to identify exploration targets and
to test those targets that meet the criteria for drilling with an
aim to make new discoveries. More specifically, the Company’s
goal is to explore near the southeast border of the Sunawayo
Project, in and around the existing open pit mine, and along the 8
kilometer Malku Khota lithological trend within sandstone units.
The Company anticipates it will take three to four months to
achieve this goal. The Company will continue to simultaneously
advance a mining production contract application with COMIBOL for
the rights to mine and explore the adjacent Malku Khota project.
This application process is anticipated to last six to twelve
months.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company incurred total costs
of $513,088 (2019 -$Nil; 2018 - $Nil) for the Sunawayo Project
including for $116,152 (2019 - $Nil; 2018 - $Nil) for geological
and engineering services and $396,936 of acquisition
cost.
The
Company’s 2021 Sunawayo objectives are:
●
Complete maiden
drilling program on property;
●
Complete due
diligence evaluation by March, 2021;
●
Complete induced
polarization (geophysics) south portion of property;
●
Continue geological
and structural mapping;
●
Evaluate field data
for additional target generation;
●
Commence
2nd drill
campaign on property testing targets generated from field
work
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Triunfo Project, Bolivia
On July
13, 2020 the Company executed the Triunfo Agreement with the Triunfo Vendor.
The Triunfo Agreement provides the Company with the Triunfo Rights
(consisting of the Exploration Right and the Purchase Right) with
respect to the Triunfo Project. The Purchase Right can be exercised
at any time after the Triunfo Vendor completes the required
Bolivian administrative procedures for the Triunfo Project
(expected to occur no later than March 2021) until July 13, 2025,
or such further period as the parties may agree. To secure the
Triunfo Rights, the Company paid the Triunfo Vendor US$100,000 upon
execution of the Triunfo Agreement. Until the Company exercises its
Purchase Right, beginning in 2021 the Company must pay the Triunfo
Vendor US$50,000 on June 15 of each year to maintain the Triunfo
Rights. The Company may elect to terminate the Triunfo Agreement at
any time. If the Company exercises the Purchase Right, the Triunfo
Vendor will maintain the Residual Interest. Upon exercise of the
Purchase Right, the Company may make a lump sum payment to the
Triunfo Vendor at any time to reduce some or all of the Residual
Interest as follows:
●
the Residual
Interest may be extinguished for US$300,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 4% for US$250,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 3% for US$200,000;
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 2% for US$150,000; or
●
the Residual
Interest may be reduced to 1% for US$100,000.
Triunfo Project Summary
The
Triunfo Project area covers approximately 256 hectares located in
the La Paz Department, which is located about 75 kilometers to the
east of the city of La Paz, Bolivia. The Triunfo Project has access
to power and water and is accessible by road year-round. The
Triunfo Vendor maintains a positive relationship with the local
community. Exploration was conducted in 2005 through 2007 by
Solitario Resources, which made 3 drill holes, all of which
intercepted mineralization. Only 20% of the Triunfo Project was
explored by Solitario.
The
mineralization is characterized by pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena,
and sphalerite and carries gold, silver, and zinc and lead in
various proportions. Mineralization outcrops at the surface and
continues for at least 750 meters in three discrete blocks, known
as A, B, and C. The mineralized blocks have widths varying from 20
meters to 150 meters and are locally displaced for several meters
by north-east trending faults.
In the
past decade, some artisanal mining has been developed where gold
mineralization has been identified. Those areas have been
principally mined for gold.
The
Triunfo Project contains polymetallic vein-style mineralization
hosted in metasediments of the Silurian and Devonian periods. The
metasediments were intruded by nearby plutonic batholiths which are
likely related to the mineralizing event. This style of
mineralization is well documented in Bolivia. Examples include
Cerro Rico and Porco, located in and around Potosi.
Several
dozen chip samples were taken from the surface and tunnels at
Triunfo in late-May 2020. The sampling returned significant results
from both blocks.
The
following table shows the assay results, equal to and over 1.0 g/t
Au Equivalent which represent over 36% of the samples (37 /
103).
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
El Triunfo Chip Channel Results Returning 1g/t AuEq* or
greater
|
ID
|
BLOCK
|
Type
|
WIDTH
|
Au
|
Ag
|
Pb
|
Zn
|
AuEq
|
AgEq
|
|
(m)
|
(g/t)
|
(g/t)
|
(%)
|
(%)
|
(g/t)
|
(g/t)
|
|
46506
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
3.9
|
2
|
113
|
3.46
|
0.12
|
8
|
814
|
|
46505
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
4
|
29
|
1.34
|
0.06
|
8
|
806
|
|
46504
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.1
|
1
|
69
|
2.52
|
1.82
|
6
|
547
|
|
46503
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.2
|
1
|
64
|
1.93
|
0.13
|
5
|
465
|
|
46502
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
3.8
|
1
|
55
|
2.34
|
1.08
|
4
|
415
|
|
46501
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.3
|
0
|
75
|
2.61
|
1.29
|
4
|
406
|
|
46299
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.8
|
2
|
25
|
0
|
0.02
|
4
|
385
|
|
46298
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.3
|
1
|
35
|
1.42
|
1.76
|
4
|
366
|
|
46297
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
2
|
40
|
0
|
0.01
|
4
|
358
|
|
46296
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.4
|
1
|
96
|
0
|
0.01
|
3
|
304
|
|
46295
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.1
|
2
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
293
|
|
46294
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
3
|
0
|
46
|
2.88
|
0.14
|
3
|
289
|
|
46293
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1.3
|
1
|
15
|
0.34
|
0.03
|
3
|
284
|
|
46292
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.6
|
1
|
75
|
0
|
0.04
|
3
|
270
|
|
46291
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
42
|
1.88
|
0.45
|
3
|
265
|
|
46290
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
47
|
1.76
|
0.1
|
3
|
251
|
|
46289
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1
|
1
|
31
|
0.54
|
0.02
|
2
|
238
|
|
46288
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1.7
|
0
|
20
|
0.53
|
2.23
|
2
|
218
|
|
46287
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1
|
1
|
30
|
0.35
|
0.11
|
2
|
210
|
|
46286
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
3.4
|
1
|
14
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
209
|
|
46285
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
207
|
|
46284
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
25
|
1.02
|
0.37
|
2
|
206
|
|
46283
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.2
|
1
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
178
|
|
46282
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1.3
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
175
|
|
46281
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
1.5
|
0
|
42
|
0
|
0.01
|
2
|
168
|
|
46279
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.4
|
1
|
14
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
164
|
|
46278
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
17
|
0.59
|
0.41
|
2
|
151
|
|
46277
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.1
|
1
|
26
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
149
|
|
46276
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
16
|
0.54
|
0.23
|
1
|
126
|
|
46275
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
6
|
0.25
|
0.23
|
1
|
126
|
|
46274
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
118
|
|
46273
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.3
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
114
|
|
46272
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.9
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
0.01
|
1
|
109
|
|
46271
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2
|
0
|
11
|
0.3
|
0.36
|
1
|
102
|
|
46270
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.4
|
0
|
9
|
0.02
|
0.02
|
1
|
97
|
|
46269
|
A
|
chip
channel
|
2.5
|
0
|
23
|
0.25
|
0.46
|
1
|
95
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
(*)
Gold equivalent calculation uses a gold price of $1,795, a zinc
price of $0.93, a lead price of $0.80, and a silver price of $18.30
(all USD), and assumes a 100% metallurgical recovery. Gold
equivalent values can be calculated using the following formula:
AuEq = Au g/t + (Ag g/t x 0.0102) + (Zn % x 0.3551) + (Pb % x
0.3055). Silver equivalent calculation uses a silver price of
$25.00/oz, a zinc price of $1.10/lb., a lead price of $0.80/lb.
(all USD), and assumes a 100% metallurgical recovery. Silver
equivalent values can be calculated using the following formula:
AgEq = Ag g/t + (Zn % x 30.1644 ) + (Pb % x 21.9377).
Denser
sets of veins and veinlets hosted by shales and quartzites appear
to correlate with higher grades. The strike lengths of these
mineralized trends have been recognized as continuing along several
hundreds of meters at surface.
As with
the Pulacayo Project and Sunawayo Project, the Company’s
objectives for the remainder of 2020 and 2021 is to identify
exploration targets and to test those targets that meet the
criteria for drilling with an aim to make new discoveries. More
specifically, the Company’s initial drill program entails 5
holes for up to 1,000 meters that may be expanded. The drilling
will step out to the east and west of historic drill hole TR001 on
Block B.
District
geological mapping and geophysics is also planned, as the host and
accessory mineral properties associated with the mineralization at
El Triunfo can be detected by geophysical imaging methods such as
induced polarization (IP).
The
mineralization is characterized by multiple veins (up to 1.0m wide)
and veinlets. They are emplaced along fractures and faults that
have developed on the flanks of an east-west trending
anticlinal-synclinal sequence. Mineralization is also noted to
occur in the sedimentary planes between slate layers. The slate
layers can manifest as stockwork-style mineralization which tends
to be elongated parallel to the anticlinal axis.
On November 25, 2020, the Company announced that further to the
news release dated August 19, 2020, it has received the complete
assay results from the Company’s first diamond drill program
at its 100%-controlled El Triunfo Au-Ag-Zn-Pb project in
Bolivia.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Borehole TR007 intercepted 48.9 meters of mineralization grading
0.42 g/t gold, 35.5 g/t silver, 1.17% zinc, and 0.83% lead (1.45
g/t AuEq) within 98.9 meters of mineralization grading 1.04 g/t
AgEq starting 13.0 meters downhole.
Notable highlights include
|
Hole ID
|
From
|
To
|
Length (m)
|
Au (g/t)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
AuEq* (g/t)
|
|
TR006
|
40.0
|
76.0
|
36.0
|
0.49
|
15.46
|
0.54
|
0.44
|
0.97
|
|
including…
|
58.0
|
72.0
|
14.0
|
0.48
|
20.23
|
0.76
|
0.66
|
1.16
|
|
TR007
|
13.0
|
111.9
|
98.9
|
0.37
|
22.71
|
0.74
|
0.58
|
1.04
|
|
including…
|
63.0
|
111.9
|
48.9
|
0.42
|
35.49
|
1.17
|
0.83
|
1.45
|
|
TR008
|
6.8
|
84.0
|
77.3
|
0.31
|
17.65
|
0.57
|
0.53
|
0.85
|
|
including…
|
45.0
|
51.4
|
6.4
|
1.60
|
56.49
|
1.66
|
0.94
|
3.05
|
(*) Gold equivalent calculation uses a gold price of $1,795, a zinc
price of $0.93, a lead price of $0.80, and a silver price of $18.30
(all USD), and assumes a 100% metallurgical recovery. Gold
equivalent values can be calculated using the following formula:
AuEq = Au g/t + (Ag g/t x 0.0102) + (Zn % x 0.3551) + (Pb % x
0.3055).
Mineralization is hosted in altered black shales exhibiting
hydrothermal sheeted quartz-carbonate vein sets that are
concentrated along the axes of regional anticlinal fold
structures.
Assay results are detailed in the table below:
|
Hole ID
|
From
|
To
|
Length (m)
|
Au (g/t)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
AuEq* (g/t)
|
|
TR004
|
14.0
|
15.0
|
1.0
|
0.24
|
18.85
|
0.21
|
0.65
|
0.70
|
|
17.0
|
18.0
|
1.0
|
0.74
|
2.21
|
0.03
|
0.04
|
0.78
|
|
71.0
|
74.0
|
3.0
|
1.11
|
5.01
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
1.16
|
|
Hole ID
|
From
|
To
|
Length (m)
|
Au (g/t)
|
Ag (g/t)
|
Zn %
|
Pb %
|
AuEq* (g/t)
|
|
TR005
|
61.0
|
62.0
|
1.0
|
0.59
|
8.00
|
0.00
|
0.01
|
0.67
|
|
122.0
|
124.0
|
2.0
|
0.50
|
2.29
|
0.01
|
0.02
|
0.53
|
|
TR006
|
5.0
|
6.0
|
1.0
|
0.73
|
3.19
|
0.10
|
0.13
|
0.84
|
|
20.0
|
21.0
|
1.0
|
0.15
|
11.10
|
0.35
|
0.29
|
0.48
|
|
40.0
|
76.0
|
36.0
|
0.49
|
15.46
|
0.54
|
0.44
|
0.97
|
|
including…
|
58.0
|
72.0
|
14.0
|
0.48
|
20.23
|
0.76
|
0.66
|
1.16
|
|
TR006
|
94.5
|
101.5
|
7.0
|
0.56
|
23.21
|
0.82
|
0.56
|
1.26
|
|
106.5
|
107.4
|
0.8
|
0.32
|
12.70
|
0.25
|
0.01
|
0.54
|
|
120.0
|
121.0
|
1.0
|
0.07
|
15.90
|
0.50
|
0.67
|
0.62
|
|
142.8
|
143.3
|
0.5
|
0.60
|
0.43
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.61
|
|
190.0
|
191.3
|
1.3
|
0.72
|
89.58
|
2.07
|
0.16
|
2.42
|
|
TR007
|
13.0
|
111.9
|
98.9
|
0.37
|
22.71
|
0.74
|
0.58
|
1.04
|
|
including…
|
63.0
|
111.9
|
48.9
|
0.42
|
35.49
|
1.17
|
0.83
|
1.45
|
|
TR007
|
118.5
|
119.5
|
1.0
|
0.03
|
4.55
|
0.17
|
0.53
|
0.30
|
|
121.5
|
122.5
|
1.0
|
0.30
|
3.69
|
0.07
|
0.46
|
0.50
|
|
125.5
|
126.3
|
0.8
|
0.56
|
3.18
|
0.09
|
0.03
|
0.63
|
|
179.0
|
181.0
|
2.0
|
1.05
|
1.38
|
0.01
|
0.01
|
1.07
|
|
185.6
|
186.2
|
0.6
|
0.44
|
5.69
|
0.02
|
0.01
|
0.51
|
|
196.0
|
197.0
|
1.0
|
0.74
|
1.46
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.76
|
|
TR008
|
6.8
|
84.0
|
77.3
|
0.31
|
17.65
|
0.57
|
0.53
|
0.85
|
|
including…
|
45.0
|
51.4
|
6.4
|
1.60
|
56.49
|
1.66
|
0.94
|
3.05
|
|
TR008
|
138.1
|
139.1
|
1.0
|
0.71
|
0.90
|
0.01
|
0.00
|
0.72
|
|
149.0
|
151.0
|
2.0
|
0.10
|
22.73
|
0.78
|
0.03
|
0.61
|
|
156.0
|
157.0
|
1.0
|
0.74
|
1.33
|
0.02
|
0.01
|
0.76
|
|
183.0
|
183.6
|
0.6
|
1.65
|
2.62
|
0.02
|
0.01
|
1.69
|
|
231.6
|
232.6
|
1.0
|
0.41
|
4.50
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.46
|
|
247.5
|
250.0
|
2.5
|
1.64
|
35.99
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
2.01
|
|
257.0
|
258.0
|
1.0
|
0.78
|
2.15
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.80
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
*See Notes on gold equivalent (AuEq) calculations and metals prices
above.
Reported widths in all tables are intercepted core lengths and not
true widths, as relationships with intercepted structures and
contacts vary. Based on core-angle measurements, true widths range
from 54% to 65% of reported core length.
As the next step, the Company will integrate those results with
planned district geological
mapping and geophysics such as induced polarization (IP).
Commencement of next round of El
Triunfo drilling is tentatively scheduled for first half of
2021.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company incurred total costs
of $463,665 (2019 -$Nil; 2018 - $Nil) for the Triunfo Project
including $327,989 (2019 - $Nil; 2018 - $Nil) for geological and
engineering services, and $135,676 (2019 -$Nil; 2018 - $Nil) of
acquisition cost.
The
Company’s 2021 Triunfo objectives are:
●
Conduct geological
and structural mapping over the property;
●
Complete induced
polarization (geophysics) survey over the property;
●
Generate drilling
targets from ground work; and
●
Test targets with
diamond drilling program.
Gibellini Project, Nevada, USA
One of
the Company’s principal assets is its interest in the
Gibellini Project. The Company holds a 100% interest in the
properties by way of a lease agreement and staked claims. Claims
are in the name of the Company’s indirect, wholly-owned
Nevada subsidiaries, VC Exploration (US), Inc. (“VC Exploration”) and Nevada
Vanadium, LLC (“Nevada
Vanadium”).
The
Gibellini Project consists of a total of 555 unpatented lode mining
claims that includes: 40 "Deitrich" claims under the Deitrich Lease
Agreement as amended on April 19, 2018, the Nevada Vanadium group
of 450 Gibellini claims and 100% interest of the Bisoni deposit
claims, and the VC Exploration group of 105 claims. The Gibellini,
VC Exploration and Company group of claims are located in Eureka
County, Nevada, as well as 28 of the Bisoni group of claims, with
the remaining 173 claims extending southwest into Nye County,
Nevada. They are located approximately 25 miles south of the town
of Eureka and are easily accessed from US Highway 50 to a paved
road that becomes a graded, gravel road.
The
Gibellini Project is situated on the south east flank of the Fish
Creek Range in the Fish Creek Mining District, about 25 miles south
of Eureka, Nevada and is accessed by dirt road extending westward
from State Route 379.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
|
|
The
Gibellini group of claims were acquired on June 22, 2017, through
leasehold assignments from the claimant and then-holder of the
Gibellini mineral claims (the “Gibellini Lessor”) and includes an
area of approximately 771 acres. Under the Gibellini mineral lease
agreement (the “Gibellini
MLA”), the Company leased this core group of claims,
which originally constituted the entire Gibellini Project, by,
among other things, agreeing to pay to the Gibellini Lessor annual
advance royalty payments. These payments are tied, based on an
agreed formula not to exceed US$120,000 per year, to the average
vanadium pentoxide price of the prior year (each an "Advance Royalty Payment"). Upon
commencement of production, the obligation to make Advance Royalty
Payments will cease and the Company will instead maintain its
acquisition through lease of the Gibellini group of claims by
paying to the Gibellini Lessor, a 2.5% net smelter return royalty
(the “Gibellini
NSR Payments”) until a
total of US$3 million is paid. Thereafter, the Gibellini NSR will
be reduced to 2% over the remaining life of the mine (and referred
to thereafter, as “Production
Royalty Payments”). Upon commencement of production,
any Advance Royalty Payments that have been made will be deducted
as credits against the Gibellini NSR Payments or Production Royalty
Payments, as applicable. The lease is for a term of 10 years,
expiring on June 22, 2027, which can be extended for an additional
10 years, at the Company’s option.
|
On
April 19, 2018, the Gibellini MLA was amended to grant the Company
the option, at any time during the term of the Gibellini MLA, which
ends on June 22, 2027, to require the Gibellini Lessor to transfer
their title over all of the leased mining claims (excluding four
claims which will be retained by the Gibellini Lessor and which
contain minimal resource) to the Company in exchange for
USD1,000,000, which will be deemed an Advance Royalty
Payment.
The
Company also entered into a lease agreement to acquire 10
unpatented lode claims totaling approximately 207 gross acres (the
“Former Louie Hill Claims”) from their holders (the
“Former Louie Hill Lessors”) on July 10,
2017 (the “Louie
Hill MLA”). The Former Louie Hill
Claims were located approximately 1600 feet south of the Gibellini
group of claims. The Former Louie Hill Claims were subsequently
abandoned by the Former Louie Hill Lessors, and on March 11 and 12,
2018, the Company staked the area within and under 17 new claims
totaling approximately 340 gross acres, which now collectively
comprise the expanded Louie Hill group of claims (the
“Current Louie Hill Claims”).
On
October 22, 2018, the Company entered into a royalty agreement (the
“Royalty
Agreement”) with the Former Louie Hill Lessors that
replaced, on substantially similar terms, the Louie Hill MLA. The
Royalty Agreement provides for payment by the Company to the Former
Louie Hill Lessors of both advance royalty payments and net smelter
return royalty payments. As with the Gibellini MLA, the advance
royalty payments are calculated based on an agreed formula relative
to the average vanadium pentoxide price for the prior year, for a
total amount not to exceed US$28,000 per year (the
“Louie Hill Advance Royalty Payments”). Upon commencement of
production, the obligation to make Louie Hill Advance Royalty
Payments will be replaced by a 2.5% net smelter return royalty (the
“Louie Hill NSR”) payable on vanadium
pentoxide produced from the area of the Former Louie Hill Claims
contained within the Current Louie Hill Claims.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
Company may purchase three-fifths of the Louie Hill NSR at any time
for US$1 million, leaving the total Louie Hill NSR payable by the
Company at 1.0% for the remaining life of the mine. Any Louie Hill
Advance Royalty Payments that have been made at the time of the
commencement of production will be deducted as credits against
future payments under the Louie Hill NSR. The payments under the
Royalty Agreement will continue for an indefinite period and will
be payable as long as the Company, its subsidiaries, or any of
their permitted successors or assigns holds a valid and enforceable
mining concession over the area.
On
December 5, 2017, the Company announced that it had significantly
expanded the land position at the Gibellini Project, by staking a
total of 198 new claims immediately adjacent to the Gibellini claim
group covering 4091 acres that are sufficient to enable future
vanadium mining, processing and extraction.
On
November 20, 2017, the Company filed an independent technical
report titled “Gibellini
Project Nevada, USA NI 43-101 Technical Report”
with an effective date of November 10, 2017
(the ”2017 Gibellini
Report”) prepared by the Wood Group. The 2017
Gibellini Report was filed with Canadian securities regulatory
authorities and is available under the Company’s SEDAR
profile at www.sedar.com.
On
February 15, 2018, the Company indirectly acquired an additional
105 unpatented lode mining claims located adjacent to its existing
Gibellini Project in Nevada, USA through the indirect acquisition
of VC Exploration (US) Inc, by paying a total of $335,661 in cash
and issuing the equivalent of 500,000 Common Share purchase
warrants to arm’s-length, private parties.
On June
25, 2018, the Company filed a technical report titled
“Gibellini Project Eureka
County, Nevada, NI 43-101 Technical Report on Preliminary
Economic Assessment” prepared by Mr. Kirk Hanson,
P.E., Technical Director, Open Pit Mining; Mr. Edward J.C. Orbock
III, RM SME, Principal Geologist and US Manager of Consulting; Mr.
Edwin Peralta, P.E., Senior Mining Engineer; and Mr. Lynton
Gormely, P.Eng., Consultant Metallurgist of Wood Group (the
“2018 Gibellini
PEA”). The 2018 Gibellini PEA has an effective date of
May 29, 2018 and is available under the Company’s SEDAR
profile at www.sedar.com. Each of the authors of the 2018 Gibellini
PEA are "independent" Qualified Persons within the meaning of
NI 43-101.
On
August 24, 2020, the Company announced it had commenced the
acquisition of the Bisoni Project from CellCube. As consideration
for the acquisition of the Bisoni Project under the Bisoni APA, the
Company issued 4 million the Bisoni APA Shares and paid $200,000
cash to Cellcube. The Bisoni APA Shares are subject to a statutory
four month hold period expiring on January 19, 2021. Additionally,
subject to TSX approval, if, on or before December 31, 2023, the
price of European vanadium pentoxide on the Metal Bulletin (or an
equivalent publication) exceeds US$12 a pound for 30 consecutive
days, the Company will issue to Cellcube additional Common Shares
with a value of $500,000, calculated based upon the 5 day volume
weighted average price of the Common Shares immediately following
the satisfaction of the vanadium pentoxide pricing condition. The
acquisition of the Bisoni Project was completed on September 18th,
2020. The expanded Bisoni group of claims is located within the
same formation and lithologic units as the Gibellini group of
claims. The general geology in this area is considered to be
similar to the Gibellini group of claims.
In the
three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company expanded the
land position at the Gibellini Project, by staking a total 32 new
claims adjacent to the project.
The
Gibellini Project is situated entirely on public lands that are
administered by the BLM. No easements or rights of way are required
for access over public lands. Rights-of-way would need to be
acquired for future infrastructure requirements, such as pipelines
and powerlines.
Gibellini Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate and 2018 Gibellini
PEA
On June
25, 2018, the Company filed the 2018 Gibellini PEA, which provides
an updated mineral resource estimate for the Gibellini
Project.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
2018 Gibellini PEA replaces the 2017 Gibellini Report. The 2018
Gibellini PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred
mineral resources that are too speculative geologically to have
economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to
be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the
2018 Gibellini PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are
not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic
viability.
The
2018 Gibellini PEA disclosed an estimated 7.94 million tons at a
weighted average grade of 0.314% vanadium pentoxide
(“V2O5”)
in the measured category and 15.02 million tons at a weighted
average grade of 0.271% V2O5 in the
Indicated category leading to a total combined measured and
indicated mineral resource of 22.95 million tons at a weighted
average grade of 0.286% V2O5. Total contained
metal content of the measured and indicated mineral resources is
131.34 million pounds V2O5. The inferred
mineral resource estimate is 14.97 million tons at a weighted
average grade of 0.175% V2O5. The total
contained metal content of the inferred mineral resource estimate
is 52.30 million pounds V2O5. The table below
contains a summary of the Gibellini deposit mineral resource
estimate (the "Gibellini Deposit
Mineral Resource Estimate"), which is derived from the 2018
Gibellini PEA:
Gibellini Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate***
|
Confidence
Category
|
Domain
|
Cut-offV2O5 (%)
|
Tons(Mt)
|
GradeV2O5(%)
|
ContainedV2O5 (Mlb)
|
|
Measured
|
Oxide
|
0.101
|
3.96
|
0.251
|
19.87
|
|
Transition
|
0.086
|
3.98
|
0.377
|
29.98
|
|
Indicated
|
Oxide
|
0.101
|
7.83
|
0.222
|
34.76
|
|
Transition
|
0.086
|
7.19
|
0.325
|
46.73
|
|
Total Measured and Indicated
|
|
|
22.95
|
0.286
|
131.34
|
|
Inferred
|
Oxide
|
0.101
|
0.16
|
0.170
|
0.55
|
|
Transition
|
0.086
|
0.01
|
0.180
|
0.03
|
|
Reduced
|
0.116
|
14.80
|
0.175
|
51.72
|
|
Total Inferred
|
|
|
14.97
|
0.175
|
52.30
|
***Notes:
1.The Qualified Person for the Gibellini Deposit Mineral Resource
Estimate is Mr. E.J.C. Orbock III, RM SME, an employee of the Wood
Group of companies. The Gibellini Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate
has an effective date of May 29, 2018.
2.Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have
demonstrated economic viability.
3.Mineral resources are reported at various cut-off grades for
oxide, transition, and reduced material.
4.Mineral resources are reported within a conceptual pit shell that
uses the following assumptions: mineral resource V2O5 price:
$14.64/lb.; mining cost: $2.21/ton mined; process cost: $13.62/ton;
G&A cost: $0.99/ton processed; metallurgical recovery
assumptions of 60% for oxide material, 70% for transition material
and 52% for reduced material; tonnage factors of 16.86 ft3/ton for
oxide material, 16.35 ft3/ton for transition material and 14.18
ft3/ton for reduced material; royalty: 2.5% net smelter return
(NSR); shipping and conversion costs: $0.37/lb. An overall 40º
pit slope angle assumption was used.
5.Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in
apparent summation differences between tons, grade and contained
metal content. Tonnage and grade measurements are in US units.
Grades are reported in percentages.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Louie Hill Deposit
The
Louie Hill deposit lies approximately 1,600 ft south of the
Gibellini deposit.
The
2018 Gibellini PEA provides an inferred mineral resource of 7.52
million tons at a weighted average grade of 0.276% vanadium
pentoxide (V2O5). The oxidation
domains were not modeled. The total contained metal content of the
estimate is 41.49 million pounds V2O5. The table below
summarizes the Louie Hill deposit mineral resource estimate (the
"Louie Hill Deposit Mineral
Resource Estimate"):
Louie Hill Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate***
|
Confidence
Category
|
Cut-offV2O5 (%)
|
Tons(Mt)
|
GradeV2O5 (%)
|
ContainedV2O5 (Mlb)
|
|
Inferred
|
0.101
|
7.52
|
0.276
|
41.49
|
***Notes:
1.The Qualified Person for the Louie Hill Deposit Mineral Resource
Estimate is Mr. E.J.C. Orbock III, RM SME, an employee of the a
Wood Group of companies . The Louie Hill Deposit Mineral Resource
Estimate has an effective date of May 29, 2018. The resource model
was prepared by Mr. Mark Hertel, RM SME.
2.Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have
demonstrated economic viability.
3.Oxidation state was not modeled.
4.Mineral resources are reported within a conceptual pit shell that
uses the following assumptions: mineral resource V2O5 price: $14.64/lb;
mining cost: $2.21/ton mined; process cost: $13.62/ton; G&A
cost: $0.99/ton processed; metallurgical recovery assumptions of
60% for mineralized material; tonnage factors of 16.86 ft3/ton for
mineralized material, royalty: 2.5% net smelter return (NSR);
shipping and conversion costs: $0.37/lb. For the purposes of the
Louie Hill Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate, an overall 40º
slope angle assumption was used.
5.Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in
apparent summation differences between tons, grade and contained
metal content. Tonnage and grade measurements are in US units.
Grades are reported in percentages.
A total
of 280 drill holes (about 51,265 ft) have been completed on the
Gibellini Project since 1946, comprising 16 core holes (4,046 ft),
169 rotary drill holes (25,077 ft; note not all drill holes have
footages recorded) and 95 reverse circulation holes (22,142
ft).
The
vanadium-hosted argillite unit ranges from 175 to over 300 ft thick
and overlies gray mudstone and black shales. The argillite has been
oxidized to various hues of yellow and orange to a depth of 100 ft
and is believed to have been part an overall homogenous black shale
unit. Alteration (oxidation) of the rocks is classified as one of
three oxide codes: oxidized, transitional, and
reduced.
No
significant work has been conducted on the Gibellini Project since
2015, with some minor prospecting completed in October of 2018. The
Company has not completed trenching or drilling activities since
its acquisition of the Gibellini Project.
The
power supply for the Gibellini Project site is assumed to be at
24.9 kV and supplied from a planned substation to be located near
Fish Creek Ranch. This substation would tap and step-down the 69kV
supply carried by the line to the nearby Pan Mine to 24.9kV and
place it on a line to the Gibellini Project. Negotiations with the
power utility, Mt. Wheeler Power, will need to be undertaken to
secure any future power supply contract and transmission line to
the site.
In
conformance with BLM permitting requirements and Secretarial Order
3355, the Company submitted a package of enhanced baseline reports
(the "Enhanced Baseline
Reports") on March 22, 2019. Following the BLM review of the
baseline reports, the Company submitted the Gibellini Mine Plan of
Operations (the “Gibellini MPO”) to the Battle Mountain
District office of the BLM and the Reclamation Permit application
to the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
Bureau of Mining Regulation and Reclamation on June 28,
2019.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
Enhanced Baseline Reports were completed using data primarily
collected by the previous operator between 2010 and 2012, and
included studies of biological resources, air resources, cultural
resources, surface water resources, ground water resources, noise,
wild horses, paleontological resources, geological resources,
socioeconomic and environmental justice, soil resources, visual
resources, wetlands and riparian resources, and geochemical
characterization for ore and overburden. The baseline data was
updated with data collection completed in 2019 that validated the
previous data. The reports included a review of potential
environmental impacts and proposed environmental protection
measures to avoid or minimize these impacts. The Gibellini MPO was
then prepared by integrating the information developed in the
baseline reports to guide the Gibellini Project design to avoid or
minimize potential environmental impacts.
The
Gibellini MPO includes over 1,100 pages of detailed development
plans for the Gibellini Project exploration activities, open pit
mining operations and processing facilities to extract and recover
vanadium from the Gibellini deposit with stated average mine
production during the seven-year mine life of 15.7 million tons of
ore material containing 120.5 million pounds of vanadium. The
primary facilities include the: pit, waste rock disposal facility,
mine office, auxiliary facilities such as water and power, crushing
facilities and stockpile, heap leach pad, process facility, water
ponds, borrow areas, and mine and access roads.
In
addition, the Gibellini MPO includes the following management plans
and engineering studies:
1.
quality assurance
plan;
2.
storm water
management plan;
3.
adaptive waste rock
management plan;
5.
noxious weed
management plan;
6.
spill contingency
plan;
7.
feasibility study
level pit slope design;
8.
heap leach and
waste rock dump facility stability report;
10.
water management
plan;
11.
interim closure
plan;
13.
radiation
protection plan;
14.
climate data and
surface water hydrology;
15.
seismic hazard
analyses; and
16.
engineering design
criteria.
In
August 2018, NewFields completed the Gibellini heap leach pad and
waste dump designs as part of an overall basic engineering design
led by M3 Engineering and Technology Corp
On
October 31, 2019, the water pollution control permit and air permit
applications were submitted to the Nevada Division of Environmental
Protection (“NDEP “) incorporating the Newfields and M3
Engineering design packages. The draft air permit was posted for
public comment on July 13, 2020.
2018 Gibellini PEA
On May
29, 2018, the Company received results of the 2018 Gibellini PEA
for the Gibellini Project. The 2018 Gibellini PEA reported an
after-tax cumulative cash flow of $601.5 million, an internal rate
of return of 50.8%, a net present value of $338.3 million at a 7%
discount rate and a 1.72 years payback on investment from start-up
assuming an average vanadium pentoxide price of $12.73 per pound.
As of May 29, 2018, the price of vanadium pentoxide was $14.20 per
pound according to www.asianmetal.com. The 2018
Gibellini PEA was prepared by Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services
Inc, part of the Wood Group, and is based on the NI 43-101
compliant resource calculations reported above.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Highlights of the 2018 Gibellini PEA (after tax)
|
Internal rate of
return
|
50.8%
|
|
Net
present value (“NPV”)
|
US$338.3 million at
7% discount rate
|
|
Payback
period
|
1.72
years
|
|
Average
annual production
|
9.65
million lbs V2O5
|
|
Average
V2O5 selling
price
|
US$12.73 per
lb
|
|
Operating cash
cost
|
US$4.77
per lb V2O5
|
|
All-in
sustaining costs*
|
US$6.28
per lb V2O5
|
|
Breakeven
price**
|
US$7.76
per lb V2O5
|
|
Initial
capital cost including 25% contingency
|
US$116.76
million
|
|
Average
grade
|
0.26%
V2O5
|
|
Strip
ratio
|
0.17
waste to leach material
|
|
Mining
operating rate
|
3.4
million tons (leach material and waste) per year
|
|
Average
V2O5 recovery
through Direct Heap Leaching
|
62%
|
|
Life of
mine
|
13.5
years
|
*includes
selling costs, royalties, operating cash cost, reclamation,
exploration and sustaining capital costs.
**includes
selling costs, royalties, operating cash costs, taxes (local,
state, and federal), working capital, and sustaining and capital
costs.
The
2018 Gibellini PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred
mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically
to have the economic considerations applied to them that would
enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no
certainty that the 2018 Gibellini PEA will be realized. Mineral
resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated
economic viability.
Sensitivity Analysis
The
tables below show the sensitivity analysis to the vanadium
pentoxide price, grade, and to the 2018 Gibellini PEA capital cost
and operating costs. This sensitivity analysis indicates strong
project economics even in very challenging conditions, and that the
project is well positioned to benefit from the current rising
vanadium price environment. A 20% increase in the vanadium price
relative to the base case translates to a US$491.3 million
after-tax NPV at a 7% discount rate.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Sensitivity Analysis
|
V2O5 price
change
|
V2O5 price
US$/lb
|
After-taxIRR
|
After-tax
NPVUS$M @ 7%
|
After-taxcashflowUS$M
|
|
30%
|
16.55
|
69%
|
568.0
|
996.0
|
|
20%
|
15.28
|
63%
|
491.3
|
864.4
|
|
10%
|
14.00
|
57%
|
415.2
|
733.2
|
|
Base
price
|
12.73
|
51%
|
338.3
|
600.4
|
|
-10%
|
11.46
|
44%
|
261.0
|
467.2
|
|
-20%
|
10.18
|
36%
|
183.1
|
333.2
|
|
-30%
|
8.91
|
26%
|
103.9
|
196.9
|
|
V2O5 gradechange
|
V2O5grade
|
After-taxIRR
|
After-tax
NPVUS$M @ 7%
|
After-taxcashflowUS$M
|
|
30%
|
0.34%
|
68%
|
554.4
|
972.8
|
|
20%
|
0.31%
|
63%
|
482.4
|
849.0
|
|
10%
|
0.28%
|
57%
|
410.7
|
725.4
|
|
Base
grade
|
0.26%
|
51%
|
338.3
|
600.4
|
|
-10%
|
0.23%
|
44%
|
265.6
|
475.0
|
|
-20%
|
0.21%
|
37%
|
192.2
|
348.9
|
|
-30%
|
0.18%
|
28%
|
118.3
|
221.6
|
|
Capexchange
|
CapexUS$M
|
After-taxIRR
|
After-tax
NPVUS$M @ 7%
|
After-taxcashflowUS$M
|
|
30%
|
151.8
|
40%
|
307.2
|
564.3
|
|
20%
|
140.1
|
43%
|
317.6
|
576.3
|
|
10%
|
128.4
|
47%
|
328.0
|
588.4
|
|
Base
Capex
|
116.8
|
51%
|
338.3
|
600.4
|
|
-10%
|
105.1
|
55%
|
348.6
|
612.5
|
|
-20%
|
93.4
|
61%
|
358.9
|
624.6
|
|
-30%
|
81.7
|
67%
|
369.3
|
636.8
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
|
Opexchange
|
OpexUS$M
|
After-taxIRR
|
After-tax
NPVUS$M @ 7%
|
After-taxcashflowUS$M
|
|
30%
|
6.20
|
45%
|
257.9
|
450.2
|
|
20%
|
5.72
|
47%
|
284.8
|
500.3
|
|
10%
|
5.25
|
49%
|
311.6
|
550.4
|
|
Base
Capex
|
4.77
|
51%
|
338.3
|
600.4
|
|
-10%
|
4.29
|
53%
|
364.8
|
650.0
|
|
-20%
|
3.82
|
55%
|
390.7
|
698.4
|
|
-30%
|
3.34
|
56%
|
416.0
|
745.4
|
Mining & Processing
Mining
at the Gibellini and Louie Hill deposits is planned to be a
conventional open pit mine utilizing a truck and shovel fleet
comprised of 100-ton trucks and front-end loaders. Average mine
production during the 13.5 year mine life is 3.4 million tons of
leach material (3 million tons) and waste (0.4 million tonnes) per
year at a strip ratio of 0.17. Mining is to be completed either
in-house or through contract, with the Company’s mining staff
overseeing the contracted mining operation and performing the mine
engineering and survey work if contract mining is
selected.
|
|
Oxide‘000
tons
|
Transition‘000
tons
|
Reduced‘000
tons
|
Grade%
V2O5
|
Metal
containedV2O5 (Mlb)
|
Metal
ProducedV2O5 (Mlb)
|
|
YR
1
|
2,600
|
400
|
—
|
0.291
|
17.440
|
10.633
|
|
YR
2
|
2,400
|
600
|
—
|
0.278
|
16.690
|
10.480
|
|
YR
3
|
1,760
|
1,240
|
—
|
0.310
|
18.580
|
12.067
|
|
YR
4
|
650
|
2,350
|
—
|
0.372
|
22.320
|
15.217
|
|
YR
5
|
310
|
2,680
|
10
|
0.366
|
21.950
|
15.185
|
|
YR
6
|
2,240
|
750
|
10
|
0.315
|
18.920
|
11.928
|
|
YR
7
|
3,000
|
—
|
—
|
0.316
|
18.980
|
11.394
|
|
YR
8
|
1,910
|
700
|
380
|
0.189
|
11.310
|
7.085
|
|
YR
9
|
690
|
1,220
|
1,090
|
0.216
|
12.940
|
8.023
|
|
YR
10
|
110
|
370
|
2,520
|
0.208
|
12.480
|
6.898
|
|
YR
11
|
450
|
360
|
2,180
|
0.182
|
10.910
|
6.103
|
|
YR
12
|
50
|
140
|
2,820
|
0.166
|
9.980
|
5.349
|
|
YR
13
|
390
|
10
|
2,600
|
0.183
|
10.970
|
5.839
|
|
YR
14
|
1,710
|
—
|
—
|
0.195
|
6.670
|
4.096
|
|
Totals:
|
18,290
|
10,830
|
11,590
|
0.258
|
210.15
|
130.297
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
processing method envisioned for the Gibellini Project will be to
feed leach material from the mine via loader to a hopper that feeds
the crushing plant. The leach material will then be fed to an
agglomerator where sulfuric acid, flocculent and water will be
added to achieve adequate agglomeration. The agglomerated leach
material will be transported to a stacker on the leach pad, which
will stack the material to a height of 15 feet. Once the material
is stacked, solution will be added to the leach heap at a rate of
0.0025 gallons per minute per square foot. The solution will be
collected in a pond and this pregnant leach solution will be sent
to the process building for metal recovery where it will go through
solvent extraction and stripping processes to produce the vanadium
pentoxide and a secondary yellowcake uranium.
Vanadium Recoveries and Metallurgical Testing
Approximately
130.3 million pounds of V2O5 and 336,000
pounds of uranium is expected to be produced from the
Gibellini Project heap leaching operations at an average vanadium
recovery of 62% (oxide: 60%, transition: 70% and reduced: 52%). The
heap leaching is performed at ambient temperature and atmospheric
pressure without pre-roasting or other beneficiation process. The
pregnant leach solution is continuously collected with leach
material undergoing, on average, a 150-day heap-leaching cycle. The
table below summarizes the projected metallurgical recoveries used
in the 2018 Gibellini PEA for the three defined oxidation-type
domains.
|
Mill
Feed Material Type
|
Direct
Leaching Recovery
|
|
Oxide
|
60%
|
|
Transition
|
70%
|
|
Reduced
|
52%
|
The
direct heap leach vanadium recovery estimates used in the 2018
Gibellini PEA were based on extensive metallurgical testing work
performed by SGS Lakefield Research Laboratories, Dawson Minerals
Laboratories, and McClelland Laboratories ("McClelland"). Samples were selected from
a range of depths within the deposit, representative of the various
types and styles of mineralization. Samples were obtained to ensure
that tests were performed on a sufficient sample mass. The end
results demonstrated low acid consumption (less than 100 lb acid
consumption per ton leached) and high recovery through direct
leaching. Notable test results included the following:
Acid Heap Leach Testing of a Gibellini Bulk Sample, McClelland,
September 4, 2013
A
series of trenches were excavated and approximately 18 tons of
material were sent to McClelland for pilot testing.
Solvent Extraction (SX) Test Work
The
design parameters from this test work are:
●
SX Extraction pH
Range 1.8 to 2.0
●
Di-2-Ethyl Hexyl
Phosphoric Acid Concentration 0.45 M (~17.3% by weight)
Cytec
●
923 Concentration
0.13 M (~5.4% by weight)
●
The Organic Diluent
is Orform SX-12 (high purity kerosene)
●
SO2 addition of
1.0 to 1.5 g/l
●
Strip Solution
Sulfuric Acid Concentration 225 to 250 g/l SX
●
Extraction
Efficiency ~97%
●
SX Strip Efficiency
~98%
Pilot Scale Solvent Extraction Testing on Vanadium Bearing
Solutions from Two Gibellini Project Column Leach Tests,
McClelland, September 16, 2013
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Solvent
extraction (“SX”) processing was conducted to
recover vanadium from sulfuric acid pregnant leach solution
(“PLS”)
generated during pilot column testing on bulk leach samples from
the Gibellini Project. Laboratory scale testing was conducted on
select solutions generated during the pilot SX processing, to
optimize the SX processing conditions. Additional laboratory scale
testing was conducted on the loaded strip solution generated during
the pilot SX testing, to evaluate methods for upgrading and
purifying it to levels that may be required for sale of a final
vanadium bearing product.
In
August of 2018, the Company received metallurgical results from its
technology partner, Northwest Non-Ferrous Metals Mining and Geology
Group Co., Ltd, (‘NWME”) from samples collected
during a site visit in March of 2018. Tests were performed at its
laboratory testing facilities located in Xi’an, China. NWME
utilized a SX processing method to recover vanadium from sulfuric
acid PLS generated by bottle roll and column test acid leaching on
Gibellini samples. The solution was reduced and then precipitated
using ammonia to make AMV. The AMV was calcined and heated then
cooled and pulverized. A vanadium pentoxide with 98.56 % purity
content was produced. The assay for this work is shown
below:
|
V2O5 %
|
SI %
|
Fe %
|
P %
|
S %
|
As %
|
Na2O %
|
K2O %
|
Al %
|
U %
|
|
98.56
|
0.0078
|
0.88
|
0.058
|
0.47
|
0.0026
|
0.43
|
0.052
|
0.22
|
0.0001
|
Uranium
content is less than 0.0001% which does not affect the
marketability of the product.
The PLS
was produced with very low deleterious elements which enabled using
an efficient SX process. The PLS V2O5 concentration was 1.15 gram
per liter and the Pregnant Strip Solution V2O5 concentration was
39.61 grams per liter.
Capital and Operating Costs
The
projected capital costs for the Gibellini Project over a one and a
half year construction period and mine life average operating costs
are summarized in the two tables below. The capital cost includes
25% contingency or USD23.4 million.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Pre-Production Capital Cost
|
Cost
Description
|
Total
(US$000s)
|
|
Open Pit Mine
|
|
Open
pit mine development
|
1,412
|
|
Gibellini
incremental WRSF
|
212
|
|
Mobile
equipment
|
111
|
|
Infrastructure-On Site
|
|
Site
prep
|
2,431
|
|
Roads
|
1,391
|
|
Water
supply
|
2,007
|
|
Sanitary
system
|
61
|
|
Electrical –
on site
|
2,052
|
|
Communications
|
165
|
|
Contact
water ponds
|
174
|
|
Non-process
facilities – buildings
|
7,583
|
|
Process Facilities
|
|
Mill
feed handling
|
15,380
|
|
Heap
leach system
|
20,037
|
|
Process
plant
|
14,441
|
|
Off-Site Infrastructure
|
|
Water
system
|
4,495
|
|
Electrical supply
system
|
3,227
|
|
First
fills
|
860
|
|
Subtotal Total Direct Cost
|
76,039
|
|
Construction
indirect costs
|
4,254
|
|
Sales
tax / OH&P
|
4,236
|
|
EPCM
|
8,879
|
|
Total
Before Contingency
|
93,409
|
|
Contingency
(25%)
|
23,352
|
|
Total
Project Cost
|
116,761
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Operating Costs
|
Total
Cash Operating Cost
|
US$ per
Ton Leached
|
US$ per
lb of V2O5
Produced
|
|
G&A
|
0.99
|
0.31
|
|
Mining
Cost
|
2.72
|
0.85
|
|
Total
Processing Cost
|
11.54
|
3.61
|
|
Total
|
15.26
|
4.77
|
The
cash operating costs in the first half of the project covering
years 1-7 is US$3.59 per lb of V2O5 produced and
for the years 8-14 is US$7.12 per lb of V2O5 produced,
resulting in the weighted average cash cost of US$4.77 per lb of
V2O5 produced.
The cash operating cost is lower in the first half of the project
due to processing higher grade material.
Engineering Procurement Construction Management:
On
August 15, 2018, the Company issued a request for proposal
(the “RFP”)
for engineering, procurement, construction and management services
("EPCM") from qualified
bidders. In December of 2018, the Company selected M3 Engineering
& Technology Corporation (“M3”) of Tucson, Arizona to provide
EPCM for the Gibellini Project in response to the RFP. M3 was
selected for its specific experience in heap leach engineering, and
construction expertise in arid environments such as Nevada and
Arizona.
The
EPCM consists of three phases. Phase 1 includes updating and
simplifying previous basic engineering as well as mine design,
waste dump design, road design, borrow pit design, buildings and
infrastructure designs will not be substantially changed. Phase 2
will consist of procurement of the required equipment, services and
developing the detailed engineering design required to build the
project facilities. Phase 3 will outline construction management
services to build the facilities to accomplish the actual
work.
The
Company expects Phase 1 of the EPCM to be completed in 2020, and to
date this schedule has not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed in 2021, Phase 3 to be
completed in 2022 and the Gibellini Project wet commissioning is
expected to occur in 2023. These timelines remain provisional and
will be revised as necessary should they materially
change.
To try
to minimize technical and implementation risk, the Company is
working closely with its chosen technology partner, NWME, to fine
tune metallurgy, process design and engineering, and ensure maximum
vanadium recovery and high-grade vanadium pentoxide commercial
product on site. NWME owns and is currently operating the
world’s largest black-shale vanadium mine in China with an
environmentally friendly, hydrometallurgical leach processing
technology without the need of a pre-roasting step (see the
Company’s news release dated March 12, 2018, for more
details).
NWME
conducted a site visit of the Gibellini Project in March 2018 and
analyzed samples from the Gibellini Project in its laboratories.
The results of this work are discussed in the following
section.
Test Results
Samples
collected by NWME’s technical team during their visit to the
Gibellini Project’s site in February 2018 were analyzed at
NWME’s facility in Xi’an, China. Approximately 250 kg
of material was submitted for analysis. The results are described
below.
98.6% V2O5 Produced on the
1st Run
with Simple Conventional Flowsheet
NWME
used SX processing method to recover vanadium from sulfuric acid
PLS generated by bottle roll and column test acid leaching on
Gibellini samples. The solution was reduced and then precipitated
using ammonia to make AMV. The AMV was calcined and heated then
cooled and pulverized. A vanadium pentoxide with 98.56 % purity
content was produced. The assay for this work is shown in table
below:
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Gibellini Vanadium Pentoxide Assay
|
V2O %
|
SI %
|
Fe %
|
P %
|
S %
|
As %
|
Na2O %
|
K2O %
|
Al %
|
U %
|
|
98.56
|
0.0078
|
0.88
|
0.058
|
0.47
|
0.0026
|
0.43
|
0.052
|
0.22
|
0.0001
|
Uranium
content is less than 0.0001% which does not affect the
marketability of the product.
The PLS
was produced with very low deleterious elements which enabled using
an efficient SX process. The PLS V2O5 concentration was
1.15 gram per liter and the pregnant strip solution V2O5 concentration was
39.61 grams per liter.
Overall Vanadium Recovery of Over 60% and Low Acid
Consumption
PLS was
produced from both bottle roll and column tests. Sulfuric acid was
added to the feed material with the bottle rolling for 1 hour, then
the open bottle was allowed to cure for 24 hours and water was
added to the bottle to attain the desired density (40%). Initial
samples were taken at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48
hours and then once a day until the bottle roll was
completed.
In
column tests, sulfuric acid was added to the feed material and the
material was allowed to cure for 24 hours before initiating the
leaching. Leaching was conducted by applying 108 grams per liter
acid solution over the material. PLS was collected every 24 hours
and samples were taken for vanadium analysis. All the tests were
performed at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure. The
results of the tests are given below:
|
Test
|
Leach Time
|
Vanadium Recovery %
|
Sulfuric Acid Consumed kg/t
|
|
Column
Test
|
21
days
|
70.74
|
100
|
|
Bottle
Roll Test - investigate the effect of the curing method and
increase of sulfuric acid addition on the vanadium
recovery
|
50
hours
|
62.8
|
150
|
|
Bottle
Roll Test - investigate addition of NWME prepared leaching agent on
the vanadium recovery
|
144
hours
|
66.5
|
100
|
|
Bottle
Roll Test - investigate the leaching of coarse feed (2mm) on the
vanadium recovery
|
216
hours
|
63.7
|
100
|
The
results of the bottle roll and column leach tests performed by NWME
largely validate the results of previous tests performed by
McClelland on the Gibellini bulk sample in 2013 (18 tons of
material).
The
NWME test samples were not agglomerated and were on short leach
time of 21 days for column tests and 5 days for bottle roll tests.
The Company studied both the NWME test and McClelland test in
detail and believe the results were consistent, whereby 70%
recovery can be achieved with longer leach cycle (over 100 days
McClelland vs 21 days NWME) and less acid consumption (50 kg of
acid per tonne of material McClelland vs 100 kg of acid per tonne
of material NWME).
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
A
summary of acid heap leach tests of a Gibellini bulk sample,
completed at McClelland, September 4, 2013 is tabulated
below:
|
Size
|
Test Type
|
Time (Days)
|
Vanadium Recovery %
|
Head Grade % V2O5
|
Sulfuric Acid Consumed kg/t
|
|
50 mm (2”)
|
Column, open circuit
|
123
|
76.6
|
0.53
|
39.9
|
|
12.5 mm (1/2”)
|
Column, open circuit
|
123
|
80.2
|
0.56
|
32.7
|
|
12.5 mm (1/2”)
|
Column, closed circuit
|
230
|
68.3
|
0.51
|
38.1
|
|
12.5 mm (1/2”)
|
Column, closed circuit
|
198
|
74
|
0.56
|
43.5
|
|
12.5 mm (1/2”)
|
Bottle Roll
|
4
|
67.1
|
0.51
|
33.6
|
|
1.7 mm (-10m)
|
Bottle Roll
|
4
|
66.3
|
0.51
|
29.9
|
|
-75µ
|
Bottle Roll
|
4
|
67.6
|
0.5
|
28.1
|
|
-75µ
|
Bottle Roll
|
30
|
74.2
|
0.53
|
24.5
|
Representative Feed Grade with Benign Test Conditions that Can be
Replicated in Commercial Setting
The
leaching bottle roll and column tests were performed at room
temperature and at atmospheric pressure based on Gibellini’s
representative grade from grab sampling method across the width of
the mineralization at various locations of the Project. These
samples are characterized in table below:
|
Sample Number
|
Sample ID
|
Weight kg
|
Head Grade V2O5 (%)
|
|
1
|
18-L6-28
|
17.0
|
0.665
|
|
2
|
18-L6-29
|
17.0
|
0.885
|
|
3
|
18-L6-30
|
12.5
|
0.370
|
|
4
|
18-L6-31
|
18.0
|
0.210
|
|
5
|
18-L6-32
|
13.5
|
0.420
|
|
6
|
18-L6-33
|
22.5
|
0.280
|
|
7
|
18-L6-34
|
19.0
|
0.315
|
|
8
|
18-L6-35
|
20.0
|
0.185
|
|
9
|
18-L6-36
|
18.0
|
0.165
|
|
10
|
18-L6-37
|
20.0
|
0.195
|
|
Total
|
|
177.5
|
|
For the
purpose of metallurgical testing, the samples were mixed to produce
a composite material with the average grade of 0.30% V2O5 which is representative of Gibellini
resource grade. The composite material was ground to -75 lm feed.
The Company believes the test conditions can easily be
replicated in a commercial heap leach setting with low technical
and implementation risk.
Vanadium Mineralogy in Achieves Recovery at Room Temperature and
Atmospheric Pressure
NWME
performed detailed mineralogical analysis which included microscope
identification using a Carl Zeiss Axioskop, XRD analysis on Bruker
D8-A25 XRD, multi-element analysis, electron probe X-ray
microanalysis on JEOL JXA 8230, scanning electron microscopy/energy
dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis on Mineral Liberation
Analizer 650 and V element phase analysis. This mineralogical
analysis confirmed that the Gibellini resource has a high
percentage of independent vanadium minerals (“IVM”) such as kazakhstanite,
shubnelite, sherwoodite, bokite, which can be leached easily at
room temperature and atmospheric pressure within a short time
frame.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
NWME
noted the unique nature of the Gibellini samples with over 45% IVM
versus numerous other typical black shale deposits which they have
encountered containing less than 10% IVM.
All of
the test work carried out on the material from the Gibellini
Project indicate that there is a two-stage leaching phenomenon in
Gibellini ore - approximately 50% of the vanadium leaches in the
first 96 hours (independent vanadium minerals), and the remaining
leaching approximately 15 to 20% occurs over a longer time
horizon.
Heap
leaching is the lowest-cost recovery method compared to roasting,
and pressured container VAC leaching; whereby capital costs can
compound to multiple times greater for the same throughput.
Gibellini’s high IVM content is a key competitive
differentiator which places the deposit in the top tier of black
shale deposits in terms of pre-production capital cost required
based on NWME’s research. The mineralogical results of the
Gibellini ore as characterized by NWME’s test work is shown
in table below:
|
Mineral composition
|
Mineral content %
|
V content in minerals %
|
V distribution %
|
|
Independent
vanadium minerals
45.2%
of vanadium content
|
Kazakhstanite
|
0.15
|
40.91
|
19.77
|
|
Shubnelite
|
0.13
|
27.86
|
11.67
|
|
Sherwoodite
|
0.08
|
34.54
|
8.90
|
|
Bokite
|
0.03
|
36.51
|
3.53
|
|
Melanovanadite
|
0.01
|
41.27
|
1.33
|
|
Vanadium-bearing
layered aluminosilicate minerals
20.8%
of vanadium content
|
Sericite
|
8.59
|
0.57
|
14.63
|
|
Illite
|
5.58
|
0.28
|
5.03
|
|
Chlorite
|
0.81
|
0.44
|
1.14
|
|
Nacrite-palygorskite
|
0.70
|
-
|
-
|
|
Vanadium-bearing
layered iron oxide, sulfate 34% of vanadium content
|
Limonite
|
1.76
|
5.48
|
31.07
|
|
Strengite
|
0.64
|
0.49
|
1.01
|
|
Jarosite
|
0.48
|
1.24
|
1.92
|
|
Gangue
|
Quartz
|
75.88
|
-
|
-
|
|
Apatite
|
2.83
|
-
|
-
|
|
Potassium
feldspar
|
0.73
|
-
|
-
|
|
Dolomite
|
0.66
|
-
|
-
|
|
Carbonaceous
|
0.45
|
-
|
-
|
|
Rutile
|
0.25
|
-
|
-
|
|
Barite
|
0.04
|
-
|
-
|
|
Pyrite
|
0.20
|
-
|
-
|
|
Total
|
100.00
|
|
100.00
|
Low Carbonate Content Results in Low Acid Consumption.
NWME
detailed mineralogical analysis which included microscope
identification using a Carl Zeiss Axioskop, XRD analysis on Bruker
D8-A25 XRD, multi-element analysis, electron probe X-ray
microanalysis on JEOL JXA 8230, scanning electron microscopy/energy
dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis on Mineral Liberation
Analyzer 650 and V element phase analysis, confirmed the extremely
low carbonaceous content of Gibellini’s oxide and transition
samples. This explains the low acid consumption (less than 50 kg
per tonne) compared to other average black shale deposits of 200 kg
to 300 kg per tonne based on extensive NWME data compilation. Given
acid cost accounts for approximately 50% of the Project’s
operating expenses, Gibellini’s low carbon content is a key
competitive differentiator which places it in the top tier of black
shale deposits in terms of processing cost based on NWME’s
findings.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
following table is a generalized comparison of Gibellini’s
deposit to a composite of typical black shale vanadium
deposits:
|
|
Gibellini Vanadium Deposit
|
Black Shale Series Vanadium Deposits
|
|
Host
Rock
|
Silica
State
|
Carbon
Siliceous Rocks with Mudstone
|
|
The
Mineral Composition
|
High
Silica, Low Aluminium and Low Carbonaceous. SiO2-78.40%; Al2O3 -
4.13%;T(C) -
0.47%
|
High
Silica, High Aluminum and High Carbonaceous. SiO2-62-93%; Al2O3
> 7%;T(C) >
10%
|
On
March 26, 2019, the Company announced via news release available on
SEDAR vanadium assay results from its Fall 2018 exploration
reconnaissance program on the Gibellini Project. The 155 assays are
taken from three prospective exploration areas all within 5
kilometers to existing Gibellini vanadium NI 43-101 compliant
resource pit outline. Surface grab samples assay as high as 2%
vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and 75 samples (48% of total 155) have
V2O5 grades greater than the Gibellini deposit’s cut-off
grade of 0.101% V2O5 at $12.5/lb V2O5.
The
high vanadium assay results along the 5-kilometer
northeast-southwest trend which line-up the Northeast Prospect,
through Gibellini Hill, Louie Hill, Middle Earth prospect, and Big
Sky prospect providing an indication of potential and possibly
significant future expansion of vanadium mineralization along this
corridor.
Big Sky Prospect (300m by 50m)
The Big
Sky prospect occurs 3.1 kilometers southwest of the Gibellini Hill
measured and indicated resource and 1.8 kilometers southwest of the
Louie Hill inferred resource. A total of 62 samples were taken, of
which 40% (n=25) returned
assays greater than Gibellini cut-off grade. Sixteen (16) samples
returned assays >0.200 V2O5. The distribution of samples occurs
along a 300-meter exposure of the Woodruff Formation. Assays
showing >0.200 V2O5 are shown in table below.
V2O5% grab sample assay results at Big Sky prospect for samples
with >0.200%
|
SAMPLE ID
|
Prospect
|
V2O5 %
|
|
301910
|
Big
Sky
|
0.261
|
|
301913
|
Big
Sky
|
0.223
|
|
301915
|
Big
Sky
|
0.346
|
|
301916
|
Big
Sky
|
0.400
|
|
301918
|
Big
Sky
|
0.712
|
|
301920
|
Big
Sky
|
0.264
|
|
301926
|
Big
Sky
|
0.580
|
|
301927
|
Big
Sky
|
2.008
|
|
301928
|
Big
Sky
|
0.848
|
|
301944
|
Big
Sky
|
0.264
|
|
301946
|
Big
Sky
|
0.280
|
|
301947
|
Big
Sky
|
0.218
|
|
301950
|
Big
Sky
|
0.261
|
|
302050
|
Big
Sky
|
0.214
|
|
302054
|
Big
Sky
|
0.787
|
|
302055
|
Big
Sky
|
1.982
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Middle Earth Prospect (200m by 70m)
The
Middle Earth prospect occurs 1.7 kilometers southeast of the
Gibellini Hill deposit and 300 meters south of the Louie Hill
deposit. A total of 50 samples were collected of which 68%
(n=34) returned assays
>0.101% V2O5 or the Gibellini cut-off grade. Twenty-seven (27)
samples returned assays >0.200 V2O5. The samples are distributed
over 3 road cuts of exposed Woodruff Formation making up a 200
meter by 70-meter areal footprint. Assays showing >0.200 V2O5
are shown in the following table.
V2O5% grab sample assay results at Middle Earth prospect for
samples with >0.200%
|
SAMPLE ID
|
Prospect
|
V2O5 %
|
|
301951
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.350
|
|
301952
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.482
|
|
301968
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.628
|
|
301969
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.605
|
|
301970
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.634
|
|
301972
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.252
|
|
301973
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.687
|
|
301974
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.470
|
|
301975
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.612
|
|
301976
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.637
|
|
301978
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.559
|
|
301979
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.557
|
|
301980
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.259
|
|
301981
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.405
|
|
301983
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.255
|
|
301984
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.303
|
|
301985
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.434
|
|
301987
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.291
|
|
301988
|
Middle
Earth
|
1.294
|
|
301989
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.261
|
|
301991
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.314
|
|
301992
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.457
|
|
301993
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.380
|
|
301995
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.302
|
|
301998
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.539
|
|
301999
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.618
|
|
302000
|
Middle
Earth
|
0.532
|
Northeast Trench Prospect (500m by 300m)
The
Northeast Trench prospect occurs 1.2 kilometers northeast of the
Gibellini Hill deposit and 2.5 kilometers northeast of the Louie
Hill deposit. A total of 43 samples were collected of which 37%
(n=16) returned assays
>0.101% V2O5 or the Gibellini cut-off grade. Three (3) samples
returned assays >0.200 V2O5. The samples are distributed through
road cuts (“trenches”) and dry gulches of exposed
Woodruff Formation making up a 500 meter by 350-meter areal
footprint. The exposure at the Northeast Trench is greatly obscured
by colluvium material however the extent where it is exposed might
indicate a large volume of Woodruff Formation yet to be explored.
Assays showing >0.200 V2O5 are shown in the following
table.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
V2O5% grab sample assay results at Northeast Trench prospect for
samples with >0.200%
|
SAMPLE ID
|
Prospect
|
V2O5 %
|
|
302004
|
NE
Trench
|
0.239
|
|
302005
|
NE
Trench
|
0.380
|
|
302016
|
NE
Trench
|
0.303
|
Water supply
On
August 20, 2018, the Company secured water supply for the
Gibellini Project construction and operation. The Company signed a
10-year agreement (the "Water
Supply Agreement") with the owner of a private ranch,
located approximately 14.5 kilometers from the Gibellini Project.
The Water Supply Agreement can be extended for any number of
additional 7-year terms, not to exceed (with the primary term) a
total of 99 years.
Under
the terms of the Water Supply Agreement, the lessor granted to the
Company the rights to 805 acre-feet (approximately 262.4 million
gallons) of water per year for the Gibellini Project, at a minimum
flow rate of 500 gallons per minute (“gpm”) from its year-round springs
surface water stream. The water flow rate was measured at the ranch
springs in 1965, in 1981, from December 2011 to September 2013, and
most recently, in 2017. The water flow rate ranges from 1,000 to
3,900 gpm with an average flow rate of 2,690 gpm, which exceeds the
project’s maximum water operational requirement of 420 gpm
based on the process engineering design prepared by Scotia
International of Nevada, Inc. as a part of engineering,
procurement, construction and management work done in
2014.license.
The
Gibellini Project completed water-related baseline studies
including the drilling of water-test wells, water source data
collection, characterization, flow rate testing and modeling. Due
to the fact that the Water Supply Agreement provides a source of
water from surface springs located on a private ranch and baseline
studies related to it have been completed, the Company expects to
significantly expedite the permitting process by eliminating the
need to appropriate water rights from the Nevada Division of Water
Resources.
Bisoni-McKay Claims and Historical Deposit
On
August 24, 2020 the Company announced it had commenced the
acquisition of the Bisoni-McKay Project from CellCube. This
transaction was successfully completed and announced on September
18, 2020. The Bisoni group of claims is host to a historic resource
known as the Bisoni-McKay deposit. The resource was calculated in
2016 by Edwin Ulmer and Edwin H. Bentzen III. A summary of the
historic resource is tabulated below:
|
Bisoni-McKay Deposit Historic Category
|
V2O5 Mt
|
V2O5 Grade %
|
Mlbs Contained V2O5
|
|
|
Indicated
|
11.88
|
0.397
|
94.41
|
|
Inferred
|
7.05
|
0.427
|
60.12
|
The
historic resource calculation adopted a 0.2% V2O5 cutoff grade. A
Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the
historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral
reserves. The Company is not treating the historical estimate as
current mineral resources or mineral reserves.
The
Bisoni Project was drilled in the 1970s by Hecla, and more recently
by Stina Resources (now Cellcube) in 2004, 2005, and 2007. Historic
2005 drill result highlights include:
●
BMK 05-01 –
98.5 meters grading 0.46% V2O5 from surface, including 36.0 meters
grading 0.76% V2O5
●
BMK 05-02 –
98.1 meters grading 0.53% V2O5 from near surface, including 40.2
meters grading 0.88% V2O5
●
BMK 05-03 –
105.2 meters of 0.49% V2O5.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Compiled
historic results are tabulated below:
|
From (m)
|
To (m)
|
Downhole Interval
|
Approx. true width
|
V(ppm)
|
V2O5(ppm)
|
V2O5 (%)
|
|
Hole
No. DDH BMK 05-01
|
Total
depth 98.5m
|
|
0.0
|
22.9
|
22.9
|
79.2
|
1,395
|
2,491
|
0.25
|
|
22.9
|
62.5
|
39.6
|
1,693
|
3,023
|
0.3
|
|
62.5
|
98.5
|
36.0
|
4,623
|
7,610
|
0.76
|
|
0.0
|
98.5
|
98.5
|
2,563
|
4,575
|
0.46
|
|
Hole
No. DDH BMK 05-02
|
Total
depth: 105.0m
|
|
7.0
|
36.3
|
29.3
|
n/a
|
1,630
|
2,909
|
0.29
|
|
36.3
|
64.9
|
28.7
|
1,635
|
2,919
|
0.29
|
|
64.9
|
105.2
|
40.2
|
4,944
|
8,825
|
0.88
|
|
7.0
|
105.2
|
98.1
|
2990
|
5337
|
0.53
|
|
Hole
No. DDH BMK 05-03
|
Total
depth: 105.2m
|
|
4.0
|
25.3
|
21.3
|
n/a
|
1,501
|
2,680
|
0.27
|
|
25.3
|
69.2
|
43.9
|
2,771
|
4,952
|
0.5
|
|
69.2
|
130.5
|
62.3
|
2,761
|
4,929
|
0.49
|
|
25.3
|
130.5
|
105.2
|
2,766
|
4,938
|
0.49
|
These
drill results are “historic” as defined by
NI 43-101 and have not been independently verified. Truth
widths are unknown except where indicated.
The
host rocks carrying vanadium mineralization at both the Gibellini
Project and Bisoni Project belong to the same Gibellini facies of
the Woodruff Shale Formation.
There
exist several highly prospective exploration targets in between and
around the Gibellini and Bisoni McKay deposits (the two are 14
kilometers apart) along the northeast – southwest corridor
such as the Big Sky prospect, the Middle Earth prospect and the
North East prospect (from Gibellini Project) and BMK and BR zones
(from the Bisoni Project) all with outcropping surface vanadium
mineralization that could potentially ultimately lead to additional
vanadium mineral discoveries.
Offtake and Project Financing
The
Company has received unsolicited expressions of interest from
various potential investment sources and is currently engaged in
discussions with potential cornerstone investors, vanadium product
off-takers on potential equity, debt and prepaid off-take financing
possibilities. The Company expects to report material progress in
due course.
Permitting
On
October 31, 2019, the Company submitted permit applications for the
Water Pollution Control Permit and the Class II Air Quality Permit.
These Nevada state permits have been developed to provide
construction level engineering that supports the mine plan
previously submitted to the BLM in the Plan of Operations. Comments
received from the BLM were used as guidance in the engineering
design to ensure the State and Federal Permits are aligned and
reflect the most current guidance provided by both the NDEP and
BLM.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
NDEP Water Pollution Control Permit
Mining
in Nevada is regulated under the authority of the Nevada Revised
Statutes (NRS) 445A.300-NRS 445A.730 and the Nevada Administrative
Code (NAC) 445A.350-NAC 445A.447. Water Pollution Control Permits
("WPCP") are issued to an
operator prior to the construction of any mining, milling, or other
beneficiation process activity. Facilities utilizing chemicals for
processing ores are required to meet a zero-discharge performance
standard such that waters of the State will not be
degraded.
The
engineering design for heap leaching, the processing facility, and
the mine design (M3 Engineering and Newfields Companies, LLC) was
integrated into to the site closure plan that was also submitted as
part of the WPCP application. This design will facilitate
concurrent closure of the heap as each heap cell is finished
leaching. This will allow the closure plan to be initiated during
operations. At the end of active mining, the site can be closed at
minimal technical risk. This reduces the closure duration and
liability and the commensurate reclamation bond.
Air Quality Class II Permit
The
Nevada Bureau of Air Pollution Control issues air quality operating
permits to stationary and temporary mobile sources that emit
regulated pollutants to ensure that these emissions do not harm
public health or cause significant deterioration in areas that
presently have clean air. This is achieved by stipulating specific
permit conditions designed to limit the amount of pollutants that
sources may emit into the air as a regular part of their business
processes.
Any
process/activity that is an emission source requires an air quality
permit. Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) 445B.155 defines an emission
source as “any property, real or personal, which directly
emits or may emit any air contaminant.”
The
Class II Permit for Gibellini is for facilities that emit less than
100 tons per year for any one regulated pollutant. Since the
vanadium processing will utilize a heap leach, the emissions will
be under the threshold for more complex air permits. The
engineering design incorporates stringent emission control
technology to minimize emissions. The modeled emissions from the
entire Gibellini Project are well below the National Ambient Air
Quality Standards (“NAAQS”).
The
Enhanced Baseline Reports (“EBR’s”) were extensively
used in the Project engineering design to ensure that potential
environmental impacts identified in the EBR’s would be
avoided or minimized by facility design. These engineering controls
help ensure that avoidance of potential environmental impacts is
“built into” the project from the start of the design
process. Doing so will allow environmental protection measures to
be taken to minimize the risk of impacts that cannot be completely
avoided in the design and ensure up-front project planning that is
sensitive to all environmental resources.
Integration with BLM 12-month 3355 Environmental Impact Statement
Process
The
Nevada state permit applications were brought forward in the
permitting process to identify any issues resulting from NDEP
review that could affect the project design in the plan of
operations early. By resolving the State permitting issues prior to
the start of the EIS, it will help ensure that the 12-month
schedule mandated by the BLM Secretarial Order 3355 (S.O. 3355) can
be met and interruptions to the schedule can be
avoided.
On July
14, 2020, the NOI to prepare the EIS was published in the Federal
Register. The NOI formally commences the 12-month timeline to
complete the National Environmental Policy Act review and EIS
preparation by the BLM. The NEPA process is designed to help public
officials complete permitting decisions that are protective of the
environment and includes a public engagement process.
A news
release dated July 16, 2020 from the BLM Mount Lewis Office stated
the following: “If approved,
this project would provide hundreds of jobs and will contribute to
the nation’s domestic source of critical minerals,”
said Doug Furtado, Battle Mountain District Manager. “The
Gibellini mine would also be the first vanadium mine in the U.S.
and, in accordance with Secretarial Order 3355, we anticipate
having a record of decision in 12 months.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
As
there is currently no primary domestic production of vanadium, the
United States is dependent on foreign sources of vanadium; this
creates a strategic vulnerability for both the economy and military
to adverse government action or other events that can disrupt the
supply of this key mineral.”
The
Company continues with its EPCM work and expects Phase 1 of the
EPCM, updating basic engineering design, to be completed by 2020;
Phase 2, equipment procurement and detailed engineering design, to
be completed in 2021; Phase 3, facilities construction, to start in
2022 and be completed in 2023 with the Gibellini Project wet
commissioning expected to be in 2023.
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company incurred total costs
of $2,435,857 (2019 -$4,956,939; 2018 - $2,727,759) for the
Gibellini Project including $897,085 (2019 - $3,200,773; 2018 -
$1,509,587) for geological and engineering services, $1,190,607
(2019 - $1,470,007; 2018 - $831,023) for personnel, legal, general
and administrative expenses and $348,165 (2019 -$286,158; 2018 -
$387,149) for royalties, fees and taxes. Also, during the year
ended December 31, 2020, the Company incurred total costs of
$2,237,077 (2019 -$Nil; 2018 - $Nil) for the Bisoni claims and
16,489 (2019 - $Nil, 2018 - $Nil) for the Gibellini
claims.
2021 Outlook
The
Company intends to continue with the permitting process in order to
obtain necessary permits and authorizations prior to conducting
Project-related activities to ensure compliance with all applicable
regulatory requirements. The permits the Company expects to receive
are presented in the following table:
Required Permits and Regulatory Authorizations for Gibellini
Project
|
Permits and Authorizations
|
Regulatory Agency
|
|
Plan of
Operations/Record of Decision
|
Bureau
of Land Management
|
|
Explosives
Permit
|
U.S.
Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
Firearms
|
|
Surface
Disturbance Permit and Class II Air Quality Operating
Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air Quality
|
|
Water
Pollution Control Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mining Regulation and
Reclamation
|
|
Mining
Reclamation Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Mining Regulation and
Reclamation
|
|
Industrial
Artificial Pond Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Nevada Department
of Wildlife (NDOW)
|
|
Class
III Waiver Landfill Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Solid Waste
|
|
General
Discharge Permit (Stormwater)
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Pollution
Control
|
|
Hazardous
Materials Storage Permit
|
State
of Nevada, Fire Marshall Division
|
|
Hazardous
Waste Identification Number
|
United
States Environmental Protection Agency
|
|
Septic
Treatment Permit
Sewage
Disposal System Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Water Pollution
Control
|
|
Potable
Water System Permit
|
Nevada
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of
Environmental Protection, Bureau of Safe Drinking
Water
|
|
Radioactive
Materials License
|
Nevada
Department of Health and Human Services, Nevada State Health
Division, Radiological Health Section
|
|
Dam
Safety Permit
|
State
of Nevada Division of Water Resources
|
|
Local Permits
|
|
County
Road Use and Maintenance Permit/Agreement
|
Eureka
County Building Planning Department
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Expected
costs associated with this process fall under General and
Administrative costs for the Company. The Company does not
anticipate that there will be any deficiencies or other factors
that will delay or prevent receipt of these permits.
Ulaan Ovoo Coal Property, Mongolia
The
Company acquired a 100% interest in the Ulaan Ovoo Property located
in the territory of Tushig soum of Selenge aimag province in
Northern Mongolia in 2010 from a private Mongolian company. On
November 9, 2010, the Company received the final permit to commence
mining operations at the Ulaan Ovoo Property. The focus of the
Ulaan Ovoo PFS was for the development of low ash coal reserves in
the form of a starter pit. During 2014, the Company faced
challenges, such as significant dewatering of the resource, lack of
demand, depressed coal sales prices, and higher than expected
operating/transportation costs, resulting in limited production
throughout the period. Pit dewatering has become a significant
impediment to achieving consistent production, especially following
mine standby during the periods of low market demand. The mine was
placed on standby in Spring 2014 but continued coal loading and
sales from the existing stockpiles. Due to the lack of sustained
production, management has not sufficiently tested the mine plant
and equipment to conclude that the mine has reached the commercial
production stage. During the beginning of 2015, due to minimal
increase in coal prices and decreased demand because of a mild
winter, the Company decided to maintain the operations on standby
though coal loading and sales from existing stockpiles continued to
customers. The Company decided to sell the mining equipment to
generate cash so that operations may continue.
In
April 2015, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Red
Hill, entered into a purchase agreement with an arm’s-length
party in Mongolia to sell substantially all of its mining and
transportation equipment at the Ulaan Ovoo Property for total
proceeds of approximately $2.34 million. The sale of equipment was
completed in June 2015. Total proceeds (including the sale of
equipment to other arm’s-length parties) amounted to $2.9
million in cash. The Ulaan Ovoo Property ceased pre-commercial
operations in June 2015, The Company continued to maintain the
Ulaan Ovoo Property operations on standby, incurring minimal
general and administrative costs.
On
October 10, 2018, the Company executed a lease agreement (the
“Lease”) with an arms-length private Mongolian company
(the “Lessee”) whereby the Lessee plans to perform
mining operations at Ulaan Ovoo Property and will pay the Company
USD$2.00 (the “Production Royalty”) for every tonne of
coal shipped from the Ulaan Ovoo Property’s site premises.
The Lessee paid the Company USD$100,000 in cash, as a
non-refundable advance royalty payment and is preparing, at its own
and sole expense, to restart and operate the Ulaan Ovoo Property
with its own equipment, supplies, housing and crew. The Lessee will
pay all government taxes and royalties related to its proposed
mining operation. The Lease is valid for 3 years with an annual
advance royalty payment (“ARP”) for the first year of
USD$100,000 which was due and paid upon signing, and USD$150,000
and USD$200,000 due on the 1st and 2nd anniversary of the Lease,
respectively. The ARP can be credited towards the USD$2.00 per
tonne Production Royalty payments to be made to the Company as the
Lessee starts to sell Ulaan Ovoo coal. The 3-year Lease can be
extended upon mutual agreement. The
first and second anniversary payments due have not been collected
and the Company has recorded a full provision in the amount of
$470,278 (US$350,000) due to uncertainty of their
collection.
Since
the signing of the Lease, the Lessee has spent approximately
USD$700,000 on supplies, housing and crew and restarted Ulaan Ovoo
Property with its own equipment in March 2018 reporting
approximately 21,000 tonnes of coal production and sales. In June
2019 the Ulaan Ovoo Property achieved record monthly coal
production of 37,800 tonnes, however the operation was stopped in
April and May due to the late approval of 2019 environmental plan.
The approval was issued in June 2019.
During
2020, even with the nationwide COVID-19 restriction the Lessee
mined approximately 82,000 tonnes of coal production and sales. The
Lessee continues to mine with its own equipment and has exported
its first wagon of coal to China in 2020.
In
accordance with relevant laws and regulations, mining feasibility
study and detailed environmental impact assessment had to be
updated for the Ulaan Ovoo Property. With the COVID-19 restriction,
the approval was delayed but the update of the Ulaan Ovoo
feasibility study was approved by the Minerals Resource Council on
April 22, 2020, and by the Minerals Resource and Petroleum
Authority on November 2, 2020. The Company is working to get
approval for the update to the detailed environmental impact
assessment for the Ulaan Ovoo Property.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Chandgana Coal Properties, Mongolia
The
Chandgana Project consist of the Chandgana Tal property and the
Khavtgai Uul which are within nine kilometres of each other in the
Nyalga Coal Basin in east central Mongolia and approximately 280
kilometres east of Ulaanbaatar. On November 22, 2006 the Company
entered into a letter agreement with a private Mongolian company
that set out the terms to acquire a 100% interest in the Chandgana
Tal property. On August 7, 2007, the Company entered into a letter
agreement with another private Mongolian company that set out the
terms to acquire a 100% interest in the Khavtgai Uul property.
Under the terms of the Chandgana Khavtgai agreement, the Company
paid a total of USD$570,000. On February 8, 2011, the Company
received a full mining license from the Mineral Resources Authority
of Mongolia for the Chandgana Tal property. The license can be
updated to allow mining of 3.5 million tonnes per year to meet the
demand of the Chandgana Power Plant within 90 days.
During
2007, the Company performed geologic mapping, drilling and
geophysical surveys of the Chandgana Tal and Khavtgai Uul
properties. During June, 2010, The Company completed a 13 drill
hole, 2,373 metre resource expansion drilling program on the
Khavtgai Uul property, including 1,070 metres of core drilling, and
five lines of seismic geophysical survey for a total of 7.4 line
kilometres. The Company completed a 15 drill hole program during
June-July 2011 to better define the coal resource of the Chandgana
Tal licenses.
The
Chandgana Tal property has been mined previously and occasionally
during the Company’s tenure to meet local demand. The Company
decided not to mine during the 2017- 2018 heating season because of
insufficient demand. A dry lake was determined by the Ministry of
Environment to overlap onto one of the Chandgana Tal licenses as
determined under the Mongolian Law to Prohibit Mineral Exploration
and Mining Operations at Headwaters of Rivers, Protected Zones of
Water Reservoirs and Forested Areas (the “Long Named
Law”) but was resolved without loss to the Company. The
Khavtgai Uul property has never been mined. The Ministry of
Environment determined that a dry lake overlapped the Khavtgai Uul
license as defined under the Long Named Law. This was resolved by
removing the lake area from the license while not affecting the
coal resource and mineability. The Company will continue to monitor
the developments and ensure that it follows the necessary steps in
the Amended Law on Implementation to secure its operations and
licenses and is fully compliant with Mongolian law.
During
2017, preparatory work to convert the Khavtgai Uul exploration
license to a mining license was completed. The Company engaged a
contractor to prepare the required documents to convert the license
to a mining license under which the right to explore is permanent.
In 2017, as preparatory work to convert the Khavtgai Uul
exploration license to a mining license necessary laboratory
analysis work was done such as coal chemical, mineral and element
analysis of duplicates of coal samples taken as a result of
drilling work in past years as well as radiation analysis of coal
ash. A report describing the results of geological and exploration
work completed during 2017 was delivered to Geological division of
Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia (the former
Mineral Resources Authority of Mongolia (MRAM)). Based on previous
years of work a report of the reserves of the licensed area was
prepared, and an official letter requesting an expert be appointed
were submitted to the Mineral Resources Professional Council in
January 2018. During 2018, the Company completed converting the
Khavtgai Uul exploration license to a mining license.
During
2017 activities for the Chandgana Tal project included payment of
license fees and environmental sampling and reporting. No
exploration was completed on the Chandgana Tal licenses. The
Company assessed the local market for coal and found there was not
sufficient demand to warrant mining during the 2017-2018 heating
seasons. Thus, the annual mining and environmental plans were not
filed.
During
2020, the Company successfully got the approval of the feasibility
study for the Khavtgai Uul project and intends to get approval for its detailed environmental impact
assessment with the relevant ministries and complete the
requirements to maintain the licenses.
For the
Chandgana Tal project, the Company intends to update the mining
feasibility study and report to
certify land quality and characterization with the relevant
ministries and complete the requirements to maintain the
licenses.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
5.
SELECTED ANNUAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The
table below contains selected financial data from the audited
consolidated financial statements of the Company for the three most
recently completed financial years and was prepared in accordance
with IFRS.
Selected Annual Financial Data
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expense
|
$(3,394,116)
|
$(3,505,562)
|
$(3,298,383)
|
|
Other
items
|
(1,232,771)
|
21,019,416
|
(14,886,085)
|
|
Net
gain/(loss)
|
(4,626,887)
|
17,513,854
|
(18,184,468)
|
|
Comprehensive
gain/(loss)
|
(4,626,887)
|
17,513,854
|
(18,196,628)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share
Information:
|
|
|
|
|
Gain/(loss)
per share, basic
|
$(0.03)
|
$0.17
|
$(0.23)
|
|
Gain/(loss)
per share, diluted
|
$(0.03)
|
$0.17
|
$(0.23)
|
|
Weighted
average number of common shares outstanding, basic
|
137,901,802
|
102,208,111
|
78,445,396
|
|
diluted
|
137,901,802
|
102,398,145
|
78,443,396
|
|
Financial
Position:
|
|
|
|
|
Current
assets
|
7,798,631
|
3,400,142
|
5,463,768
|
|
Equipment
|
153,800
|
159,484
|
101,162
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
31,806,594
|
23,782,884
|
3,643,720
|
|
Total
assets
|
39,833,010
|
27,448,088
|
9,264,205
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
2,474,953
|
2,740,000
|
10,023,943
|
|
Dividends
|
$-
|
$-
|
$-
|
Year 2020 compared to year 2019
The
Company’s annual operating expenses for the years 2020, 2019,
and 2018 remain close.
The
Company reported a net loss of $4.6 million ($0.03 per Common
Share) for the year ended December 31, 2020, which represents an
increased loss of $22 million when compared to the year ended
December 31, 2019 (a net gain of $17.5 million, $0.17 gain per
Common Share). The increase of net loss was primarily due to an
impairment reversal of 13.7 million for Pulacayo property and a
write-off the Bolivian tax liability of $8 million in the year 2019
compared to $Nil similar costs in the year 2020.
The
total assets increased by $12.4 million from $27.5 million in the
year 2019 to $39.8 million in the year 2020. The increase was
mainly due to an increase in mineral property exploration and
properties acquisitions. Current assets increased by $4.4 million
from $3.4 million in the year 2019 to $7.8 million in the year
2020. The increase was mainly due to an increase in cash of $4.6
million.
The
Company’s total liabilities decreased by $0.2 million from
$2.7 million in the year 2019 to $2.5 million in the year
2020.
Year 2019 compared to year 2018
The
Company reported a net gain of $17.5 million ($0.17 gain per Common
Share) for the year 2019, which represents a decreased loss of
$35.7 million when compared to the year 2018 ($0.23 loss per Common
Share). The decrease in net loss was primarily due to an impairment
reversal of 13.7 million for Pulacayo property and a write-off the
Bolivian tax liability of $8 million in the year 2019 compared to
impairment charges of $18.2 million in the year 2018.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
total assets increased by $18.2 million from $9.3 million in the
year 2018 to $27.5 million in the l year 2019. The increase was
mainly due to an impairment reversal for Pulacayo property and an
increase in mineral property exploration in the year 2019. Current
assets decreased by $2.3 million from $5.5 million in the year 2018
to $3.2 million in the year 2019. The decrease was mainly due to a
decrease in cash of $2.3 million.
The
Company’s total liabilities decreased by $7.3 million since
December 31, 2018. The decrease in total liabilities was mainly due
to a write-off the Bolivian tax liability.
6.
SUMMARY OF QUARTERLY RESULTS
To
date, COVID-19 has not significantly impacted the Company’s
operations. Silver Elephant has
implemented extensive preventative measures across its offices and
operations in order to safeguard the health of its employees, while
continuing to operate safely and responsibly maintain employment
and economic activity.
The
following table summarizes selected consolidated financial
information prepared in accordance with IFRS for the eight most
recently completed quarters:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q4
|
Q3
|
Q2
|
Q1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expense
|
$(809,912)
|
$(853,332)
|
$(592,874)
|
$(1,137,998)
|
|
Net
gain/(loss)
|
(2,259,661)
|
(1,037,332)
|
(389,770)
|
(940,124)
|
|
Net
loss per share, basic and diluted
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
|
Comprehensive
gain/(loss )
|
(2,259,661)
|
(1,037,332)
|
(389,770)
|
(940,124)
|
|
Comprehensive
gain/(loss)per share, basic and diluted
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
$(0.01)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q4
|
Q3
|
Q2
|
Q1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expense
|
$(1,175,096)
|
$(715,475)
|
$(820,893)
|
$(794,098)
|
|
Net
loss
|
12,475,952
|
(1,019,268)
|
6,966,029
|
(908,859)
|
|
Net
loss per share, basic and diluted
|
$0.11
|
$(0.01)
|
$0.07
|
$(0.01)
|
|
Comprehensive
loss
|
12,475,952
|
(1,019,268)
|
6,966,029
|
(908,859)
|
|
Comprehensive
loss per share, basic and diluted
|
$0.11
|
$(0.01)
|
$0.07
|
$(0.01)
|
The
fluctuation on quarterly net loss is primarily due to Common
Share-based compensation expenses recognized as stock options
granted to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the
Company are earned, advertising and promotion expenses, the
impairment losses recognized on resource properties, and debt
settlements.
7.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
2020
All of
the information described below is accounted for in accordance with
IFRS. The reader is encouraged to refer to Note 6 of the
Company’s Annual Financial Statements for the year ended
December 31, 2020 for the Company’s IFRS accounting
policies.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
|
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertising
and promotion
|
$541,029
|
$794,182
|
$471,230
|
|
Consulting
and management fees
|
570,356
|
251,552
|
255,610
|
|
General
and administrative expenses
|
1,097,436
|
1,286,617
|
1,357,724
|
|
Professional
fees
|
321,355
|
228,594
|
428,884
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
770,617
|
707,802
|
553,430
|
|
Travel
and accommodation
|
93,323
|
236,815
|
231,505
|
|
|
$3,394,116
|
$3,505,562
|
$3,298,383
|
The
Company had an operating loss of $3,394,116 for the year ended
December 31, 2020, compared with an operating loss of $3,505,562
for the year ended December 31, 2019.
In late
January 2020, in response to the reported spread of COVID-19 the
Company implemented measures, including travel restrictions, remote
work, and supplemental health care, for the Company’s
Canadian head office staff, as well as our Bolivian, Mongolian, and
US-based staff. These measures had no material impact on the
Company’s costs, nor did COVID-19 cause any significant
disruptions to the Company’s operations.
Of note
for the year ended December 31, 2020, are the following
items:
●
advertising and
promotion expenses decreased by $253,153 from $794,182 in the year
2019, to $541,029 in the year 2020, due to decreased promotional
activities and restricted travels during the COVID-19
pandemic;
●
consulting and
management fees increased by $318,804 from $251,552 in the year
2019, to $570,356 in the year 2020, due to the issuance of a bonus
in the amount of $324,000 to management/consultants of the Company,
which was paid by the issuance of Common Shares at a value of $0.40
per share;
●
general and
administrative fees consisted of general office expenses and
administrative services related to maintaining the Company’s
exchange listings and complying with securities regulations and
also included insurance, salaries and directors’ fees.
General and administrative expenses decreased by $189,180 from
$1,286,617 in the year 2019, to $1,097,436 in the year 2020. The
decrease is a result of cost cutting initiatives across the
Company;
●
professional fees
increased by $92,761, from $228,594 in the year 2019, to $321,355
in the year 2020, due to increased legal fees associated with the
Offering and properties acquisitions;
●
share-based
payments costs are non-cash charges which reflect the estimated
value of stock options granted. The Company uses the fair value
method of accounting for stock options granted to directors,
officers, employees and consultants whereby the fair value of all
stock options granted is recorded as a charge to operations over
the period from the grant date to the vesting date of the options.
The fair value of options granted is estimated on the date of grant
using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Share-based payments
increased in the year 2020, by $62,815 compared to the year 2019.
The increase was primarily related to the increase in the number of
options earned during the year 2020, compared to the year 2019;
and
●
travel and
accommodation expenses decreased by $143,492 from $236,815 in the
year 2019, to $93,323 in the year 2020, due to decreased property
site visits and restricted travels during the COVID-19
pandemic.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
For the
year ended December 31, 2020, the Company’s “Other
Items” amounted to a loss of $1,232,771 compared to a gain of
$21,019,416 in the year ended December 31, 2019.
|
|
|
|
Other Items
|
2,020
|
2,019
|
2,018
|
|
Costs
in excess of recovered coal
|
$590,204
|
$120,354
|
$94,335
|
|
Foreign
exchange loss
|
64,841
|
443,203
|
412,663
|
|
Impairment/(recovery)
of mineral property
|
-
|
(13,708,200)
|
13,994,970
|
|
Impairment
of prepaid expenses
|
121,125
|
51,828
|
26,234
|
|
Impairment
of equipment
|
-
|
-
|
425,925
|
|
Impairment
of receivables
|
470,278
|
16,304
|
21,004
|
|
Loss
on sale of marketable securities
|
-
|
-
|
91,890
|
|
Loss/(gain)
on sale of equipment
|
(13,677)
|
9,795
|
-
|
|
Gain
on debt settlement
|
-
|
(7,952,700)
|
(50,000)
|
|
Other
income
|
-
|
-
|
(130,936)
|
|
|
$1,232,771
|
$(21,019,416)
|
$14,886,085
|
The
increase in loss of Other Items by $22,252,187 in the year 2020
compared to the year 2019 was the net result of changes to a number
of the following items:
●
in the year 2020
costs in excess of recovered coal increased by $469,850 compared to
the year 2019.This increase was mainly due
to the change in estimate reclamation provision for Ulaan Ovoo coal
mine in Mongolia;
●
foreign exchange
loss decreased by $378,362 due to fluctuations in the value of the
Canadian dollar compared to the United States dollar, Bolivian
boliviano and Mongolian tugrik;
●
in the year 2020,
the Company recorded an impairment of prepaid expenses of $121,125
compared to $51,828 in the year 2019;
●
in the year 2020,
the Company recorded an impairment of receivables of $470,278
compared to $16,304 in the year 2019;
●
in the year 2020,
the Company recorded a gain on sale of equipment of $13,677
compared to a loss of 9,795 in the year 2019;
●
also, in the year
2019, the Company recorded an impairment recovery of $13,708,200 on
its Pulacayo property and wrote off Bolivian tax liabilities of
$7,952,700 due to the decision of the Supreme Court of Bolivia to
discharge the Company of the tax claim.
8.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER 2020
A
summary of the Company’s consolidated operating expenses
results for the three months ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018
provided below:
|
Operating Expenses
|
Three Months Ended December31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertising
and promotion
|
$184,175
|
$237,556
|
$107,296
|
|
Consulting
and management fees
|
77,856
|
85,500
|
63,455
|
|
General
and administrative expenses
|
258,092
|
256,452
|
726,257
|
|
Professional
fees
|
103,008
|
46,443
|
204,162
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
176,224
|
475,200
|
135,848
|
|
Travel
and accommodation
|
10,557
|
73,945
|
81,457
|
|
|
$809,912
|
$1,175,096
|
$1,318,475
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
Company had an operating loss of $809,912 for the three months
ended December 31, 2020, compared to an operating loss of
$1,175,096 for the three months ended December 31,
2019.
Of note
are the following items:
●
advertising and
promotion expenses decreased by $53,381 from $237,556 in the three
months ended December 31, 2020, to $184,175 in the three months
ended December 31, 2020, due to decreased promotion activities due
to COVID-19;
●
consulting and
management fees in the three months ended December 31, 2020, remain
close to fees incurred in the three months ended December 31,
2019;
●
general and
administrative fees consisted of general office expenses and
administrative services related to maintaining the Company’s
exchange listings and complying with securities regulations and
also included insurance, salaries and directors’ fees.
General and administrative expenses in the three months ended
December 31, 2020 remain close to fees incurred in the three months
ended December 31, 2019;
●
professional fees
increased by $56,565, from $46,443 in the three months ended
December 31, 2019, to $103,008 in the three months ended December
31, 2020 due to legal fees related to the Offering;
●
share-based
payments decreased in the three months ended December 31, 2020, by
$298,976 compared to the three months ended December 31, 2019. The
decrease was related to the decrease in the number of options
earned during the three months ended December 31, 2020, compared to
the three months ended December 31, 2019;
●
travel and
accommodation expenses decreased by $63,388 from $73,945in the
three months ended December 31, 2019, to $10,557 in the three
months ended December 31, 2020, due to decreased property site
visits and restricted travels during the COVID-19
pandemic;
For the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company’s
“Other Items” amounted to a loss of $1,449,749 compared
to a gain of $13,651,048 in the three months ended December
31, 2019.
|
Other Items
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Costs
in excess of recovered coal
|
$590,204
|
$120,354
|
$94,335
|
|
Foreign
exchange loss
|
64,841
|
443,203
|
412,663
|
|
Impairment/(recovery)
of mineral property
|
-
|
(13,708,200)
|
13,994,970
|
|
Impairment
of prepaid expenses
|
121,125
|
51,828
|
26,234
|
|
Impairment
of equipment
|
-
|
-
|
425,925
|
|
Impairment
of receivables
|
470,278
|
16,304
|
21,004
|
|
Loss
on sale of marketable securities
|
-
|
-
|
91,890
|
|
Loss/(gain)
on sale of equipment
|
(13,677)
|
9,795
|
-
|
|
Gain
on debt settlement
|
-
|
(7,952,700)
|
(50,000)
|
|
Other
income
|
-
|
-
|
(130,936)
|
|
|
$1,232,771
|
$(21,019,416)
|
$14,886,085
|
As at
the date of this MD&A, there are no proposed transactions where
the Board or senior management believes that confirmation of the
decision by the Board is probable or with which the Board and
senior management have decided to proceed.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
10.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Working Capital
The
Company utilizes existing cash received from prior issuances of
equity instruments to provide liquidity to the Company and finance
exploration projects.
At
December 31, 2020, the Company had cash flow of $7,608,149,
representing an increase of $4,590,445 from $3,017,704 as at
December 31, 2019. The Company’s working capital at December
31, 2020, was $6,018,935 compared to working capital of $947,465 at
December 31, 2019.
On May
1, 2020 and on May 20, 2020, the Company closed the May 2020
Private Placement for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,930,500 and
share compensation for services of $45,500, through the issuance of
15,200,000 units of the Company at a price of $0.13 per Unit. Each
Unit is comprised of one Common Share and one Warrant. Each Warrant
entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise
price of $0.16 for a period of three years from the date of
issuance. The Company paid $3,250 in cash and issued 156,900 Units
as finder’s fees in connection with the May 2020 Private
Placement.
The net
proceeds of the May 2020 Private Placement were expected to be used
for the Company’s mineral project development and for general
working capital purposes. The following table compares the
estimated use of net proceeds from the May 2020 Private Placement
and the actual use of proceeds as of December 31,
2020.
|
Description of expenditure
|
Originally proposed
use of proceeds
|
Actual use of proceeds
as of December 31, 2020
|
|
Development
of mineral properties
|
$1,676,838
|
$1,629,546
|
|
General
and administrative expenses
|
$250,412
|
$297,704
|
|
|
$1,927,250
|
$1,927,250
|
As of
December 31, 2020, the net proceeds from the May 2020 Private
Placement were fully applied.
On
November 24, 2020, the Company closed its bought deal short form
prospectus offering pursuant to which the Company has issued
23,000,000 Common Shares at a price of $0.40 per Common Share for
aggregate gross proceeds of $9,200,000. Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the
Underwriting Agreement, the Company paid a cash commission to the
Underwriters of $534,000, additional fees of $391,545 and issued
1,335,000 Share purchase warrants as a finder’s fee in
relation with the Offering. The net proceeds from
the Offering will be used for the exploration, development and/or
improvement of the Company’s mineral properties and for
working capital purposes.
The
following table compares the estimated use of net proceeds from the
November 2020 Offering and the actual use of proceeds as of
December 31, 2020.
|
Description of expenditure
|
Originally proposed
use of proceeds
|
Actual use of proceeds
as of December 31, 2020
|
|
Expoloration
- Phase 1 of Pulacayo Project
|
$3,240,000
|
$663,100
|
|
Expoloration
- Triunfo Project
|
$980,000
|
$48,741
|
|
Expoloration
- Sunawayo Project
|
$1,700,000
|
$51,604
|
|
Working
capital and general corporate purposes
|
$1,300,000
|
$190,568
|
|
Total
|
$7,220,000
|
$954,013
|
During the year ended December 31, 2020, 14,027,670 Common Share purchase warrants and
1,233,750 stock options were exercised for aggregate proceeds of
$3,407,006. Subsequent to the year end, and as at the date of this
MD&A, 4,554,990 Common Share purchase warrants were exercised
for aggregate proceeds of $1,164,297.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Subsequent
to the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company closed the
February 2021 Placement through the issuance of 10,000,001 Common
Shares at a price of $0.375 per Common Share. The February 2021
Placement raised gross cash proceeds of $3,750,000. The Company paid $73,875 in
cash as finder’s fees. Proceeds of the February
2021 Placement are expected to be used for exploration, working
capital and general corporate purposes which may include project
evaluations and acquisitions.
As at
the date of this MD&A, the Company has cash flow of $1 million
and the Company’s working capital is $0.7
million.
The
Company’s cash flow highlights for the year ended December
31, 2020, are presented in the table below.
Sources and Use of
Cash
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
Used in Operating Activities
|
$(2,549,042)
|
$(2,675,513)
|
$(2,626,687)
|
|
Cash
Used in Investing Activities
|
(6,397,063)
|
(6,236,965)
|
(3,628,762)
|
|
Cash
Provided by Financing Activities
|
13,536,550
|
6,626,085
|
7,458,938
|
|
Net
Decrease in Cash
|
4,590,445
|
(2,286,393)
|
1,203,489
|
|
Cash
- beginning of year
|
3,017,704
|
5,304,097
|
4,100,608
|
|
Cash
- end of year
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
2020
Operating activities: During the year ended December 31,
2020, cash used in
operating activities was $2,549,042 compared to $2,675,513 during
the year ended December 31, 2019 (2018 - $2,626,687). The decreased
outflows in 2020 year related to decreased activities of the
Company due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investing activities:
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company used
$6,397,063 in investing activities (2019 - $6,236,965. 2018 -
$3,628,762). During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company
spent $6,336,166 (2019 - $6,126,401, 2018 - $3,609,896) on its
mineral projects exploration activities and $111,592 (year 2019 -
$113,564, 2018 - $120,416) on purchase of equipment and received
$50,695 on sale of equipment 2019 - $Nil, 2018 -
$Nil).
Financing activities:
During the year ended December 31, 2020, a total of $13,536,550 was
provided by financing activities (2019 – $6,626,085, 2018 -
$7,458,938) including net proceeds from private placements of
$10,201,706 (2019 - $6,237,791, 2018 - $6,096,621), $299,812 from
exercise of stock options (2019 - $174,250, 2018 - $24,150),
$3,072,194 from exercise of warrants (2019 - $250,572, 2018 -
$1,338,167). The Company also spent $37,162 (2019 - $36,528) for
corporate office lease payments.
2019
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities
was $2,675,513 compared to $2,626,687 cash used during the prior
year. The increased outflows in 2019 primarily related to increased
activities of the Company to develop the Pulacayo Project and the
Gibellini Project.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company used $6,236,965 in
investing activities (2018 – $3,628,762). The Company used
$113,564 (2018 - $120,416) on purchase of property and equipment,
$6,123,401 (2018 - $3,609,896) on mineral property
expenditures.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, a total of $6,626,085 was
provided by financing activities including net proceeds from the
Company’s share issuance of $6,237,791, an additional
$174,250 from exercise of stock options, and $250,572 from the
exercise of warrants to purchase the common shares of the Company.
The Company spent $36,528 for lease payments.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
2018
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, cash used in operating activities
was $2,626,687 compared to $707,231 cash used during the prior
year. The increased outflows in 2018 primarily related to increased
activities of the Company to develop the Gibellini Project. The
year over year increase in cash used by operating activities is due
to increased funds required for working capital
changes.
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company used $3,628,762 in
investing activities (2017 – $1,988,566). The Company
received net proceeds of $101,550 from selling its marketable
securities, used $120,416 (2017 - $515,609) on purchase of property
and equipment, $425,605 (2017 - $58,790) on the acquisition of the
Gibellini claims, and $3,184,294 (2017 - $1,339,417) on mineral
properties expenditures.
During
the year ended December 31, 2018, a total of $7,458,938 was
provided by financing activities including net proceeds from The
Company’s share issuance of $6,096, 621, $24,150 from
exercise of stock options, and $1,338,167 from the exercise of
warrants to purchase the common shares of the Company.
Capital Resources
As an
exploration company, the Company has no regular cash in-flow from
operations, and the level of operations is principally a function
of availability of capital resources. The Company’s capital
resources are largely determined by the strength of the junior
resource markets and by the status of the Company’s projects
in relation to these markets, and its ability to compete for
investor support of its projects. See the disclosure under the
heading “Key
Information - Risk
Factors” in the 2020 Annual Report. To date, the
principal sources of funding have been equity and debt financing.
Many factors influence the Company’s ability to raise funds,
and there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in
obtaining adequate financing with favourable terms, or at all, for
these or other purposes including general working capital
purposes.
For the
foreseeable future, as existing properties are explored, evaluated
and developed, the Company will continue to seek capital through
the issuance of equity, strategic alliances or joint ventures, and
debt, of which the Company currently has none.
The
Company expects to continue requiring cash for operations and
exploration and evaluation activities as expenditures are incurred
while no revenues are generated. Therefore, its continuance as a
going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate
financing to fund future operations based on annual budgets
approved by the Company's board of directors, consistent with
established internal control guidelines, and programs recommended
in the Pulacayo Technical Report. The Company has managed its
working capital by controlling its spending on its properties and
operations. Due to the ongoing planned advancement of Pulacayo
Project milestones, the Company will continue to incur costs
associated with exploration, evaluation and development activities,
while no revenues are being generated. In response to the COVID-19
pandemic, exploration in Bolivia may be impacted by government
restrictions on the Company’s operations. Potential stoppages
on exploration activities could result in additional costs, project
delays, cost overruns, and operational restart costs. The total
amount of funds that the Company needs to carry out its proposed
operations may increase from these and other consequences of the
COVID-19 pandemic. The actual amount that the Company spends in
connection with each of the intended uses of proceeds may vary
significantly and will depend on a number of factors, including
those referred to under "Risk
Factors".
Our
Annual Financial Statements have been prepared on a going concern
basis which assumes that we will be able to realize our assets and
discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business for the
foreseeable future. Our ability to continue as a going concern is
dependent upon the continued support from our shareholders, the
discovery of economically recoverable reserves, and our ability to
obtain the financing necessary to complete development and achieve
profitable operations in the future. The outcome of these matters
cannot be predicted at this time.
Contractual Commitments
The
Company’s commitments related to mineral properties are
disclosed in Note 14 to the Annual Financial Statements. The
Company has no commitments for capital expenditures.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Capital Risk Management
The
Company considers its capital structure to consist of Common
Shares, stock options and Common Share purchase warrants. The
Company manages its capital structure and makes adjustments to it,
based on the funds available to the Company, in order to support
the exploration and development of its projects and to pursue and
support growth opportunities. The Board does not establish
quantitative returns on capital criteria for management. The
Company is not subject to externally imposed capital requirements.
There has been no change in the Company’s approach to capital
management during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Management
is aware that market conditions, driven primarily by vanadium,
silver, other metal and coal prices, may limit the Company’s
ability to raise additional funds. These factors, and others, are
considered when shaping the Company’s capital management
strategy.
The
Company’s business could be adversely impacted by the effects
of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The extent to which COVID-19 may
impact the Company’s business, including its operations and
the market for its securities, will depend on future developments
which cannot be predicted, and include the duration, severity and
scope of the outbreak and the actions taken to contain or treat the
outbreak.
The
Company accrues for liabilities when they are probable and the
amount payable can be reasonably estimated.
ASC Tax
Claim
On
January 2, 2015, the Company acquired ASC Holdings Limited and ASC
Bolivia LDC (which together, hold ASC Bolivia LDC Sucursal Bolivia,
which in turn, held Apogee Silver Ltd.’s (“Apogee”) then joint venture
interest in the Pulacayo Project) and Apogee Minerals Bolivia S.A.
Pursuant to the terms of the Definitive Agreement dated November 3,
2014 between the Company and Apogee, the Company agreed to assume
all liabilities of these former Apogee subsidiaries, including
legal and tax liabilities associated with the Pulacayo Project.
During Apogee’s financial year ended June 30, 2014, it
received notice from the Servicio de Impuestos Nacionales, the
national tax authority in Bolivia, that ASC Bolivia LDC Sucursal
Bolivia, now the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, owed
approximately 42,000,000 Bolivian boliviano in taxes, interest and
penalties relating to a historical tax liability in an amount
originally assessed at approximately $760,000 in 2004, prior to
Apogee acquiring the subsidiary in 2011.
Apogee
disputed the assessment and disclosed to the Company that it
believed the notice was improperly issued. The Company continued to
dispute the assessment and hired local legal counsel to pursue an
appeal of the tax authority’s assessment on both substantive
and procedural grounds. The Company received a positive Resolution
issued by the Bolivian Constitutional Court that, among other
things, declared the previous Resolution of the Bolivian Supreme
Court issued in 2011, that imposed the tax liability on ASC Bolivia
LDC Sucursal Bolivia, null and void and sent the matter back to the
Supreme Court of Bolivia to consider and issue a new
Resolution.
On November 18, 2019, the Company received Resolution No. 195/2018
issued by the Supreme Court of Bolivia which declared the tax claim
brought by the national tax authority in Bolivia
against the Company’s Bolivian
subsidiary as not proven. This Resolution is final and
binding, hence neither the Company nor the Company’s Bolivian
subsidiaries owe any outstanding back taxes to the national
tax authority in Bolivia.
During
the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company and legal counsel
reassessed the status of tax rulings and determined that the
probability of a re-issuance of a tax claim against the Company in
connection with the above was remote. As a result, the Company has
written off the tax liability and recorded a debt settlement gain
in the amount of $7,952,700 on its consolidated statements of
operations and comprehensive loss.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Red Hill tax claim
During
the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company’s wholly-owned
subsidiary, Red Hill Mongolia LLC (“Red Hill”) was issued a letter
from the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division in Mongolia, notifying it
of the results of the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division’s
value added tax ("VAT")
inspection of Red Hill’s 2009-2013 tax imposition and
payments that resulted in validating VAT credits of only
235,718,533 Mongolian tugrik from Red Hill’s
claimed VAT credit of 2,654,175,507 Mongolian tugrik. Red Hill
disagreed with the Sukhbaatar District Tax Division’s
findings as the tax assessment appeared to the Company to be
unfounded. The Company disputed the Sukhbaatar District Tax
Division’s assessment and submitted a complaint to the
Capital City Tax Tribunal. On March 24, 2015, the Capital City Tax
Tribunal resolved to refer the matter back to the Sukhbaatar
District Tax Division for revision and separation of the action
between confirmation of Red Hill’s VAT credit, and the
imposition of the penalty/deduction for the tax assessment. Due to
the uncertainty of realizing the VAT balance, the Company has
recorded an impairment charge for the full VAT balance in the year
ended December 31, 2015.
In
June 2019, the Company received a
positive resolution issued from the Capital City Tax
Tribunal regarding the Company’s
VAT dispute with the Mongolia tax office. The resolution, which is
binding and final, affirmed Red Hill’s outstanding VAT credit
of 1.169 billion Mongolian tugrik resulted from past
mining equipment
purchases.
The VAT credit can be used to offset Red Hill’s taxes and
royalty payments; or be refunded in cash by Mongolia’s
Ministry of Finance within 12 to 24 months. Due to the
credit risk associated with the VAT credit, the Company has
provided a full valuation provision against the
balance.
12.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS
The
Company’s exploration activities are subject to various
government regulation in the United States, Canada, Mongolia and
Bolivia. These laws and regulations are continually changing and
are generally becoming more restrictive. The Company conducts its
operations so as to protect public health and the environment, and
believes its operations are materially in compliance with all
applicable laws and regulations. The Company has made, and expects
to continue to make in the future, filings and expenditures to
comply with such laws and regulations.
13.
RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
The
Company had related party transactions with the following
companies, related by way of directors and key management
personnel:
●
Linx Partners Ltd.,
a private company controlled by John Lee, Director, Chief Executive
Officer and Executive Chairman of the Company, provides management
and consulting services to the Company.
●
MaKevCo Consulting
Inc., a private company 50% owned by Greg Hall, a director of the
Company, provides consulting services to the Company.
●
Sophir Asia Ltd., a
private company controlled by Masa Igata, a director of the
Company, provides consulting services to the Company.
A
summary of amounts paid or accrued to related parties is as
follows:
|
|
|
|
Related
parties
|
|
|
|
|
Directors
and officers
|
$1,536,167
|
$1,685,242
|
$1,265,152
|
|
Linx
Partners Ltd.
|
740,000
|
371,000
|
401,044
|
|
MaKevCo
Consulting Inc.
|
32,800
|
21,400
|
21,200
|
|
Sophir
Asia Ltd.
|
26,100
|
19,600
|
19,100
|
|
|
$2,335,067
|
$2,097,242
|
$1,706,496
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
A
summary of the transactions by nature among the related parties is
as follows:
|
|
|
|
Related
parties
|
|
|
|
|
Consulting
and management fees
|
$370,000
|
$218,500
|
$268,456
|
|
Directors'
fees
|
108,600
|
103,805
|
70,378
|
|
Mineral
properties
|
1,387,067
|
1,171,585
|
631,610
|
|
Salaries
|
469,400
|
603,352
|
736,052
|
|
|
$2,335,067
|
$2,097,242
|
$1,706,496
|
As at
December 31, 2020, amounts due to related parties totaled $1,800
(as at December 31, 2019 – $30,533, as at December 31, 2018 -
$4,634).
On
October 10, 2018, the Company announced the appointment of Gerald
Panneton as the Company’s President and new Chief Executive
Officer, replacing John Lee, who remains as Chairman of the Board.
Pursuant to
the terms of Mr. Panneton’s employment agreement with the
Company, the Company has granted to Mr. Panneton 1,000,000 with a
fair value of $0.35 per Share of bonus shares and 500,000 incentive
stock options exercisable at a price of $0.26 per Common share for
a term of five years expiring on October 10, 2023 and which vest at
12.5% per quarter for the first two years following the date of
grant.
Key
management personnel are those persons having authority and
responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the
activities of the Company, including directors of the Company. The
amounts due to related parties is as follows:
|
|
|
|
Key
Management Personnel
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries
and short term benefits
|
$522,359
|
$696,751
|
$775,064
|
|
Directors'
fees
|
108,600
|
103,805
|
70,378
|
|
Share-based
payments
|
1,054,812
|
431,037
|
621,339
|
|
|
$1,685,771
|
$1,231,593
|
$1,466,781
|
14.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS
Critical
accounting estimates used in the preparation of the Annual
Financial Statements include determining the carrying value of
mineral properties exploration and evaluation projects and property
and equipment, assessing the impairment of long-lived assets,
determination of environmental obligation provision for closure and
reclamation, determining deferred income taxes, and the valuation
of Share-based payments. These estimates involve considerable
judgment and are, or could be, affected by significant factors that
are out of the Company’s control.
Readers
are encouraged to read the significant accounting policies and
estimates as described in the Company’s Annual Financial
Statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 (Refer to Notes 4,
5, and 6 to the Annual Financial Statements). The Company’s
Annual Financial Statements have been prepared using the going
concern assumption.
Significant Accounting Judgments and Estimates
The
Company bases its estimates and assumptions on current and various
other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Management believes the estimates are reasonable;
however, actual results could differ from those estimates and could
impact future results of operations and cash flows. The areas which
require management to make significant judgements, estimates and
assumptions in determining carrying values include, but are not
limited to:
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
significant judgments that the Company’s management has made
in the process of applying the Company’s accounting policies,
apart from those involving estimation uncertainties (Note 5 to the
Annual Financial Statements), that have the most significant effect
on the amounts recognized in the Annual Financial Statements
include, but are not limited to:
(a)
Functional currency
determination
The
functional currency for each of the Company’s subsidiaries is
the currency of the primary economic environment and the Company
reconsiders the functional currency of its entities if there is a
change in events and conditions which determined the primary
economic environment. Management has determined the functional
currency of all entities to be the Canadian dollar.
(b)
Economic
recoverability and probability of future economic benefits of
exploration, evaluation and development costs
Management
has determined that exploratory drilling, evaluation, development
and related costs incurred which have been capitalized are
economically recoverable. Management uses several criteria in its
assessments of economic recoverability and probability of future
economic benefit including geologic and metallurgic information,
history of conversion of mineral deposits to proven and probable
reserves, scoping, prefeasibility and feasibility studies,
assessable facilities, existing permits and life of mine
plans.
Management
has determined that during the year ended December 31, 2020, none
of the Company’s silver and vanadium projects have reached
technical feasibility and commercial viability and therefore remain
within Mineral Properties on the Statement of Financial
Position.
(c)
Impairment
(recovery) assessment of deferred exploration
interests
The
Company considers both external and internal sources of information
in assessing whether there are any indications that mineral
property interests are impaired. External sources of information
the Company considers include changes in the market, economic and
legal environment in which the Company operates that are not within
its control and affect the recoverable amount of mineral property
interest. Internal sources of information the Company considers
include the manner in which mineral properties and plant and
equipment are being used or are expected to be used and indications
of economic performance of the assets.
(d)
Deferred tax assets
and liabilities
The
measurement of the deferred tax provision is subject to uncertainty
associated with the timing of future events and changes in
legislation, tax rates and interpretations by tax authorities. The
estimation of deferred taxes includes evaluating the recoverability
of deferred tax assets based on an assessment of the
Company’s ability to utilize the underlying future tax
deductions against future taxable income prior to expiry of those
deductions For deferred tax calculation purposes, Management
assesses whether it is probable that some or all of the deferred
income tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of
deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future
taxable income, which in turn is dependent upon the successful
discovery, extraction, development and commercialization of mineral
reserves. To the extent that management’s assessment of the
Company’s ability to utilize future tax deductions changes,
the Company would be required to recognize more or fewer deferred
tax assets, and future tax provisions or recoveries could be
affected.
The recoverability of the carrying value of the mineral properties
is dependent on successful development and commercial exploitation,
or alternatively, sale of the respective areas of
interest.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Significant
judgment is involved in the determination of useful life and
residual values for the computation of depreciation, depletion and
amortization and no assurance can be given that actual useful lives
and residual values will not differ significantly from current
assumptions.
The
carrying value of long-lived assets are reviewed each reporting
period to determine whether there is any indication of impairment.
If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable amount,
the asset is impaired, and an impairment loss is recognized in the
consolidated statement of operations. The assessment of fair
values, including those of the cash generating units (the smallest
identifiable group of assets that generates cash inflows that are
largely independent of the cash inflow from other assets or groups
of assets) (“CGUs”) for purposes of testing
impairment, require the use of estimates and assumptions for
recoverable production, long-term commodity prices, discount rates,
foreign exchange rates, future capital requirements and operating
performance. Changes in any of the assumptions or estimates used in
determining the fair value of long-lived assets could impact the
impairment analysis.
(h)
Allowance for
doubtful accounts, and the recoverability of receivables and
prepaid expense amounts
Significant
estimates are involved in the determination of recoverability of
receivables and no assurance can be given that actual proceeds will
not differ significantly from current estimations. Similarly,
significant estimates are involved in the determination of the
recoverability of services and/or goods related to the prepaid
expense amounts, and actual results could differ significantly from
current estimations.
(i)
Provision for
closure and reclamation
The
Company assesses its mineral properties’ rehabilitation
provision at each reporting date or when new material information
becomes available. Exploration, development and mining activities
are subject to various laws and regulations governing the
protection of the environment. In general, these laws and
regulations are continually changing, and the Company has made, and
intends to make in the future, expenditures to comply with such
laws and regulations. Accounting for reclamation obligations
requires management to make estimates of the future costs that the
Company will incur to complete the reclamation work required to
comply with existing laws and regulations at each location. Actual
costs incurred may differ from those amounts
estimated.
Also,
future changes to environmental laws and regulations could increase
the extent of reclamation and remediation work required to be
performed by the Company. Increases in future costs could
materially impact the amounts charged to operations for reclamation
and remediation. The provision represents management’s best
estimate of the present value of the future reclamation and
remediation obligation. The actual future expenditures may differ
from the amounts currently provided.
Management
uses valuation techniques in measuring the fair value of share
purchase options granted. The fair value is determined using the
Black Scholes option pricing model which requires management to
make certain estimates, judgement, and assumptions in relation to
the expected life of the share purchase options and Common Share
purchase warrants, expected volatility, expected risk-free rate,
and expected forfeiture rate. Changes to these assumptions could
have a material impact on the Annual Financial
Statements.
The
assessment of contingencies involves the exercise of significant
judgment and estimates of the outcome of future events. In
assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are
pending against the Company and that may result in regulatory or
government actions that may negatively impact the Company’s
business or operations, the Company and its legal counsel evaluate
the perceived merits of the legal proceeding or unasserted claim or
action as well as the perceived merits of the nature and amount of
relief sought or expected to be sought, when determining the
amount, if any, to recognize as a contingent liability or when
assessing the impact on the carrying value of the Company’s
assets. Contingent assets are not recognized in the Annual
Financial Statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
(l)
Fair value
measurement
The
Company measures financial instruments at fair value at each
reporting date. The fair values of financial instruments measured
at amortized cost are disclosed in Note 21 to the Annual Financial
Statements. Also, from time
to time, the fair values of non-financial assets and liabilities
are required to be determined, for example when the entity acquires
a business, completes an asset acquisition or where an entity
measures the recoverable amount of an asset or cash-generating unit
at fair value less costs of disposal. Fair value is the price that
would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability
in an orderly transaction between market participants at the
measurement date.
The
fair value of an asset or a liability is measured using the
assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the
asset or liability, assuming that market participants act in their
economic best interest. A fair value measurement of a non-financial
asset takes into account a market participant’s ability to
generate economic benefits by using the asset in its highest and
best use or by selling it to another market participant that would
use the asset in its highest and best use. The Company uses
valuation techniques that are appropriate in the circumstances and
for which sufficient data are available to measure fair value,
maximising the use of relevant observable inputs and minimising the
use of unobservable inputs. Changes in estimates and assumptions
about these inputs could affect the reported fair
value.
COVID-19
An
emerging risk is a risk not well understood at the current time and
for which the impacts on strategy and financial results are
difficult to assess or are in the process of being assessed. Since
December 31, 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in
governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the
spread of the virus. These measures, which include the
implementation of travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and
social distancing, have caused material disruption to businesses
globally, resulting in an economic slowdown. Global equity markets
have experienced significant volatility and weakness. Governments
and central banks have reacted with significant monetary and fiscal
interventions designed to stabilize economic conditions. The
duration and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is unknown at this
time, as is the efficacy of the government and central bank
interventions. It is not possible to reliably estimate the length
and severity of these developments and the impact on the financial
results and condition of the Company and its operating subsidiaries
in future periods.
COVID-19
may impact Company operations, and consequently, the nature and
amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Some of the
specific areas impacted by COVID-19 include, but are not limited
to:
●
Going concern
assessments;
●
Evaluation of
subsequent events;
●
Impairment and
recovery of mineral assets;
●
Fair value
measurements;
●
Employee
termination benefits; and
●
Financial statement
and Management Discussion & Analysis disclosures.
As at
the date of this MD&A the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected
the Company’s critical accounting policies.
Same accounting policies as annual audited consolidated financial
statements
The
Company followed the same accounting policies and methods of
computation in the Annual Financial Statements for the year ended
December 31, 2020 as followed in the consolidated financial
statements for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Company
describes its significant accounting policies as well and changes
in accounting policies in Notes 4 and 6 of Annual Financial
Statements. No significant changes in accounting policies have
occurred other that the implantation of a new IFS as issued by the
IASB.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Basis of consolidation
The
Annual Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and
its controlled subsidiaries. All material intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated. The Company’s the
significant subsidiaries at the date of these MD&A are
presented in the table below:
|
Subsidy
|
Location
|
Ownership interest
|
Projects Owned
|
|
Nevada Vandium LLC
|
USA
|
100%
|
Gibellini project
|
|
VC Exploration (US) Inc.
|
USA
|
100%
|
Gibellini project
|
|
Apogee Minerals Bolivia S.A.
|
Bolivia
|
98%
|
Pulacayo project
|
|
ASC Holdings Limited
|
Bolivia
|
100%
|
Pulacayo project
|
|
Red Hill Mongolia LLC
|
Mongolia
|
100%
|
Ulaan Ovoo mine
|
|
Chandgana Coal LLC
|
Mongolia
|
100%
|
Chandgana project
|
15.
ACCOUNTING CHANGES AND RECENT ACCOUNTING
PRONOUNCEMENTS
Amendment to IFRS 16, COVID‐19‐Related Rent
Concessions
In May
2020, the International Accounting Standards Board
(“IASB”) issued an amendment to permit lessees, as a
practical expedient, not to assess whether particular rent
concessions that reduce lease payments occurring as a direct
consequence of the COVID‐19 pandemic are lease
modifications and instead to account for those rent concessions as
if they are not lease modifications. The amendment is
effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after June
1, 2020, with earlier application permitted. The adoption of this
amendment is not expected to have an impact on the financial
statements.
Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8: Definition of
Material
In
October 2018, the IASB issued amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of
Financial Statements, and IAS 8, Accounting Policies, Changes in
Accounting Estimates and Errors, to align the definition of
“material” across the standards and to clarify certain
aspects of the definition. The new definition states that,
“Information is material if omitting, misstating or obscuring
it could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that the
primary users of general purpose financial statements make on the
basis of those financial statements, which provide financial
information about a specific reporting entity.”
These amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or
after January 1, 2020. The amendments to the definition of material
did not have a significant impact on the Annual Financial
Statements.
Future Accounting Pronouncements
The
Company has not early adopted any standard, interpretation or
amendment that has been issued but is not yet
effective.
Amendments
to IAS 16: Property, Plant and Equipment: Proceeds before Intended
Use. In May 2020, the IASB issued amendments to IAS 16,
Property, Plant and
Equipment (IAS 16). The amendments prohibit a company from
deducting from the cost of property, plant and equipment amounts
received from selling items produced while the company is preparing
the asset for its intended use. Instead, a company will recognize
such sales proceeds and related costs in profit (loss). An entity
is required to apply these amendments for annual reporting periods
beginning on or after January 1, 2022. The amendments are applied
retrospectively only to items of property, plant and equipment that
are available for use after the beginning of the earliest period
presented in the financial statements in which the entity first
applies the amendments. We are currently assessing the effect of
this amendment on our financial statements.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Amendments
to IAS 1: Classification of Liabilities as Current or
Non‐Current
and Deferral of Effective Date. In January 2020, the IASB issued
amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements, to
provide a more general approach to the presentation of liabilities
as current or non‐current based on
contractual arrangements in place at the reporting
date.
These
amendments:
−
specify that the rights and conditions existing at the end of the
reporting period are relevant in determining whether the Company
has a right to defer settlement of a liability by at least twelve
months;
−
provide that management’s expectations are not a relevant
consideration as to whether the Company will exercise its rights to
defer settlement of a liability; and
−
clarify when a liability is considered settled.
On July
15, 2020, the IASB issued a deferral of the effective date for the
new guidance by one year to annual reporting periods beginning on
or after January 1, 2023 and is to be applied retrospectively. The
Company has not yet determined the impact of these amendments on
its financial statements.
16.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RELATED RISKS
The
Board, through its Audit Committee, is responsible for identifying
the principal risks of the Company and ensuring that risk
management systems are implemented. The Company manages its
exposure to financial risks, including liquidity risk, foreign
exchange rate risk, interest rate risk, and credit risk in
accordance with its risk management framework. The Company’s
board of directors’ reviews the Company’s policies on
an ongoing basis.
Financial Instruments (Note 21 to the
Annual Financial Statements)
The
following table sets forth the Company’s financial assets
that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level
within the fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the
highest priority to Level 1 inputs and the lowest priority to Level
3 inputs. Table below sets forth The Company’s financial
assets measured at fair value by level within the fair value
hierarchy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2020
|
$7,608,149
|
$-
|
$-
|
$7,608,149
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2019
|
$3,017,704
|
$-
|
$-
|
$3,017,704
|
|
Cash,
December 31, 2018
|
$5,304,097
|
$-
|
$-
|
$5,304,097
|
Categories of financial instruments
The
Company considers that the carrying amount of all its financial
assets and financial liabilities measure at amortized cost
approximates their fair value due to their short term nature.
Restricted cash equivalents approximate fair value due to the
nature of the instrument. The Company does not offset financial
assets with financial liabilities. There were no transfers between
Level 1, 2 and 3 for the year ended December 31, 2020.
The
Company’s financial assets and financial liabilities are
categorized as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair
value through profit or loss
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
$7,608,149
|
$3,017,704
|
$5,304,097
|
|
Amortized
cost
|
|
|
|
|
Receivables
|
$75,765
|
$246,671
|
$36,399
|
|
Restricted
cash equivalents
|
$34,500
|
$34,500
|
$34,500
|
|
|
$7,718,414
|
$3,298,875
|
$5,374,996
|
|
Amortized
cost
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts
payable
|
$1,717,977
|
$2,420,392
|
$1,636,786
|
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
Related Risks
Liquidity
risk is the risk that an entity will be unable to meet its
financial obligations as they fall due. The Company manages
liquidity risk by preparing cash flow forecasts of upcoming cash
requirements. As at December 31, 2020, the Company had a cash
balance of $7,608,149 (as at December 31, 2019 –
$3,017,704, as at December 31, 2018 - $5,304,097). As at December
31, 2020, the Company had accounts payable and accrued liabilities
of $1,759,163 (as at December 31, 2019 - $2,420,392, as at
December 31, 2018 - $1,636,786), which have contractual maturities
of 90 days or less.
Credit
risk is the risk that one party to a financial instrument will fail
to discharge an obligation and cause the other party to incur a
financial loss. The Company is exposed to credit risk primarily
associated to cash and restricted cash equivalents and receivables,
net of allowances. Management believes that the credit risk
concentration with respect to these financial instruments is remote
as the balances primarily consist of amounts on deposit with a
major financial institution and amounts receivable from the
Government of Canada. The carrying amount of assets included on the
statements of financial position represents the maximum credit
exposure.
The
significant market risks to which the Company is exposed are
interest rate risk, foreign currency risk, and commodity and equity
price risk. The objective of market risk management is to manage
and control market risk exposures within acceptable limits, while
maximizing returns.
Interest
rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a
financial instrument will fluctuate due to changes in market
interest rates. The Company’s cash and restricted cash
equivalents primarily include highly liquid investments that earn
interest at market rates that are fixed to maturity. Due to
the short‐
term nature of these financial instruments, fluctuations in market
rates do not have significant impact on the fair values of the
financial instruments as of December 31, 2020
(e)
Foreign currency
risk
The
Company has exploration and development projects in the United
States, Mongolia and Bolivia and undertakes transactions in various
foreign currencies. The Company is therefore exposed to foreign
currency risk arising from transactions denominated in a foreign
currency and the translation of financial instruments denominated
in United States dollars, Mongolian tugrik, and Bolivian boliviano
into its functional and reporting currency, the Canadian dollar.
Based on the above, net exposures as at December 31, 2020, with
other variables unchanged, a 10% (as at December 31, 2019 –
10%, as at December 31, 2018 – 10%) strengthening (weakening)
of the Canadian dollar against the Mongolian tugrik would impact
net loss with other variables unchanged by $100,000. A 10%
strengthening (weakening) of the Canadian dollar against the
Bolivian boliviano would impact net loss with other variables
unchanged by $73,000. A 10% strengthening (weakening) of the US
dollar against the Canadian dollar would impact net loss with other
variables unchanged by $28,000. The Company currently does not use
any foreign exchange contracts to hedge this currency
risk.
(f)
Commodity and
equity price risk
Commodity
price risk is defined as the potential adverse impact on earnings
and economic value due to commodity price movements and
volatilities. Commodity prices fluctuate on a daily basis and are
affected by numerous factors beyond the Company’s control.
The supply and demand for these commodities, the level of interest
rates, the rate of inflation, investment decisions by large holders
of commodities including governmental reserves and stability of
exchange rates can all cause significant fluctuations in prices.
Such external economic factors are in turn influenced by changes in
international investment patterns and monetary systems and
political developments.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
The
Company is also exposed to price risk with regards to equity
prices. Equity price risk is defined as the potential adverse
impact on the Company’s earning due to movements in
individual equity prices or general movements in the level of the
stock market.
The
Company closely monitors commodity prices, individual equity
movements and the stock market to determine the appropriate course
of action to be taken by the Company. Fluctuations in value may be
significant.
17.
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
The
Company’s business is the exploration, evaluation and
development of mining properties. Thus, the Company’s
operations are speculative due to the high-risk nature of its
business. The following list details existing and future material
risks to the Company. The risks listed below are not arranged in
any particular order and are not exhaustive. Additional risks and
uncertainties not currently known to the Company, or those that it
currently deems to be immaterial, may become material and adversely
affect the Company. The realization of any of these risks may
materially and adversely impact the Company’s business,
financial condition or results of operations and/or the market
price of the Company’s securities. Each of these risk factors
is discussed in more detail under the heading “Key Information - Risk Factors”
in the 2020 Annual Report, which is available under the
Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
●
The COVID-19 global
pandemic and the risk of other similar outbreaks and
pandemics;
●
The Company's
history of net losses;
●
Capital costs,
operating costs, production and economic returns;
●
Exploration and
development risks;
●
The Company has no
history of profitable mineral production;
●
The risks inherent
to the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral
resources;
●
Foreign operations
risks;
●
The reform of the
mining laws, including the General Mining Act of 1872 in the
U.S;
●
Government
approvals and permits;
●
Risks associated
with the Company's property and mining interests;
●
Risks associated
with the Company's mineral claims, mining leases, licenses and
permits;
●
Risks associated
with claims from First Nations and other Aboriginal or community
groups;
●
Risks associated
with competition;
●
The Company's
reliance on key personnel;
●
The volatility of
mineral prices,
●
Global, national
and local financial conditions;
●
Risks associated
with third-party contractors;
●
Anti-bribery
legislation;
●
The Company has no
history of making dividend payments;
●
Related party
transactions;
●
Litigation and
regulatory proceedings;
●
Risks associated
with being a foreign private issuer;
●
Risks associated
with non-Canadian investors;
●
Risks associated
with the Company's operations in emerging markets; and
●
Emerging risks, as
described below.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
An
emerging risk is a risk not well understood at the current time and
for which the impacts on strategy and financial results are
difficult to assess or are in the process of being assessed. Since
December 31, 2019, the COVID-19 global pandemic, has resulted in
governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the
spread of the virus. These measures, which include the
implementation of travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and
social distancing, have caused material disruption to businesses
globally, resulting in an economic slowdown. Global equity markets
have experienced significant volatility and weakness. Governments
and central banks have reacted with significant monetary and fiscal
interventions designed to stabilize economic conditions. The
duration and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is unknown at this
time, as is the efficacy of the government and central bank
interventions. It is not possible to reliably estimate the length
and severity of these developments and the impact on the financial
results and condition of the Company and its operating subsidiaries
in future periods.
18.
DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure
controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable
assurance that information required to be disclosed by The Company
in its annual filings, interim filings or other reports filed or
submitted by it under securities legislation is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the securities legislation and include controls and
procedures designed to ensure that information required to be
disclosed by the Company in its annual filings, interim filings or
other reports filed or submitted under securities legislation is
accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management,
including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
The
Company’s disclosure committee is comprised of the Chief
Executive Officer and senior members of management. The disclosure
committee’s responsibilities include determining whether
information is material and ensuring the timely disclosure of
material information in accordance with securities laws. The Board
of Directors is responsible for reviewing the Company’s
disclosure policy, procedures and controls to ensure that it
addresses the Company’s principal business risks, and changes
in operations or structure, and facilitates compliance with
applicable legislative and regulatory reporting
requirements.
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, after
participating with the Company’s management in evaluating the
effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and
procedures have concluded that the Company’s disclosure
controls and procedures were effective during the year ended
December 31, 2020.
Design of Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management, with the participation of the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, is responsible for
establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over
financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over
financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable
assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the
preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with IFRS. The Company’s internal control over
financial reporting includes those policies and procedures
that:
●
pertain to the
maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail accurately and
fairly reflect the transactions, acquisition and disposition of
assets and liabilities;
●
provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of the financial statements in accordance with IFRS and
that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance
with the authorization of management and directors of The Company;
and
●
provide reasonable
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized
acquisition, use or disposition of assets, and incurrence of
liabilities, that could have a material effect on the financial
statements.
The Company’s management, with the participation of the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting using the criteria set forth in the
Internal Control
– Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment,
management concluded that the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting was effective during the year ended December
31, 2020.
SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
For the year ended December 31, 2020
(Expressed
in Canadian Dollars, except where indicated)
19.
CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company’s
employees began working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This
has required certain processes and controls that were previously
done or documented manually to be completed and retained in
electronic form. Despite this, there were no changes to the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting during
the year ended December 31, 2020, that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting.
Limitations of controls and procedures
The
Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer
and the Chief Financial Officer, believe that any disclosure
controls and procedures or internal controls over financial
reporting, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide
only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the
control system are met. Further, the design of a control system
must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the
benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs.
Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, they
cannot provide absolute assurance that all control issues and
instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been prevented
or detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that
judgements in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns
can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally,
controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some
persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by unauthorized
override of the control. The design of any systems of controls also
is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of
future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will
succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future
conditions. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in a
cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud
may occur and not be detected.
20.
DISCLOSURE OF OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA
As at
the date of this MD&A, the Company had a total of:
●
200,542,449 Common
Shares outstanding with recorded value of
$205,001,744;
●
10,167,500 stock
options outstanding with a weighted average exercise price of
$0.31. Each option is exercisable to purchase one Common Share at
prices ranging from $0.20 to $0.49 per share and expire between
June 2021 and August 2025; and
●
25,016,077 Common
Share purchase warrants outstanding with a weighted average
exercise price of $0.25. Each Common Share purchase warrant is
exercisable to purchase one Common Share at prices ranging from
$0.16 to $0.48 and expire between June 2021 and May
2023.
21.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
During
the year ended December 31, 2020, The Company was not a party to
any off-balance-sheet arrangements that have, or are reasonably
likely to have, a current or future effect on the results of
operations, financial condition, revenues or expenses, liquidity,
capital expenditures or capital resources of The
Company.