J. Paul Rollinson
Analyst · JPMorgan
Thanks, Tom, and thanks to all of you for joining us today. This quarter illustrates some of the key themes that we have been stressing for the past 9 months. We've said that we would focus on operational fundamentals and deliver on our commitments. We've said that we would prudently manage our capital and be disciplined as we advance our projects. And we've said that in the pursuit of our strategic focus on quality versus quantity, we would not shy away from making tough decisions. With these themes in mind, I will provide a brief overview of our Q1 results and will offer some observations on our projects and how they collectively fit into our overall strategy. After that, Tony will provide details on our financial results; and Brant will provide additional color on operations and projects. First, I'm very pleased with the results that we have just reported. We had strong performance during a period of challenge for our industry. Our Q1 results clearly illustrate the progress we are making and the results we are achieving. On a company-wide basis, first quarter production increased 10% compared to a year ago, while cost of sales declined on a per-ounce basis. Paracatu continues to show steady improvement, and quarterly production at Tasiast was the highest it's been since Kinross acquired the mine. Despite the cost pressures facing our industry, we are on target to deliver our annual guidance for both production and cost of sales in each of our regions and company-wide. I'm proud to say that this is the third consecutive quarter we have delivered strong results, and I would like to thank our people for their excellent work in a challenging industry environment. Our Q1 operating results illustrate the discipline which we are applying at our existing mines. We are applying that same level of discipline at our development projects. In all cases, we are committed to using capital prudently, to reducing execution risk where possible and to ensuring that we undertake high-quality analysis before making development decisions. In Russia, I'm pleased to say that Dvoinoye remains on budget and on schedule. We expect full production to commence in the second half of 2013. Brant and I visited both Kupol and Dvoinoye last month, and I was impressed by the quality of our teams and the progress they've made towards bringing this, a high-grade project, online. Last week, we delivered on our commitment to provide the results of the pre-feasibility study on a Tasiast mill expansion. We've talked to a lot of investors and analysts over the past week, and I'd like to take this opportunity to address 3 important questions that have been reoccurring in our discussions. The first question is, "Have you, in effect, already made a construction decision by advancing the PFS to full feasibility study?" The answer to that question is no. It's important to remember that a PFS does not provide the basis to make a construction decision. It only provides a basis to take a specific option, in this case, a 38,000-tonne-per-day mill, to the next phase of study. We will only take a final construction decision when we have completed our work and are satisfied that the project will generate a satisfactory economic return for investors over the long term. Which takes me to the second question: "Is the 11% IRR in the PFS an acceptable return to investors, and would it support a construction decision?" Again, I'd like to point out, remember, that a PFS is not intended to determine the final economics of a project, only the preferred option. The final economics will be determined by the full feasibility study. So the answer to that question is, we would never take a construction decision based on a PFS-level study. The 11% IRR in the PFS does justify -- does not justify a construction decision, but we do believe that it supports a decision to undertake further study. This is especially the case given the size of the resource, the district exploration potential and the numerous opportunities to enhance project economics, which Brant will outline in his remarks. Remember, we have an existing operating mine and a solid team in place that is sitting on top of an in situ 15 million-ounce resource with considerable future potential to grow that resource. The third question we've been asked is, "Why are you spending $625 million this year before you've made a construction decision?" The answer to that question is, we need to spend that capital under any scenario to maintain and continue our current operation. For example, we need to pre-strip the West Branch orebody to access the higher-grade Greenschist Zone, regardless of whether we build a larger mill. We also need to build a new water pipeline because the existing operation will need a new water source by mid-2015. Brant will outline other components of our 2013 CapEx and why each is required, regardless of any final construction decision on a new mill. It's also important to understand that the $625 million we expect to spend at Tasiast this year is part of our 2013 CapEx forecast of $1.6 billion announced back in February. It does not represent new spending. However, because our 2013 spending would support an expanded mill, just as it would support the existing operation, we dated our estimated PFS CapEx from April 1 forward and incorporated the capital from our 2013 spend into the $2.7 billion capital estimate. The consequence of including this amount in the initial CapEx estimate is that it generated an 11% IRR under the PFS constraints. We did not see this as a deterrent to taking the project to an FS, and I think this is the right approach. Turning now to FDN. For the past 2 years, we've been engaged in negotiations with the government of Ecuador regarding exploitation and investment protection agreements for the project. Thus far, we have been unable to reach agreement on certain key legal and economic matters. The combination of the 70% revenue-based windfall profits tax and other fiscal requirements impose a very heavy economic burden on the project, which we do not believe will satisfy our investors' expectations. We respect the sovereign authority of the Ecuadorian government, and we remain open to further dialogue. To that end, we have requested a meeting with the newly appointed Minister of Non-Renewable Natural Resources to discuss next steps in the negotiations. We have said repeatedly that we will not sign an agreement that is not in the best interest of the company and our shareholders; that remains our position. So to wrap up, in conclusion, we had a great quarter. We are very pleased with our strong operating results, and we remain focused on continuing to meet our commitments. I'll now turn the call over to Tony for more on our Q1 financial results.