Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
(Tabular amounts presented in thousands of US dollars, except share and per share amounts)
The following new standards or amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2024 and are expected to have no impact on the Company’s financial statements:
| ● | Lease Liability in a Sale and Leaseback (Amendments to IFRS 16) |
| ● | Supplier Finance Arrangements (Amendments to IAS 7 and IFRS 7) |
| ● | Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture (Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28) |
The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the following amended standard, effective January 1, 2025, and interpretations on its consolidated financial statements:
| ● | Lack of Exchangeability (Amendments to IAS 21) |
4. USE OF ESTIMATES, ASSUMPTIONS, AND JUDGEMENTS
The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgements that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the period end date and reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Such judgements and estimates are, by their nature, uncertain. Actual outcomes could differ from these estimates.
The impact of such judgements and estimates are pervasive throughout the financial statements, and may require accounting adjustments based on future occurrences. These judgements and estimates are continuously evaluated and are based on management’s experience and knowledge of the relevant facts and circumstances. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised and are accounted for prospectively.
In preparing these consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company applied the critical estimates, assumptions and judgements as disclosed below.
(a) Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions
Areas where critical accounting estimates and assumptions have the most significant effect on the amounts recognized in the consolidated financial statements include:
i. Mineral Reserves and Resources and the Life of Mine Plan
The Company estimates its mineral reserves and mineral resources in accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. Estimates of the quantities of the mineral reserves and mineral resources form the basis for the Company’s life of mine plans, which are used for the calculation of depletion expense under the units of production method, impairment tests, and forecasting the timing of the payments related to the environmental reclamation provision.
Significant estimation is involved in determining the reserves and resources included within the Company’s life of mine plans. Changes in forecast prices of commodities, exchange rates, production costs or recovery rates may result in the Company’s life-of-mine plan being revised and such changes could impact depletion rates, asset carrying values and the environmental reclamation provision. As at December 31, 2023, the Company used the following long-term prices for the reserve and resource estimations: gold $1,600/oz, silver $21/oz, lead $2,000/t and zinc $2,600/t, except at the San Jose mine which used $1,880/oz gold and $23.90/oz silver.
In addition to the estimates above, estimation is involved in determining the percentage of resources ultimately expected to be converted to reserves and hence included in the Company’s life of mine plans. The Company’s life of mine plans include a portion of inferred resources as the Company believes this provides a better estimate of the expected life of mine for certain types of deposits, in particular for vein type structures. The percentage of inferred