Item 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
In the following discussion, “McEwen Mining”, the “Company”, “we”, “our”, and “us” refers to McEwen Mining Inc. and as the context requires, its consolidated subsidiaries.
The following discussion analyzes our financial condition at September 30, 2021 and compares it to our financial condition at December 31, 2020. The discussion also analyzes our results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and compares those to the results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. With regard to properties or projects that are not in production, we provide some details of our plan of operation. We suggest that you read this discussion in conjunction with MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS and our audited consolidated financial statements contained in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.
The discussion contains financial performance measures that are not prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“US GAAP” or “GAAP”). Each of the following is a non-GAAP measure: cash gross profit, cash costs, cash cost per ounce, all-in sustaining costs, all-in sustaining cost per ounce, average realized price per ounce, and liquid assets. These non-GAAP measures are used by management in running the business and we believe they provide useful information that can be used by investors to evaluate our performance, our ability to generate cash flows and our liquidity. These measures do not have standardized definitions and should not be relied upon in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Cash Costs equals Production Costs Applicable to Sales and is used interchangeably throughout this report.
For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the amounts included in our Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 and to our Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020 and certain limitations inherent in such measures, please see the discussion under “Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures”, beginning on page 40.
This discussion also includes references to “advanced-stage properties”, which are defined as properties for which advanced studies and reports have been completed indicating the presence of mineralized material or proven and probable reserves, or that have obtained or are in the process of obtaining the required permits. Our designation of certain properties as “advanced-stage properties” should not suggest that we have or will have proven or probable reserves at those properties as defined by Guide 7.
OVERVIEW
We were organized under the laws of the State of Colorado on July 24, 1979. We are engaged in the exploration, development, production and sale of gold and silver and exploration for copper.
We operate in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. We own a 100% interest in the Gold Bar mine in Nevada, the Black Fox and Froome gold mines in Ontario, Canada, the El Gallo project and the Fenix silver-gold project in Sinaloa, Mexico, 82% interest in the Los Azules copper deposit in San Juan, Argentina, and a portfolio of exploration properties in Nevada, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. We also own a 49% interest in Minera Santa Cruz S.A. (“MSC”), owner of the producing San José silver-gold mine in Santa Cruz, Argentina, which is operated by the joint venture majority owner, Hochschild Mining plc.
In this report, “Au” represents gold; “Ag” represents silver; “oz” represents troy ounce; “t” represents metric tonne; “gpt” represents grams per metric tonne; “ft.” represents feet; “m” represents meter; “sq.” represents square; and C$ refers to Canadian dollars. All of our financial information is reported in United States (U.S.) dollars, unless otherwise noted. Throughout this Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MDA”), the reporting periods for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 are abbreviated as Q3/21 and Q3/20, respectively, and the reporting periods for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 are abbreviated as 9M/21 and 9M/20, respectively.
In addition, in this report, gold equivalent ounces (“Au Eq. oz”) includes gold and silver ounces calculated based on a 68:1 silver to gold ratio for the first quarter of 2021, 68:1 silver to gold ratio for the second quarter of 2021, 73:1 silver to gold