Perseus Mining Limited (PRU) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

[Audio Gap] This morning webinar for its 2020 Sustainability Development Report. [Operator Instructions] I will now hand over to Perseus Mining's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Quartermaine, who is joined by the company's Group Sustainability Manager, Jessica Volich. Thank you. Jeff?

Good. Well, thanks, Nathan, and welcome, everyone, to this webinar to discuss Perseus Mining's 2020 Sustainability Report that was released to the -- by the ASX to the market early yesterday morning. Now before handing over to my colleague, Jessica, our General Manager, Sustainability, and prime author of the 2020 Sustainability Report, who will take you through the highlights of the document and then be available to answer any questions that you may have, allow me first to give you some context to this report. Now as many of you would know, Perseus is an ASX-listed gold mining company. Its operating activities are all carried out in the West African countries of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire where we have 3 producing gold mines and conduct exploration on a range of sites. We started building our first mine, Edikan, in Ghana in 2010 and have since developed and commissioned 2 further mines, Sissingue and Yaoure, both in Cote d'Ivoire. So in the space of 10 years, we've transformed from being a junior explorer, firstly, to a mining company with a single mine in a single country and then to a multi-mine, multi-jurisdictional business that we are today. Now the relevance of this history is that ever since we started exploring on the ground in West Africa, we've been very conscious of the fact that we are guests in the countries and the communities where we operate and that a continuous focus on sustainable operations and value creation is key to our strong social license to operate in these places. Now sustainability has been one of our guiding principles right from the get-go. And we've continuously sought to create sustainable value for all stakeholders and to improve our environmental, social and governance performance each year. To say that our journey today has been plain sailing would be an overstatement. We've been striving with a reasonable degree of success to achieve these aims on a consistent basis for many years. What we have not done as well, though, as well as we might is to share our story with our broader stakeholder base. Last year, we published our first consolidated sustainability report, which was really our first step towards consolidating all of the work that we do across our business in this space. And this is quite important as we're in the process of building the Yaoure mine and in the process, expanding our business by 50% from 2 operating mines to 3. The very first thing we did was we recognized that we needed a very high-quality ESG professional to help guide our work through this area. And we hired Jessica, I'm very pleased to say, who has actually been on board and given a huge amount of impetus to this initiative. And also, with the commissioning of Yaoure, which consolidated our position as a multi-mine, multi-jurisdictional business, we recognize the need to integrate our sustainability efforts right across our business and to align our disclosure with the expectations of our stakeholders, which have clearly changed in recent years. Now this report that was published yesterday, it demonstrates the outcome of that work, providing detail about our approach to sustainability in line with key frameworks and gives a clear view on how we're performing. It's hoped that by presenting the details in the manner that we have, not only in the report itself but also in the accompanying data tables, you'll get a much better appreciation of the ESG journey that we've been on today around results that we've achieved and the plans that we have to improve our performance going forward. So with that background, let me now pass the ball to Jess, who will take you through the highlights of the report. Thanks, Jess.

Thanks very much, Jeff. Thank you. As Jeff said, I'm Jessica Volich, the group manager for sustainability here at Perseus. I just want to say thanks to everyone for attending today. We're really pleased to see the interest from our investment community, and we're really looking forward to hearing your questions and your feedback on our work. So today, I really want to take you through the work that we've done over the past few months to get really clear about our approach to sustainability and also how we're performing and where to from here on our sustainability journey. So one of the first activities that we kicked off to reboot our sustainability strategy was to refresh our materiality analysis and really dig deeper on our sustainability risks and opportunities. We engaged sustainability and climate change with the risk team from KPMG and worked together with them to do a really detailed desktop review of Perseus' sustainability approach and performance. And as part of this, we did a very detailed review of all the past environmental and social impact assessments, the performance report, audit reports, monitoring data as well as information from stakeholder engagement with our communities, with our government, with our investment community as well as interviewing people from across our organization from Board down to supervisor level with a focus on the people that are really at the front line and at the front of our operations. So as part of that also, we did extensive peer review comparing our approach and our performance to a group of about 10 companies with similar operating conditions in West Africa ranging in different sizes. And then we consolidated all of that information and put it together to reboot our materiality analysis from last year and came together as an executive team and mapped all of the issues from -- of importance in terms of priority to our business, which you can see along the x axis on this figure and also, priority to our stakeholders. So when combined, this provides a really clear view of where our top issues are at the moment, with the most important issues on the top right. So these are communities business continuity, which is associated with COVID especially, health, safety and well-being and tailings. But I just want to reiterate that all of the issues on this slide are really important to Perseus and our business and all are being actively managed as part of our sustainability work program. But this matrix really is the tool to clearly define what the issues are that are top of mind and also helps us do our work planning and set our strategy for the years ahead. But we'll be reviewing and updating this work on a yearly basis to see how these issues shift from year-to-year. As part of our materiality analysis, we also set about renewing our sustainability vision for the business and also consolidating and getting much clearer about our approach to sustainability. And this is really summarized on this slide here. On the top left, you'll see our sustainability vision statement, which is really highly influenced by the location of our operations in West Africa. There is significant levels of poverty that remain in both Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire with Ghana around 20% and Cote d'Ivoire around 40% to 50% and particularly in rural areas where we operate. So through our social development and local employment programs over the years in these countries, we've really been able to see the material benefits that we've made to the lives of our communities, and that's why it's central to the vision that we have for sustainability for the business. So some of these benefits include, for example, that the communities around our operations now have much easier access to fresh drinking water, which is a major cause of disease and hardship in the region. They've also got better access to health care, which is particularly important given the range of health challenges faced by people in the region with diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV; and also improved access to education through building school infrastructure and providing school supplies. And then, of course, there's the direct jobs and also the enterprise development. We're really proud that 96% of our employees are now either local to our local communities or national to the countries of our operation. And 78% of our procurement is from our host countries, which really gives us the opportunity to amplify the benefits of our presence in those countries. So it's really a win-win. As we improve the quality of life of our communities, we're also improving the productivity and the stability of our operations. We also, as part of the work, set to provide a much clearer framework of how we achieve our vision, which is summarized in the blue and gray wheel there. And at the core of the foundation of this approach is strong governance, which enables us to drive performance in our material sustainability issues. So in terms of this vision and approach to sustainability, the performance pillars that you see in the middle circle there are really the tools by which we drive performance in sustainability and material issues around the outside of that wheel. And we deliberately not separated them into environmental, social and governance issues because in our operating context and where we operate, each of these issues has both the environmental and the social and the governance element. So I think it's -- this represents within our operating context the strong social elements of all of our issues, and it really provides us an opportunity to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of those countries. So in terms of the sustainable development report this year, one thing we really wanted to do was to provide a really, really clear and comprehensive view of our approach to sustainability and also our performance and communicate that in a way that could be clearly understood by all our stakeholders. So to do this, we aligned our report with some key reporting frameworks with reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and also heavily linked on the World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles as a framework and a structure and also did our first Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures report. In terms of the data, we used the Global Reporting Initiative as our main framework, but also mapped to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board framework. And we took it a step further as well and really wanted to see and map in our reporting where we'll be heading in the future and start to be clear on where we're at with the broader range of frameworks that are out there. So you'll see in our data book that we've mapped also to the Equator Principles, the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards and also the more recently released World Economic Forum International Business Council metrics, which really is a good step in the direction of establishing a common set of sustainability metrics of the business. I think our conclusion from this work was that we're really not that far off best practice in our approach to sustainability, and the work done today has really set a strong foundation from which to further target and focus our efforts in both sustainability approach, performance and disclosure. So that brings me to the key achievements and our highlights for calendar year '20. One of the things that was really pleasing when we consolidated our performance data across the group was there was some really great performance highlights. Clearly, operationally, the business is delivering on the financial and operational front with increase in our production, start-up of Yaoure ahead of schedule and budget and increased cash flow that goes along with it, but also some really strong sustainability highlights. We've maintained a track record of being fatality-free since the start of our company, and we've also further improved our injury rates. We have a good track record on environmental events, disclosure on tailings and we've had no tailings failures to date. And we're also tracking well on water intensity in comparison to our peers. Our social performance has been very strong, and it's probably our highlight. We're really proud that, as I said, 78% of our procurement is from either local sources or naturally sourced, and we have now achieved 96% local and national employment at our operations. So also adding to that our social investment and the social development we have been able to deliver has grown as the company has grown as well. And I think this is our key opportunity as we go forward to really get focused on aligning our economic and social contribution to these communities and countries where they need it most and partnering with our host governments to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for each country. So just doing, I guess, in terms of climate change, the next 2 slides are a bit of a deeper dive on our Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures report given the significance of this emerging issue and the increasing risk. So there's no doubt that climate change will impact our organization, our stakeholders and the communities around our operations, and we're committed to understanding these impacts and understanding the risks. So on this slide, you see a very high-level summary of our physical and transitional risks that we have published in our report and how we are responding to these. And in terms of physical risk, in West Africa, like everywhere, the climate is changing. And given the low historical variability of the climate in that area and in that region, the most significant change is extreme weather with [indiscernible] and other extreme events. And I think that's been more dramatic because of the low variability that the area has seen in the past. So these weather changes are obviously already being felt. But in the context of our operations, our mine lives range from 5 to 8 years, which means they really will be completed by the time the more severe impacts of climate change are felt. But regardless, we're still actively monitoring and managing water-related material risks at all of our operations, and we take these climatic changes into account in our closure planning as well. We also, of course, plan to be around, as a company, longer than 8 years. So we consider these risks when looking at our medium- to longer-term strategic planning. Moving on to transition risks of climate change for our business. Changing the climate and energy policy in West Africa is relatively new or just emerging, and there hasn't really been at this stage a carbon pricing or taxation mechanism that has emerged even though we understand that these discussions are in progress, and we're monitoring those developments. In addition, gold has a relatively low carbon footprint in comparison to other mine products, and the downstream uses have little material impact on its carbon footprint. In terms of market, it's expected to remain quite stable during the transition, and there also may be opportunities for gold to play a role in low emissions technology. So we're monitoring the signposts and triggers for transition risks to ensure that we're ready to respond as they evolve. Moving on to the next slide. In terms of our emissions, our combined scope 1 and 2 emissions are around 0.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and scope 3 around 0.3 million tonnes. So combined annual emissions of around 0.5 million tonnes per annum. Our key emissions challenge is primarily from our use of diesel to generate power, but we do source some renewables [ where we're ] connected to the grid both at Yaoure and Edikan. We've got various initiatives at our operations to track and improve fuel efficiency, which is also a significant cost driver for us. But also more broadly than that, power and energy security is a challenge in West Africa, and renewable current penetration is quite low at this time. We are taking a fresh look at what might be possible there, and we're also looking at potential social co-benefits that could be captured [ in participation ] in some offset programs emerging in West Africa. We have benchmarked our emissions intensity against some of our peers, which you'll see on the right-hand line diagrams there, and we're generally performing lower than the average here. But we're taking into account our emissions during the construction of Yaoure operation in these numbers, which, of course, didn't produce any gold last year. So next year, we expect to be performing comparatively better on emissions intensity perspective. So the summary from -- in terms of climate change is that, of course, climate change will impact our business, and it's an issue and a risk that's top of mind for us. But I think in the context of the other sustainability issues that we manage for the next short-term period, it is something that we're monitoring and we're managing our more higher priority issues, such as communities, health and safety, tailings and the economic benefit that we bring to our host country, and seeing how that we can leverage those programs to have a role in the transition of our country's operation. So in terms of the next step, which brings me to the last slide and where to from here. This year for us in sustainability was really about taking stock and being clear where we're at and using the key frameworks to communicate that clearly and rebooting our sustainability vision and also our performance framework. Our focus has now really turned to where to from here and our 3-year road map, locking in our current performance but then also working out how we're going to build on it. As part of that, we've committed to aligning our approach to sustainability with the World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles, which is a really good framework for the gold mining industry to manage the key risks and opportunities. And we'll have full implementation by financial -- end of year financial year '23. So on this slide, you can see the gap analysis we have completed against the principles, which shows that we're starting from a pretty strong base. We've got some work to do. But in general, we're starting from a strong position. A key area that we're looking at as part of our road map is how we can amplify our social value and really use our strong foundation to maximize the benefits we bring to our community and supporting them to advance the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. We currently see this as our biggest opportunity, and it's something that we're discussing in detail as we build our work plan. So to wrap up, I hope this gives you a clear picture of where Perseus is at with sustainability, our approach and also our performance and where we're heading. The foundation that has been built so far to date in the company is really strong, and I'm looking forward to updating you as we build on that in the years ahead. And we'll be disclosing and talking more about our 3-year road map in our financial year '21 Sustainable Development Report. Thank you, and I'll open for questions.

Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from Andrew Oswald at Bell Potter. He says there is a big difference between the 2019 and 2020 sustainability reporting. Why now? What has changed for the business in that time?

Look, I might just pick up on that. I think I've partially addressed that in my opening remarks. I mean, clearly, as far as Perseus is concerned, we've transitioned in recent times, as I say, from a junior explorer to a sustainable, significant size business. And it was quite important and apparent to us that we needed to align ourselves to the principles that have been set in the broader community. So that was something that was very important. And also, the other point is that it's very, very clear that our stakeholders are demanding that we do comply with these standards and express and inform them as to where we are. So it was pretty apparent that while we've made a good start in 2019, we needed to do better. And as I said, bringing Jessica on board was a very important first step. But you can see from the work that's been done by Jess and her team, we are in reasonably good shape, and that's expressed very clearly in this report.

Your next question comes from [ Andrew Levy at ABL Wealth ]. He asks, "What is Perseus' forecast investment in new technologies to improve sustainability performance across the business?"

Jess?

Yes. Look, I think in terms of new technology, it's important to note that we're performing really well. And this has been, in part, due to the technologies that we already have in place for things like water efficiency and water recycling and some of the other technology we have in place for fuel efficiency, for example. And I think driving our performance in the future is really going to be around social performance. I think in terms of automation and those sorts of issues, it's important that we consider the social benefits that an operation like -- operations like Perseus have in West Africa in context. One of the key ways that we add value is through employment. So I think that that's something that is top of mind when looking at new technologies that are emerging across the industry. We're currently preparing our 3-year road map, and we're looking at different technologies for different energy sources, for example. And we'll talk about that more in our road map in our financial year '21 report. But I think the focus for us not so much is on technology, although that's part of it, is on social performance.

Your next question comes from [ Rob Makdissi ] at UBS. He asks, "To what extent do you consider climate change to be a risk to the company?"

As I said in a couple of slides, in terms of physical risks, of course, the climate is changing, and that is evident in West Africa with more extreme weather. And we already manage the way that's evolving through our water management program and also through our closure planning. But I think in terms of our portfolio, the mine lives that we have in our business plan at the moment range from 5 to 8 years. So they're a bit shorter-dated maybe than other companies. So within the context of our current business plan, the risk is medium to low. But of course, there are the longer-dated strategic decisions that we're making for the growth of the business, and they are front of mind. And the different considerations and risks and opportunities there will depend on the opportunities that we capture, and all of them will have an element of physical and transition risks. And I think as those plans develop and the nature of the risk, then the risk exposure will determine more detail that we go into in terms of assessing risks in terms of doing scenario analysis or other analysis. So at the moment, I think in our current concept of our current business plan, the risk is relatively low. But of course, that's always going to be a key consideration for our medium- to longer-term plan.

Your next question comes from [ Lilly Rogers ]. She asks, "Are there particular rules and standards you had to follow, include or comply with when making the report? Or is it Perseus' focus and you had a lot more movement?

I think we really did want to produce a GRI-compliant report. That was important to us. So in terms of the rules, I suppose the strongest one was making sure that we covered all of the requirements of both the GRI core option as well as minerals and metals supplement. And then we made sure that we covered off on the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board's key requirements as well and covered off the requirements of the World Gold Council Responsible Gold Mining Principles. So I think they were the 3 frameworks that were the key guiding frameworks for the report. But then we have used and drawn on best practice framework as they apply to different issues, such as water. We use the Australian Minerals Council Water Accounting Framework. For tailings, we use the tailings disclosure framework. So there weren't any rules, but we really wanted to make sure that we responded to each issue and the report overall in terms of the best practice framework that are available for base sustainability reporting and also the individual sustainability issues that are covered in the report.

Yes, look, I think it's also fair to say that we weren't driven by rules per se other than our own rule, and our own rule is that this is an important part of our business because it's good for our business, it's good for our communities and therefore, it's good for our business. And I think that was as much a driver in framing the report as any regulatory or any framework that's been provided by any of the groups around the fringes of this area.

Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. So I'll hand back to Jeff and Jessica for closing remarks.

Okay. Well, look, thank you very much for attending today's presentation, and we do appreciate your effort in attending. It's clearly, we're on an exciting journey here, and it is one that we, as a company, are very strongly committed to. As I said, it's -- we're doing it for lots of reasons. But it's good for our business is at the core, and at the same time, we're seeing very significant benefits accruing to our host communities and host countries. So in that respect, this is a win-win, and it's something that we're very pleased to be a part of. So thank you very much for joining us, and we look forward to bringing you further news as our plans unfold in coming years. Thank you.

Thank you.