Category: Canada

Uranium Prices Have Tripled! 3 Must-Own Miners to Ride the Surge

After hitting a 12-year low in late 2016 uranium spot market prices have more than tripled from $30 a pound in January 2021 to a recent peak of over $100 a pound, their highest level in 16 years. Although they pulled back to $95 a pound the market is still ripe for additional gains.

A combination of factors contribute to the rise. Energy demand is increasing globally and nations are exploring all possible sources to meet it. Especially after the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was sabotaged, nuclear energy is back on the table. Although Germany shut down its last remaining reactors last year, Japan, France and Norway all approved new measures for going nuclear. Over 20 countries have called for tripling nuclear capacity by 2050.

Yet the primary cause behind the recent spike was the world’s largest uranium producer Kazatomprom (OTCMKTS:NATKY) announcing it would not meet production goals for 2024 and 2025. 

Kazakhstan produces over 40% of all the world’s uranium supply, according to the World Nuclear Association. Canada is second at 15% and Namibia comes in third with 11% of the total. However, no country produces more nuclear energy than the U.S. It accounts for 30% of global output.

Uranium miners are springing into action. Dormant mines in states such as Wyoming, Texas, Arizona and Utah were all recently restarted. With future growth assured, these are the three miners you will want to ride to new heights.

Cameco (CCJ)

CCJ Stock: Hand in long yellow glove holding a chunk of uranium material

Source: shutterstock.com/RHJPhtotoandilustration

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) is one of the world’s largest uranium miners. It owns mines in Saskatchewan and the U.S., as well as having a 40% stake in a joint venture with Kazatomprom for a mine in Kazakhstan.

The miner has been at this for 35 years and its long-term supply contracts give it clear insight into where, when and how it needs to deliver uranium to customers. The newest contracts allow Cameco to guide for production of 18 million pounds at each of its McArthur River/Key Lake and Cigar Lake projects this year. The miner also acquired last November a 49% interest in Westinghouse Electric, one of the world’s largest nuclear services businesses. Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM) took the other 51%. Cameco expects to receive adjusted EBITDA of $445 million and $510 million this year from the venture, which will grow at a compounded growth rate of 6% to 10% a year.

Although CCJ stock fell after its fourth-quarter earnings report, shares are still up 68% over the past year. But trading at 25 times expected earnings and less than twice the long-term earnings growth rate, Cameco is a uranium stock to add that special glow to your portfolio.

NexGen Energy (NXE)

A photo of a uranium mine

Source: John Carnemolla / Shutterstock.com

Canadian uranium miner NexGen Energy (NYSE:NXE) focuses on the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan. It wholly owns the Rook I project, the largest development-stage uranium project in Canada. The project is centered around the Arrow development, a world-class resource where NexGen just announced the discovery of new intense uranium mineralization. The miner will be dedicating drilling operations to the area as it reflects high potential for new resources.

While the project has substantial potential considering the resources contained in the region, investors also need to be mindful that NexGen does not generate any revenue at the moment. The company only receives money from the interest earned on its cash. At the end of December, its cash balance stood at $290.7 million more than double the amount it had the year before due to financings it took during the year. Current shareholders can expect to be diluted from these events but with the hope of realizing significant profits when the Rook I eventually comes online.

Despite this, NXE stock has doubled over the past year as investors foresee the potential of the Rook I project.

Global X Uranium ETF (URA)

periodic table concept with black cubes. uranium element is glowing. Uranium stocks

Source: Shutterstock

A better way to gain exposure to uranium miners is through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) such as Global X Uranium ETF (NYSE:URA). The reason is that many miners are like NexGen Energy: development-stage outfits without actual mining operations. For example, Uranium Energy (NYSE:UEC) has interests in several mines but actually derives revenue by buying uranium on the spot market and then reselling it at higher prices. 

Global X Uranium ETF is the largest uranium ETF with $2.8 billion in assets under management (UAM). It owns shares in 47 different companies but most of its assets are in Cameco, which represents 21.2% of the total. The next largest holding is Sprotts Physical ​​Uranium Trust (OTCMKTS:SRUUF), an ETF listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that represents 9% of total assets. As its name suggests, Sprotts holds physical uranium, some 63.6 million pounds of uranium 3o8 that has a market value of more than $5.5 billion.

Other miners in Global X’s portfolio include NexGen, Uranium Energy, Dennison Mines (NYSE:DNN) and others. Most of the miners are Canadian but Australian miners make up a large component too, with just a handful coming from the U.S.

There is a certain level of concentration because there are relatively few uranium miners. An ETF gives investors the best shot at exposure to the sector but as much diversification as possible. Shares of the ETF are up 48% from last year.

On the date of publication, Rich Duprey did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Rich Duprey has written about stocks and investing for the past 20 years. His articles have appeared on Nasdaq.com, The Motley Fool, and Yahoo! Finance, and he has been referenced by U.S. and international publications, including MarketWatch, Financial Times, Forbes, Fast Company, USA Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cheddar News, The Boston Globe, L’Express, and numerous other news outlets.

Dr. Michael C. Threatt, The Section 8 Landlord Coach™ appointed as the new Alabama At-Large Board Member for SERSHA


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New to The Street Announces Episode 564, Five Corporate Interviews, Airing on The Fox Business Network, Monday, March 25, 2024, at 10:30 PM PT


New to The Street Announces Episode 564, Five Corporate Interviews, Airing on The Fox Business Network, Monday, March 25, 2024, at 10:30 PM PT – Toronto Stock Exchange News Today – EIN Presswire


















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FuelPositive Files Patent for Green Aqueous Ammonia Production Module and Provides Update on First Farm-Ready System


FuelPositive Files Patent for Green Aqueous Ammonia Production Module and Provides Update on First Farm-Ready System – Toronto Stock Exchange News Today – EIN Presswire




















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Largo Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results; Continued Focus on Operational Improvements and Cost Reduction to Offset Depressed Vanadium Prices

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All dollar amounts expressed are in thousands of U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q4, Full Year 2023 and Other Highlights

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  • Revenues of $44.2 million in Q4 2023, 7% below Q4 2022; Revenues per pound sold1 of $7.69 in Q4 2023 vs. $7.77 in Q4 2022
  • Operating costs of $43.2 million in Q4 2023 vs. $44.5 million in Q4 2022; Cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound1 V2O5 equivalent sold of $5.44 in Q4 2023 vs. $5.15 in Q4 2022
  • Net loss of $13.3 million in Q4 2023, which included $6.6 million in non-recurring items vs. net loss of $15.6 million in Q4 2022, which included $6.3 million in non-recurring items; Basic loss per share of $0.21 in Q4 2023 vs. basic loss per share of $0.24 in Q4 2022
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 of $1.4 million in Q4 2023 increased by 138% from that seen in Q4 2022
  • Revenues of $198.7 million in 2023, 13% below 2022; Revenues per pound sold1 of $8.66 in 2023 vs. $9.38 in 2022
  • Operating costs of $174.8 million in 2023 vs. $169.7 million in 2022, and cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound1 V2O5 equivalent sold of $5.30 in 2023 vs. $4.57 in 2022; Within revised annual cash operating costs excluding royalties1 per pound guidance for 2023
  • Net loss of $32.4 million in 2023, which included $10.3 million in non-recurring items vs. net loss of $2.2 million in 2022, which included $13.8 million in non-recurring items; Basic loss per share of $0.51 in 2023 vs. basic loss per share of $0.03 in 2022
  • Adjusted EBITDA2 of $12.1 million in 2023 vs. $41.6 million in 2022
  • Cash balance of $42.7 million, net working capital3 surplus of $94.7 million and debt of $75.0 million exiting 2023
  • V2O5 production of 2,768 tonnes in Q4 2023, a 38% increase over the 2,004 tonnes produced in Q4 2022; Annual V2O5 production of 9,681 tonnes in 2023 vs. 10,436 tonnes in 2022 and within the Company’s revised 2023 production guidance range of 9,000 – 11,000 tonnes
  • Quarterly sales of 2,605 tonnes of V2O5 equivalent (inclusive of 139 tonnes of purchased material) in Q4 2023 vs. 2,774 tonnes in Q4 2022; Annual V2O5 equivalent sales of 10,396 (inclusive of 929 tonnes of purchased material) tonnes in 2023 vs. 11,091 tonnes in 2022 and within the Company’s revised 2023 sales guidance of 8,700 – 10,700 tonnes
  • In Q4 2023, Largo Clean Energy’s (“LCE”) 6 megawatt-hour vanadium flow battery deployment for Enel Green Power España (“EGPE”) was validated to operate on test conditions according to EGPE specifications and LCE test procedures
  • On March 18, 2024, the Company announced the signing of a non-binding letter of intent with Stryten Energy LLC (“Stryten”) to establish a 50:50 joint venture that would combine the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, LCE with Stryten’s vanadium redox flow battery (“VRFB”) business
  • The Company produced 8,970 tonnes of ilmenite concentrate in Q4 2023; In January and February 2024, the Company produced 5,100 tonnes and 2,000 tonnes of ilmenite concentrate, respectively
  • Q4 and FY 2023 results conference call: Friday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. ET

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Vanadium Market Update4

  • The average benchmark price per pound of V2O5 in Europe was $6.46 in Q4 2023, a 22% decrease from the average of $8.25 seen in Q4 2022; The average benchmark price per pound of V2O5 in Europe was $6.53 as at December 31, 2023, a 31% decrease from the average of $9.44 seen as at December 31, 2022
  • Vanadium spot demand was soft in Q4 2023, primarily due to adverse conditions in the Chinese and European steel industries, however, strong demand from the aerospace sector continued
  • The average benchmark price per pound of V2O5 in Europe as of March 15, 2024 was $6.05

TORONTO — Largo Inc. (“Largo” or the “Company“) (TSX: LGO) (NASDAQ: LGO) today released financial and operating results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023. The Company reported annual vanadium pentoxide (“V2O5”) equivalent sales of 10,396 tonnes at a cash operating cost excluding royalties per pound1 sold of $5.30.

Daniel Tellechea, Interim CEO and Director of Largo, stated: “The Company’s financial results continued to be adversely affected by lower vanadium prices as highlighted by a sharp decline in the European V2O5 price of 22% in Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022. We remain committed to achieving greater levels of operational efficiency at the Maracás Menchen Mine in order to meet production and sales targets improve cash flow going forward.”

He continued: “A number of notable achievements were made by the Company during 2023, including the successful construction and commissioning of a new ilmenite concentration plant. We continue with the ramp-up of production at this facility, further diversifying our revenue stream from our existing vanadium operations. Largo’s exploration efforts surrounding the Maracás Menchen Mine have become an increasingly important part of our story over the last few quarters, and we continue to advance our efforts in this area. Following our recent announcement on our review and evaluation of strategic alternatives to unlock and fully maximize the value of LCE, we look forward to continuing discussions with Stryten over the coming weeks.”

He concluded: “While vanadium appears to have very promising long-term fundamentals, the Company remains solely focused on reducing costs and meeting its production and sales targets to withstand the current period of low vanadium prices.”

Financial and Operating Results – Highlights

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(thousands of U.S. dollars, except as otherwise stated)

Three months ended

Year ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Dec. 31, 2022

Dec. 31, 2023

Dec. 31, 2022

Revenues

44,170

47,501

198,684

229,251

Operating costs

(43,218)

(44,455)

(174,758)

(169,719)

Net income (loss)

(13,301)

(15,636)

(32,358)

(2,226)

Basic earnings (loss) per share

(0.21)

(0.24)

(0.51)

(0.03)

Adjusted EBITDA2

1,385

(3,680)

12,127

41,583

Cash (used) provided before working capital items

(2,364)

(14,055)

5,267

21,424

Cash operating costs excl. royalties5 ($/lb)

5.44

5.15

5.30

4.57

Cash

42,714

54,471

42,714

54,471

Debt

75,000

40,000

75,000

40,000

Total mined – dry basis (tonnes)

3,490,711

2,737,149

14,864,394

10,517,210

Total ore mined (tonnes)

473,958

326,552

1,752,982

1,359,927

Effective grade6 of ore milled (%)

1.03

1.06

1.04

1.26

V2O5 equivalent produced (tonnes)

2,768

2,004

9,681

10,436

Q4 & Full Year 2023 Notes and Other Highlights

  • The Company recorded a net loss of $32.4 million in 2023 compared with a net loss of $2.2 million in 2022, largely driven by a 13% decrease in revenues and an increase in certain expenses, most notably a 3% increase in operating costs, a 506% increase in finance costs, a 195% increase in exploration and evaluation costs and a write down of vanadium assets of $4.9 million.
  • In 2023, the Company saw increased direct mine and production costs, primarily due to an increase in total ore mined in 2023, the cost impacts of low ore availability experienced earlier in the year and plant shutdowns for corrective maintenance during 2023. The Company’s direct mine and production costs decreased in Q4 2023 as compared with Q4 2022, reflecting the impact of the cost saving and operational improvement initiatives implemented at the mine, as well as the softening of prices for critical consumables.
  • The Company continues to actively work towards achieve higher levels of operational efficiency to better manage its costs as it navigates lower grades of ore mined as compared with prior years. In Q4 2023, V2O5 equivalent production was 28% higher than the 2,163 tonnes produced in Q3 2023 and 38% higher than the 2,004 tonnes produced in Q4 2022. The global recovery7 achieved in Q4 2023 was 79.4%, an increase of 6.3% from the 74.7% achieved in Q4 2022 and 3.3% higher than the 76.9% achieved in Q3 2023. The total ore mined in Q4 2023 was 473,958 tonnes, an increase of 45% in comparison with Q4 2022. 1,752,982 tonnes of ore were mined in 2023, an increase of 29% as compared with 2022. Actions were taken to increase crushing availability and normal production levels were recovered in Q4 2023. Total ore crushed in Q4 2023 was 8% higher than in Q3 2023 and 35% higher than in Q4 2022. For 2023, total ore crushed was 9% higher than in 2022.
  • For 2023, total professional, consulting and management fees decreased by 9% from 2022 and other general and administrative expenses decreased by 18% from 2022, both as a result of reduced activity and headcount at LCE as a result of the initiation of the strategic review. Additionally, technology start-up costs decreased by 52% in 2023 compared with 2022 primarily due to a write down of battery components inventory in Q4 2022 of $6.4 million and a decrease in activities at LCE in Q4 2023 as the installation of its battery project nears conclusion.
  • In 2021, the Company signed a 10-year exclusive off-take agreement with Gladieux Metals Recycling (“GMR”) for the purchase of all standard and high purity grade vanadium products GMR produces. The Company is committed to the purchase of a minimum of 360 tonnes of V2O5 in 2024 and its onward distribution to customers.
  • Subsequent to Q4 2023, production in January 2024 was 582 tonnes of V2O5 equivalent with 276 tonnes of V2O5 equivalent produced in February 2024. Lower production achieve in the first two months of Q1 2024 is attributable to the Company’s previously announced kiln refractory maintenance. Subsequent to Q4 2023, sales in January 2024 were 1,072 tonnes of V2O5 equivalent, with 1,065 sold in February 2024.

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The information provided within this release should be read in conjunction with Largo’s annual consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and its management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023 which are available on our website at www.largoinc.com or on the Company’s respective profiles at www.sedarplus.com and www.sec.gov.

About Largo

Largo is a globally recognized vanadium company known for its high-quality VPURE™ and VPURE+™ products, sourced from its Maracás Menchen Mine in Brazil. The Company is currently focused on the ramp-up its ilmenite concentrate plant and is undertaking a strategic evaluation of its U.S.-based clean energy business, including its advanced VCHARGE vanadium battery technology to maximize the value of the organization. Largo’s strategic business plan centers on maintaining its position as a leading vanadium supplier with a growth strategy to support a low-carbon future.

Largo’s common shares trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “LGO”. For more information on the Company, please visit www.largoinc.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Information:

This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward‐looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to: the achievement of operational stability; Largo’s ability to improve cash flow in the future; expected sales; diversifying the Company’s product offering; optimizing operations, continued advancements at the Maracás Menchen Mine; the conclusion of the installation of Largo’s battery project; and future commitments to purchase V2O5..

The following are some of the assumptions upon which forward-looking statements are based: that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; demand for, and stable or improving price of V2O5 and other vanadium commodities; receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals, permits and renewals in a timely manner; that the Company will not experience any material accident, labour dispute or failure of plant or equipment or other material disruption in the Company’s operations at the Maracás Menchen Mine or relating to LCE; the availability of financing for operations and development; the ability to mitigate the impact of continuing heavy rainfall; the Company’s ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; that the estimates of the resources and reserves at the Maracás Menchen Mine are within reasonable bounds of accuracy (including with respect to size, grade and recovery and the operational and price assumptions on which such estimates are based); the Company’s “two-pillar” business strategy will be successful; the Company’s sales and trading arrangements will not be affected by the evolving sanctions against Russia; and the Company’s ability to attract and retain skilled personnel and directors; the ability of management to execute strategic goals.

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Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. All information contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, is forward looking information. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Largo or LCE to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to those risks described in the annual information form of Largo and in its public documents filed on www.sedarplus.com and available on www.sec.gov from time to time. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made. Although management of Largo has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such 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. Largo does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Readers should also review the risks and uncertainties sections of Largo’s most recent annual and interim MD&A, which also apply. Largo’s most recent annual and interim MD&A are available on Largo’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.com.

Trademarks are owned by Largo Inc.

Non-GAAP8 Measures

The Company uses certain non-GAAP measures in this press release, which are described in the following section. Non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios are not standardized financial measures under IFRS, the Company’s GAAP, and might not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. These measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Management believes that non-GAAP financial measures, when supplementing measures determined in accordance with IFRS, provide investors with an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company.

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Revenues Per Pound Sold

This press release refers to revenues per pound sold, a non-GAAP performance measure that is used to provide investors with information about a key measure used by management to monitor the performance of the Company.

This measure, along with cash operating costs and total cash costs, is considered to be one of the key indicators of the Company’s ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its Maracás Menchen Mine and sales activities. This revenues per pound sold measure does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and differs from measures determined in accordance with IFRS. This measure is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure is not necessarily indicative of net earnings or cash flow from operating activities as determined under IFRS.

The following table provides a reconciliation of this measure per pound sold to revenues as per the Q4 2023 and annual unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements.

Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

Revenues – V2O5 produced1

$

25,182

$

24,908

$

115,534

$

123,529

V2O5 sold – produced (000s lb)

3,215

3,483

13,113

14,307

V2O5 revenues per pound of V2O5 sold – produced ($/lb)

$

7.83

$

7.15

$

8.81

$

8.63

Revenues – V2O5 purchased1

$

1,497

$

$

9,028

$

3,184

V2O5 sold – purchased (000s lb)

265

1,279

265

V2O5 revenues per pound of V2O5 sold – purchased ($/lb)

$

5.65

$

$

7.06

$

12.02

Revenues – V2O51

$

26,679

$

24,908

$

124,562

$

126,713

V2O5 sold (000s lb)

3,480

3,483

14,392

14,571

V2O5 revenues per pound of V2O5 sold ($/lb)

$

7.67

$

7.15

$

8.65

$

8.70

Revenues – V2O3 produced1

$

6,213

$

4,736

$

13,788

$

8,534

V2O3 sold – produced (000s lb)

596

426

1,215

734

V2O3 revenues per pound of V2O3 sold – produced ($/lb)

$

10.42

$

11.12

$

11.35

$

11.63

Revenues – V2O3 purchased1

$

$

480

$

1,155

$

962

V2O3 sold – purchased (000s lb)

42

88

85

V2O3 revenues per pound of V2O3 sold – purchased ($/lb)

$

$

11.43

$

13.13

$

11.32

Revenues – V2O31

$

6,213

$

5,216

$

14,943

$

9,496

V2O3 sold (000s lb)

596

468

1,303

819

V2O3 revenues per pound of V2O3 sold ($/lb)

$

10.42

$

11.15

$

11.47

$

11.59

Revenues – FeV produced1

$

11,278

$

15,664

$

57,686

$

71,025

FeV sold – produced (000s kg)

479

559

2,070

2,135

FeV revenues per kg of FeV sold – produced ($/kg)

$

23.54

$

28.02

$

27.87

$

33.27

Revenues – FeV purchased1

$

$

1,713

$

1,386

$

22,017

FeV sold – purchased (000s kg)

64

50

603

FeV revenues per kg of FeV sold – purchased ($/kg)

$

$

26.77

$

27.72

$

36.51

Revenues – FeV1

$

11,278

$

17,377

$

59,072

$

93,042

FeV sold (000s kg)

479

623

2,120

2,738

FeV revenues per kg of FeV sold ($/kg)

$

23.54

$

27.89

$

27.86

$

33.98

Revenues1

$

44,170

$

47,501

$

198,577

$

229,251

V2O5 equivalent sold (000s lb)

5,743

6,116

22,920

24,451

Revenues per pound sold ($/lb)

$

7.69

$

7.77

$

8.66

$

9.38

  1. As per note 4 of the Company’s 2023 annual consolidated financial statements.
    Three months ended calculated as the amount per note 22 less the corresponding amount disclosed for the nine-month period in note 18 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

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Cash Operating Costs Excluding Royalties Per Pound

The Company’s press release refers to cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound, which are non-GAAP ratios based on cash operating costs and cash operating costs excluding royalties, which are non-GAAP financial measures, in order to provide investors with information about a key measure used by management to monitor performance. This information is used to assess how well the Maracás Menchen Mine is performing compared to plan and prior periods, and also to assess its overall effectiveness and efficiency.

Cash operating costs includes mine site operating costs such as mining costs, plant and maintenance costs, sustainability costs, mine and plant administration costs, royalties and sales, general and administrative costs (all for the Mine properties segment), but excludes depreciation and amortization, share-based payments, foreign exchange gains or losses, commissions, reclamation, capital expenditures and exploration and evaluation costs. Operating costs not attributable to the Mine properties segment are also excluded, including conversion costs, product acquisition costs, distribution costs and inventory write-downs.

Cash operating costs excluding royalties is calculated as cash operating costs less royalties. Cash operating costs per pound and cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound are obtained by dividing cash operating costs and cash operating costs excluding royalties, respectively, by the pounds of vanadium equivalent sold that were produced by the Maracás Menchen Mine. Cash operating costs, cash operating costs excluding royalties, cash operating costs per pound and cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound, along with revenues, are considered to be key indicators of the Company’s ability to generate operating earnings and cash flow from its Maracás Menchen Mine. These measures differ from measures determined in accordance with IFRS, and are not necessarily indicative of net earnings or cash flow from operating activities as determined under IFRS.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash operating costs and cash operating costs excluding royalties, cash operating costs per pound and cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound for the Maracás Menchen Mine to operating costs as per the 2023 annual consolidated financial statements.

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Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

Operating costsi

$

43,218

$

44,455

$

174,758

$

169,719

Professional, consulting and management feesii

887

1,185

3,102

4,969

Other general and administrative expensesiii

718

530

1,750

1,390

Add: insurance proceedsi

683

683

Less: iron ore costsi

(84

)

(22

)

(722

)

(659

)

Less: conversion costsi

(1,768

)

(2,231

)

(7,319

)

(8,070

)

Less: product acquisition costsi

(1,974

)

(3,775

)

(15,354

)

(24,426

)

Less: distribution costsi

(2,366

)

(2,282

)

(8,540

)

(9,169

)

Less: inventory write-downiv

(192

)

(332

)

(1,853

)

(1,987

)

Less: depreciation and amortization expensei

(6,592

)

(5,959

)

(26,048

)

(20,882

)

Cash operating costs

31,847

32,252

119,774

111,568

Less: royalties1

(2,243

)

(2,106

)

(9,162

)

(10,371

)

Cash operating costs excluding royalties

29,604

30,146

110,612

101,197

Produced V2O5 sold (000s lb)

5,437

5,855

20,871

22,121

Cash operating costs per pound ($/lb)

$

5.86

$

5.51

$

5.74

$

5.04

Cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound ($/lb)

$

5.44

$

5.15

$

5.30

$

4.57

  1. As per note 23 of the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements.
    Three months ended calculated as the amount per note 23 less the corresponding amount disclosed for the nine-month period in note 19 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
  2. Year ended as per the Mine properties segment in note 18 of the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements.
    Three months ended calculated as the amount for the Company’s Mine properties segment in note 18 less the corresponding amount disclosed for the Mine properties segment for the nine-month period in note 15 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 statements.
  3. Year ended as per the Mine properties segment in note 18 of the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements. less the increase in legal provisions of $692 as noted in the “other general and administrative expenses” section on page 7 of the Company’s Q4 2023 MD&A.
    Three months ended calculated as the amount for the Company’s Mine properties segment in note 18 of the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements. less the increase in legal provisions of $(85), less the corresponding amount disclosed for the Mine properties segment for the nine-month period in note 15 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
  4. Year ended as per note 5 of the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements for finished products – vanadium less $2,013 for produced products, plus the write-down amounts for finished products – ilmenite and warehouse materials.
    Three months ended calculated as the amount per above less the corresponding amount (less $835 for produced products) disclosed for the nine-month period in note 5 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

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EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

The Company’s press release refers to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, or “EBITDA”, and adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP financial measures, in order to provide investors with information about key measures used by management to monitor performance. EBITDA is used as an indicator of the Company’s ability to generate liquidity by producing operating cash flow to fund working capital needs, service debt obligations, and fund capital expenditures.

Adjusted EBITDA removes the effect of inventory write-downs, impairment charges (including write-downs of vanadium assets), insurance proceeds received, movements in legal provisions, non-recurring employee settlements and other expense adjustments that are considered to be non-recurring for the Company. The Company believes that by excluding these amounts, which are not indicative of the performance of the core business and do not necessarily reflect the underlying operating results for the periods presented, it will assist analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company in better understanding the Company’s ability to generate liquidity from its core business activities.

EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are intended to provide additional information to analysts, investors and other stakeholders of the Company and do not have any standardized definition under IFRS. These measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures exclude the impact of depreciation, costs of financing activities and taxes, and the effects of changes in operating working capital balances, and therefore are not necessarily indicative of operating profit or cash flow from operating activities as determined under IFRS. Other companies may calculate EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA differently.

The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss) as per the 2023 annual consolidated financial statements.

Three months ended

Year ended

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

Net loss

$

(13,301

)

$

(15,636

)

$

(32,358

)

$

(2,226

)

Finance costs

4,096

801

9,630

1,588

Interest income

(280

)

(311

)

(2,018

)

(1,109

)

Income tax expense

40

(1,336

)

88

7,688

Deferred income tax recovery

(3,119

)

(252

)

(2,786

)

(1,423

)

Depreciationi

7,393

6,725

29,250

23,278

EBITDA

$

(5,171

)

$

(10,009

)

$

1,806

$

27,796

Inventory write-downii

2,407

6,797

4,068

8,739

Write-down of vanadium assets

3,535

4,862

Insurance proceedsiii

(683

)

(683

)

Movement in legal provisionsiii

(85

)

215

692

5,107

Employee settlementsiii

699

699

624

Adjusted EBITDA

$

1,385

$

(3,680

)

$

12,127

$

41,583

  1. Year ended as per the consolidated statements of cash flows in the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements.
  2. Three months ended calculated as the amount per the consolidated statements of cash flows less the corresponding amount disclosed for the nine-month period in the consolidated statements of cash flows of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
  3. Year ended as per note 5 in the Company’s annual 2023 consolidated financial statements.
  4. Three months ended calculated as the amount per note 5 less the corresponding amount disclosed for the nine-month period in note 5 of the Company’s unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
  5. As per the “non-recurring items” section on page 7 of the Company’s 2023 management’s discussion and analysis.

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______________________________________________
1 Revenues per pound sold and cash operating costs are non-GAAP financial measures, and cash operating costs per pound and cash operating costs excluding royalties per pound are non-GAAP ratios with no standard meaning under IFRS, and may not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Measures” section of this press release.
2 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure with no standard meaning under IFRS, and may not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Measures” section of this press release.
3 Defined as current assets less current liabilities per the consolidated statements of financial position.
4 Fastmarkets MetalBulletin
5 The cash operating costs excluding royalties and revenues per pound per pound sold are reported on a non-GAAP basis. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Measures” section of this press release. Revenues per pound sold are calculated based on the quantity of V2O5 sold during the stated period.
6 Effective grade represents the percentage of magnetic material mined multiplied by the percentage of V2O5 in the magnetic concentrate
7 Global recovery is the product of crushing recovery, milling recovery, kiln recovery, leaching recovery and chemical plant recovery.
8 GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Appendix:

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
Expressed in thousands / 000’s of U.S. dollars

As at

December 31,

2023

December 31,

2022

Assets

Cash

$

42,714

$

54,471

Restricted cash

712

470

Amounts receivable

25,598

20,975

Inventory

61,565

64,221

Prepaid expenses

6,534

14,007

Total Current Assets

137,123

154,144

Other intangible assets

6,153

7,263

Mine properties, plant and equipment

212,176

175,237

Vanadium assets

18,674

14,510

Deferred income tax asset

7,495

4,596

Total Non-current Assets

244,498

201,606

Total Assets

$

381,621

$

355,750

Liabilities

Current portion of lease liability

$

600

$

581

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

31,439

26,634

Deferred revenue

3,553

1,698

Debt

4,000

Current portion of provisions

6,863

6,060

Total Current Liabilities

42,455

38,973

Lease liability

925

1,473

Non-current accounts payable and accrued liabilities

724

326

Long term debt

75,000

36,000

Provisions

6,718

4,424

Total Non-current Liabilities

83,367

42,223

Total Liabilities

125,822

81,196

Equity

Issued capital

412,295

411,646

Equity reserves

12,200

14,138

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(98,200

)

(112,165

)

Deficit

(77,643

)

(48,227

)

Equity attributable to owners of the Company

248,652

265,392

Non-controlling Interest

7,147

9,162

Total Equity

255,799

274,554

Total Liabilities and Equity

$

381,621

$

355,750

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Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Expressed in thousands / 000’s of U.S. dollars and shares (except per share information)

Years ended

December 31,

2023

2022

Revenues

$

198,684

$

229,251

Expenses

Operating costs

(174,758

)

(169,719

)

Professional, consulting and management fees

(23,068

)

(25,277

)

Foreign exchange (loss) gain

(183

)

1,584

Other general and administrative expenses

(11,792

)

(14,319

)

Share-based payments

362

(2,372

)

Finance costs

(9,630

)

(1,588

)

Interest income

2,018

1,109

Technology start-up costs

(6,122

)

(12,695

)

Write-down of vanadium assets

(4,862

)

Exploration and evaluation costs

(5,705

)

(1,935

)

(233,740

)

(225,212

)

Net income (loss) before tax

$

(35,056

)

$

4,039

Income tax expense

(88

)

(7,688

)

Deferred income tax recovery

2,786

1,423

Net loss

$

(32,358

)

$

(2,226

)

Other comprehensive income

Items that subsequently will be reclassified to operations:

Unrealized gain on foreign currency translation

13,965

6,607

Comprehensive income (loss)

$

(18,393

)

$

4,381

Net loss attributable to:

Owners of the Company

$

(30,343

)

$

(1,451

)

Non-controlling interests

$

(2,015

)

$

(775

)

$

(32,358

)

$

(2,226

)

Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to:

Owners of the Company

$

(16,378

)

$

5,156

Non-controlling interests

$

(2,015

)

$

(775

)

$

(18,393

)

$

4,381

Basic loss per Common Share

$

(0.51

)

$

(0.03

)

Diluted loss per Common Share

$

(0.51

)

$

(0.03

)

Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding (in 000’s)

– Basic

64,038

64,446

– Diluted

64,038

64,446

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Expressed in thousands / 000’s of U.S. dollars

Years ended

December 31,

2023

2022

Operating Activities

Net loss for the year

$

(32,358

)

$

(2,226

)

Depreciation

29,250

23,278

Share-based payments

(362

)

2,372

Unrealized foreign exchange (gain)

(509

)

(4,580

)

Non-cash listing expense

571

Loss on sale of vanadium assets

156

Finance costs

9,630

1,588

Interest income

(2,018

)

(1,109

)

Write down of vanadium assets

4,862

Income tax expense

88

7,688

Deferred income tax recovery

(2,786

)

(1,423

)

Income tax paid

(686

)

(4,735

)

Cash Provided Before Working Capital Items

5,267

21,424

Change in amounts receivable

(3,861

)

3,573

Change in inventory

5,361

(15,710

)

Change in prepaid expenses

7,961

(7,232

)

Changes in accounts payable and provisions

4,614

5,176

Change in deferred revenue

1,855

(3,771

)

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

21,197

3,460

Financing Activities

Receipt of debt

70,000

55,000

Repayment of debt

(35,000

)

(30,000

)

Interest paid

(7,065

)

(616

)

Interest received

2,014

1,109

Lease payments

(580

)

(569

)

Change in restricted cash

(242

)

(22

)

Sale of non-controlling interest

7,344

Share repurchase

(6,088

)

Issuance of common shares

277

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

29,127

26,435

Investing Activities

Intangible assets

(157

)

(3,444

)

Mine properties, plant and equipment

(53,546

)

(42,193

)

Purchase of vanadium assets

(10,115

)

(14,510

)

Sale of vanadium assets

933

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

(62,885

)

(60,147

)

Effect of foreign exchange on cash

804

933

Net Change in Cash

(11,757

)

(29,319

)

Cash position – beginning of the year

54,471

83,790

Cash Position – end of the year

$

42,714

$

54,471

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240321493592/en/

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For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations
Alex Guthrie
Senior Manager, External Relations
+1.416.861.9778
aguthrie@largoinc.com

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This Week in Flyers

How an oil tycoon plans to transform the iconic mountain town of Banff

Adam Waterous and his wife are behind a plan to build a passenger rail line connecting Calgary to Banff and service it with an environmentally friendly, hydrogen-powered train

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It’s 7 a.m. and the fresh cup of coffee in Adam Waterous’ hands isn’t providing him fuel to pump Strathcona Resources Ltd., which he built from scratch to become Canada’s fifth-largest oil producer prior to taking it public five months ago.

Instead, the former investment banker is sitting with his wife Jan and eager to talk about a project that seems diametrically opposed to the interests of the Calgary-based oil company he’s executive chair of, and the oilpatch in general. But before wading into that story, Waterous had a revealing coming-of-age tale to share.

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He and a high school buddy took the subway to what were then Toronto’s northern extremes, stuck out their thumbs and promptly caught a lift from a kind, elderly couple in a Cadillac who dropped the boys about an hour north of the city. The plan was to hitchhike to Banff, Alta. It was 1979.

“I thought, “This is going to be easy,” he said.

Former investment banker Adam Waterous built oil producer Strathcona Resources from scratch. Now, he and his wife Jan are spearheading a plan to build a rail line connecting Banff to Calgary.
Former investment banker Adam Waterous built oil producer Strathcona Resources from scratch. Now, he and his wife Jan are spearheading a plan to build a rail line connecting Banff to Calgary. Photo by Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

That burst of early optimism died by the side of the highway in Sudbury, Ont., where the friends were marooned for three days waiting for a ride. Eventually, they reached the iconic Canadian mountain town with the breathtaking scenery and abundance of outdoorsy stuff to do. Waterous was hooked.

So much so that after spending the summer in Banff, he spent the next two decades trying to figure out how to get back and make it his home. Jan, a Torontonian, likewise enjoyed a youthful brush with the town, and was keen to do the same. Today, the couple are the proud owners of the Mt. Norquay ski resort and, despite their Calgary digs, consider Banff as their permanent address.

But skiing is not what Waterous is known for in business. The 62-year-old made a mint doing deals in the oilpatch as an investment banker with Bank of Nova Scotia before striking out on his own in 2017 to found Waterous Energy Fund, a private-equity player that snapped up a bunch of small oil producers, creating the not-so-small Strathcona Resources.

Potentially far more transformative and, on its surface, perplexing — given the origins of Waterous’ substantial wealth — than shaking things up in the energy sector is the hydrocarbon-tycoon’s plan to shake up things in Alberta and North American mass transit circles by building a 150-kilometre rail line connecting Banff to Calgary and to service it with an environmentally friendly, hydrogen-powered train.

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Calgary Banff train route

This is it not a save-the-planet solo-effort, mind you, but a Waterous family affair, equally propelled along by Jan, a public relations whiz, who parked a big corporate job in Toronto to move west, and to a lesser degree the couple’s three, Harvard-educated sons who, incidentally, all have day jobs at Waterous Energy Fund.

“Without Adam and Jan, the train would still be the most talked about thing in Banff that is never going to happen,” Mike Mendelman, a Banff restaurateur, said. “There have been so many hurdles related to this project, and anybody but them would have tired of it long ago and thrown in the towel, but they just keep going.”

In the days of yore, part of the wonder of Banff was the journey to get there. Starting in 1888, it was a trip often undertaken by train that delivered generations of tourists to what was then Canadian Pacific Railway’s Banff Springs Hotel, and parts thereabouts. That passenger train kept chugging in gradually diminishing grandeur as the town grew until 1990 when Via Rail Canada Inc., a Crown corporation that was bleeding money, cut its service to the mountains, cutting travellers off from Banff unless they wanted to drive or take the bus.

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Tourists take photographs at Lake Louise. Traffic jams are common in Banff during the summer tourist high season.
Tourists take photographs at Lake Louise during the pandemic in June 2020. Traffic jams are common in Banff during the summer tourist high season. Photo by Marie Conboy/Postmedia

Lo and behold, drive they did: around 6.5 million vehicles pull into Banff each year, according to town statistics. That’s a lot of cars for a place with not a lot of roads to accommodate them. During the summer tourist high season and at points during the winter, the resort town at the heart of Banff National Park experiences traffic jams, not on a nightmare Toronto-scale, but at a level that is neither a win for the locals’ disposition nor the environment.

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On top of their aggravation is an acute housing and affordability crisis, such that a tourist destination that desperately needs workers to serve its more than four million annual visitors has nowhere for those workers to live, unless they happen to luck into a studio apartment — for $1,700 a month.

A train, in theory, would dramatically decrease the volume of cars and increase the labour supply by attracting workers from stops along the line with more affordable housing options, or so the argument goes. It is a perfectly common-sense solution that has long seemed obvious to Banffites, Mendelman included, and yet equally obvious was that no level of government was poking around town to ask whether Banff wanted its train back, or whose responsibility it was to build, operate and fund the line.

Enter Adam and Jan Waterous, two incurable doers with three inquisitive sons, and a zest for freewheeling family dialogues. The town’s infernal traffic problem came up over breakfast eight years ago, and not for the first time.

“You keep asking the question, ‘Well, what are they going to do about it?’ and it occurred to us, sitting around with the boys, who is this they?” Jan said.

In that moment, the family decided the “they” would be them. Nearly a decade on, it still is.

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The Waterous family in their Banff mountain backyard From left to right: Liam, Jan, Adam, Riley and Connor. The family hatched a plan to build the Calgary-Banff train route eight years ago.
The Waterous family in their Banff mountain backyard. From left to right: Liam, Jan, Adam, Riley and Connor. The family hatched a plan to build the Calgary-Banff train route over breakfast eight years ago. Photo by Supplied

In the interim, the Waterouses, through the family holding company Liricon Capital Inc., have invested millions of their own fortune into the proposal to build a train. The wider aspects of the project would involve restoring Banff’s historic train station, expanding upon an intercept parking lot with 600 free parking spaces intended to get drivers out of their cars and onto shuttle buses the Waterouses already operate, and adding a gondola service to whisk people from the train station to Mt. Norquay’s slopes.

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Plenary Americas, a portfolio company of Quebec’s pension fund, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, sure seems bullish on the idea, and has signed on as the co-developer of the train. The other partner, should the project get the green light, would be the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which would put up half the estimated $2-billion construction cost. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith likewise seems keen, to the extent the province committed millions to explore connecting passenger rail service to Alberta’s Rocky Mountain parks system in its Feb. 29 budget.

It is fair to say none of the above would have happened if a couple of opposites, who have been together for almost 40 years, had not said enough was enough. Adam and Jan’s divergent natures were not evident when they were classmates (in political theory) at Western University in London, Ont., but they became clear upon bumping into one another in an elevator in Toronto during the summer of 1984.

Adam was wearing an “Elect Brian Mulroney” button; Jan an elect “John Turner” button. Both were volunteers for the opposing campaigns to be prime minister. A wager was struck on the outcome, and a lunch subsequently purchased by the loser for the winner at Bemelmans, a popular Toronto haunt.

“And the rest is history,” Jan said.

Adam bounces back from bad news like no one else. Just moments after suffering a business setback, he’s already imagining and planning the next even bigger success

David Potter

Part of that history, as it relates to an ambitious, unsolicited proposal to get a $2-billion infrastructure project built in Alberta, revolves around Adam’s dogged persistence. Back in the day, when he was a wheeling-and-dealing banker, he had a reputation among colleagues for quirky boardroom presentations, at times relying more on using old movie clips rather than spreadsheets.

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“Adam is clearly super smart,” David Potter, who worked closely with Waterous at Scotiabank, said. “But what really sets him apart from all the other sharp minds I’ve met or worked with over my career are his resilience and persistence. Adam bounces back from bad news like no one else. Just moments after suffering a business setback, he’s already imagining and planning the next even bigger success.”

Jan said her husband’s unbridled optimism in the wake of apparent disaster has been crucial in their dealings with bureaucracy: a morass of red tape, involving three levels of government, and a cast of changing characters.

Since the train project got rolling in 2016, the Waterouses have had brushes with three different premiers (Rachel Notley, Jason Kenney and Smith), seven transportation ministers, seven mayors and four communities, plus some mucky mucks from Parks Canada who, according to the couple, love nothing better than to say no.

“I hear ‘no’ as no, but Adam hears ‘no’ as maybe,” Jan said. “He loves to quote that line from the movie, The Big Lebowski, ‘Yay, well, that’s just like your opinion, man.’”

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A large sundog lights up the sky behind the Cascade chairlift at Banff’s Mt. Norquay ski resort, which is owned by the Waterouses.
A large sundog lights up the sky behind the Cascade chairlift at Banff’s Mt. Norquay ski resort, which is owned by the Waterouses. Photo by Al Charest/Special to Postmedia

In other words, Waterous doesn’t get too fussed about opinions or the personalities delivering them, but stays focused on the merits of the project. Those merits don’t require consultants in fancy suits to sell them to the powers-that-be. Adam and Jan show up to meetings themselves, including in 2017, when they first met Jeff Genung, the mayor of Cochrane, Alta., for coffee.

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Genung immediately warmed to the idea and the people pitching it. A train would provide commuters an alternative option from driving, ease the burden on an overburdened highway network, increase labour mobility and attract more tourists to Cochrane — about 30 minutes northwest of Calgary and the hypothetical train’s first stop — even if the sum of their visit meant getting off the train to stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat.

The mayor understands the train would be operated as a business, with profits derived from ticket sales and a three-tiered pricing model, with the most luxurious seats reserved for domestic and international travellers of means bound for some good times in Banff. But he has never sensed the Waterouses were in it for the money.

“I genuinely think their interest in the train is doing something that is legacy, something that could really improve the lives of Albertans,” he said.

Jan said the project isn’t indeed an act of philanthropy, though she said there are much “easier ways” to make money, and most involve fewer headaches and substantially less red tape.

“Philanthropy, as admirable as it is, is not sustainable,” she said. “Our model is based on the premise that the only way to ensure that a solution is environmentally sustainable is to also make it economically sustainable.”

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A Canadian Pacific railway locomotive pulls train cars along a rail line in Banff. If and when the hydrogen-powered train gets built, the line would track within the existing freight rail corridor.
A Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive pulls train cars along a rail line in Banff. If and when the hydrogen-powered train gets built, the line would track within the existing freight rail corridor. Photo by Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

As for the environment, if and when the hydrogen-powered train gets built as proposed, the line would track within the existing Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. freight rail corridor, thereby nixing the need to cut great swaths of forest and blast through mountains. That’s a good news story for the planet.

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But pitching a clean-tech transit line that takes cars off the road on the one hand while fuelling those cars and the carbon economy on the other might annoy a few people in the green camp. Strathcona Resources produces about 200,000 barrels of oil a day, and the company plans to boost production to 325,000 barrels over the next eight years.

And yet Waterous doesn’t see any contradiction between what he does for a living and what he is trying to do for Banff. Portraying oil as a public enemy gets him pretty animated, and he argues that millions of people in the developing world die each year of “energy poverty” because they lack access to cheap fuel sources to heat, cool and cook in their homes.

The clearest path to eliminate those deaths, he said, is to ramp up energy production in the west while ramping down our own energy-intensive hypocrisy by parking our cars, building and using mass transit, and having energy producers such as Strathcona invest in technologies that can help decarbonize the hydrocarbon system.

“We actually think there is a moral obligation for Canada to try and double its production over the next 15 years,” he said.

Morals aside, a Calgary-Banff train polls favourably with the public, with 85 per cent of Calgarians expressing support for the idea. But there is still plenty of convincing to do.

Count Sarah Elmeligi among the skeptics. The NDP MLA for the region that includes Banff had a long pre-political career in conservation. She is reportedly not anti-train, but wants to see more data on what the impact on the environment and wildlife corridors might be and whether, say, an expanded bus service might negate the need for a multi-billion infrastructure project before championing the cause.

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Waiting on feasibility and wildlife impact studies requires patience, but, according to Jan, the couple dutifully take their “vitamins,” and, according to Adam, they feel like a couple of “kids” despite being in their early 60s. They are not going anywhere.

Liam Waterous, then 16, collecting signatures in support of the train proposal at a booth on Banff Ave.
Liam Waterous, then 16, collecting signatures in support of the train proposal at a booth on Banff Ave. Photo by Supplied

But just in case, mom and dad have some backup. Liam, their youngest son, was 16 when the train project started. He recalls its humble beginnings at a makeshift booth on Banff Avenue collecting signatures with his parents from locals in support of the train. His parents carried the resulting data with them to their initial meeting with the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Now 24, Liam is an associate with wide-ranging duties at Waterous Energy Fund. Among his tasks on a recent morning was doing some financial modelling for the train. Jan said her boys bring boundless energy, spreadsheet chops and the insights of the not-always-car-owning millennial to the table. Liam believes his buddies would be willing to pay between $20 and $30 for a ticket to Banff.

Liam describes his parents as a “funny pair.” Jan is the calm one, the listener, sounding board and a sage giver of good advice to Adam, the “China breaker” who is constantly pushing new ideas, and occasionally requiring his spouse to rein him in.

“Obviously, the relationship works,” Liam said.

Mendelman, the Banff restaurateur, delights in a story about Adam from around the time Strathcona Resources went public. The hard-charging tycoon and his sons flew to Toronto to ring the opening bell at the Toronto Stock Exchange. And yet when Mendelman ran into Adam sometime after, he glossed over going public and got right down to business: “How was the skiing?” he wondered.

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“Adam doesn’t seem to dwell on past accomplishments,” Mendelman said. “He seems much more interested in the future of Banff.”

It was now 9 a.m. in Calgary, and the sun was streaking through the windows of the Waterouses’ city house. Adam’s coffee was empty, but his day had just begun. It was time to get to work as chief executive of an oil-focused energy fund, but he was still eager to talk of hydrogen trains.

“What Jan and I are doing with the train, gondola and intercept parking — none of these are our ideas — they have all been around forever,” he said. “We always thought they were really good ideas, and like a lot of things in life, this is all about leaning in and saying, ‘Fine, we’ll do it.’ Somebody has got to lead the parade.”

• Email: joconnor@postmedia.com

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