Sas reports 2012 fourth quarter and year end results, beating cash cost guidance, generating $17.5 million in net cash flow and provides 2013 guidance

All dollar amounts are stated in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated

TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - St Andrew Goldfields Ltd. (T-SAS), ("SAS" or the "Company") earned net income attributable to shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2012 ("Q4 2012") of $12.6 million or $0.03 per share, as compared to net income of $12.9 million, or $0.04 on a per share basis, for the fourth quarter of 2011 ("Q4 2011"). Operating cash flow in the quarter was $21.7 million or $0.06 per share, compared to operating cash flow for the same period last year of $14.0 million, or $0.04 per share.

For the fiscal year 2012 ("FY 2012"), SAS earned net income attributable to shareholders of $26.0 million or $0.07 per share as compared to net income of $17.2 million or $0.05 per share for fiscal year 2011 ("FY 2011"). SAS generated $54.1 million in cash flow from operations⁽¹⁾, or $0.15 on a per share basis, compared to $23.4 million or $0.06 per share in FY 2011.

SAS is providing 2013 production guidance of between 95,000 - 105,000 ounces of gold, an increase over 2012 with similar cash cost guidance of between US$800-US$850 per ounce, before royalties.

"We had a great fourth quarter and a very good year overall", said Jacques Perron, President and CEO of SAS. "We saw a steady increase in production and as expected, our mine cash costs in the fourth quarter reduced to under US$800 per ounce. Holt continues to perform well and we were operating at approximately 1,000 tonnes per day at the end of the fourth quarter. We had a solid operational performance in 2012 and are committed to continue to improve at each operation during 2013. We have met our 2012 production and unit cost guidance and look to meet our 2013 goals and objectives in the same manner. Once more, I want to thank all the members of the SAS team for their commitment to achieving success. "

Fourth Quarter 2012 and FY 2012 Highlights

(1) See pages below for an explanation of non-GAAP measures

Holt Mine, Operations and Financial Review
The Holt Mine ("Holt") produced 15,082 ounces of gold in Q4 2012 from processing 89,901 tonnes of ore with an average head grade of 5.51 g/t Au which was above the Zone 4 average reserve grade of 5.18 g/t Au. Mill recoveries were at their expected levels of approximately 94%. Gold produced during Q4 2012 increased by 15% over the third quarter of 2012 ("Q3 2012") and increased by 32% over Q4 2011 due to increased throughput of 12% and 33% respectively. Holt produced at approximately 1,000 tonnes per day ("tpd") during Q4 2012.

Gold sales in Q4 2012 increased by 28% over Q3 2012 and 21% over Q4 2011, mainly due to the increased production as discussed above. The average realized price per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ for Q4 2012 increased by US$70 per ounce when compared to Q3 2012 and increased by US$20 per ounce when compared to Q4 2011. This led to an increase in gold sales revenue of $5.6 million when compared to Q3 2012, and $4.5 million when compared to Q4 2011. Gold sales for FY 2012 were 87% greater than that achieved during FY 2011, as a result of the 36% increase in throughput, a 13% improvement in head grade, combined with the increase in the average realized price per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾.

Operating development in Q4 2012 reduced by approximately 33% from Q3 2012 which resulted in a decrease in mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold of US$135 per ounce or 19% over Q3 2012. Operating development caught up with budgeted amounts during Q4 2012, and as such, SAS reduced contracted development mining in the quarter. It is foreseen that the development advancement achieved in Q4 2012 will remain at a similar level in 2013. SAS is currently developing Zone 6 in order to bring it into production at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2013.

Mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold for FY 2012 was US$651 per ounce as compared to US$785 per ounce in FY 2011. The 17% reduction in mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ was the result of increased throughput, improved head grade and mill recovery, which was partially offset by a slight increase in the Canadian dollar to US dollar exchange rate. Royalty costs for Q4 2012 were consistent with the level incurred in Q3 2012 and Q4 2011.

Cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ in Q4 2012 increased by $5.3 million over Q3 2012 as a result of an increase in gold sales and a decrease in unit operating costs. When compared to Q4 2011, cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ increased by 21% due to the increase in production in Q4 2012. Holt contributed a cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ of $41.7 million for FY 2012 as compared to $19.3 million achieved for FY 2011.

Holt contributed 50,445 ounces, or approximately 53% of the annual gold production for 2012. (see Operating and Financial Statistics - Holt Mine on page 12)

Holloway Mine, Operations and Financial Review
The Holloway Mine ("Holloway") produced 5,240 ounces of gold from processing 46,606 tonnes of ore with an average head grade of 3.90 g/t Au from the Smoke Deep Zone ("Smoke Deep") with minor contributions from the Middle Zone. Recoveries were approximately 90%, which exceeded the Company's forecast due to favourable mineralogy. Gold production during Q4 2012 decreased by 3% over Q3 2012 as a result of lower head grades and decreased by 14% over Q4 2011 due to lower throughput and head grade.

Gold sales during Q4 2012 decreased by $0.8 million or 9% over Q3 2012 mainly as a result of lower head grade, offset by a 4% increase in the average realized price per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾. When compared to Q4 2011, gold sales for Q4 2012 decreased by 21% primarily due to a 17% decrease in throughput. Gold sales revenue for FY 2012 decreased by 4% over FY 2011, primarily due to a 10% decrease in commercial gold production sold, which was the result of a 6% reduction in throughput.

When compared to Q3 2012, mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold increased by US$88 per ounce mainly due to a 6% decrease in head grade and a reduction in the mining rate. Mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ for FY 2012 was US$820 per ounce as compared to US$894 per ounce achieved for FY 2011. The decrease in mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ was the result of higher mill recovery and head grade, and a 1% increase in the Canadian dollar to US dollar exchange rate in FY 2012. Royalty cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ for Q4 2012 increased by US$17 per ounce of gold sold when compared to Q3 2012 and increased by US$38 per ounce of gold sold in FY 2012 as a result of the increasingly higher gold price during 2012.

Cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ for Q4 2012 was $3.3 million, a decrease of $0.6 million from Q3 2012 and $0.9 million when compared to Q4 2011, mainly due to the decrease in gold sales and higher cash costs. Holloway contributed a cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ of $13.4 million for FY 2012 as compared to $12.0 million for FY 2011 due to a decrease in operating unit costs.

Holloway contributed 21,629 ounces, or approximately 22% of the annual gold production for 2012. (see Operating and Financial Statistics - Holloway Mine on page 13)

Hislop Mine, Operations and Financial Review
The Hislop Mine ("Hislop") produced 5,507 ounces of gold during Q4 2012. The head grade averaged 2.22 g/t Au, which was 18% higher than the average reserve grade of 1.88 g/t Au. Recovery for Hislop averaged approximately 81% during the quarter, which was below expectations due to the processing of a significant amount of green carbonate-syenitic ore where the size fraction of the gold was finer than usual.

When compared to Q3 2012, gold sales revenue in Q4 2012 decreased by 10% due to a 12% decrease in head grade as well as a 7% decrease in throughput. When compared to Q4 2011, gold sales revenue improved by 19% due to a 14% improvement in head grade and a 3% increase in throughput. Gold sales revenue for FY 2012 increased by 25% when compared to FY 2011 due to a 17% increase in gold production and a 5% increase in the average realized price per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾. The increase in production in FY 2012 was also the result of a 31% improvement in head grade, partially offset by the reduced throughput.

Mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ was 24% higher than Q3 2012 mainly due to a 23% decrease in gold production. Mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ in Q4 2012 was 8% lower than Q4 2011 due to the continued improvement in head grade, increased throughput, and a decrease in the Canadian dollar to US dollar exchange rate. Mine cash cost per ounce of gold sold⁽¹⁾ for FY 2012 was US$1,034 per ounce as compared to US$1,272 per ounce achieved for FY 2011. The reduction in unit cost was the result of improved head grade, offset partially by a reduction in throughput and a slight increase in the Canadian dollar to US dollar exchange rate.

Cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ increased by $1.2 million in Q4 2012 when compared to Q4 2011 as a result of the increased gold sales and lower cash costs mentioned above. When compared to Q3 2012, cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ decreased by $1.5 million as a result of decreased production.  Hislop contributed a cash margin from mine operations⁽¹⁾ of $14.7 million in FY 2012 compared to $6.3 million achieved for FY 2011 as a result of improved head grade.

Hislop contributed 23,530 ounces, or approximately 25% of the annual gold production for 2012. (see Operating and Financial Statistics - Hislop Mine on page 14)

Taylor Project
The Company extracted a 15,000 tonne bulk sample in Q4 2012, and is currently sending the material through a sampling tower which is used to generate a more representative sample than solely using chip samples from the mineralized face or muck samples taken from loading or trucking equipment. SAS expects to process the bulk sample during the first quarter of 2013. Results of the bulk sample program will be released once the material has been processed and all the data has been received and reviewed.

Exploration Programs
Exploration activities during 2012 were focused on surface drilling at the Ghost Zone and Zone 4 targets near Holt and Holloway and the Hislop North Project located northwest of the Hislop open pit. During 2012, SAS conducted approximately 54,000 metres of surface drilling, consisting of 95 drill holes on the Company's exploration targets. For 2013, the near mine targets remain the focus of the exploration program, and will include some of the regional exploration targets.

Capital Resources
During FY 2012 SAS generated $17.5 million in net cash flow⁽¹⁾, of which $10.5 million was generated in Q4 2012. Working capital at the end of 2012 improved by $10.3 million as compared to working capital last year of $7.9 million, when adjusted for the current portion of the Gold Notes of $12.6 million, which were repaid in full in May 2012. At the end of FY 2012, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $30.7 million. The Company has access to additional cash resources by way of a US$10.0 million revolving credit facility, and in conjunction with the expected cash flows from operations, the Company is well positioned to finance its ongoing capital programs at the mines and to finance the further advancement of Taylor and other advanced stage exploration projects, without the need for external financing.

Conference Call Information
A conference call will be held Friday, February 15, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. (EST) to discuss the fourth quarter and annual 2012 results. Participants may access the webcast via the SAS website at www.sasgoldmines.com.

A recorded playback of the call will also be available via the website and will be posted within 24 hours of the call.

Qualified Person
Production at the Holt, Holloway and Hislop mines, processing at the Holt Mill and development at the Taylor Project are being conducted under the supervision of Duncan Middlemiss, P.Eng, the Company's COO and VP Operations. The exploration programs on the Company's various mineral properties are under the supervision of Douglas Cater, P.Geo, the Company's VP Exploration. Messrs. Middlemiss and Cater are qualified persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and have reviewed and approved this news release.

Non-GAAP Measures
The Company has included the following non-GAAP performance measures: adjusted net earnings ; operating cash flow per share; net cash flow; average realized price per ounce of gold sold; total cash cost per ounce of gold sold; cash margin from mine operations; cash margin per ounce of gold sold; and mine-site cost per tonne milled throughout this press release, which do not have standardized meanings prescribed by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, the Company and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance. Accordingly, it 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. Refer to pages 8-11 of this press release for a discussion and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measurements to the Company's 2012 Annual Financial Statements.

The unaudited Balance Sheets, Statements of Operations and Statements of Cash Flows for the Company for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2012, can be found on pages 15-17 .

To review the complete 2012 Annual Financial Statements and the Annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for 2012, please see SAS's SEDAR filings under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com or the Company's website at www.sasgoldmines.com.

About SAS
SAS (operating as "SAS Goldmines"), is a gold mining and exploration company with an extensive land package in the Timmins mining district, north-eastern Ontario, which lies within the Abitibi greenstone belt, the most important host of historical gold production in Canada.

SAS owns and operates the Holt, Holloway and Hislop mines with annual gold production of approximately 100,000 ounces. The Company is also advancing the Taylor Project and is conducting aggressive exploration across 120km of land straddling the Porcupine-Destor Fault Zone.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information") under applicable securities laws, concerning the Company's business, operations, financial performance, condition and prospects, as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. Forward-looking information is frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "intend" and similar words referring to future events and results, including the Company's production budgets, and planned gold production levels in 2013; the time necessary to process the bulk sample from the Taylor Project and the results thereof; the extent of the exploration programs in 2013; and the sufficiency of the Company's capital resources to carry out its planned objectives.

This forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties relating to the interpretation of the geology, continuity, grade and size estimates of the mineral reserves and resources; unanticipated operational or technical difficulties which could escalate operating and/or capital costs and reduce anticipated production levels; the Company's dependence on key employees and changes in the availability of qualified personnel; fluctuations in gold prices and exchange rates; insufficient funding or delays or inability to raise additional financing on satisfactory terms if required; operational hazards and risks, including the inability to insure against all risks; changes in laws, regulations and the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits; changes in general economic conditions and changes in conditions in the financial markets. Such forward looking information is based on a number of assumptions, including but not limited to the level and volatility of the price of gold, the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates and the assumptions on which such estimates are based, the ability to achieve capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to retain and attract qualified personnel, the sufficiency of the Company's cash reserves and operating cash flow to complete planned development and exploration activities, the availability of additional financing on acceptable terms if and as required and the level of stability of general business and economic conditions. Should one or more risks and uncertainties materialize or should any assumptions prove incorrect, then actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information and accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information. SAS does not assume the obligation to revise or update this forward‐looking information after the date of this release or to revise such information to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. A description of these risks and uncertainties are can also be found in the Company's Annual Information Form obtained on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Adjusted net earnings
Adjusted net earnings are calculated by removing the gains and losses, resulting from the mark-to-market revaluation of the Company's gold-linked liabilities and foreign currency price protection derivative contracts, one-time gains or losses on the disposition of non-core assets, and expenses and significant tax adjustments not related to current period's earnings, as detailed in the table below.  Adjusted net earnings does not constitute a measure recognized by IFRS and does not have a standardized meaning defined by IFRS and may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings. The Company discloses this measure, which is based on its Financial Statements, to assist in the understanding of the Company's operating results and financial position.

Total cash cost per ounce of gold sold
Total cash cost per ounce of gold sold is a non-GAAP performance measure and may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings. The Company has included this non-GAAP performance measure throughout this document as the Company believes that this generally accepted industry performance measure provides a useful indication of the Company's operational performance. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it 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. The following table provides a reconciliation of total cash costs per ounce of gold sold to production expenses per the Financial Statements for Q4 2012, Q4 2011 as well as for FY 2012 and FY 2011:

Mine-site cost per tonne milled
Mine-site cost per tonne milled is a non-GAAP performance measure and may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings. As illustrated in the table below, this measure is calculated by adjusting Production Costs, as shown in the statements of operations for inventory level changes and then dividing by tonnes processed through the mill. Since total cash cost per ounce of gold sold data can be affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, Management believes that mine-site cost per tonne milled provides additional information regarding the performance of mining operations and allows Management to monitor operating costs on a more consistent basis as the per tonne milled measure eliminates the cost variability associated with varying production levels. Management also uses this measure to determine the economic viability of mining blocks. As each mining block is evaluated based on the net realizable value of each tonne mined, the estimated revenue on a per tonne basis must be in excess of the mine-site cost per tonne milled in order to be economically viable. Management is aware that this per tonne milled measure is impacted by fluctuations in throughput and thus uses this evaluation tool in conjunction with production costs prepared in accordance with IFRS. This measure supplements production cost information prepared in accordance with IFRS and allows investors to distinguish between changes in production costs resulting from changes in production versus changes in operating performance.

Cash margin from mine operations
Cash margin from mine operations is a non-GAAP measure which may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings. It is calculated as the difference between gold sales and production costs (comprised of mine-site operating costs and production royalties) per the Company's Financial Statements. The Company believes it illustrates the performance of the Company's operating mines and enables investors to better understand the Company's performance in comparison to other gold producers who present results on a similar basis.

Average realized price per ounce of gold sold
Average realized price per ounce of gold sold is a non-GAAP measure and is calculated by dividing gold sales as reported in the Company's Financial Statements by the gold ounces sold. It may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings.

Cash margin per ounce of gold sold
Cash margin per ounce of gold sold is a non-GAAP measure, and is calculated by subtracting the total cash costs per ounce of gold sold from the average realized gold price per ounce of gold sold.

Net cash flow
Net cash flow is a non-GAAP measure and is calculated by taking cash flow from operating activities less cash used in investing activities as reported in the Company's Financial Statements. It may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings.

Operating cash flow per share
Operating cash flow per share is a non-GAAP measure and is calculated by dividing cash flow from operating activities in the Company's Financial Statements by the weighted average number of shares outstanding for each year.  It may not be comparable to information in other gold producers' reports and filings.

Operating and Financial Statistics - Holt Mine

Operating and Financial Statistics - Holloway Mine

Operating and Financial Statistics - Hislop Mine

Statements of Operations (unaudited)
St Andrew Goldfields Ltd.
Expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars except per share information