AuRico Gold Announces its Ninth Consecutive Quarter of Record Production

Toronto (ots/PRNewswire) -

Young-Davidson Reports Underground Cash Costs of $656 per Ounce
and Underground Unit Costs of $41 per Tonne

AuRico Gold Inc. , ("AuRico" or the "Company") today announces
preliminary third quarter production results. All amounts are in U.S.
dollars unless otherwise indicated. (Results for the third quarter
2014 are estimates only and are subject to change.)

AuRico is reporting its ninth consecutive quarter of record
company-wide gold production driven by record production from the
cornerstone Young-Davidson mine. Period-over-period production growth
is expected to continue going forward, underpinned by the ongoing
ramp-up in production at the Young-Davidson mine located in northern
Ontario.

To view "Company Wide Quarterly Production Growth", please click:
http://files.newswire.ca/975/aurico_1014.pdf

Preliminary 2014 Third Quarter Operational Results

Q1/13 Q2/13 Q3/13 Q4/13
Young-Davidson
Gold ounces produced[2] 28,281 29,252 30,099 33,106
Underground cash costs per gold ounce - - - $663
Open pit cash costs per gold ounce $694 $716 $666 $983
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $694 $716 $666 $850
Underground mine
Tonnes mined per day 1,130 1,611 1,417 2,590
Grades (g/t) 2.7 2.5 2.8 3.1
Development metres 1,941 2,445 2,620 2,986
Mill processing facility
Tonnes processed per day 6,466 7,017 6,747 6,969
Grades (incl. open pit stockpile) 1.8 1.7 1.7 2.0
Recoveries (%) 86% 85% 89% 88%
El Chanate
Gold ounces produced 17,889 18,751 18,804 16,420
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $563 $602 $588 $615
Open pit tonnes mined per day 106,319 98,928 87,336 98,487
Consolidated Results
Gold ounces produced[2] 46,170 48,003 48,903 49,526
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $635 $655 $628 $771

(table cont.)

Q1/14 Q2/14 Q3/14[1]
Young-Davidson
Gold ounces produced[2] 35,104 40,166 40,538
Underground cash costs per gold ounce $808 $803 $656
Open pit cash costs per gold ounce $1,350 $974 $923
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $1,009 $871 $723
Underground mine
Tonnes mined per day 2,611 3,595 3,752
Grades (g/t) 2.8 3.3 3.1
Development metres 3,772 3,545 3,269
Mill processing facility
Tonnes processed per day 7,163 8,230 7,670
Grades (incl. open pit stockpile) 1.8 2.2 1.9
Recoveries (%) 87% 88% 90%
El Chanate
Gold ounces produced 19,110 16,032 16,499
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $586 $618 $663
Open pit tonnes mined per day 95,402 93,808 94,643
Consolidated Results
Gold ounces produced[2] 54,214 56,198 57,037
Total cash costs per gold ounce[3] $870 $801 $706

1. Data provided for the third quarter 2014 are estimates only and
subject to change.

2. Includes pre-production gold ounces from the Young-Davidson
underground mine prior to the declaration of commercial production in
the underground mine on October 31, 2013.

3. Represents a non-GAAP measure. See page 18 of the Company's Q2
2014 Management's Discussion & Analysis for further information. Cash
costs are prior to inventory net realizable value adjustments &
reversals. For Young-Davidson, gold ounces for cash costs purposes
include ounces produced for 2013, and ounces sold for 2014. For El
Chanate and on a consolidated basis, gold ounces for cash cost
purposes include ounces sold. Pre-production ounces produced at
Young-Davidson are excluded from ounces produced as these ounces were
credited against capitalized project costs when sold.

"The Company is pleased to report its ninth consecutive quarter of
record company-wide gold production, which builds on the successes
achieved in prior quarters. We are particularly encouraged that our
operation teams have delivered another strong quarter of production
and demonstrated that their focus remains on quality production that
drives margins, with Young-Davidson reporting a significant 17%
decrease in cash costs", stated Scott Perry, President and Chief
Executive Officer. He continued, "The disciplined approach to our
business underpins our growing production profile, which combined
with our decreasing cost profile, positions the Company for
long-term, sustainable performance. We remain optimistic that in the
current gold price environment, the Young-Davidson mine will be
generating positive free cash flow by the end of this year."

Young-Davidson Update

- At the end of the quarter, the Young-Davidson mine achieved 557 days of
lost time incident free operations.
- Production of 40,538 gold ounces for the quarter represented the ninth
consecutive quarter of record gold production with the operation expected to deliver
additional period-over-period production increases going forward as the underground
mine ramps-up to targeted levels.
- Underground cash costs for the quarter decreased to $656 per gold ounce, an
18% decline over the prior quarter, primarily driven by increased production, lower
unit processing costs and lower underground unit mining costs. Total cash costs for
the quarter, which includes the low-grade open pit stockpile, decreased by 17% to $723
per gold ounce.
- During the quarter, underground mine productivity exceeded planned levels and
averaged approximately 3,752 tonnes per day at grades in-line with reserve grade
estimates. With underground productivity at approximately 94% of the year-end target,
the operation is well positioned to achieve the year-end target of 4,000 tonnes per
day and an ultimate productivity level of 8,000 tonnes per day at the end of 2016.
- For the third full quarter of underground commercial production, unit mining
costs declined to approximately $41 per tonne, in-line with the year-end target of $40
per tonne.
- During the quarter, underground development advance continued at planned
levels with approximately 3,269 metres completed, an average of 36 metres per day. The
Company will continue to focus on advancing underground development to best position
the mine for sustainable, period-over-period, productivity increases in the fourth
quarter and beyond.
- During the quarter, the mill facility averaged 7,670 tonnes per day, including
4-days of downtime for scheduled mill reline activities. Recoveries increased over
prior periods to a record 90%, which is expected to be sustained going forward.
- As planned, the short life open pit mine was fully depleted in early June and
as a result, during the quarter higher grade underground mill feed was supplemented
with low grade open pit stockpiled ore to ensure the mill processing facility was
operating at peak capacity. The open pit stockpile will continue to supplement
underground ore feed to the mill processing facility as the underground mine ramps up
to targeted levels and the remaining stockpile will be processed at the end of the
mine life.
- Currently, approximately 2.6 million tonnes of open pit ore, at an average
grade of approximately 0.80 grams per tonne, is stockpiled ahead of the mill facility
for future processing. As the related mining costs associated with the stockpile were
expended in prior periods, the processing of this ore will favourably augment the
mine's free cash flow profile going forward.

El Chanate Update

- During the quarter, the open pit mining rate averaged 94,643 tonnes per
day with mined grades being in-line with plan.
- Mining operations in the third quarter reflected a transition from the
sequencing of lower grade mining areas to higher grade mining areas during the latter
part of the quarter.
- Production increased over the prior quarter while cash costs for the quarter
were $663 per ounce, which is in-line with guidance levels.

About AuRico Gold

AuRico Gold is a leading Canadian gold producer with mines and
projects in North America that have significant production growth and
exploration potential. The Company is focused on its core operations
including the Young-Davidson gold mine in northern Ontario, and the
El Chanate mine in Sonora State, Mexico. AuRico's project pipeline
also includes advanced development opportunities in Mexico and
Canada. AuRico's head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements and
forward-looking information as defined under Canadian and U.S.
securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical
fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "expect", "believe",
"anticipate", "will", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "budget" and
similar expressions identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements include information as to strategy, plans
or future financial or operating performance, such as the Company's
expansion plans, project timelines, production plans, projected cash
flows or capital expenditures, cost estimates, projected exploration
results, reserve and resource estimates and other statements that
express management's expectations or estimates of future performance.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of
factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by
management, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and
contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements, including: uncertainty of production and cost estimates;
fluctuations in the price of gold and foreign exchange rates; the
uncertainty of replacing depleted reserves and the possible
recalculation or reduction of reserves and resources; the risk that
the Young-Davidson shaft will not perform as planned; the risk that
mining operations do not meet expectations; the risk that projects
will not be developed according to budgets or timelines, changes in
laws in Canada, Mexico and other jurisdictions in which the Company
may carry on business; risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits
or approvals for operations or projects such as Kemess; disputes over
title to properties; the speculative nature of mineral exploration
and development; risks related to aboriginal or Ejido title claims;
compliance risks with respect to current and future environmental
regulations; disruptions affecting operations; opportunities that may
be pursued by the Company; employee relations; availability and costs
of mining inputs and labor; the ability to secure capital to execute
business plans; volatility of the Company's share price; continuation
of the dividend and dividend reinvestment plan; the effect of future
financings; litigation; risk of loss due to sabotage and civil
disturbances; the values of assets and liabilities based on projected
future cash flows; risks arising from derivative instruments or the
absence of hedging; adequacy of internal control over financial
reporting; changes in credit rating; and the impact of inflation.
Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ
materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements contained herein. Such statements are based on a number of
assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including assumptions
about: business and economic conditions; commodity prices and the
price of key inputs such as labour, fuel and electricity; credit
market conditions and conditions in financial markets generally;
revenue and cash flow estimates, production levels, development
schedules and the associated costs; ability to procure equipment and
supplies and ability to do so on a timely basis; the timing of the
receipt of permits and other approvals for projects and operations;
the ability to attract and retain skilled employees and contractors
for the operations; the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates;
the impact of changes in currency exchange rates on costs and
results; interest rates; taxation; and ongoing relations with
employees and business partners. The Company disclaims any intention
or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by applicable law.

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2014/10/14/2014
1014_C7501_DOC_EN_43002.pdf

For further information:

For further information please visit the AuRico Gold website at
http://www.auricogold.com or contact:

Scott Perry
President and Chief Executive Officer
AuRico Gold Inc.
+1-647-260-8880

Anne Day
Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications
AuRico Gold Inc.
+1-647-260-8880

(AUQ. AUQ)

ots Originaltext: AuRico Gold Inc.
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