IAMGOLD provides update on life-of-mine plans

TORONTO, Jan. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today provided an update on its life-of-mine ("LOM") plans for its wholly-owned mines: Rosebel, Essakane and Westwood, which has the potential to be our highest grade, lowest cost and longest life mine.    A presentation has been posted on the IAMGOLD website at www.iamgold.com outlining the assumptions and forecasts in the mine plans. 

"We have significantly improved our outlook for our owner-operated mines," said Steve Letwin, President and CEO of IAMGOLD. "Our mining teams have worked hard to reduce costs, optimize their operations and improve productivity.  Their efforts are mitigating the impact of lower gold prices and the transition to harder rock at our open pit mines.   Using conservative assumptions, we believe these plans will enable the company to meet its financial obligations and be well positioned to take advantage of higher gold prices.

CONFERENCE CALL
A conference call and presentation will be held on Tuesday, January 19 2016, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) for a discussion with management regarding Westwood and the LOM plans listed above.  The slides related to the conference call will be available through IAMGOLD`s website www.iamgold.com.

Conference Call Information: North America Toll-Free: 1-800-319-4610 or 1-604-638-5340.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
All information included in this news release, including any information as to the Company's future financial or operating performance, and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward looking information or forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. For example, forward-looking statements contained in this news release  include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the Company's guidance for production, total cash costs, all-in sustaining costs, depreciation expense, effective tax rate, capital expenditures, operations outlook, cost management initiatives, development and expansion projects, exploration, the future price of gold, the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the realization of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, permitting timelines, currency fluctuations, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, title disputes or claims and limitations on insurance coverage.  Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by, but are not limited to the use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "guidance", "outlook", "potential", "strategy" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The Company cautions the reader that reliance on such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual financial results, performance or achievements of IAMGOLD to be materially different from the Company's estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, changes in the global prices for gold, copper, silver or certain other commodities (such as diesel, and electricity); changes in U.S. dollar and other currency exchange rates, interest rates or gold lease rates; risks arising from holding derivative instruments; the level of liquidity and capital resources; access to capital markets, and financing; mining tax regimes; ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; legislative, political or economic developments in the jurisdictions in which the Company carries on business; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment; employee relations; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; adverse changes in the Company's credit rating; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; and the risks involved in the exploration, development and mining business. With respect to development projects, IAMGOLD's ability to sustain or increase its present levels of gold production is dependent in part on the success of its projects. Risks and unknowns inherent in all projects include the inaccuracy of estimated reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries, capital and operating costs of such projects, and the future prices for the relevant minerals. Development projects have no operating history upon which to base estimates of future cash flows. The capital expenditures and time required to develop new mines or other projects are considerable, and changes in the price of gold, costs or construction schedules can affect project economics. Actual costs and economic returns may differ materially from IAMGOLD's estimates or IAMGOLD could fail to obtain the governmental approvals necessary for the operation of a project; in either case, the project may not proceed, either on its original timing or at all.

For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks faced by the Company, and which may cause the actual financial results, performance or achievements of IAMGOLD to be materially different from the company's estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, please refer to the Company's latest Annual Information Form, filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com, and filed under Form 40-F with the United States Securities Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. The risks described in the Annual Information Form (filed and viewable on www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, and available upon request from the Company) are hereby incorporated by reference into this news release.

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.

About IAMGOLD
IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities.  IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise. 

Please note:
This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca. All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov.

Si vous désirez obtenir la version française de ce communiqué, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx.

SOURCE IAMGOLD Corporation

Bob Tait, VP Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation, Tel: [phone], Mobile: [phone]; Laura Young, Director, Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation, Tel: [phone], Mobile: [phone]; Toll-free: 1-888-464-9999 [email protected]