Overview
The Comet Vale Option and Distilled Acquisition align with the Company’s strategy to consolidate and grow underexplored high grade gold mines across the Menzies, Leonora and Leinster corridor that are close to infrastructure.
Figure 2: Regional location of Vivien.
Historical underground production from the Vivien leases between 1902 and 1911 totalled 76,000oz at an average grade of 12.4 g/t Au. The Vivien open pit was mined between 1997 and 1998 and produced 410,000 tonnes at 2.70 g/t Au for 35,600oz.3
Ramelius ceased mining at Vivien in early 2023, with the last ore load coming to surface on 11 January 2023. Gold production for Vivien over the period of Ramelius’ operatorship (2015-2023) was 1.5Mt at 5.68g/t Au for 260koz4 processed through its Mt Magnet Mill situated 296km west of Vivien. Vivien was acquired by Ramelius in 2013 from Gold Fields at a cost of $10 million and, over its life, generated net cash flows of $130 million for Ramelius.5
Vivien comprises five Mining Licences (M36/111, M36/292, M36/34, M36/61 and M36/64) and one Prospecting Licence (P36/1890) with an area of 20.4km².
The wider Vivien project provides a commercially compelling brownfield gold exploration opportunity with six (6) priority drill targets based on historical gold intercepts that were not prioritised by Ramelius as part of its mining focussed activities at Vivien.
Vivien provides Labyrinth a near-term opportunity to define a JORC mineral resource across the Vivien Main Pit and Vivien Gem Prospect from the existing project drill database. There are also five (5) separate gold processing mills within 100km of Vivien that potentially provide a lower commercial threshold to profitable gold production.
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This article includes content from Labyrinth Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Gold is a long-time favorite store-of-value asset to hedge against global turmoil. Investors have several ways to invest in the precious metal, whether buying bullion, investing in gold ETFs, or buying stock in mining companies. While there are gold deposits worldwide, Australia and Canada remain strong producers of the metal, ranking as the world’s second and fifth-largest gold producers, respectively.
Labyrinth Resources (ASX:LRL) is a junior mining company with underexplored gold assets in tier 1 jurisdictions of Quebec and Western Australia, including the Labyrinth Gold project located in the heart of the Abitibi Gold Belt. The asset has not received significant exploration or development attention for more than 15 years, creating tremendous upside potential.
Labyrinth Resources is exploring its Comet Vale property in Western Australia, which has historically produced over 180,000 ounces (oz) of gold with mining only going to a 250-meter depth. Multiple gold mineralized trends are present across the tenure as well as significant nickel and copper anomalies that have not been followed up. Recent work done by Ardea Resources (ASX:ARL) shows the project is prospective for significant Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. The Walter Williams formation hosts Ardea’s KNP containing 854Mt at 0.71 percent nickel (Ni) and 0.045 percent copper (Co). High-grade Ni laterite intersections with proximal high Cu rock chips suggest there is nickel sulphide potential on the Comet Vale property.
The Labyrinth Gold project has an inferred mineral resource of 3 million tons (Mt) @ 5 g/t for 500,000 oz (at 3 g/t.m cut-off) with a notable high-grade component of 150,000 oz @ 10 g/t (above 6 g/t cut-off) and high grades of up to 62.5 g/t and widths up to 16 meters received across five individual lodes from maiden drilling. In 2022, Labyrinth announced outstanding metallurgical results from its comprehensive test work which demonstrate a clear, efficient processing pathway for its 500,000 oz Labyrinth Gold project. The company achieved an outstanding recovery through the gravity/flotation flowsheet, returning a low mass pull, high value 96 g/t gold concentrate at 97.3 percent recovery.
Labyrinth also completed a surface diamond drilling campaign at the Denain gold prospect, with a total of 4,018 meters drilled from 22 holes. The company has received all assays which confirmed the presence of two high-grade gold veins with associated copper that remain open in all directions. In December 2022, Labyrinth commenced an extensive exploration campaign at its Comet Vale Gold-Copper-Nickel project in Western Australia. The program is the first genuine surface exploration undertaken at Comet Vale in 15 years.
The company is well-positioned to acquire 100 percent ownership of the Labyrinth Gold Project from G.E.T.T Gold (TSXV:GETT). The final installment of the revised agreement is due for payment on September 29, 2023.
The company has an experienced, lean management team with a record of success in the natural resources industry. The team comprises mine engineering, geology, corporate administration, and international law experts, building confidence in Labyrinth’s ability to capitalize on its promising assets. In a current global environment desperate for genuine underground operational expertise, the Labyrinth team possesses the required skill set to leverage into value-accretive operating mine opportunities.
The company’s Comet Vale project is located 100 kilometers north of Kalgoorlie. It hosts extensive high-grade gold with existing underground development and infrastructure. The project is surrounded by historic high-grade gold mines with past production from the Sand Queen and Sand George mines totaling 181,000 oz @ 23 g/t with multiple other high-grade satellite deposits.
Drilling at the Comet Vale commenced in March 2023 with an initial 20 holes covering 1,500 meters. The program was designed to test extensions to known mineralization of the high-grade Sovereign Trend. High-grade assays were received and significant results from this program include:
The Sovereign Trend has an updated high-grade JORC 2012 mineral resource estimate that laid the foundation for further growth:
Compilation of historic results and mapping is in progress, which expands upon the Sovereign Trend and has validated the extensive gold prospectivity still existing below 50m depth across the tenement package.
The company’s flagship project sits on the Abitibi Gold Belt and has neighbors with multi-million-ounce gold deposits. However, the asset has not received significant exploration attention for the past 15 years. Only one 400-meter hole was drilled in that timeframe, leaving much of the asset untouched by modern exploration technologies. Fortunately, the asset contains a pre-existing and accessible underground mine, significantly reducing upfront development costs.
Jennifer Neild is a resources executive with more than 18 years of experience in exploration across a broad range of commodities in various jurisdictions. She was most recently chief executive officer of Peak Minerals (ASX:PUA). Neild holds a degree in Geology (Hons) from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, and a Master's in Geophysics from Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. She has held senior positions in exploration, resource geology and production geology in both Australia and Canada with Newmont Australia and Falconbridge. She was the general manager of interpretation for expert geophysics group HiSeis. With her geological and geophysics expertise in both Western Australia and Canada and her corporate and executive experience in the resources industry, Neild is ideally placed to drive the next round of exploration at the company’s Labyrinth and Comet Vale projects. She is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dean Hely is the managing partner of West Australian legal firm Lavan, with more than 29 years of experience working in corporate reconstruction, insolvency and commercial litigation. Hely currently serves as a board member of the not-for-profit organizations Rugby WA, the Australian Institute of Management WA and Youth Focus.
Simon Lawson is a professional geoscientist with more than 15 years of experience spanning multiple commodities and jurisdictions and was a founding team member of Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST). Currently, Lawson is the managing director of ASX-listed Spartan Resources Ltd (ASX:SPR) (formerly Gascoyne Resources (ASX:GCY)), a West Australian gold-focused mining company, and has personally visited and reviewed the acquired Canadian gold properties.
Franco-Nevada Corporation announced today that it will report its second quarter 2024 results as follows:
Second Quarter 2024 Results Release: |
View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/franco-nevada-to-release-second-quarter-2024-results-302198643.html
SOURCE Franco-Nevada Corporation
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2024/16/c0408.html
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All amounts expressed in US dollars
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) ("Barrick" or the "Company") today reported preliminary Q2 production of 948 thousand ounces of gold and 43 thousand tonnes of copper, as well as preliminary Q2 sales of 956 thousand ounces of gold and 42 thousand tonnes of copper. As previously guided, Barrick's gold and copper production in 2024 is expected to progressively increase each quarter through the year with a higher weighting in the second half. The Company remains on track to achieve our full year gold and copper guidance.
The average market price for gold in Q2 was $2,338 per ounce while the average market price for copper in Q2 was $4.42 per pound.
Preliminary Q2 gold production was higher than Q1, as a result of increased production at Turquoise Ridge, following the completed maintenance at the Sage autoclave in Q1, continued successful ramp up at Porgera and significant increases at Tongon, North Mara and Kibali. These increases were partially offset by planned lower production at Cortez and Phoenix. Pueblo Viejo production was flat sequentially as throughput is ramped up with a shift to recovery rate optimization in H2 2024. Compared to Q1, Q2 gold cost of sales per ounce 1 and total cash costs per ounce 2 are both expected to be 0 to 2% higher. Absent the increase in the gold price in Q2, and consequential increase in royalties, total cash costs per ounce 2 would have been lower compared to Q1. All-in sustaining costs per ounce 2 are expected to be 1 to 3% higher. Costs are expected to drop in the second half of the year as production ramps up.
Preliminary Q2 copper production was higher than Q1, driven primarily by higher grades and recoveries at Lumwana following the ramp up in stripping activities in Q1 as well as the planned shutdown in Q1. Compared to Q1 2024, Q2 copper cost of sales per pound 1 is expected to be 4 to 6% lower, C1 cash costs per pound 2 are expected to be 8 to 10% lower, while all-in sustaining costs per pound 2 are expected to be 1 to 3% higher primarily due to increased waste stripping at Lumwana. Costs are expected to drop in the second half of the year as production ramps up.
Barrick will provide additional discussion and analysis regarding its second quarter 2024 production and sales when the Company reports its quarterly results before North American markets open on August 12, 2024.
The following table includes preliminary gold and copper production and sales results from Barrick's operations:
| Three months ended June 30, 2024 | Six months ended June 30, 2024 | |||
| Production | Sales | Production | Sales | |
| Gold (attributable ounces (000)) | ||||
| Carlin (61.5%) | 202 | 202 | 407 | 409 |
| Cortez (61.5%) | 102 | 101 | 221 | 222 |
| Turquoise Ridge (61.5%) | 72 | 70 | 134 | 132 |
| Phoenix (61.5%) | 25 | 27 | 59 | 61 |
| Nevada Gold Mines (61.5%) | 401 | 400 | 821 | 824 |
| Loulo-Gounkoto (80%) | 137 | 137 | 278 | 277 |
| Kibali (45%) | 82 | 81 | 158 | 153 |
| Pueblo Viejo (60%) | 80 | 79 | 161 | 161 |
| Veladero (50%) | 56 | 68 | 113 | 101 |
| North Mara (84%) | 54 | 50 | 100 | 96 |
| Bulyanhulu (84%) | 45 | 44 | 87 | 84 |
| Tongon (89.7%) | 45 | 46 | 81 | 81 |
| Hemlo | 37 | 39 | 74 | 77 |
| Porgera (24.5%) | 11 | 12 | 15 | 12 |
| Total Gold | 948 | 956 | 1,888 | 1,866 |
| Copper (attributable tonnes (000)) | ||||
| Lumwana | 25 | 25 | 47 | 47 |
| Zaldívar (50%) | 10 | 9 | 19 | 18 |
| Jabal Sayid (50%) | 8 | 8 | 17 | 16 |
| Total Copper | 43 | 42 | 83 | 81 |
Second Quarter 2024 Results
Barrick will release its Q2 2024 results before market open on August 12, 2024. President and CEO Mark Bristow will host a live presentation of the results that day at 11:00 EDT, with an interactive webinar linked to a conference call. Participants will be able to ask questions.
Go to the webinar
US and Canada (toll-free) 1 844 763 8274
UK (toll) +44 20 3795 9972
International (toll) +1 647 484 8814
The Q2 2024 presentation materials will be available on Barrick's website at www.barrick.com .
The webinar will remain on the website for later viewing, and the conference call will be available for replay by telephone at 1 855 669 9658 (US and Canada toll-free) and +1 412 317 0088 (international toll), access code 0796#.
Enquiries:
Investor and Media Relations
Kathy du Plessis
+44 20 7557 7738
barrick@dpapr.com
Website : www.barrick.com
Technical Information
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by: Craig Fiddes, SME-RM, Lead, Resource Modeling, Nevada Gold Mines; Simon Bottoms, CGeol, MGeol, FGS, FAusIMM, Mineral Resource Management and Evaluation Executive (in this capacity, Mr. Bottoms is responsible on an interim basis for scientific and technical information relating to the Latin America and Asia Pacific region); and Richard Peattie, MPhil, FAusIMM, Mineral Resources Manager: Africa and Middle East — each a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects .
Endnote 1
Gold cost of sales per ounce is calculated as cost of sales across our gold operations (excluding sites in care and maintenance) divided by ounces sold (both on an attributable basis based on Barrick's ownership share). Copper cost of sales per pound is calculated as cost of sales across our copper operations divided by pounds sold (both on an attributable basis based on Barrick's ownership share).
References to attributable basis means our 100% share of Hemlo and Lumwana, our 89.7% share of Tongon, our 84% share of North Mara and Bulyanhulu, our 80% share of Loulo-Gounkoto, our 61.5% share of Nevada Gold Mines, our 60% share of Pueblo Viejo, our 50% share of Veladero, Zaldívar and Jabal Sayid, our 24.5% share of Porgera and our 45% share of Kibali.
Endnote 2
Total cash costs per ounce and all-in sustaining costs per ounce are non-GAAP financial measures which are calculated based on the definition published by the World Gold Council ("WGC") (a market development organization for the gold industry comprised of and funded by gold mining companies from around the world, including Barrick). The WGC is not a regulatory organization. Management uses these measures to monitor the performance of our gold mining operations and its ability to generate positive cash flow, both on an individual site basis and an overall company basis.
Total cash costs start with our cost of sales related to gold production and removes depreciation, the non-controlling interest of cost of sales and includes by-product credits. All-in sustaining costs start with total cash costs and include sustaining capital expenditures, sustaining leases, general and administrative costs, minesite exploration and evaluation costs and reclamation cost accretion and amortization. These additional costs reflect the expenditures made to maintain current production levels.
We believe that our use of total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs will assist analysts, investors and other stakeholders of Barrick in understanding the costs associated with producing gold, understanding the economics of gold mining, assessing our operating performance and also our ability to generate free cash flow from current operations and to generate free cash flow on an overall company basis. Due to the capital-intensive nature of the industry and the long useful lives over which these items are depreciated, there can be a significant timing difference between net earnings calculated in accordance with IFRS and the amount of free cash flow that is being generated by a mine and therefore we believe these measures are useful non-GAAP operating metrics and supplement our IFRS disclosures. These measures are not representative of all of our cash expenditures as they do not include income tax payments, interest costs or dividend payments. These measures do not include depreciation or amortization.
Total cash costs per ounce and all-in sustaining costs per ounce are intended to provide additional information only and do not have standardized definitions under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These measures are not equivalent to net income or cash flow from operations as determined under IFRS. Although the WGC has published a standardized definition, other companies may calculate these measures differently.
C1 cash costs per pound and all-in sustaining costs per pound are non-GAAP financial measures related to our copper mine operations. We believe that C1 cash costs per pound enables investors to better understand the performance of our copper operations in comparison to other copper producers who present results on a similar basis. C1 cash costs per pound excludes royalties and production taxes and non-routine charges as they are not direct production costs. All-in sustaining costs per pound is similar to the gold all-in sustaining costs metric and management uses this to better evaluate the costs of copper production. We believe this measure enables investors to better understand the operating performance of our copper mines as this measure reflects all of the sustaining expenditures incurred in order to produce copper. All-in sustaining costs per pound includes C1 cash costs, sustaining capital expenditures, sustaining leases, general and administrative costs, minesite exploration and evaluation costs, royalties and production taxes, reclamation cost accretion and amortization and write-downs taken on inventory to net realizable value.
Barrick will provide a full reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures when the Company reports its quarterly results on August 12, 2024.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Preliminary Second Quarter Production, Sales and Costs for 2024, and Forward-Looking Information
Barrick cautions that, whether or not expressly stated, all second quarter figures contained in this press release including, without limitation, production levels, sales and associated costs are preliminary, and reflect our expected second quarter results as of the date of this press release. Actual reported second quarter production levels, sales and associated costs are subject to management's final review, as well as review by the Company's independent accounting firm, and may vary significantly from those expectations because of a number of factors, including, without limitation, additional or revised information, and changes in accounting standards or policies, or in how those standards are applied. Barrick will provide additional discussion and analysis and other important information about its second quarter production levels, sales and associated costs when it reports actual results on August 12, 2024. For a complete picture of the Company's financial performance, it will be necessary to review all of the information in the Company's second quarter financial report and related MD&A. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to rely solely on the information contained herein.
Finally, Barrick cautions that this press release contains forward-looking statements with respect to: (i) Barrick's production and full year gold and copper guidance; and (ii) costs per ounce for gold and per pound for copper.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this press release in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known or unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information.
Such factors include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, copper, or certain other commodities (such as silver, diesel fuel, natural gas, and electricity); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; changes in mineral production performance, exploitation, and exploration successes; the resumption of operations at the Porgera mine and expected ramp up of mining and processing in 2024; risks associated with projects in the early stages of evaluation, and for which additional engineering and other analysis is required; disruption of supply routes which may cause delays in construction and mining activities, including disruptions in the supply of key mining inputs due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and conflicts in the Middle East; whether benefits expected from recent transactions are realized; quantities or grades of reserves will be diminished, and that resources may not be converted to reserves; increased costs, delays, suspensions and technical challenges associated with the construction of capital projects; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities, including geotechnical challenges, tailings dam and storage facilities failures, and disruptions in the maintenance or provision of required infrastructure and information technology systems; risks that exploration data may be incomplete and considerable additional work may be required to complete further evaluation, including but not limited to drilling, engineering and socioeconomic studies and investment; failure to comply with environmental and health and safety laws and regulations; increased costs and physical risks, including extreme weather events and resource shortages, related to climate change; timing of, receipt of, or failure to comply with, necessary permits and approvals; non-renewal of key licenses by governmental authorities; uncertainty whether some or all of targeted investments and projects will meet the Company's capital allocation objectives and internal hurdle rate; the impact of inflation, including global inflationary pressures driven by supply chain disruptions, global energy cost increases following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and country-specific political and economic factors in Argentina; the impact of global liquidity and credit availability on the timing of cash flows and the values of assets and liabilities based on projected future cash flows; fluctuations in the currency markets; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/or changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices; expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in Canada, the United States, and other jurisdictions in which the Company or its affiliates do or may carry on business in the future; lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, corruption and other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law; damage to the Company's reputation due to the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, including negative publicity with respect to the Company's handling of environmental matters or dealings with community groups, whether true or not; the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; risks associated with artisanal and illegal mining; risks associated with diseases, epidemics and pandemics, including the effects and potential effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic; litigation and legal and administrative proceedings; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties, or over access to water, power and other required infrastructure; business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, the Company; our ability to successfully integrate acquisitions or complete divestitures; risks associated with working with partners in jointly controlled assets; employee relations including loss of key employees; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion, copper cathode or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).
Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements and the risks that may affect Barrick's ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Barrick 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.
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