Archive | Barrick Gold Corporation

Barrick eyes place in S&P 500 while keeping Toronto HQ – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – August 11, 2020)

August 11, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold Corp. is hoping to be included in the S&P 500 Index in the United States but plans to keep its head office in Canada, a potentially tricky manoeuvre that, if successful, would open up the giant miner to an even larger pool of investors.

Being included in the S&P 500 would result in increased buying of Toronto-based Barrick from large institutional investors, such as index funds. While specialist mining funds have been in decline over the past decade, index-tracking exchange-traded funds are making up a bigger swath of the investment pool.

“That’s something that’s always been of interest to me, because if we got on the S&P, the index demand would increase substantially,” Barrick chief executive Mark Bristow said in an interview. Continue Reading →

Barrick Gold reports 14% rise in dividend amid soaring gold prices, on track to achieve 2020 production guidance – by Anna Golubova (Kitco News – August 10, 2020)

August 10, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE:GOLD, TSX:GOLD.TO) said on Monday that it increased its Q2 dividend to shareholders by 14% to 8 cents per share, citing robust performance and strong balance sheets amid record-high gold prices.

The company also noted that its dividend more than doubled since the Barrick-Randgold merger announcement in September 2018.

“The Board believes that the dividend increase is sustainable and is reflective of the ongoing robust performance of our operations and continued improvement in the strength of our balance sheet, with total liquidity of $6.7 billion, including a cash balance of $3.7 billion as of the end of the second quarter, and no material debt repayments due before 2033,” said Senior executive vice-president and chief financial officer Graham Shuttleworth. Continue Reading →

Barrick backs new global industry standard for mine tailings dams – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 5, 2020)

August 6, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canadian Regional Media and Web Publications, Mining Environmental Accidents, Pollution, Tailing Dams and Abandoned Mines, Ontario Mining

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

North Shore miner Barrick Gold is endorsing a new international standard for managing current and future mine tailings facilities with the aim of preventing waste dam failures.

The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management was born from a year-long review process by United Nations Environment Programme, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the International Council on Mining and Minerals.

With more than 12,000 tailings storage facilities globally, the goal of the review was to establish a standard of the safer management of mine waste, by strengthening environmental, social, governance and technical practices of the mining industry across the entire lifecycle of these facilities. Continue Reading →

Skeena gains full ownership of past-producing Eskay Creek from Barrick – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly.com – July 7, 2020)

July 8, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, British Columbia’s Golden Triangle Mining District, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://m.miningweekly.com/

TSX-V-listed Skeena Resources will exercise its option to acquire the Eskay Creek gold/silver project, in the Golden Triangle of north-west British Columbia, from gold major Barrick Gold. Barrick has also agreed to waive its back-in right on Eskay Creek.

As a result of the transaction, Barrick will be a significant shareholder in Skeena, owning about 12.4%. If Barrick were to exercise the warrants, its ownership of Skeena would increase to 17.2% on a partially diluted basis and Skeena would receive cash proceeds of C$30.4-million.

“Skeena is honoured to have Barrick as a significant shareholder as we endeavour to revitalise Eskay Creek, the former highest-grade, past-producing gold mine in the world,” said Skeena CEO Walter Coles in a statement on Monday. Continue Reading →

Aussie miner Saracen strikes $1.1b Super Pit deal on Kalgoorlie’s Golden Mile – by Jarrod Lucas (Australian Broadcasting Corporation – November 18, 2029)

June 29, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles

https://www.abc.net.au/

Australian gold miner Saracen Mineral Holdings has struck a $1.1 billion deal for a 50 per cent stake in Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s famous Super Pit operation.

The deal with Canada’s Barrick Gold finalised in Toronto over the weekend, two months after Saracen privately entered a “competitive” sale process, and was announced to the Australian Securities Exchange on Monday morning.

Saracen estimates it will take more than three years to recover from devastating rock falls, but insists the acquisition will pay off in the long run. Continue Reading →

PNG threatens Barrick over alleged gold export attempt – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – June 5, 2020)

June 5, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://www.mining.com/

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has threatened Barrick Gold with criminal proceedings, claiming the company’s joint venture in the country was planning to illegally export $13 million in silver and gold to Australia.

The country’s mining regulator said that Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL) asked earlier this week for clearance to ship precious metals to the Perth Mint.

The move, the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) said, is considered illegal given that BNL is not allowed to process or ship gold since the government’s refused to extend its mining lease for the Porgera mine almost two months ago. Continue Reading →

OPINION: Expect gold mining takeovers, but no takeover premiums – by Andrew Willis (Globe and Mail – June 1, 2020)

June 1, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The gold mining sector is being rocked by a round of mergers and acquisitions that’s widely expected to pick up steam. Courtesy of one influential executive, Barrick Gold Corp.’s Mark Bristow, what’s missing from the current round of deal-making is the premium prices that defined past takeovers.

Precious metals stocks are market darlings because the price of gold is soaring on fears of a pandemic-induced economic downturn and currency-debasing inflation.

The last time bullion prices tested these historic highs, a decade ago, a number of mining chief executive officers binged on wealth-destroying deals. Continue Reading →

Tanzanian politician accuses Barrick of abandoning Acacia employees jailed as ‘ransom’ in tax spat – by Geoffrey York and Nial McGee (Globe and Mail – May 29, 2020)

June 1, 2020 in Africa Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold Corp. is facing criticism from a prominent Tanzanian politician for not doing enough to free three employees of its Tanzanian operations who were jailed 20 months ago and allegedly used as pawns in a multiyear tax dispute between Barrick and the Tanzanian government.

In 2017, Tanzania banned former Barrick subsidiary Acacia Mining PLC from exporting gold concentrate and demanded it pay US$200-billion in back taxes.

In October, 2018, Acacia executives Deo Mwanyika, Alex Lugendo and Asa Mwaipopo were charged with money-laundering offences and imprisoned without chance of bail. At the time, Barrick owned 63.9 per cent of Acacia. Continue Reading →

Exclusive: Barrick offers PNG landowners a stake to resolve Porgera mine dispute – by Tom Westbrook and Melanie Burton (Reuters U.S. – May 29, 2020)

May 29, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Gold and Silver

https://www.reuters.com/

SINGAPORE/MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO) has offered an extra 15% stake in its Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea to local landowners, according to a letter from its CEO, in a bid to break an impasse with the national government over the mine’s future.

Barrick, the world’s second-largest gold miner, was last month refused an extension of its expired lease over the mine that has been troubled by social unrest and pollution concerns.

Any deal would be the first struck by a resources company under economic nationalist prime minister, James Marape, who came to power a year ago seeking to retain a bigger share of the country’s resource riches. Continue Reading →

Politics and Porgera: why Papua New Guinea cancelled the lease on one of its biggest mines – by Jonathan Pryke and Shane McLeod (The Guardian – May 12, 2020)

May 12, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles, Resource Nationalism

https://www.theguardian.com/

Late in April, in the middle of a global pandemic and slow-boiling domestic economic crisis, the government of Papua New Guinea made the surprising announcement not to extend the mining lease on a goldmine that contributes roughly 10% of the country’s total exports.

The announcement not to renew the special mining lease for the Porgera mine was a shock, not least to the mine’s operator, Barrick Gold, and their joint venture partner Zijin Mining.

Porgera is one of Papua New Guinea’s longest running goldmines. Operating for 30 years in the highlands province of Enga, this large mine was expected to produce around 250,000 ounces of gold in 2019. Continue Reading →

Papua New Guinea seeks $191-million in back taxes from Barrick, Chinese partner as mining row escalates – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – May 7, 2020)

May 7, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Mining Conflict and Opposition

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Papua New Guinea wants Barrick Gold Corp. and its Chinese joint-venture partner to fork over US$191-million in back taxes, as the world’s second biggest gold producer dukes it out in court over whether it has the right to continue mining in the country.

Late last month, Papua New Guinea (PNG) refused Barrick’s request to renew its mining lease on the Porgera gold mine, citing environmental and other legacy issues.

Barrick subsequently took legal action against the government, filing a judicial review with the National Court of Justice. The court ordered both sides to negotiate and report on their progress on Friday. If the two can’t reach an agreement, a mediator will be appointed to hash out a settlement. Continue Reading →

Gold price boosts Barrick profit as miner eyes copper deals – by Arundhati Sarkar, Zandi Shabalala and Helen Reid (Reuters U.S. – May 6, 2020)

May 7, 2020 in Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Copper, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles

https://www.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO) (GOLD.N) reported a nearly 55% rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday as gold prices surged, bolstering its ability to snap up mines including in copper, its chief executive said.

Investors’ anxiety about a global economy brought to its knees by the coronavirus pandemic has boosted “safe-haven” gold XAU= by 12% so far this year, while copper CMCU3, seen as a bellwether for economic growth, is down about 15%.

Barrick CEO Mark Bristow has previously said the world’s No. 2 gold miner aims to increase its exposure to copper because of its expected higher use in electrification. He added on Wednesday the relative price performance between copper and gold made deals more attractive. Continue Reading →

Zijin warns Papua New Guinea of China anger over end of gold mine lease – by Tom Westbrook and Tom Daly (Reuters U.S. – April 29, 2020)

April 29, 2020 in Asia Mining, Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles

https://www.reuters.com/

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, April 29 (Reuters) – China’s Zijin Mining has warned Papua New Guinea that its failure to renew the lease of a gold mine it jointly owns with Barrick Gold Corp there could damage bilateral relations.

Papua New Guinea on Friday said it would not renew a 20-year mining lease at its Porgera gold mine, citing environmental damage and social unrest even as gold prices have soared to more than seven-year highs.

Barrick (Niugini) Limited (BNL), the local venture in which both miners have a 47.5% stake, suspended operations on Saturday, saying the government had not given it formal notification that it would not renew the lease, or any details of a planned transition. Continue Reading →

Papua New Guinea lashes out at Barrick for halting Porgera – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – April 28, 2020)

April 28, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Canadian Media Resource Articles, Gold and Silver, Resource Nationalism

https://www.mining.com/

Papua New Guinea is threatening to take immediate control of Barrick Gold’s (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) Porgera mine after the company’s local unit halted operations over the weekend following news that the mining lease would not be renewed.

Barrick, the world’s second largest gold miners, and its joint venture partner, China’s Zijin Mining, had applied in June 2017 for a twenty-year renewal of the mine lease, which expired in August.

Since then, the company has faced backlash from landowners and residents over what they claim are negative social, environmental and economic impacts from the mine. Continue Reading →

Barrick says PNG’s Porgera decision is tantamount to nationalisation – by Mariaan Webb (MiningWeekly.com – April 24, 2020)

April 24, 2020 in Australia/New Caledonia/Papua New Guinea Mining, Barrick Gold Corporation, Canada Mining, Gold and Silver, International Media Resource Articles

https://www.miningweekly.com/

Global miner Barrick Gold will challenge Papua New Guinea’s decision not to extend its special mining lease (SML) for the Porgera gold mine, saying the move is tantamount to nationalisation.

Prime Minister James Marape on Friday announced that Papua New Guinea had refused an application to extend mining at Porgera, citing alleged environmental and resettlement issues.

Barrick, led by president and CEO Mark Bristow, said it remained willing to discuss the matter with Marape and his government in the hope of averting what it described as a “catastrophic situation for the communities at Porgera and in Enga, and for the country as a whole”. Continue Reading →