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Barrick Gold Corporation

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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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)

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.

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

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.

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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)

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.

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

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.

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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)

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.

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

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.

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

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”.

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Papua New Guinea snatches Barrick Gold’s Porgera mine – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – April 24, 2020)

https://www.mining.com/

Papua New Guinea is set to take control of Barrick Gold’s (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) Porgera mine after refusing to extend the company’s lease on environmental and social grounds, Prime Minister James Marape said on Friday.

“In the best interests of the state, especially in lieu of the environmental damages, claims and resettlements issues, the Special Mining Lease will not be renewed,” Marape said.

The decision comes nine months after the mining lease expired. During that time, the world’s second largest gold miner has faced backlash from landowners and residents over what they claim are negative social, environmental and economic impacts from the mine.

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Barrick to invest $10 million in Dominican-focused Precipitate Gold – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – April 14, 2020)

https://www.mining.com/

Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) has inked an earn-in agreement with Precipitate Gold (TSX-V: PRG) that gives it the right to earn a 70% stake in the junior’s Pueblo Grande project, located right next to the gold giant’s Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic.

To earn the set interest, the world’s second largest gold producer will have to invest a minimum of $10 million in exploration and deliver a pre-feasibility study within six years of the agreement.

As part of the deal, Barrick has also agreed to subscribe for $1 million (Cdn$ 1.39m) of Precipitate’s common shares in a private placement, the Vancouver-based junior miner said in a separate statement.

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Coronavirus to fuel gold-miner deals: Barrick Gold CEO – by Jonathan Garber (Fox Business – April 7, 2020)

https://www.foxbusiness.com/

The COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a flurry of deals in the gold mining industry, according to Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow.

The pandemic has caused some miners to put operations on care and maintenance, shrinking gold supplies. At the same time, major central banks and governments have been injecting cash into their economies, devaluing their currencies and spiking interest in gold, a traditional safe haven.

“There’s a real opportunity that there might be some acquisition options coming out of this,” Bristow told FOX Business. “We’re certainly keeping very busy looking at those options.”

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