INTERVIEW: SEASONED GEO JOHN ROBINS ON THE ‘DEAL OF THE CENTURY’ / 3 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM
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Barrick sweetens Acacia buyout
hil
AFRICA
| Deal would end standoff with Tanzania gov’t BY CECILIA JAMASMIE
Pure Gold Mining VP of exploration Phil Smerchanski near a portal (left) and an ore transfer (right) during test mining at the Madsen gold project in Ontario. PURE GOLD MINING
Pure Gold Mining raises $47.5M for Madsen RED LAKE
| Eric Sprott takes a 10% stake in junior with advanced past producer
BY DAVID PERRI dperri@northernminer.com
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ancouver-based junior Pure Gold Mining (TSXV: PGM, LON: PUR) has raised $47.5 million that will go a long way to push forward its flagship Madsen gold project in Red Lake, Ontario. “This will be the equity component of a project financing package,” says Darin Labrenz, Pure Gold’s president and CEO, in an interview with The Northern Miner. “We had an opportunity with the rising gold market and interest from a cornerstone investor that allowed us to move forward on an equity financing.” The fundraising saw financier Eric Sprott acquire 10.2% of the company by buying 36 million units for 55¢ each, as part of a bought deal. AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU) increased its ownership stake in Pure Gold to 14.1% by picking up
“WE’VE GOT ABOUT 30% OF OUR FLOAT HELD BY FOUR KEY STRATEGIC SHAREHOLDERS: ANGLOGOLD, ERIC SPROTT, ROB MCEWEN AND NEWMONT GOLDCORP.” DARIN LABRENZ PRESIDENT AND CEO, PURE GOLD MINING
11.85 million units in a concurrent, non-brokered private placement. Each unit includes one common share and one-half common share purchase warrant to buy one Pure Gold share for 85¢ by July 18, 2022. “We’ve got about 30% of our float held by four key strategic shareholders: AngloGold, Eric Sprott, Rob McEwen and Newmont Goldcorp [TSX: NGT; NYSE: NEM],” Labrenz says. “Once we have debt [financing] arranged and announced, the board will be in a position to make a construction decision.” Labrenz expects the company will make an announcement by
this September. Ryan Walker, who covers Pure Gold as a mining analyst with Echelon Wealth Partners, quibbled about the timing of the financing. “They may have jumped a little early and may have got a better deal had they waited, as it looks like we’re in the early days of a major gold bull market.” The spot gold price rose above US$1,400 per oz., as Pure Gold closed the financing. Walker has a “speculative buy” rating on Pure Gold stock, while lowering his share price target from $1.20 to $1.05 per share, due to
South American Metallogeny: Sierra to Craton
arrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD), the world’s second-largest bullion miner, is counting the days until it takes full control of its African subsidiary, Acacia Mining (LON: ACA). By now, most of Acacia’s shareholders have expressed the intention of approving the sweetened takeover bid the gold giant submitted on July 19. That day, Barrick upped its original proposal, put forward on May 22, offering 0.168 of its own shares for every Acacia share, worth about 232 pence each. Acacia’s shareholders opposed Barrick’s first approach, saying they thought it undervalued the company’s mine plans and disregarded its exploration and development assets. See BARRICK / 2 PM40069240
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“higher than previously modelled share dilution.” According to its 2019 feasibility study, the historic Madsen project will need just $95 million and 13 months to get up and running. The study outlined 3.5 million tonnes of probable reserves grading 9 grams gold per tonne, for 1 million contained oz. gold. Pure Gold is planning a 12-year underground operation with an 800-tonne-per-day capacity to produce an average 79,000 oz. gold per year. The company expects life-ofmine capital costs of $327 million, including pre-production and closing costs. The study pegged cash costs at US$607 per oz. gold, with all-in sustaining costs of US$787 per oz. gold. Assuming gold prices of US$1,275 or US$1,400 per oz., Madsen has an after-tax net present value of $247 million or $326 million, and a 36% or 45% internal rate of return. As a past production site, the
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CONDOR GOLD: ATTRACTS INVESTMENT IN NICARAGUA / 5
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