The Northern Miner October 1 2018 Issue

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LITHOQUEST DIAMONDS: FINDS DIAMONDS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA / 7 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM

SPECIAL FOCUS

QUEBEC

Action across the Abitibi and beyond / 9–16

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OCTOBER 1–14, 2018 / VOL. 104 ISSUE 20 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $3.99 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM

Endeavour improves Terronera’s metrics

Barrick, Randgold to forge world’s biggest gold miner

SILVER

| New study anticipates longer mine life, higher revenues and lower costs

M&A   | Bristow to be ‘New Barrick Group’ CEO BY TRISH SAYWELL tsaywell@northernminer.com

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n one of the biggest and most surprising deals the gold industry has seen in more than a decade, Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: ABX) is combining with Randgold Resources (LON: RRS; NASDAQ: GOLD) in a sharefor-share merger. The business combination creates the largest gold producer in the world, with five of the world’s top-10, tier-one gold assets by total cash cost: Cortez andGoldstrikeinNevada,PuebloViejo in the Dominican Republic, LouloGounkoto in Mali and Kibali in the DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo(DRC). The entity, called the “New Barrick Group,” will also have the highest marginforadjustedearningsbeforeinterest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA),andthelowesttotalcash-cost position among its senior gold peers. Under the merger, valued at $18.3 billion,Randgoldshareholderswillreceive 6.1280 New Barrick shares, meaning once the transaction closes in the first quarter of next year, Barrick shareholders will own 66.6% of the New Barrick GroupandRandgoldshareholders,33.4%, on a fully diluted basis. The deal values Randgold at US$6.5 billion. Discussions between the companies started in 2015, but picked up over the last nine months. Randgold CEO Mark Bristow, for many years an outspoken and salty critic of value destruction in the gold industry — specifically its short-term focus, undisciplined growth and poor returns on invested capital — will becometheNewBarrickGroup’spresident and CEO. “Sadly, the industry still does not seem to learn from experience and fails to plan for the future,” See BARRICK / 2

Executives, workers and visitors in the core shack at Endeavour Silver’s Terronera silver project, 40 km northeast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.   ENDEAVOUR SILVER

BY RICHARD QUARISA rquarisa@northernminer.com

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ndeavour Silver (TSX: EDR; NYSE: EXK) has tabled an updated prefeasibility study (PFS) for its Terronera silver project, 40 km northeast of Puerto Vallarta, that estimates higher revenues and a longer mine life, while lowering cash costs. Endeavour published the initial study in early 2017. Using an US$18 per oz. silver price, it gave the project a US$78.1-million, after-tax net present value (NPV) at a 5% discount rate, and a 21% after-tax internal rate of return (IRR). The economics of 2017 were based on updated reserve and resource estimates the company released along with the study. According to the 2017 report, the project contained 4.06 million probable tonnes grading 207 grams per tonne silver and 1.95 grams gold for 27 million oz. silver and 255,000 oz. gold. The project also had 3.95 million indicated tonnes at 232 grams silver and 2.18 grams gold for 29.53

million oz. silver and 277,000 oz. gold, as well as 720,000 inferred tonnes grading 309 grams silver and 1.48 grams gold for 7.15 million oz. silver and 34,000 oz. gold. According to the original study, the plant would process 4.1 million tonnes over seven years, producing 22.6 million oz. silver and 185,000 oz. gold. “The differences from that one to this one are across the board,” Endeavour president and CEO Brad Cooke says in an interview with The Northern Miner. “A bigger project with a lot more mine life gives you a higher financial return.” T he new st udy feat u res a US$117.8-million, after-tax NPV at a 5% discount rate — a 51% increase over the previous study — and a 23.5% after-tax IRR. Those numbers come from expanded reserves and resources. In the latest report, Terronera now contains 4.7 million probable tonnes grading 224 grams silver and 2.28 grams gold for 33.8 million oz. silver and 342,000 oz. gold. It also has 4.36 million indicated tonnes at 239 grams silver and 2.53 grams gold for 33.43 million oz.

silver and 354,000 oz. gold, as well as 1.07 million inferred tonnes grading 252 grams silver and 2.38 grams gold for 8.66 million oz. silver and 82,000 oz. gold. According to the report, Endeavour’s plant would process 4.7 million tonnes over 9.5 years, producing 27.9 million oz. silver and 268,000 oz. gold. Although silver recoveries drop 3% in the report to 84.6%, gold recoveries rise 8% to 80.4%, and silver-equivalent production rises 35% to 48 million oz. silver. The company lowered its anticipated cash costs 95% to US15¢ per oz. silver. It also dropped its all-in sustaining costs 71% to US$1.36 per oz. silver. Cooke says the biggest changes to the economics happened when Endeavour added its second vein discovery, named La Luz. Although La Luz has slightly lower silver grades than the main Terronera orebody, its gold grades are much higher, meaning its silverequivalent grades roughly triple Terronera’s. The updated study includes reSee ENDEAVOUR / 6

IMPERIAL METALS: LIQUIDITY CRISIS, RESTRUCTURING / 5

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