B08 Metal Ore Mining

Saracen bets $1.1b on gold mine

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 19-Nov-19

Saracen Mineral Holdings MD Raleigh Finlayson believes that gold production at Kalgoorlie’s Superpit will continue for many years, noting that much of the mineralisation to the south of the mine has yet to be explored. Saracen will fund its $1.1bn acquisition of Barrick Gold’s 50 per cent stake in the mine via a $796m capital raising and a $450m debt facility. The gold price was trading at around $US1,467 an ounce on 18 November.

CORPORATES
SARACEN MINERAL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SAR, BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION, NEWMONT MINING CORPORATION, VAN ECK ASSOCIATES CORPORATION, WROXBY PTY LTD

Saracen goes for gold with $1bn swoop on Super Pit half-stake

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Original article by Perry Williams, Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 18 : 18-Nov-19

Sources have suggested that Saracen Mineral Holdings will seek to tap investors for more than $600m to help finance the acquisition of Barrick Gold’s 50 per cent stake in the Super Pit mine in Western Australia. Final bids for the stake were lodged on 15 November, and Barrick is expected to shortly announce Saracen as the successful bidder. The sale price is believed to exceed $1bn. Newmont Goldcorp is expected to seek a buyer for its 50 per cent stake in the gold mine.

CORPORATES
SARACEN MINERAL HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SAR, BARRICK GOLD CORPORATION, NEWMONT GOLDCORP, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST

BHP’s new CEO Mike Henry vows to accelerate productivity push

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Original article by Nick Toscano, Colin Kruger
Brisbane Times – Page: Online : 14-Nov-19

BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie will step down at the end of 2019 after more than six years in the role. He will be succeeded by mining industry veteran Mike Henry, who will receive a base salary of $US1.7m ($2.5m). Henry, who has been the head of BHP’s Australian minerals division since 2016, says he will spend the next 45 days holding meetings with BHP staff across its global operations. Henry was regarded as a leading internal candidate to succeed Mackenzie.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Rio workers exposed to toxic gas

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 14-Nov-19

Rio Tinto was issued with a prohibition notice on 21 October, after workers at the Tom Price iron ore hub in the Pilbara were exposed to a toxic gas in September. Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety ordered the temporary closure of the open pit and required Rio Tinto to improve monitoring systems and safety procedures at the site. Rio Tinto has taken remedial action and advised that the incident will not affect its 2019 output from the Pilbara. Production at the Tom Price hub began in 1966.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY

Rio knew of project woes, UK court told

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 20 : 13-Nov-19

Rio Tinto advised earlier in 2019 that the underground expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia could cost up to $US1.9 billion more than previously forecast. It also indicated that the expansion project may take up to 30 months longer than expected to complete. However, a former general manager at the mine has claimed that he raised concerns about a blowout in the cost and completion date for the expansion in July 2018. He has filed an unfair dismissal claim against Rio Tinto in the UK.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GREAT BRITAIN. EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL, TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LIMITED

Riches keep rolling in for Rinehart

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian – Page: 22 : 12-Nov-19

Hancock Prospecting posted a net profit of $2.6bn in 2018-19, compared with just $443m in 2016, while its revenue increased from $1.6bn to $8.4bn over the same period. Hancock, which is controlled by mining magnate Gina Rinehart, benefited from a sustained rally in the iron ore price in 2018-19. The Roy Hill iron ore project was a major contributor to Hancock’s earnings for the financial year, with a profit of $1.38bn and revenue of $5.16bn. Rinehart’s wealth was estimated at $13.12bn in March.

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD

The $10bn tax company

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 44-45 : 12-Nov-19

BHP’s tax bill in Australia was $US4.72bn ($6.79bn) in 2018-19, compared with $US1.79bn ($2.33bn) two years earlier. BHP contends that when state government royalties on its iron ore and coking coal exports are taken into account, its total economic contribution in Australia was about $US7bn ($10bn) in 2018-19. BHP’s relations with the Australian Taxation Office have improved in recent years, and second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn recently praised the resources giant’s annual economic contribution report.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA

Drought may force mines to shut down

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 20 : 11-Nov-19

Aeris Resources has warned that lack of sufficient water supply may force the closure of its Tritton copper mine in New South Wales. Aeris has advised that the mine may not have enough water to keep operating beyond February, and it will seek state government approval to access the Nyngan to Cobar pipeline. Aurelia Metals has also indicated that the drought in NSW may result in the loss of its Peak gold and base metals mine’s entire water allocation in early 2020. The mining sector is a major employer in the state’s Cobar region.

CORPORATES
AERIS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX AIS, AURELIA METALS LIMITED – ASX AMI, GLENCORE PLC, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, EVOLUTION MINING LIMITED – ASX EVN, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, COBAR SHIRE COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY

Base metals set to rebound in 2020: Ausbil

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 18 : 11-Nov-19

The price of copper remains below $US6000 per tonne on the London Metals Exchange, having reached a low of $US5,610/tonne in early September. However, Ausbil portfolio managers are upbeat about the outlook for copper and other base metals in 2020; they say indications that the US-China trade war is stabilising should be enough to prompt manufacturers to begin restocking their raw materials inventory.

CORPORATES
AUSBIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED

BHP chiefs defend its green push

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Original article by Peter Ker, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 8-Nov-19

BHP held its annual meeting of shareholders in Sydney on 7 November, at which over 27 per cent voted in favour of a resolution that called for the mining firm to quit groups that do not support the Paris climate agreement. The strong vote was despite CEO Andrew Mackenzie saying that industry associations were better able to achieve solutions to global issues than companies acting on their own, while chairman Ken MacKenzie claimed environmentalists should welcome its plan to spend $US400 million on climate change mitigation

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP