Die besten Gold-/Silberminen auf der Welt
VANCOUVER, Feb. 20, 2024 - Ascot Resources Ltd. (TSX: AOT; OTCQX: AOTVF) ("Ascot" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a construction update on the Company's Premier Gold Project ("PGP" or the "Project"), located on Nisga'a Nation Treaty Lands in the prolific Golden Triangle of northwestern British Columbia. Project construction was 86% complete as of December 31, 2023 (approximately 90% as of January 31, 2024) and is currently nearing completion, with first ore delivery to the mill anticipated by the end of March 2024, and first gold pour anticipated in April.
Derek White, President and CEO, commented, "With Project construction nearing completion and early commissioning underway, we eagerly anticipate progressing to the production and operations phase at the Premier Gold Mine. The Project also accomplished an impressive safety milestone having surpassed one million hours without a lost time incident, along with another quarterly reduction in total recordable incident frequency. We are also proud to have recently closed an additional financing package which we believe is sufficient for the Company to progress from construction to first gold pour, ramp-up, commercial production and steady-state operations. With the gold price still trading near US$2,000 per ounce, this is an opportune time for us to become Canada's next gold producer."
PROJECT CONSTRUCTION
Funding for Construction and Ramp-Up
On February 20, 2024, the Company announced the closing of its financing for a total of US$50 million from Sprott Resource Streaming and Royalty Corp. and/or its affiliates ("Sprott Streaming") and Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund II, LP ("Nebari"), as further described in the Company's news release dated January 22, 2024. Concurrently, the Company closed its previously announced bought deal private placement financing with a syndicate of underwriters co-led by BMO Capital Markets and Desjardins Capital Markets (together, the "Joint Bookrunners"), and including CIBC World Markets Inc., Raymond James Ltd. and Velocity Trade Capital Ltd. (collectively, with the Joint Bookrunners, the "Underwriters"). Under the bought deal financing, the Company issued a total of 65,343,000 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of C$0.44 per Common Share, for gross proceeds of approximately C$29 million, which included the full exercise of the Underwriters' option.
Construction Progress Key Performance Indicators ("KPI")
At the end of Q4 2023, overall construction excluding mine development was 86% complete (approximately 90% as of January 31, 2024), compared with 66% complete at the end of Q3 2023. Numerous pre-commissioning activities in the mill have commenced. The Company anticipates introducing first ore into the mill by the end of March 2024, and pouring first gold in April.
Capital costs, including mining costs, incurred as of December 31, 2023 were $292 million. As of December 31, 2023, the remaining project construction capital required to complete construction and achieve the first gold pour is approximately $47 million including mine development costs but excluding certain pre-operating costs and working capital. This implies a total project capital cost of $339 million, which is slightly higher than the most recent total project budget of $334 million as reported last quarter. The increase is mainly attributable to the increase in duration of the earthworks and project indirect costs.
The Company ended December 2023 with a cash balance of C$27 million. With the aforementioned additional financing of US$50 million from Sprott Streaming and Nebari Credit Fund II, and the equity financing with gross proceeds of C$29 million, the Company believes it is well financed to complete construction of the Project, progress through the ramp-up phase to commercial production and reach nameplate capacity at the Premier Gold Mine.
Safety
https://www.minenportal.de/artikel/...n-the-Premier-Gold-Project.html
https://www.stockwatch.com/News/Item/Z-C!CXB-3514262/C/CXB
AXA Investment Managers zum geldpolitischen Kurs der US-Notenbank Fed: "Jay Powell kann sich für seinen umsichtigen Kurswechsel bei der Januar-Pressekonferenz selbst auf die Schulter klopfen. Die ersten Inflationsdaten im Jahr 2024 bestätigten die Fed in ihrem vorsichtigen Zeitplan für Zinssenkungen. Der Rückgang des Verbraucherpreisindex (CPI) lag unter den Markterwartungen, er betrug 3,1% gegenüber einem Konsenswert von 2,9%. Seit dem Tiefpunkt im letzten Sommer ist der Kern-CPI im Aufwärtstrend und übertraf in den drei Monaten bis Januar das Ziel der Fed um das Doppelte. Ein schmerzloser Inflationsrückgang ist zum vorherrschenden Narrativ geworden. Wir sind besorgt, dass die Fed unter Druck geraten könnte, weil sie hier den erwarteten Durchbruch noch nicht geschafft hat. Den Druck für schnelle Zinssenkungen sehen wir weniger auf der Fed lasten."
Ursachensuche: Silber und Gold
Das Verhältnis der Werthaltigkeit von Gold zu Silber liegt derzeit bei rund 1:87. Demnach ist eine Unze Gold 87mal wertvoller als eine Unze Silber. In der Vergangenheit war dieser Wert eher um die 20 angesiedelt. Im 17. Jahrhundert zum Beispiel war ein Dukat zwei Taler wert. Ein Dukat entsprach circa einer zehntel Unze Gold, während ein Taler aus einer knappen Unze Silber bestand. Das Verhältnis lag also ein wenig unter 20.
Heutzutage scheint Silber einen Großteil seiner monetären Qualitäten eingebüßt zu haben. Zentralbanken halten es nicht und für Private ist es aufgrund seiner geringeren Wertdichte sperrig in der Aufbewahrung. Ob sich das Gold/Silber-Verhältnis wieder seinem natürlichen Wert (der mit 20 ungefähr dem relativen Vorkommen in der Erdkruste entspricht) annähern wird, bleibt abzuwarten. Allenfalls glaube ich nicht, dass dieser Prozess auf Kosten eines fallenden Goldpreises passieren muss.
Der Silber-Markt ist mit einem jährlichen Volumen von unter 100 Milliarden USD extrem klein. Gleichzeitig ist er, wie quasi alle Rohstoffmärkte, extremst gehebelt. Laut der usdebtclock.org gibt es für jede Unze Silber 390mal so viele Ansprüche. Diese Kombination von Faktoren kann durchaus eine „eigenwillige“ Preisfindung begünstigen – aber nichts ist für immer.
Natürlich könnte es auch sein, dass die Nachfrageerwartungen völlig falsch sind und die moderne Welt zusehends weniger Verwendung für das glänzende Metall haben wird. Die extreme Unterbewertung relativ zur Geldmenge und anderen Vermögenswerten ist allerdings nicht neu. Dieser Umstand verleitet mich zu glauben, dass eine Trendwende tatsächlich eintreten könnte.
https://finanzmarktwelt.de/...-warum-viel-schwaecher-als-gold-301868/
SIERRA METALS ERHÄLT WICHTIGE BETRIEBSGENEHMIGUNG FÜR DIE YAURICOCHA-MINE IN PERU
Ernesto Balarezo, CEO von Sierra Metals, erklärte: „Wir freuen uns sehr, die Umweltgenehmigung für den Abbau unterhalb der 1120-Ebene in unserer Yauricocha-Mine erhalten zu haben. Wie ich bereits sagte, ist diese Genehmigung ein entscheidender Faktor für Yauricocha und eine wichtige Säule zur Unterstützung der gesamten Wachstumsstrategie von Sierra Metals.“
„Der Erzkörper unterhalb der 1120-Ebene ist riesig und wird es uns voraussichtlich ermöglichen, die Durchsatzraten wieder auf die volle Mühlenkapazität von 3.600 Tonnen pro Tag zu steigern, was einer Steigerung von etwa 40 % gegenüber dem aktuellen Niveau entspricht; niedrigere Betriebskosten aufgrund höherer Produktionsmengen und kostengünstigerer Abbaumethoden; und das langfristige Potenzial von Yauricocha sichern“, fügte Herr Balarezo hinzu.
https://www.sierrametals.com/investors/...a-Mine-in-Peru/default.aspx
https://ceo.ca/@businesswire/...intercepts-32-gt-au-over-438m-and-103
https://www.minenportal.de/artikel/...-Study-for-Blackwater-Mine.html
https://www.research-tree.com/newsfeed/article/...nnouncement-2270069
Omai Gold
G2
Réunion Gold
Goldsource
https://ceo.ca/@GlobeNewswire/...rilling-intercepts?mc_cid=c798387db0
Hat mal jemand von Euch die Projekte mal verglichen? Die Kurse sind doch erheblich auseinander von den Werten. Die Geologie scheint dort sehr gut zu sein für Gold.
In Today's Briefing
Gold
Gold has firmed up in recent sessions after warmer-than-expected consumer and producer prices knocked it off its perch.
James Hyerczyk, market analyst at FXempire.com: “The recent rise in gold prices is primarily driven by a softening U.S. Dollar and increasing tensions in the Middle East, particularly concerns around political stability and oil supply disruptions, which enhance gold’s status as a preferred safe-haven asset.”
Traders are now digesting this afternoon's (Wednesday, Feb. 21) minutes from the last FOMC meeting to glean insight into when the Fed might nudge rates lower. Given this stubborn inflationary price pressure, are they now more inclined to hold off until summer, or later? Fed to cut US rates in June, risks skewed towards later move: Reuters poll.
Search for the Missing Continues - Mine Boss Detained
Adding to the barrage of headlines crossing our screen last week concerning SSR Mining's calamitous (leach pad) landslide—a slide that dislodged 10 million cubic meters of earth across a 200-meter slope—there's this: Turkey detains company director as part of inquiry into gold mine landslide that left 9 missing.
It appears that Cengiz Demirci, senior vice president of Copler operations, is the latest SSR official to be held in custody by Turkish authorities. According to Reuters, as many as eight SSR employees were detained amid an investigation into the catastrophic event.
Turkey’s energy minister says hundreds of search and rescue personnel are still looking for those trapped under rubble after the landslide ripped through a deep ravine in the mountainous Erzincan province of eastern Turkey.
In another blow to the company and its shareholders, who have witnessed a >$1B erosion in market cap, Turkey's environment ministry announced that it has canceled the environmental permit and license held by Anagold Madencilik, Copler's mine operator, 80% owned by SSR - Turkey Cancels SSR Gold's Environmental Licenses After Accident.
Experts have warned the mine site is a potential environmental hazard, because the soil was laced with dangerous substances, including cyanide, which is used in gold extraction. In 2020, the mine was temporarily shut down following a cyanide leak into the Euphrates River.
In Partnership With
Highlights of the Initial Inferred Resource Estimate at the WPC Zone:
2.39Mt @ 977 g/t silver equivalent (“AgEq”) for 75.0 Moz AgEq. The zinc equivalent is 26.32% ZnEq.
Attractive mining thicknesses ranging from 5 to 49 meters and widths ranging from 25 to 70 meters over a strike length of 495 meters.
All-in discovery rate of 3198 AgEq ozs/meter drilled.
Robust resource that is relatively insensitive up to a cut-off grade up to 600 g/t AgEq.
The Initial Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate is merely a beginning and demonstrates the high-grade nature of the mineralized system and that more exploration is fully warranted.
Read the full press release here.
Peru Gets Mining Friendly(er)
Hailed as a landmark decision in our decarbonization and electrification journey, Peru greenlighted the expansion of Antamina, the country’s largest copper-zinc mine - Peru approves $2 billion Antamina copper mine expansion.
Co-owned by global behemoths Glencore, Teck Resources, BHP, and Mitsubishi, this greenlight will mobilize $2 billion toward expanding the Antamina operation—a move that will extend the mine's life from 2028 to 2036.
The expansion entails significant upgrades, including the open pit, ore crusher station, and dam storage capacity, ensuring that Antamina continues to bolster Peru's economy significantly. The mining sector, contributing 8.5% to the nation's GDP, stands at the core of Peru's economic landscape. With a recorded 13.6% GDP growth in 2021 and an anticipated further growth of around 2.9% in 2023, the timing seems impeccably aligned with both the country's and the global demand for copper and zinc. This strategic move by Antamina, therefore, not only promises to enhance its production capabilities but also to fortify Peru's economic resilience.
This positive attitude toward open pit mining stands in stark contrast to posturings on display further to the north (next story).
AMLO's Successor Backs Open-Pit Ban in Mexico
In a recent Briefing, we reported how Mexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), renewed calls for a ban on ALL open-pit mining just days before the disaster in Turkey made international headlines. But it appears his proposal is unlikely to pass, at least in the short term, as his government lacks the two-thirds majority in Congress required to make it fly - Mexican mining sector balks at plan to ban open-pit mines.
The problem for miners, who say the move would generate uncertainty and curtail investment in an industry that fuels 2.5% of Mexico's GDP, is that AMLO's frontrunner/successor, former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, has jumped on the anti-open-pit bandwagon as part of her platform ahead of a June presidential election.
Fewer than half of the 124 mines affiliated with the Camimex mining chamber are open-pit, yet they represent 60% of Mexico's output. Open-pit mines represent more than $3.9 billion in investment and 200,000 direct jobs. The chamber also warned that a ban would affect supply chains and eventually force Mexico to import minerals at a higher cost. "Prohibiting open-pit mining would imply the destruction of a strategic sector." Sound logic, this.
Canada represents 70% of foreign mining investment in Mexico. Jorge Ganoza, president of Canada’s Fortuna Silver Mines (FVI.TO): “It’s no secret that this administration has been averse to mining. If it were to continue, we would certainly see Mexico lose ground compared to other mining nations.”
Graphite. Sexy?
It may not be the most seductive metal in the junior arena, but when a graphite developer, like Nouveau Monde Graphite (NOU.V), attracts the interest of a pair of end user behemoths like General Motors and Panasonic Holdings, price appreciation comes - NMG Secures Multiyear Offtakes and total US$87.5 Million Investment from Anchor Customers and Strategic Investors to Underpin its Phase 2 Ore-to-Battery-Material Graphite Operations.
The appreciation...
The deal concerns NOU's Matawinie project in Saint-Michel-des-Saints (Quebec), where the company plans to build a graphite concentrator. The all-electric Matawinie open-pit operation is expected to produce 103,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate annually over its 25-year mine life.
Both GM and Panasonic are sinking $25 million into NOU and have each committed to purchase 18,000 tonnes of natural graphite active anode material annually from Matawinie over a period of six to seven years.
NGM aims to raise $1.2 billion to build the whole project, with $725 million coming from debt and $475 million from equity. The miner aims to become North America’s first fully integrated source of natural graphite active anode material, which accounts for about half of an electric vehicle (EV) battery.
GM and Panasonic (and other potential co-investors) could join future financing rounds worth hundreds of millions of dollars, NOU said in a statement.
Rating Agency To Tear Strip Off Panama
The forced closure of First Quantum's Cobre Panama mine—a mine that represented 5% of Panama's GDP—is exerting downward pressure on the country's BBB- credit rating, according to Fitch Ratings, who warned of slower near-term growth prospects and government weaknesses - First Quantum mine shutdown piles pressure on Panama's rating, Fitch says.
“Public finances remain structurally weak, amid surging interest costs, spending pressures and sluggish tax revenues,” Fitch said in a statement. “Authorities have enacted measures that Fitch believes could worsen rather than improve the underlying trend.”
The Central American nation risks seeing its rating reduced to 'junk' after Fitch downgraded Panama's rating outlook from stable to negative. In an environment where interest rates are already on the rise, a junk rating would increase borrowing costs at the government level.
Osino Attracts Superior Bid
In a classic example of money talks, bullshit walks, a new cash offer from an unnamed predatory entity valued at C$1.90 gives the boot to Dundee Precious Metals (DPM.TO) half-stock, half-cash C$1.55 bid for resource-rich Osino Resources (OSI.V) - Osino Resources Announces Receipt of Superior Acquisition Proposal.
The reaction...
Dundee will not be amending its offer for Osino. As part of this new deal, valued at roughly C$368 million, the unnamed predator is picking up the tab for the termination fee now owed to Dundee.
The prize in the unnamed entities' eyes: Osino's advanced-stage Twin Hills Gold Project in Namibia where a proposed open pit operation will see average annual production of 175,000 ounces of gold over the first five years, coming online in H2 of 2026, as per a feasibility study released in June.
The June 2023 DFS shows a post-tax NPV(5%) of US$480M and an IRR of 28% using a $1750 Au price input. Namibia has already granted the project a 20-year license (site-level permits are still required).
KoBold Snags a Piece of Midnight Sun's Action in Zambia
Using AI to target mineral deposits on dozens of projects spanning four continents, Gates and Bezos-backed Kobold has set its sights on Zambian exploreco Midnight Sun Mining (MMA.V) and its Solwezi Copper Project located in the heart of the Zambia-Congo Copperbelt - Midnight Sun and KoBold Metals Join Forces on the Dumbwa Target in Zambia.
The earn-in deal that will see KoBold take down a 75% interest in the project requires an exploration spending commitment of $15 million and cash payments totaling $500,000 over four and a half years.
This latest foray steps up KoBold's presence in Zambia where the company is pushing its Mingomba Project, hailed as the largest find-of-its-kind in a century (247 million tons with an average grade of 3.64%), toward pre-feasibility.
Midnight Sun CEO Al Fabbro: "KoBold has assembled one of the top global sediment-hosted copper teams - including Dr. David Broughton - and I cannot overstate how pleased we are to have them at the helm on Dumbwa. Their bench strength speaks to the quality of this outstanding tier-one exploration target and the seriousness of their approach. As evidenced by the impressive roster of keystone investors in KoBold, they are on track to become new industry leaders using incredibly sophisticated proprietary technology to fast-track the discovery of critical minerals. We look forward to KoBold applying their groundbreaking exploration approach to the Dumbwa Target and moving this important Zambian copper asset toward development together, which we view as perfectly timed to coincide with an upcoming phase of unprecedented global copper demand."
Hits Of The Week
Côté Production on Deck: "The project entered 2023 with construction approximately 64% complete and finished the year at 98% complete" - IAMGOLD Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2023 Results; Provides 2024 Outlook
Some damn fine gunnery: "Lunahuasi continues to exceed our expectations and these new holes have delivered some of the longest, highest-grade, combined copper, gold and silver intersections seen globally for a long time. The deposit remains open in all directions and is rapidly turning into a major new discovery. In addition to the high grades in individual structures, we are starting to see longer intervals of stockwork and disseminated mineralization towards the western part of the deposit" - NGEX DRILLS 23.0 METRES AT 23.02% COPPER EQUIVALENT WITHIN 71.9 METRES AT 9.63% COPPER EQUIVALENT AT LUNAHUASI
An impressive ounce count: "Our technical team has done an outstanding job, increasing the volume, the grade, and the geological understanding of our massive Goldstorm Deposit. The 2023 drill hole program was designed to expand the mineralized domains to their northern, northeastern and eastern extents. We not only pushed out the edges of the Deposit, but we also successfully increased the grade of the Inferred Mineral Resource" - Tudor Gold Significantly Increases Ounces and Grade in an Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Goldstorm Deposit at Treaty Creek, British Columbia with an Indicated Mineral Resource of 27.87 Moz AuEQ at 1.19 g/t AuEQ
“Clearly now, we are reaching a very high level of interest so I would say that yes it seems to be inevitable,” said Michael Lodge, the secretary-general of the ISA, in an interview with CNBC - Deep-sea mining seems to be inevitable, says UN regulator
"Der jährliche weltweite Silberverbrauch lag im Jahr 2023 bei schätzungsweise über 38.000 Tonnen. Die weltweite Silberproduktion für dasselbe Jahr wird auf ungefähr 26.000 Tonnen geschätzt, was einem Rückgang von 3% gegenüber dem Vorjahr entsprechen würde. In Summe wurde also in 2023 vermutlich grob 1/3 weniger von dem Edelmetall gefördert als verbraucht worden ist – Tendenz beim Verbrauch = steigend und bei der Produktion = fallend!"
https://finanzmarktwelt.de/...r-wirkt-mittelfristig-attraktiv-302311/
https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/SERICA-ENERGY-PLC-4005481/
https://www.minenportal.de/artikel/...n-Todd-in-Red-Lake-Ontario.html
https://www.minenportal.de/artikel/...Intersects-Include-68.72-~.html
Hedgefonds frustriert von Edelmetallen
09:23 Uhr | Redaktion
Wie Kitco News berichtet, frustriert die solide Unterstützung für Gold und Silber einige bärische Hedgefonds. Laut den jüngsten Handelsdaten der Commodity Futures Trading Commission verzeichneten beide Edelmetalle in der vergangenen Woche ein gewisses Momentum an Short-Deckungen. Der Commitments-of-Traders-Bericht der CFTC für die Woche zum 20. Februar zeigt, dass die Geldmanager ihre spekulative Brutto-Longposition in Gold-Futures an der Comex reduziert haben. Gleichzeitig gingen auch die Shortpositionen zurück. Silber erlebte zwar einen deutlicheren Short-Squeeze als Gold, hatte aber noch nicht genug Schwung, um die Marke von 23,50 $ je Unze zu durchbrechen.
Die Gold- und Silberpreise haben sich in einem klar definierten Handelskanal konsolidiert, da sich die Anleger weiterhin auf die Erwartungen hinsichtlich der Geldpolitik der US-Notenbank einstellen. "Während der Rückgang der Long-Positionen damit zusammenhängt, dass der Markt die Zinssenkungen der Fed im Laufe des Jahres auspreist, haben die Makro-Händler eine beträchtliche Netto-Short-Position aufgebaut, die sie anfällig macht. CTA-Trendfolger trugen in diesem Zeitraum zu den Käufen bei, was im Einklang mit der Zunahme der Nettolänge steht", so die Rohstoffanalysten von TD Securities in einer Mitteilung vom Freitag.
Weiter schreiben sie: "Seitdem sind die Preise jedoch relativ unverändert geblieben, da die robuste chinesische und außerbörsliche Investitionsnachfrage weiterhin einen Ausgleich zu den rückläufigen Spekulationsströmen darstellt. Mit Blick auf die Zukunft könnten sowohl Algorithmen als auch Fundamentalhändler dazu veranlasst werden, das gelbe Metall zu kaufen, da Makrohändler in Anbetracht eines Zinssenkungszyklus der US-Notenbank historisch gesehen unterinvestiert sind." Auch bei Silber sehen die Analysten von TDS Potential für einen größeren Short-Squeeze. Vorläufig sei die in diesem Bericht verzeichnete Short-Deckungsaktivität eher auf die Verbesserung der Trendsignale als auf die starken fundamentalen Aussichten zurückzuführen, meinen die Analysten in der Mitteilung.
Während die robuste physische Nachfrage aus Asien und die beispiellosen Käufe der Zentralbanken den Goldpreis weiterhin stützen werden, gehen viele Analysten davon aus, dass das Edelmetall in seiner Handelsspanne verharren wird, bis die US-Notenbank eine Zinssenkung in Aussicht stellt. "Gold und Silber haben Mühe, die Anleger davon zu überzeugen, dass sie es wert sind, in nennenswertem Umfang besessen zu werden. Nach seinem Höhenflug Anfang Dezember konsolidiert der Goldpreis jedoch recht komfortabel über 2.000 $. Silber ist, wie immer, weitaus unbeständiger. Aber Edelmetalle können jahrelang untätig bleiben und dann taucht aus dem Nichts eine starke Rally auf. Könnte das im Jahr 2024 der Fall sein? Durchaus möglich", sagt David Morrison, leitender Marktanalyst bei Trade Nation, kürzlich in einem Kommentar.
Realität und Wunschvorstellungen