Last month World Gold Analyst published its latest Special Report in hardcopy – this time on Colombia. The report presents a review of current gold exploration and development initiatives in Colombia, one of the most active exploration regions on earth. In recent years, Colombia has swapped its somewhat tarnished image for a golden gleam as those in the mining industry can testament to. It has become one of the exploration ‘hotspots’ for gold exploration and development worldwide and seen many millions of dollars spent as a raft of gold exploration companies have flocked in through Bogata international airport.

This gold rush of foreign companies into the country started as a trickle in 1995 with Greystar Resources discovering the Angostura deposit; gained fresh impetus in 2003 with AngloGold Ashanti entering and making a major discovery at La Colosa, and soared to a spectacular peak in late 2010 with the offer from EBX to acquire Ventana Gold that valued the company at $1.5 billion.

The aim of this study is to present the investment community with a review of a selection of the exploration and development activity being undertaken on a company-by-company basis, while at the same time providing an opportunity for a number of exploration companies to promote the merits of their projects to investors. Fifteen mining and exploration companies supported this study and their projects are discussed in depth in individual reports following the body of the report. www.gfmsworldgold.com

World Gold Analyst Spring 2011 reports that for the three months ending December 2010, average reported producer cash costs totalled $556/oz, an increase of 16% year-on-year, and up 2% from $546/oz in the previous quarter. For 2010 as a whole, Barrick Gold remained the world’s largest gold producer, with output of 7.8 Moz.

Top Gold Producers 2010

Paul Burton will be presenting a workshop at the World Resource Investment Conference in Vancouver, June 5-6 2011.