Tag Archives: Côte d’Ivoire

Capital Drilling bolsters Bonikro gold mine operation with new equipment

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Capital Drilling says it has commissioned new equipment to supplement Allied Gold’s existing mining fleet at the Bonikro gold mine, in Côte d’Ivoire, with the two companies currently in the process of implementing an interim mine plan at the operation.

The London-listed company was awarded the mining services contract – the company’s first – back in October 2019.

In Capital Drilling’s December quarter review, it said it had further established personnel and equipment to support the contract over this period and, in December, had commissioned three dozers (Cat D9Rs), one grader and one excavator, together with four production rigs (blast hole and grade control) at the operation.

It said 2020 contract revenues, while being subject to finalisation, were now expected to be around $15 million across the range of site services at Bonikro, compared with the $25-$30 million previously outlined.

The interim mine plan at Bonikro was scheduled to last until December 2020, but a long-term mine plan is expected to be completed in the September quarter, it said. This would allow the company to transition to a “Schedule of Rates contract”.

Bonikro commenced production in 2008 and was previously operated by Newcrest, prior to the sale of its majority interest to a consortium of F&M Gold Resources and the Africa Finance Corp, in December 2017, and the recent acquisition by Allied. It has historically produced over 1 Moz of gold.

On top of this news, Capital Drilling said, in its December quarter, revenue jumped 4.8% quarter-on-quarter to $30.7 million, while its cash flow generation had risen to $4.4 million at the end of the year, compared with $2.5 million at the end of the September quarter. This jump in cash came despite ongoing growth capital expenditure during the three-month period.

The company’s fleet utilisation also rose over the quarter to 59%, compared with 52% in the previous quarter. This is the equal highest utilisation level in four years for the group, driven by new contract start-ups, with most of the new work commencing in West Africa, it said.

Capital expected to spend $20 million on capex in 2020. This follows the addition of eight new rigs and mining equipment in 2019, of which four rigs are due for commissioning this quarter.

EPSA to carry out mining at Perseus’ Yaouré gold mine

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Development of Perseus Mining’s third gold mine, Yaouré, in Côte d’Ivoire, is ramping up with the award of a mining services contract to EPSA Internacional SA.

The announcement comes shortly after Australia- and Canada-listed Perseus signed the mining convention for the $265 million project.

EPSA, a privately-owned, global earthmoving and mining contractor headquartered in Spain, provides a range of mining, civil works and earthmoving services to a bluechip list of mining clients located in 15 countries, according to Perseus. The company employs around 4,000 and has nearly 1,600 pieces of equipment available for deployment.

The mining services contract will run for a period of 65 months commencing on November 1, 2020, and envisages the movement of approximately 170 Mt of material, including 27 Mt of ore containing more than 1.5 Moz of gold, Perseus said.

EPSA is expected to commence mobilising equipment to site in the March 2020 quarter, after which it will employ and train a predominantly Ivorian workforce in preparation for the formal commencement of the contract later in the year, according to Perseus.

Perseus’s Managing Director and CEO, Jeff Quartermaine said the company was “delighted” to be working with EPSA, “an international mining company of true substance, whose client list currently includes major gold mining companies such as Newmont Goldcorp, Agnico Eagle and Yamana Gold”.

To win this contract, EPSA competed in a highly competitive tender process involving eight very good mining contractors, according to Quartermaine.

“As well as offering a competitive price, EPSA currently has equipment available for immediate mobilisation and has a proven track record of establishing greenfield mining sites in jurisdictions where employment and training of personnel from local catchment communities is a priority.”

When Yaouré is fully operational, Perseus will be producing in excess of 500,000 oz/y, Quartermaine said, adding that the average all-in site cost of producing gold at Yaouré over the first five years of the mine is forecast to be $734/oz.

Capital Drilling expands into heavy mining equipment services sector

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Capital Drilling says it has signed binding agreements with Allied Gold Corp for the provision of a full range of mining services to its Bonikro gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire.

Additionally, Capital Drilling has made a strategic investment of $3 million in Allied.

The contract represents the company’s first comprehensive mining services contract win, with Capital Drilling now able to provide load and haul services to its clients in addition to its existing drilling, maintenance and mineral analytic capabilities.

Bonikro is a producing gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire which commenced production in 2008 and was previously operated by Newcrest, prior to the sale of its majority interest to a consortium of F&M Gold Resources and the Africa Finance Corp, in December 2017, and the recent acquisition by Allied. It has historically produced over 1 Moz of gold. With existing in-pit resources of 1.17 Moz of gold, Allied expects to produce approximately 120,000 oz of gold in the coming 12 months, Capital Drilling said.

Under the agreements, which are in addition to the previously announced exploration drilling contract, Capital Drilling will provide a full range of mining services at Bonikro including drill and blast, load and haul, grade control dewatering.

Capital Drilling commenced a phased management oversight at the Bonikro site in July 2019 with a small team of personnel, followed by an expanded team in September.

The company recently attained management control of mining operations and is working closely with Allied’s management to refine the Bonikro mine plan, it said. “Once the mine plan has been confirmed, the parties intend that the agreements will transition in the first half of 2020 to a comprehensive schedule of rates contract, primarily linked to tonnes mined and moved (schedule of rates contract).

Subject to the agreement of the schedule of rates contract, it is intended that the initial term of the contract will be five years, with contract revenues subject to the confirmation of mine plans and the terms of the schedule of rates contract. It is anticipated that revenue for 2020 will be in the range of $25-$30 million, with activity primarily focussed on the existing Hiré pits before ramping up over the life of the contract.

The contract will initially utilise five production rigs (blast hole and grade control), including two from Capital Drilling’s existing fleet. Furthermore, Capital Drilling will assume management control of Bonikro’s heavy mining equipment (HME) fleet including 16 mining dump trucks, four mining shovels and other associated mining equipment, “providing the group with a unique opportunity to enter into a contract of this nature with modest immediate capital requirements”.

Capital Drilling says it has committed to supplement the existing HME fleet with additional equipment at its own cost, including one excavator, three bulldozers and auxiliary equipment to ensure that the contracted material movement is achieved.

“Together with the three new blast hole rigs to be acquired, near term capital commitments are expected to total approximately $8 million, apportioned between the drilling fleet ($4 million) and the ancillary earth moving equipment ($4 million).

Under the agreements, Capital Drilling assumes full responsibility for the on-going upkeep and maintenance of the HME fleet and will assess longer term capital requirements as the contract progresses, the company said.

Commenting on the contract win and strategic investment, Jamie Boyton, Executive Chairman of Capital Drilling, said: “We are excited to embark on this new phase for Capital Drilling and to commence our first comprehensive mining services contract. Load and haul operations are a natural extension to our existing world-class drilling and maintenance capabilities. It means we can now offer clients a completely integrated mining service from initial exploration drilling right through to extraction and delivery of ore to the mill. We will draw on the extensive experience of our team to successfully incorporate and deliver this new service.

“It is also pleasing to add another long-term contract to our existing portfolio of long term, mine-site based projects. Further to this, our strategic investment into Allied represents a transformational opportunity for Capital Drilling. It expands our revenue sources into less cyclical mine-site based activities, while being aligned to our growth strategy of building a superior portfolio of long-term contracts.

“Allied’s pipeline also presents substantial growth opportunities and we look forward to working closely with the company to deliver incremental operational and productivity improvements at the Bonikro site. We anticipate this strategic investment, together with the addition of load and haul services, will provide further long-term growth opportunities with projects in the production phase and greater revenue and earnings sustainability in the future.”

GeoDrill backs IronRidge Africa exploration plan with ‘drilling for equity program’

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IronRidge Resources has entered a binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with GeoDrill as part of a “drilling for equity program” of up to $4 million, or 40,000m of drilling at the exploration company’s gold and lithium portfolio throughout Africa.

GeoDrill, established in 1998, is a leading exploration drilling company with a fleet of 67 drill rigs that has operations is Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Zambia.

The MoU will see IronRidge advance all projects across Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Chad, while maintaining cash resources, it said.

IronRidge’s Chief Executive Officer, Vincent Mascolo, said: “We are delighted to announce that the agreement with GeoDrill secures access to expert drilling capabilities, which will allow the company to effectively advance its portfolios, whilst helping preserve cash resources.

GeoDrill brings decades of operational expertise throughout West Africa and, with operational centres in both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, provides excellent synergies with the Ccmpany’s current jurisdictions of focus.”

Dave Harper, Chief Executive Officer of GeoDrill, said: “Having previously worked with IronRidge on their Cape Coast lithium project and Côte d’Ivoire gold projects, we understand their exploration business model and it was an easy decision for us to partner with IronRidge in this drilling for equity program.”

Under the terms of the binding MoU, any drilling services provided by GeoDrill will be paid by either; cash, shares, or a combination of cash and shares on a 50/50 basis at IronRidge’s election.

The agreement is based on a competitive quotation process, which provides for the issue of ordinary shares in IronRidge for 50% of the drilling cost up to a value of $4 million in two $2 million stages.

“The agreed payment mechanism comprises a share valuation of 90% of the 15-day volume weighted average price against the value of each monthly invoice,” IronRidge said.

Geodrill has commenced drilling works in Ghana where approximately 13,200 m of drilling has been planned at the Cape Coast lithium project over a staged reverse circulation and diamond drilling program dependent on results. It is also currently continuing field mapping and sampling programs over the Zaranou gold project, in Côte d’Ivoire, ahead of a planned air-core drill program.

In Côte d’Ivoire, IronRidge is assessing air-core results over its Bianouan and Bodite licences to determine the next steps as well as soils and trenching results over its Kineta and Marahui licences.

“At this stage the company will maintain its focus on the Côte d’Ivoire gold portfolio and the Ghana lithium portfolio,” IronRidge said.

West Africa investments about to pay off for Capital Drilling

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Capital Drilling’s push into West Africa will start paying off in the second half of the year, according to Executive Chairman, Jamie Boyton, with the contractor having sealed a number of drilling agreements in the region in the opening six months of 2019.

The company has progressively invested more resources in West Africa over the past few years, aiming to capture market share in a region where gold exploration is high.

The company recorded revenue of $54.7 million over the six-month period, a 0.4% year-on-year increase, while its average revenue per operating rig dropped to $183,000, compared with $200,000 in the first half of 2018, primarily due to new contract mobilisations. The group maintained guidance on anticipated revenues for the current financial year of $110-120 million, with revenue expected to increase in the second half of this year.

During the period, the company purchased an additional blasthole rig for the long-term contract at Centamin’s Sukari gold mine, in Egypt, as part of the group’s ongoing fleet management; made further progress in the establishment of its West Africa operations, with drilling commencing in Burkina Faso with Golden Rim Resources in May; and was awarded its first drilling contract in Nigeria with Thor Explorations Ltd, with drilling scheduled to commence in the December quarter.

The company also, in these six months, appointed Jodie North as Chief Operating Officer, increased business development resources, appointing Chris Hall to position of Business Development Manager, West Africa, maintained its ongoing rig improvement program and achieved a number of safety records at the likes of Sukari, North Mara (Tanzania), Geita (Tanzania), Tasiast (Mauritania) and Syama (Mali).

Boyton said: “The first half of the year was focused on further consolidating Capital Drilling’s presence in the highly active West African market, with a number of new contracts awarded, which will contribute to group revenues from the end of Q3 (September quarter). This strong push into this region has seen the commencement of our first drilling contract in Burkina Faso during Q2.

“Today we have also announced our expansion into Nigeria from Q4 (December quarter), a mineral rich, yet poorly explored country with significant potential, where we already operate a successful mineral analytics laboratory. Pleasingly, our major operations have also continued to achieve significant safety milestones throughout the first half.”

New contracts awarded during the first six months include:

  • Compass Gold Corp (Sikasso, Mali, pictured). Awarded a 10,000m exploration drilling contract, using one reverse circulation (RC) and one diamond rig from the existing fleet. Drilling commenced in June;
  • Golden Rim Resources (Kouri, Burkina Faso) (previously announced). Awarded a 20,000m exploration drilling contract using one multi-purpose rig from the existing fleet. Drilling commenced in May;
  • Allied Gold Corp (Bonikro, Côte d’Ivoire). Awarded a five-year exploration drilling contract, using one diamond rig and one RC rig from the existing fleet. Drilling is scheduled to commence in December quarter;
  • Thor Explorations Ltd (Segilola, Nigeria). Awarded a five-year exploration and grade control contract, using one RC rig from the existing fleet. This will transition to grade control in 2020, with exploration drilling scheduled to commence in the December quarter and grade control in H1 2020;
  • Kinross Gold Corp: (Tasiast, Mauritania): MSALABs was awarded a three-year onsite laboratory services contract with Kinross at the Tasiast gold mine. Operations commenced in July 2019, and;
  • Resolute Mining Ltd (Syama, Mali). Awarded one-year extension of the long-term underground grade control drilling contract using two underground rigs from the existing fleet. Contract extended to June 2020.

Endeavour Mining pours first gold from Ity CIL project in Côte d’Ivoire

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Endeavour Mining Corp says it has poured first gold from the Ity CIL project in Côte d’Ivoire, ahead of schedule and under budget.

The first pour yielded around 1,800 oz of gold, while some 135,160 t of ore has been processed since being first introduced into the CIL processing plant on February 20.

The initial estimated budget was $412 million, with first gold pour coming four months ahead of the previous schedule.

Endeavour said commercial production was expected to be declared early in the June quarter with performance trial testing soon to commence, as the crushing, milling and CIL circuits have quickly attained a stable nameplate capacity of 4 Mt/y.

Following the performance tests already conducted, Endeavour launched optimisation and de-bottlenecking work which is expected to increase the plant nameplate capacity by 1 Mt/y to 5 Mt/y, at a minimal cost of $10-15 million.

The volumetric upsize work mainly comprises an upgrade in pipes and pumps, and a second 50-t oxygen plant with no additional mining fleet required. “These plant upgrades are expected to be completed during scheduled plant maintenance shut-downs throughout the next six months,” the company said.

Sébastien de Montessus, President and CEO, said: “As we approach commercial production, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of our in-house construction team for successfully delivering the Ity CIL project ahead of schedule and under-budget, with an exceptional safety record of over 8.5 million hours without a lost time injury.

“This first gold pour and the remarkably quick ramp-up period is a transformational event for Endeavour as the Ity CIL project will quickly contribute to group’s cash generation potential.

“Given its current 15-year mine life and strong exploration potential, our ability to increase the plant size by 1 Mt/y to 5 Mt/y for minimal additional capex represents a very compelling investment and is in line with our focus on capital allocation efficiency and return on capital employed criteria. With this upgrade, Ity has the potential to produce circa 300,000 oz of gold per annum at a low all-in sustaining cost (AISC).”

The Ity CIL project capex spend is tracking under-budget compared to the initial guidance of $412 million.

“As construction is tracking ahead of schedule and below budget, Endeavour decided to conduct additional works such as the construction of a fuel farm, building exploration facilities, and an additional $7 million of crop compensation and resettlement related to prospective exploration grounds,” Endeavour said. “Due to these additional works, and the $10-15 million required for the above-stated plant upgrade to 5 Mt/y, the total project capex spend is expected to amount to circa-$420 million.”

An $11 million exploration programme totalling around 71,000 m of drilling has been planned for 2019, with the aim of delineating additional resources at the Le Plaque target, and testing other targets such as Floleu, Daapleu SW and Samuel.

As previously guided, Ity is expected to produce 160,000-200,000 oz in 2019 at an AISC of $525-590/oz, with the bottom-end of production guidance corresponding to the 4 Mt/y nameplate capacity while the top-end factors in upsides such as an earlier start date, an expedited ramp-up and the plant producing above its nameplate.

Barrick’s Loulo gold operation readies for introduction of off-grid solar hybrid plant

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Barrick Gold is to install a 24 MW off-grid solar hybrid plant to support its existing 63 MW thermal power station at the Loulo mine in Mali as it looks to cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the operation.

The renewable energy project is part of Barrick’s wider strategy of moving away from thermal power in Africa, where lack of infrastructure means many mines rely on self-generated diesel energy, making this their largest cost item, the company said.

“Utilising hydropower in the Democratic Republic of Congo, grid power in Côte d’Ivoire, and heavy-fuel baseload generators in Mali, Barrick has already cut its energy costs significantly, and the continuing roll-out of renewable energy sources will ensure that its future needs are met in the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly manner,” Barrick said.

The solar feasibility study at Loulo forecasted that the photovoltaic plant will replace 50,000 MWh/y of thermal generation, saving 10 million litres/y of fuel and reducing CO² emissions by 42,000 t over the same period. The introduction of the solar component is also expected to cut the complex’s energy cost by around 2 cents/kWh.

Construction of the project—which meets Barrick’s investment criteria of generating at least a 20% internal rate of return—will start later this year. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in late 2020.

“The plant will use the latest weather prediction models, which will enable the power management system to switch between thermal and solar without compromising the micro-grid,” Barrick said.

Barrick’s 80%-owned Loulo-Gounkoto operation is expected to produce 520,000-570,000 oz of gold in 2019 at all-in sustaining costs of $810-850/oz.

Teranga and Endeavour Mining on board with the World Gold Council

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The World Gold Council has welcomed Teranga Gold Corp and Endeavour Mining Corporation as its newest board members.

David Harquail (pictured), Chair of the market development organisation for the gold industry, said: “Both companies play an important role in the production and exploration of gold across West Africa and bring with them a wealth of experience that will be of significant value.”

Teranga is a Canada-based gold company focused on production and development as well as the exploration of approximately 6,000 km2 of land located on prospective gold belts across West Africa, according to the WGC.

Since its initial public offering in 2010, Teranga has produced more than 1.6 Moz of gold at its flagship operation in Senegal. Focused on diversification and growth, the company is advancing construction of its second producing gold mine, located in Burkina Faso, as well as carrying out exploration programmes in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Senegal.

Endeavour is an intermediate gold producer with a track record of operational excellence, project development and exploration in the Birimian greenstone belt in West Africa, WGC said.

Endeavour operates four mines across Côte d’Ivoire (Agbaou and Ity) and Burkina Faso (Houndé, Karma) which are expected to produce 615-695,000 oz in 2019 at an all-in sustaining cost of $760-810/oz.

Sébastien De Montessus, CEO and President of Endeavour, said: “We are very pleased to be joining the World Gold Council. We share the organisation’s belief in the importance of setting global standards to reinforce trust and transparency in the sector and across the whole value chain. We look forward to working with the council and its members to improve understanding of the gold industry.”

Richard Young, President and CEO, Teranga Gold, said: “For more than 30 years, the World Gold Council has supported greater understanding of gold’s enduring value and global influence. Today, at a time of both uncertainty and unprecedented opportunity, the work of organisations such as the World Gold Council is of paramount importance.”

Lycopodium moves from DFS to engineering at Perseus’ Yaoure gold project

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Lycopodium has received a notice of award for the engineering and supply of the Yaouré gold project in Côte d’Ivoire from ASX-listed Perseus Mining.

The award, subject to finalisation of the formal contract documentation, full project funding and receipt by Perseus of its exploitation permit, is expected to result in revenue of $95.1 million. This amount is expected to be reported across the final part of the current Australia financial year, FY 2020 and the first half of FY 2021.

“This award sees the continuation of our association with Perseus, following the successful delivery of the Sissingué gold project (Côte d’Ivoire) and completion of the feasibility study and front end engineering and design for Yaouré,” the company said.

Yaouré comes with a JORC-compliant reserve of 26.8 Mt at 1.76 g/t Au containing 1.52 Moz of gold and a plan to produce 215,000 oz/y of gold for the first five years of operations at all-in site costs of $734/oz.