2 August 2023
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G) (“B2Gold” or the “Company”) announces its operational and financial results for the second quarter of 2023. All dollar figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.
2023 Second Quarter Highlights include:
On April 19, 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of Sabina, resulting in the Company acquiring Sabina’s 100% owned Back River Gold District located in Nunavut, Canada by issuing approximately 216 million common shares in B2Gold as consideration. The Back River Gold District consists of five mineral claims blocks along an 80 kilometer (“km”) belt. The most advanced project in the district, Goose, is fully permitted, construction ready, and has been de-risked with significant infrastructure currently in place. The Goose Project has an estimated two year construction period with first gold production expected in the first quarter of 2025. In addition, B2Gold obtained significant untapped exploration potential across the 80 km belt. B2Gold’s management team has strong northern construction expertise and experience to deliver the fully permitted Goose Project, and the financial resources to develop the significant gold resource endowment at the Back River Gold District into a large, long life mining complex. B2Gold recognizes that respect and collaboration with the Kitikmeot Inuit Association is central to the license to operate in the Back River Gold District and will continue to prioritize developing the project in a manner that recognizes Indigenous input and concerns and brings long-term socio-economic benefits to the area.
Subsequent to completion of the acquisition of Sabina, in the second quarter of 2023, B2Gold completed its inaugural winter ice road season, extinguished certain of Sabina’s construction financing obligations and received all critical materials that were expected to be necessary to maintain the schedule for construction completion of the mill and first gold production at the Goose Project in the first quarter of 2025. Currently, camp construction is partially complete, generators are being installed, and construction workshops are being erected. The Company extinguished certain of Sabina's construction financing obligations with payments totaling $112 million as follows: senior secured debt facility for a $2 million payment, gold prepay facility for a $1 million payment, the entire gold metal offtake agreement for a $63 million payment, and one-third of the gold stream arrangement for a $46 million payment.
On June 23, 2023, the Company announced an initial capital expenditure estimate of C$800 million, which was in line with B2Gold expectations since the Sabina acquisition announcement and reflects scope changes to further optimize the Goose Project. B2Gold has updated the construction budget to de-risk the project and construct a reliable and low operating cost mine. In addition, the Company has made the decision to accelerate underground mining development to increase annual gold production over the first five years of the mine plan, including the mining of the Umwelt crown pillar. The cost to accelerate underground mining is estimated at an additional C$90 million for a total project capital expenditure of C$890 million (approximately $676 million) with approximately C$550 million (approximately $418 million) expected to be spent by B2Gold up to completion of construction in the first quarter of 2025.
In the second quarter of 2023, a significant 2023 exploration program was approved for the Back River Gold District. B2Gold has approved a $20 million exploration budget for the balance of 2023 to complete approximately 25,000 meters (“m”) of drilling. Drilling will be focused in proximity to existing deposits at the Goose Project, as well as following up on regional targets identified at the George, Boulder, Boot and Del projects.