19 April 2026
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G) (“B2Gold” or the “Company”) announced today an update on the near-term operational plan related to the fire that occurred in certain areas of the crushing circuit at the Goose Mine in the evening of April 16, 2026, as described in B2Gold’s news release on April 17, 2026.
The Company reconfirms that no injuries were reported and no medical treatment was required related to the fire. The Company can also confirm its initial assessment that the fire damage was localized to the crushing circuit area. There was no damage or impact to the mill or power facility.
The Goose Mine currently has mobile crushers available at site and the preliminary operational plan is to utilize these mobile crushers to feed crushed ore directly to the fine ore stockpile. Additional temporary crushing capacity has been sourced and will be transported to site in the second quarter of 2026 to supplement the existing mobile crushers currently at the Goose Mine.
A preliminary revised mill processing plan has been developed for the second quarter of 2026 based on the use of mobile crushers feeding crushed ore directly to the fine ore stockpile while repairs to the crushing circuit related to the fire are completed. The Company estimates that these repairs will be completed in the third quarter of 2026, and will coincide with the previously announced addition of a run-of-mine bin and apron feeder which were scheduled to be implemented in the third quarter of 2026. B2Gold reiterates its previously disclosed estimate that the Goose Mine crushing circuit will be able to operate at an average daily capacity of approximately 3,200 tonnes per day by the end of the third quarter of 2026. B2Gold’s preliminary estimate of the cost of the repairs to the crushing circuit related to the fire is approximately C$10 million.
Gold production is expected to continue over the near-term, albeit at a reduced level than previously anticipated in the second quarter of 2026 due to lower throughput rates of crushed ore. In the first quarter of 2026 the Goose Mine produced 42,876 ounces of gold, ahead of internal estimates. The previous internal forecast for gold production at the Goose Mine in the second quarter of 2026 was approximately 29,000 ounces. Due to the impact to the crushing circuit related to the fire, the Company now forecasts gold production in the second quarter of 2026 of 18,000 to 20,000 ounces, a reduction of approximately 10,000 ounces.
B2Gold reiterates its full year gold production guidance for the Goose Mine of 170,000 to 230,000 ounces in 2026. The Company estimates that the impact of lower availability of crushed ore as a result of the fire will be limited to the second quarter of 2026, and that availability of crushed ore in the second half of 2026 will not change from previous estimates.