Guyana Goldfields considers selling Aurora operations

Nov 27, 2011 News

One week after being granted licence…

Almost a week after being granted a licence to start mining operations, Canadian-owned Guyana Goldfields Inc. has signed confidentiality agreements with six parties interested in buying the company and its Aurora gold project, Chief Operating Officer Claude Lemasson said.
“We have been on the radar of many companies, I think, for quite a while,” Lemasson said in an interview with Bloomberg at the company’s headquarters in Toronto.
Guyana Goldfields received its licence for Aurora, the first issued in the country for a large-scale gold mine since 1991, the company said last week. The project, which may have an initial cost of $400 million, is now fully permitted, Lemasson said.
The company may sell stock or convertible bonds in the next four months to raise between US$100 million and US$150 million to fund development, he said.
It was unclear yesterday whether the company is allowed to sell under the current licence.
Both Prime Minister Sam Hinds and Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, were unreachable yesterday.
According to the company, recently, the agreement with the Guyana Government details all fiscal, property, import-export procedures, taxation provisions and other related conditions for the continued exploration, mine development and operation of the Aurora Gold Project.
Included in this agreement is the stipulation for the company to pay royalty at five per cent on gold sales at a price of gold of US$1,000/oz or less.
Should the price for gold exceed the US $1,000/oz mark then the company will be required to pay eight per cent royalty.
The company has also agreed to pay a corporate income tax rate of 30 per cent and no withholding tax on interest payments to lenders.
The company has also secured for itself through the agreement, duty and Value Added Tax exemptions on all imports of equipment and materials for all continuing operations at the Aurora Gold Project, including the construction and operation of a planned port facility, road and power improvements and the construction and operation of the mine.
Share prices for the company rose 3.9 percent to C$8.44 in Toronto, giving the company a market value of C$706.5 million ($673.3 million). The stock rose as much as 13 percent earlier, the biggest intraday gain since October 2009.
Guyana “would probably be at the top of a short list” of potential acquisition targets, Trevor Turnbull, a Toronto-based analyst at Scotia Capital Inc., said in a telephone interview.
“As a single-asset company with a project that is now fully permitted and essentially ready to go into production as soon as it can build the mine, it offers a great source of production for mid-size companies,” said Turnbull, who rates the shares “sector outperform.”
The six companies that have signed confidentiality agreements are “well established, well funded and well respected,” Lemasson said. The list includes majors and mid-tier miners, he said, declining to give more details. Guyana has a data room open, he said.
The company plans to complete a feasibility study for Aurora by mid-January, Lemasson said. An open-pit mine and processing facilities may cost about US$400 million, he said. The company is still considering how quickly it will start developing underground operations, which may cost another US$375 million to US$400 million.
Commercial production at Aurora, at an annual rate of about 250,000 ounces of gold, is forecast to begin in the first half of 2014, Lemasson said.
International Finance Corp., a shareholder, is helping arrange a debt package for the project with other development agencies, Lemasson said. The debt and some equipment financing, which may be in place by the second half of 2012, would probably cover $150 million to $175 million of the project’s cost, Lemasson said.
There have been 22 gold-mining acquisitions larger than $100 million announced this year, valued at $22.1 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

5 thoughts on “Guyana Goldfields considers selling Aurora operations”

truthfulbuddy November 27, 2011 at 8:49 am

There is no need for me to read this crap,,,,one of the most expensive raw material is taken out of the country,thus the government of guyana recieving a 15 or 20 % on royalties is reasonable,,the amount of gold taken from oh beautiful guyana deserves to be addressed in a realistic and effective manner,,,financially speaking,,,to the point,,,no more pittings,,,GOLD IS MONEY… AND THIS IS SERIOUSNESS.
Burch01 November 27, 2011 at 2:20 pm

That is the reality of these business….. provide /access venture capital,develop the plan,negotiate the contracts with unsuspecting parties and then recoup their expense by selling to the highest bidder and move on to the next big idea…….you have to ensure that your ‘due diligence’ was professionally and adequately done and is up to the task.
Mike Persaud November 27, 2011 at 5:36 pm

PM Sam Hinds should immdediately release a statement whether this Canadian Company can indeed flip this deal after only a week.

Guyana Goldfiels Inc. (Don’t let the name fool you, this is a Canadian Co.) doesn’t have the capital (USD400 million) and never had intentions to develop this project in the first place. They most probably used their contacts at high levels in the govt. to get this deal inked, and now they are trying to flip it for millions of dollars profit.

The days for this nonsense is over – or should be over.
dezetante November 27, 2011 at 9:39 pm

every one buying and selling Guyana while Guyanese are left out of the profits….Guyanese have you noticed how you are bought and sold for the past 28 + 19 years? vote AFC to CHANGE this situation
BOSSTWEED November 27, 2011 at 11:29 pm

I DO HOPE DA NEW GOV’T TAKE NOTE AND REVIEW ALL THESE CONTRACTS, AND RECIND ANY OF THEM THAT DOES BENIFIT THE GUYANESE PEOPLE.JAGDEO AND HIS TEAM OF BANDITS ARE DOING A NUMBER ON GUYANA B4 THEY LEAVE OFFICE, GOD HELP US .