conditions and are scheduled to be made on a quarterly basis using an agreed formula and certification process as project spending progresses.
According to KCM, although a six-month state of emergency has been declared by the Government of Botswana to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, mining has been designated an “essential service” and activity at Khoemacau is continuing. However, due to reduced activity by certain critical contractors engaged in the process plant refurbishment during April and May, and the impacts experienced from travel restrictions, some activities have been slowed or rescheduled. Barring any potential further impacts caused by COVID-19 considerations, KCM now expects the first shipment of concentrate to occur late in the third calendar quarter of 2021.
Mount Milligan
On April 1, 2020, Centerra Gold Inc. (“Centerra”) announced that reductions of manpower and throughput at Mount Milligan would occur as a result of actions implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Centerra has since reported that workforce numbers returned to normal over the month of May resulting in mining and plant tonnages returning to planned levels. According to Centerra, process plant throughput averaged approximately 60% of target levels and mining operations experienced a four week partial shutdown during the reduction period, and during April, the process plant was shut down for eleven days to perform routine maintenance and reline the SAG mill.
Centerra also reported that stored water inventory at Mount Milligan, which is critical to the ability to process ore through the mill on a sustainable basis, was in excess of six million cubic meters as at June 30, 2020. Centerra reported that spring water pumping started in April, and substantial snowpack and a wet spring led to volumes pumped as of the end of June that exceeded those of the entire 2019 pumping season. In addition, Centerra reported that Mount Milligan continued to access ground water from the Lower Rainbow Valley wellfield and other groundwater wells near the tailings storage facility during the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Centerra also reported that it continued exploration activities focused on extending the groundwater capacity in the vicinity of the existing infrastructure, and these activities will continue for the remainder of 2020. Further, Centerra reported that it continues to pursue a longer-term solution to its water requirements at Mount Milligan.
On July 31, 2020, Centerra confirmed that there is no change to the previously issued production guidance for Mount Milligan for calendar year 2020 of 140,000 to 160,000 payable ounces of gold and 80 to 90 million pounds of copper.
Peñasquito
On May 5, 2020, Newmont Corporation (“Newmont”) announced that operations at Peñasquito were placed on care and maintenance on April 12 due to a Mexican federal government decree to temporarily suspend all non-essential activities in Mexico as part of a nationwide effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19. According to Newmont, a phased ramp-up began in mid-May with milling and mining activities ramping up at the beginning of June, and production in the plant was back to pre-COVID levels by mid-June.
On July 30, 2020, Newmont provided full year 2020 production guidance for Peñasquito of 510,000 ounces of gold, 28 million ounces of silver, 360 million pounds of zinc, and 190 million pounds of lead.
Wassa
On July 27, 2020, Golden Star Resources Ltd. (“Golden Star”) announced that it signed a binding agreement with Future Global Resources Limited (“FGR”) for the sale of the Prestea and Bogoso mines.
Royal Gold owns the right to purchase 10.5% of the gold produced from Golden Star’s Wassa, Prestea and Bogoso mines until an aggregate 240,000 ounces have been delivered, after which the stream percentage will decrease to 5.5%. The cash purchase price for gold is 20% of the spot price per ounce delivered until 240,000 ounces of gold have been delivered, and 30% of the spot price per ounce delivered thereafter. As of June 30, 2020, approximately 110,500 ounces of payable gold have been delivered to Royal Gold from the Wassa, Prestea and Bogoso mines, 69,700 ounces of which have been delivered from Wassa.
The transaction contemplated by Golden Star and FGR requires the separation of the Royal Gold stream agreement into separate stream agreements for each of Wassa and Prestea/Bogoso, which is conditional on, among other things, the approval of the Board of Directors of Royal Gold. Further, on July 28, 2020, Golden Star announced that, if approved, the separated Wassa stream agreement would require Golden Star to deliver 10.5% of the gold produced from Wassa in return for a cash purchase price of 20% of the spot price per ounce delivered, until the delivery of 240,000 ounces, after which the obligation would decrease to 5.5% of the gold produced from Wassa in return for a cash purchase price for gold of 30% of the spot price per ounce delivered. Royal Gold continues negotiations with Golden Star and FGR to separate the stream agreement with a target closing date of September 30, 2020.
On July 28, 2020 Golden Star reported 2020 gold production guidance for Wassa of between 165,000 to 170,000 ounces, up from the previous guidance range of 155,000 to 165,000 ounces.