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Two of Australia’s largest gold miners have agreed a A$5bn ($3.2bn) takeover deal because the booming value for the commodity continues to drive consolidation within the sector.
Northern Star Sources, which operates the massive Tremendous Pit gold mine close to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, has agreed to take over rival De Gray Mining in an all-share deal pitched at a 37 per cent premium to the smaller firm’s share value. De Gray shareholders would maintain 20 per cent of the mixed firm.
It’s the latest transaction in the global gold sector as producers make the most of file costs to accumulate smaller rivals.
US firm Newmont acquired Australia’s largest participant Newcrest for $19bn last year. In August Gold Fields paid $1.6bn for Canada’s Osisko Mining, pitched at the same premium to the Northern Star-De Gray deal, and AngloGold Ashanti agreed to buy UK-listed Centamin for £1.9bn in September.
Northern Star shares dropped 5 per cent on the takeover information whereas De Gray’s inventory surged 28 per cent.
The acquisition, which the De Gray board has beneficial, will give Northern Star management over the promising Hemi prospect within the Pilbara, the iron ore-rich area in northern Western Australia, which is predicted to generate greater than 500,000 ounces of gold a yr in its first decade of operation.
Northern Star, now one among Australia’s largest listed gold miners, has earned a status for bettering gold mining belongings that had fallen out of favour with bigger gamers.
The Tremendous Pit — formally the Fimiston Open Pit — is 3.5km lengthy, 1.5km vast and 600 metres deep. The mine was beforehand collectively owned by Newmont and Barrick Gold. Northern Star acquired Newmont’s stake in 2019 after which struck a A$16bn merger with Saracen, which had acquired the Barrick stake, in 2021. This introduced the large deposit beneath single possession for the primary time in its close to 130-year historical past.
Northern Star secured a A$1.5bn improve to its Kalgoorlie operations final yr that can double processing capability when accomplished in 2026. The corporate had been tipped to discover acquisition alternatives on account of the booming gold price this yr.
Analysts mentioned the deal made strategic sense in a consolidating market and would doubtlessly enhance Northern Star’s output to 2.5mn ounces a yr by the top of the last decade, making it one of many world’s largest producers.
JPMorgan mentioned in a word: “The acquisition is sort of completely different to Northern Star’s historic technique of buying older belongings in manufacturing and recapitalising. Nevertheless, with main initiatives just like the (Kalgoorlie) enlargement progressing effectively . . . now we have restricted issues on supply.”
