Tnm2013dec30

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Eurasian pushes ahead in Turkey

Finds a partner to tackle Deer Trail

16

Asanko takes a second go at PMI

Site Visit

By Salma Tarikh By Salma Tarikh

ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Eurasian Minerals (TSXV: EMX; NYSEMKT: EMXX) started exploring Turkey’s Western Anatolia and Eastern Pontides mineral belts for gold and silver, as well as porphyry copper targets, more than a decade ago, allowing it to stake and acquire promising projects. “We did a lot of grassroots work here six to five years ago, and now we’ve focused down to eight projects,” Eric Jensen, the company’s general manager of exploration, says during an October site visit. While we wait at a seaside cafe to take a ferry from Istanbul to Bandirma, Jensen gives a brief overview of the Alankoy high-sulphidation gold–copper project, the Balya zinc–lead royalty property and the Akarca gold–silver project that we’ll see during the tour. Two hours later, we cross the Sea of Mamara to the port town of Bandirma, where we meet with Michael Sheehan, the business unit manager for Turkey, and members of his team. Early the next morning we drive

Photo by Salma Tarikh

At Eurasian Minerals’ Alankoy gold–copper project in Turkey, from left: geologist Halil Aydincak, geologist Alper Ozbek, director of investor relations Scott Close and general manager of exploration Eric Jensen. through the rolling countryside — dotted with wind farms and a few limestone mines — to the Alankoy property in the Biga Peninsula. Jensen describes Alankoy as a “goldand copper-enriched, high-sulphidation epithermal lithocap with underlying porphyry copper–gold potential.” Sheehan says the company wanted a property so badly in the

C o m m e n ta ry

Global mining M&A and investment in 2013 fact, the much Like in any intalked about dustry, supply– “China slowdemand imbaldown” has little ances in mining to do with price products are at collapses in the root of dramost commodimatic price flucties produced tuations and from mining. market upheavBy David McIntyre and Barbara Li Demand reals. This is what Special to The Northern Miner mains strong in has been happening in the mining industry in China, and hence globally. Undoubtedly, there has been a 2013: market imbalances have led to rock-bottom commodity prices for weakening of “growth momentum” many minerals. The most dramatic (i.e., demand did not grow as much example of this downward ten- as expected by some), but actual dency was the 35% plunge in gold consumption of the main commodprices in a matter of weeks in the ities continues to be strong and growing. For instance, iron-ore and first halfof 2013. The good news is that on the de- copper imports to China have been mand side, it is clear there is contin- at record levels in recent months, ued strength in most commodities, and consumption of most minerals underpinned by growth in China. In See Global M&A, Page 14

Biga Peninsula that it swapped its Balya and Sofular base-metal properties for Alankoy in 2006. The property was previously held by local base-metal miner Dedeman Madencilik. Alankoy is adjacent to Alamos Gold’s (TSX: AGI; NYSE:AGI) Kirazli and Agi Dagi gold deposits and near Pilot Gold (TSX: PLG) and Teck Resources’ (TSX: TCK.B;

NYSE: TCK) TV Tower and Halilaga deposits. Sheehan notes several of the projects in the region may go into production as porphyries, adding that Alankoy could host a copper–gold porphyry system at depth. To test this theory, the Vancouver-based firm is seeking a drilling partner. Eurasian operates as a royalty See Eurasian, Page 2

Minvest Partners finds niche in advanced exploration assets Private Equity Upstart Sees ‘oncein-a-generation’ opportunity By Alisha Hiyate

Valuations in the mining sector have sunk low enough to attract value-oriented private equity funds, including big generalist firms Apollo Global Management, Carlyle Group and KKR & Co. But most of this money — as evidenced by Carlyle and KKR’s interest in Rio Tinto’s Northparkes copper mine this year — is geared towards producing or near-producing assets, leaving many juniors with earlier-stage projects stranded in the current market slump. Sensing an opportunity in this overlooked group of assets, the Toronto-based merchant bank Minerx Group started its own private equity arm called Minvest Partners about a year ago. “We recognized a while ago that

the industry was grinding to a halt,” says Stephen Stewart, president of Minerx and managing partner of Minvest. “We knew that there would be all sorts of opportunities available in larger junior companies, mid-tier producers or even some of the juniors that have more advancedstage assets that could be acquired at low costs, but wouldn’t be attractive to the typical private equity.” Stewart says that while most private equity deals focus on larger cash-flowing or near cash-flowing assets, the projects Minvest is looking for are earlier stage. “All the assets we’re looking at make no claims to production in the next twelve months, which is sort of what everybody else is looking for.” See minvest, Page 11

In a friendly all-share deal valued at $183 million, Asanko Gold (TSX: AKG; NYSE-MKT: AKG) plans to take over PMI Gold (TSX: PMV; ASX: PVM; USOTC: PMVGF) to create an emerging mid-tier gold producer. “This is a compelling value-accretive transaction for both Asanko and PMI shareholders, as it enables the co-development of Asanko’s Esaase gold project and PMI’s Obotan gold project — which are located within a 15 km radius of each other — as a single mining operation, capturing operating and capital-cost synergies in an excess of US$100 million,” Peter Breese, Asanko’s CEO, said on a conference call. The combined company could be producing as much as 400,000 oz. gold a year from the asset starting in 2017. “This transaction is obviously good news for Ghana, as it delivers certainty to the development of both Esaase and Obotan, creating a world-class mining operation in a country which has recently suffered from the weak gold price and the knock-on effect that it has had on [gold] production, jobs and government revenue,” added Peter Bradford, PMI’s CEO. “We are particularly pleased that this business combination will help reverse this negative trend in Ghana, which has a rich and enviable history of lush gold production over many years.” PMI investors will receive 0.21 of an Asanko share for each PMI share See Asanko, Page 3 PM40069240 – PAP Registration #09263


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