With the price of gold down from about $1,600 per ounce at the end of 2012 to hover at around $1,370 per ounce today, miners of the precious metal have been shuttering mines around the world. That’s not the case for the Cresson Mine, the single-largest gold mine in the state of Colorado. AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU), which has 100% interest in the field, has decided to increase capacity and ramp-up production now instead of abandoning earlier plans for an expansion, plans that were created during more bullish times for the precious metal.
Indeed, the Cresson mine currently produces some 200,000 ounces of gold annually. With the expansion, the capacity will increase to 375,000 ounces each year beginning in 2015. According to a recent report on NPR, the reason that AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU) has been able to not only continue operations but also expand mining activities in Colorado is because of costs. A combination of low diesel fuel and labor costs coupled with what is still considered “abnormally high” prices for gold, according to the report, make the Cresson mine still economical. Plus, AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU) has been vehemently lowering its cost structure.
Capex plans for 2013 were recently softened from $2.1 billion to $1.9 billion, and the company has suspended its dividend until market conditions strengthen. It also extended debt maturities with the issuance of $1.2 billion in new debt securities that expire in 2020. The company is saddled with $2.8 billion in net debt and its net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio is approximately 1.6.
In 2012, US projects including the Cresson mine accounted for 22% of the company’s capex. In 2013, AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU) expects that Cresson will represent 35% of the $503 million in capex directed at the Americas, according to the company’s annual report. AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU) reported a return on equity of 18% in 2012, when results were hurt by lower production amid a strike in South Africa.
Copper and gold
The 25% decline in the price of gold (at its worst point this year) hasn’t been easy on any gold miner, despite the fact that the industry is adjusting. Colorado-based Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM) suffered a $2 billion net loss, or a loss of $4.06 per basic share in its second quarter as a result of weaker gold and copper prices. Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM)’s in the process of eliminating greater than one-third of its workforce, and cut spending by $362 million in the first half of 2013 versus the year-ago period.
Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM) has been hurt by lower production at its mines across South America, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Africa. Meanwhile, a bright spot in the second quarter was Nevada, where production climbed 1% amid higher production and greater quality at its Emigrant and Phoenix mines. Like AngloGold Ashanti Limited (ADR) (NYSE:AU), Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM) recently lowered its 2013 capex plans. The company has earmarked $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion for 2013 capex, 40% of which will be directed at developmental and expansion projects in places like Nevada and Mexico.
Unlike AngloGold, Newmont Mining Corp (NYSE:NEM) continues to pay a dividend, yielding investors 3.1%. It carries $12.2 billion in total liabilities on its balance sheet and generated $293 million in free cash flow in the second quarter. The shares are down more than 30% year-to-date, which all things considered helps to explain the company’s cash-strapped position and aggressive cost-cutting initiatives.
