{"id":1173166,"date":"2020-03-23T08:16:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T14:16:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1017819"},"modified":"2020-03-23T08:16:48","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T14:16:48","slug":"b2gold-halts-mining-in-the-philippines-african-operations-unchanged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1173166","title":{"rendered":"B2Gold halts mining in the Philippines, African operations unchanged"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mid-tier Canadian miner\u00a0B2Gold\u00a0(TSX:BTO)(NYSE: BTG)\u00a0is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.b2gold.com\/news\/index.php?content_id=900\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">temporarily halting mining at its Masbate operation<\/a> in the Philippines as government\u2019s measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted fuel supplies.<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center d-xs-block d-sm-block d-md-none'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Milling activities, however,<br \/>\ncontinue as normal the company said, noting that is also moving forward with<br \/>\nongoing expansion and development projects, despite certain restrictions and delays<br \/>\ntriggered by the novel&nbsp;coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The temporary fuel shortage<br \/>\nis due to new regulations imposed by the Philippine Government related to the<br \/>\nCOVID-19 virus to ensure that all materials, including fuel, arriving on<br \/>\nMasbate island via transport are not contaminated with COVID-19,&#8221; B2Gold<br \/>\nsaid.<\/p>\n<p>The Vancouver-based company also<br \/>\nnoted it would suspend drilling at its Gramalote project, in Colombia, which has<br \/>\nthe potential to delay the completion of a feasibility study into the first<br \/>\nquarter of 2021.<\/p>\n<p>B2Gold <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/b2gold-implements-precautionary-measures-at-its-mine-sites-to-prevent-covid-19-infections\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">said last week<\/a> it had put measures in place\u00a0to manage and respond to the risks associated with the disease at all of its assets and offices.<\/p>\n<p>Since no incidents related to<br \/>\nCovid-19 have been detected at its sites, projects such as the mill expansion<br \/>\nand solar facility construction at the Fekola mine in Mali are still projected<br \/>\nfor completion in the third quarter of 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Barring any unforeseen work<br \/>\nstoppages due to Covid-19, including consumable supply disruption, B2Gold<br \/>\nexpects to meet its full-year gold production and cost guidance at Fekola.<\/p>\n<p>Development of an underground mine<br \/>\nat Otjikoto in Namibia could potentially be postponed if contractors cannot reach<br \/>\nthe site, as planned, in the second quarter, the gold producer said.<\/p>\n<p>It noted that it didn\u2019t expect that<br \/>\na delay to the project will have any impact on the 2020 or 2021 forecasted<br \/>\nyearly production at Otjikoto.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the company continues to forecast<br \/>\nan annual production of &nbsp;at least 1 million ounces of gold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Temporary suspensions comes as government measures to contain the the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted fuel supplies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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