B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G)  is pleased to announce its gold production and gold revenue for the third quarter and first nine months of 2020. All dollar figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.

2020 Third Quarter Highlights

• Consolidated gold production of 248,733 ounces from the Company’s three operating mines, above budget by 1% (2,929 ounces) and a significant increase of 17% (35,455 ounces) over the third quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations of El Limon and La Libertad)
• Total gold production of 263,813 ounces (including 15,080 ounces of attributable production from Calibre Mining Corp.)
• Record quarterly consolidated gold revenue of $487 million, a significant increase of $176 million (57%) over the third quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations)
• The Fekola Mine continues to operate unimpeded and no operational days have been lost due to the recent political developments and demonstrations in Mali
• No Lost-Time-Injury incidents at the Company’s operating mines, extending the number of days without an LTI to 255 days for Fekola, 684 days for Masbate and 918 days for Otjikoto as at September 30, 2020
• On August 5, 2020, the Company announced a 100% increase of its quarterly dividend to $0.04 per share (or an expected $0.16 per share on an annual basis), which was reflected in the third quarter dividend payment
• On September 10, 2020, the Company announced the successful commissioning of the Fekola mill expansion to 7.5 million tonnes per annum (an increase of 1.5 Mtpa from an assumed base rate of 6 Mtpa), ahead of the scheduled completion date of September 30, 2020; the Fekola mill has the potential to run above the annualized throughput rate of 7.5 Mtpa and analysis is currently underway to determine the optimum throughput rate
• B2Gold maintains a strong financial position and liquidity; the Company is now debt-free (other than mining equipment loans and leases totaling approximately $50 million as at September 30, 2020) after fully repaying the outstanding Revolving Credit Facility balance of $425 million during the third quarter of 2020 with the full amount of the $600 million RCF now undrawn and available

2020 First Nine Months Highlights

• Record year-to-date consolidated gold production from the Company’s three operating mines of 738,939 ounces, well above budget by 4% (26,412 ounces) and a significant increase of 19% (116,229 ounces) over the first nine months of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations)
• Total gold production of 770,268 ounces (including 31,329 ounces of attributable production from Calibre)
• Record year-to-date consolidated gold revenue of $1.309 billion, a significant increase of $467 million (56%) over the first nine months of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations)
• For full-year 2020, the Company forecasts total consolidated gold production to come in towards the midpoint of its guidance range of between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces, with total consolidated cash operating costs expected to be at or below the low end of its guidance range of between $415 and $455 per ounce and total consolidated all-in sustaining costs to be at the lower end of its guidance range of between $780 and $820 per ounce
• Based on current assumptions, including a gold price of $1,900 per ounce for the balance of 2020, the Company expects to generate cashflows from operating activities of more than $900 million in 2020

The Company continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic and minimize its potential impact at B2Gold’s operations. B2Gold places the safety and well-being of its workforce and all stakeholders as the highest priority and continues to encourage input from all its stakeholders as the situation evolves. The Company has implemented several measures and introduced additional precautionary steps to manage and respond to the risks associated with COVID-19 to ensure the safety of B2Gold’s employees, contractors, suppliers and surrounding communities where the Company works while continuing to operate. The Company is continually updating these plan and response measures based on the safety and well-being of its workforce, the severity of the pandemic in areas where it operates, global response measures, government restrictions and extensive community consultation. The Company is working closely with national and local authorities and continues to closely monitor each site’s situation, including public and employee sentiment to ensure that stakeholders are in alignment with continued safe operation of its mines.

Gold Production and Development

Consolidated gold production from the Company’s three operating mines in the third quarter of 2020 was 248,733 ounces, above budget by 1% (2,929 ounces) and a significant increase of 17% (35,455 ounces) over the third quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations) with solid performances from all of the Company’s operations. The significant increase in gold production over the third quarter of 2019 was driven by the Fekola Mine in Mali, which continued its very strong operational performance with gold production of 152,535 ounces, above budget by 2% (2,535 ounces), and 36% (40,214 ounces) higher compared to the third quarter of 2019. Fekola’s significant increase in gold production over the third quarter of 2019 was mainly due to the expansion of the Fekola mining fleet and optimization of the pit designs and mine plan for 2020, which have provided access to higher grade portions of the Fekola deposit earlier than anticipated in previous mine plans. The Otjikoto Mine in Namibia also had a solid third quarter of 2020, producing 42,591 ounces of gold, 2% (985 ounces) above budget. The Masbate Mine in the Philippines continued to perform well through the third quarter of 2020 despite a 6-day mill shutdown following an earthquake on August 18, 2020, producing 53,607 ounces of gold, substantially in-line with budget (of 54,198 ounces), and 4% higher (2,061 ounces) compared to the third quarter of 2019. Including attributable ounces from Calibre (15,080 ounces), the Company’s total gold production in the third quarter of 2020 was 263,813 ounces.

Consolidated gold production for the first nine months of 2020 was a year-to-date record 738,939 ounces, 4% (26,412 ounces) above budget and 19% (116,229 ounces) higher than the first nine months of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations). Including attributable ounces from Calibre (31,329 ounces), the Company’s total gold production in the first nine months of 2020 was 770,268 ounces.

B2Gold remains well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance in 2020. For full-year 2020, the Company forecasts total consolidated gold production (including attributable ounces from Calibre) to come in towards the midpoint of its production guidance range of between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces. The Company is currently reviewing the expected cash operating costs and AISC guidance (B2Gold will release its third quarter and first nine months of 2020 financial results after the North American markets close on Tuesday, November 3, 2020). However, consolidated cash costs are expected to remain low in 2020, and the Company expects to be at or below the low end of its guidance range for total consolidated cash operating costs of between $415 and $455 per ounce and at the lower end of its guidance range for total consolidated AISC of between $780 and $820 per ounce.

The Company’s expansion and development projects also progressed well through the third quarter of 2020: 

• At Fekola, on September 10, 2020, the Company announced the successful commissioning of the Fekola mill expansion to 7.5 Mtpa (an increase of 1.5 Mtpa from an assumed base rate of 6 Mtpa), approximately one month ahead of the scheduled completion date of September 30, 2020. The Fekola mill has the potential to run above the annualized throughput rate of 7.5 Mtpa and analysis is currently underway to determine the optimum throughput rate. Remobilization of the Fekola solar plant construction group began in mid-September 2020 (following a temporary suspension of construction activities in April 2020 due to COVID-19) and will continue to ramp up as camp space becomes available. The Company expects that the solar plant construction will now be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
• At Otjikoto, development of the Wolfshag underground mine continues to progress on schedule. In the third quarter of 2020, the mining contractor was mobilized, and underground development of the portal and primary ramp has now commenced. Stope ore production is expected to commence in early 2022, in-line with original estimates.
• At the Gramalote Project, feasibility work continued as planned from the recommencement of drilling on May 11, 2020, with infill exploration drilling completed on August 21, 2020. During the third quarter of 2020, work continued to advance for infrastructure design, process plant design, pit design and social initiatives. Resource modelling is anticipated to be completed in November 2020 at which time the final phase of the Gramalote Feasibility Study work will proceed based upon updated resources. The Gramalote Feasibility Study is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

Gold Revenue  

Consolidated gold revenue in the third quarter of 2020 was a quarterly record of $487 million from the Company’s three operating mines on sales of 253,200 ounces at an average price of $1,924 per ounce, compared to $311 million on sales of 208,900 ounces at an average price of $1,488 per ounce in the third quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations). Compared to the third quarter of 2019, consolidated gold revenue increased significantly by 57% ($176 million), of which 36% related to the increase in the average realized gold price and 21% to the increase in gold ounces sold (mainly due to the higher gold production).

Consolidated gold revenue for the first nine months of 2020 was a year-to-date record of $1.309 billion on sales of 749,800 ounces at an average price of $1,746 per ounce, compared to $842 million on sales of 616,000 ounces at an average price of $1,367 per ounce in the first nine months of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations). Compared to the first nine months of 2019, consolidated gold revenue increased significantly by 56% ($467 million), of which 34% related to the increase in the average realized gold price and 22% to the increase in gold ounces sold.

Operations

Mine-by-mine gold production in the third quarter and first nine months of 2020 (including the Company’s approximate 34% share of Calibre’s production) was as follows:  

Fekola Gold Mine – Mali

The Fekola Mine in Mali continued its very strong operational performance in the third quarter of 2020 with gold production of 152,535 ounces, above budget by 2% (2,535 ounces), as processed grade and recovery both exceeded budget and which more than offset lower-than-budgeted throughput in the quarter due to additional downtime for mill expansion tie-ins and a full SAG mill reline. Compared to the third quarter of 2019, gold production was significantly higher by 36% (40,214 ounces). Fekola’s significant increase in gold production over the third quarter of 2019 was mainly due to the expansion of the Fekola mining fleet and optimization of the pit designs and mine plan for 2020, which have provided access to higher grade portions of the Fekola deposit earlier than anticipated in previous mine plans. As at September 30, 2020, the Fekola Mine achieved 255 days without an LTI.

For the third quarter of 2020, mill feed grade was 3.22 grams per tonne (“g/t”) compared to budget of 2.93 g/t and 2.16 g/t in the third quarter of 2019; mill throughput was 1.56 million tonnes compared to budget of 1.70 million tonnes and 1.70 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2019; and gold recovery averaged 94.6% compared to budget of 94.0% and 94.1% in the third quarter of 2019.

For the first nine months of 2020, the Fekola Mine produced 463,970 ounces of gold, well above budget by 5% (22,970 ounces) and significantly higher than the first nine months of 2019 by 38% (127,403 ounces). Through effective mine planning and a successful stockpiling strategy, Fekola was able to exceed its gold production goals during the construction of its mill expansion in 2020.

The Fekola Mine continues to operate unimpeded and no operational days have been lost due to the recent political developments in Mali or to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the establishment of a new interim government in September 2020, expected to lead Mali through to new presidential and legislative elections within 18 months, the Economic Community of West African States (“ECOWAS”) has now lifted its sanctions on Mali, including air, border and financial restrictions. B2Gold will continue to work with regional and national governments to ensure that its mining operations continue normally, providing important economic benefits to all stakeholders, including our employees, governments and the communities around the mine.

For full-year 2020, the Fekola Mine is expected to meet or exceed the upper end of its production guidance range of between 590,000 and 620,000 ounces of gold, at cash operating costs of between $285 and $325 per ounce and AISC of between $555 and $595 per ounce.

Fekola Mine Expansion

On September 10, 2020, the Company announced the successful commissioning of the Fekola mill expansion to 7.5 Mtpa (an increase of 1.5 Mtpa from an assumed base rate of 6 Mtpa), ahead of the scheduled completion date of September 30, 2020. The Fekola mill has the potential to run above the annualized throughput rate of 7.5 Mtpa and analysis is currently underway to determine the optimum throughput rate (using ore blends comparable to those planned for 2021 and future production). Commissioning included completion of all major construction activities associated with the Fekola mill expansion, as well as successful execution of a process performance test to compare with design expectations. Four days after start-up, a 5-day mill performance test was conducted from August 26 to August 30, 2020. The results of the performance test exceeded design in throughput, gold recovery, grind and availability over the 5-day day period. In addition, substantially all of the Fekola mine fleet expansion equipment planned for 2020 (including excavators, trucks, and drill rigs) have now arrived on site and are operational, with the overall mine expansion now materially complete.     

Fekola Solar Plant

Remobilization of the solar plant construction group began in mid-September 2020 (following a temporary suspension of construction activities in April 2020 due to COVID-19) and will continue to ramp up as camp space becomes available. The Company expects that the solar plant construction will now be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The existing HFO and diesel power plant have an installed capacity of 64 megawatts while Fekola’s expanded mill facilities require only approximately 40 megawatts for continuous operations. The solar plant is therefore not a necessary component of the mill expansion project but is expected to reduce Fekola’s operating costs and emissions by decreasing power plant fuel consumption and maintenance costs.

Masbate Gold Mine – the Philippines

The Masbate Mine in the Philippines also continued to perform well through the third quarter of 2020, producing 53,607 ounces of gold, substantially in-line with budget (of 54,198 ounces), and 4% higher (2,061 ounces) compared to the third quarter of 2019. Following a magnitude 6.6 earthquake approximately 90 kilometres from the mine site on August 18, 2020, Masbate’s mining and processing operations were temporarily suspended for five and six days, respectively, for inspections mandated by the Philippines Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau. Planned maintenance was performed ahead of schedule during the shutdown period, and normal operations continued after the inspections determined that there was no damage to the mine from the earthquake. The Company worked with local communities to provide medical, food, and other support to the impacted areas. The Masbate Mine continued its remarkable safety performance, extending the number of days without an LTI to 684 days as at September 30, 2020.

For the third quarter of 2020, mill feed grade was 1.05 g/t compared to budget of 1.05 g/t and 1.09 g/t in the third quarter of 2019; mill throughput was 1.97 million tonnes compared to budget of 2.1 million tonnes and 2.0 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2019; and gold recovery averaged 81.1% compared to budget of 76.4% and 72.4% in the third quarter of 2019. Average gold recoveries were above budget due to mining more oxide ore than budgeted.

For the first nine months of 2020, the Masbate Mine produced 147,133 ounces of gold, in-line with budget (of 147,381 ounces) and 12% (19,466 ounces) lower compared to the first nine months of 2019 (as planned, mainly due to lower head grade). The on-budget production was achieved despite a 6-day mandated mill shutdown following an earthquake on August 18, 2020 (for inspections which confirmed that there was no damage to the mine from the earthquake) and COVID-19-related constraints (including a five-day mining shutdown in the first quarter of 2020 and working with a reduced workforce through the second quarter of 2020). 

For full-year 2020, the Masbate Mine is expected to produce between 200,000 and 210,000 ounces of gold from the Main Vein and Montana Pits, at cash operating costs of between $665 and $705 per ounce and AISC of between $965 and $1,005 per ounce.

Otjikoto Gold Mine – Namibia

The Otjikoto Mine in Namibia also had a solid third quarter of 2020, producing 42,591 ounces of gold, 2% (985 ounces) above budget, as processed tonnes and recoveries were both slightly better than budget. Compared to the third quarter of 2019, gold production, as planned, was lower by 14% (6,820 ounces), due to fewer high-grade ore tonnes being mined from the Wolfshag Phase 2 Pit (than compared to the third quarter of 2019). Ore production from the Wolfshag Phase 2 Pit had resumed in the second half of 2019 following pre-stripping. The Otjikoto Mine continued its remarkable safety performance, extending the number of days without an LTI to 918 days as at September 30, 2020.

For the third quarter of 2020, mill feed grade was 1.53 g/t compared to budget of 1.54 g/t and 1.84 g/t in the third quarter of 2019; mill throughput was 0.88 million tonnes compared to budget of 0.86 million tonnes and 0.84 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2019; and gold recovery averaged 98.2% compared to budget of 98.0% and 98.8% in the third quarter of 2019.

For the first nine months of 2020, the Otjikoto Mine produced 127,836 ounces of gold, above budget by 3% (3,690 ounces) and 7% (8,292 ounces) higher than the first nine months of 2019.

Development of the Wolfshag underground mine (the initial underground Mineral Reserve estimate for the down-plunge extension of the Wolfshag orebody included 210,000 ounces of gold in 1.2 million tonnes of ore at 5.57 g/t gold) continues to progress on schedule. Engineering of the underground mine continued and an underground mining contractor was appointed for the development of the underground workings up to the production stopes. In the third quarter of 2020, the mining contractor was mobilized, and underground development of the portal and primary ramp has now commenced. Stope ore production is expected to commence in early 2022, in-line with original estimates.

Exploration at Otjikoto continues to focus on drilling down plunge on the Wolfshag and Otjikoto deposits which remain open at depth as well as testing stratigraphy east of Wolfshag for new mineralized horizons.

For full-year 2020, the Otjikoto Mine is forecast to produce between 165,000 and 175,000 ounces of gold, from the Otjikoto and Wolfshag Pits, at cash operating costs of between $480 and $520 per ounce and AISC of between $1,010 and $1,050 per ounce.

Development

Gramalote Project (B2Gold – 50%/AngloGold Ashanti Limited – 50%) – Colombia

B2Gold commenced its role as manager of the Gramalote Project on January 1, 2020.

Feasibility work at the Gramalote Project continued as planned from the recommencement of drilling on May 11, 2020, with infill exploration drilling completed on August 21, 2020. During the third quarter of 2020, work continued to advance for infrastructure design, process plant design, pit design and social initiatives. Resource modelling is anticipated to be completed in November 2020 at which time the final phase of the Gramalote Feasibility Study work will proceed based upon updated resources. The Gramalote Feasibility Study is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

Through the third quarter of 2020, COVID-19 management on-site was successful in allowing the project to continue with advancements in drilling and social initiatives including ongoing work with resettlement and small miner initiatives. COVID-19 control work included pretests, operational protocols, aggressive contact tracing and close work with local health authorities. While COVID-19 caseloads remain relatively high in Colombia, in Antioquia commercial activity and personal movement have substantially normalized.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

B2Gold maintains a strong financial position and liquidity. The Company is now debt-free (other than mining equipment loans and leases totaling approximately $50 million as at September 30, 2020) after fully repaying the outstanding RCF balance of $425 million during the third quarter of 2020 with the full amount of the $600 million RCF now undrawn and available.

Based on current assumptions, including a gold price of $1,900 per ounce for the balance of 2020, the Company expects to generate cashflows from operating activities of more than $900 million in 2020. The Company’s ongoing strategy is to continue to maximize profitable production from its mines, grow its mineral reserves, utilize cash flow to continue the dividend payment, further advance its pipeline of development and exploration projects and evaluate growth opportunities.

About B2Gold Corp.

B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines and numerous exploration and development projects in various countries including Mali, Colombia and Burkina Faso. B2Gold continues to forecast total consolidated gold production of between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces in 2020.

Qualified Persons

Bill Lytle, Senior Vice President of Operations, a qualified person under NI 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical information related to operations matters contained in this news release.