Newmont–Barrick Nevada rift: JV structure and project risk lens for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Newmont has issued Barrick with a formal notice of default, alleging Barrick diverted resources from the Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) joint venture to its wholly owned Fourmile project in breach of their 2019 JV agreement and Newmont’s right of first refusal. The dispute threatens Barrick’s plan to spin off its North American business, including its 61.5% NGM stake and Fourmile, via a 10–15% equity sale later in 2026, a move Newmont believes requires its consent. With NGM estimated by RBC to represent about 60% of Barrick’s market value and Barrick’s gold output falling for six consecutive years, any prolonged legal or operational disruption at Nevada will be closely watched by mine planners and investors.
Technical Brief
- JV agreement gives an alleged breaching partner 30 days to remedy or commence corrective action.
- Newmont’s concerns were first raised informally in January, with a formal default notice issued early February.
- Newmont’s 10-K filing flags potential “material adverse effect” on NGM’s business and its NGM-linked growth strategy.
Our Take
With Nevada Gold Mines contributing roughly 60% of Barrick’s market value while Barrick’s overall output has fallen for six consecutive years to a 25‑year low, any sustained rift over the JV structure or Fourmile development is likely to sharpen investor scrutiny of Barrick’s reserve replacement and growth pipeline in Nevada versus other regions.
Newmont’s parallel push on its Australian gold portfolio and technology tie‑ups such as the Jevons Robotics highwall automation deal suggests it has alternative growth and productivity levers outside Nevada, which may give it more bargaining power in any renegotiation of NGM governance or future copper‑gold project sequencing in North America.
Both Newmont and Barrick feature prominently across our recent copper and gold coverage, and the current dispute over Nevada Gold Mines comes as price volatility in both metals has been high, meaning any disruption or re‑allocation of JV capital could have outsized effects on how each company positions itself on the global cost curve for large-scale gold–copper systems.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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