Barrick Gold’s project review announced last month would not deter the world’s biggest bullion producer from pursuing new acquisition opportunities, Australia Pacific president Mike Feehan said on Tuesday.

He told journalists at the Diggers and Dealers conference, in Australia’s Kalgoorlie, that the ongoing review was unlikely to restrict Barrick from looking at purchasing new assets.

“It goes back to the financial criteria that the company would use, and if it fits into that framework and is something that adds value to the company, we would look at any opportunity that presents itself.”

Feehan added that the company would not restrict itself when looking at project criteria, but would consider projects in all phases of development, and of varying sizes.

“You can look at longer-term projects that are basically new, exploration targets that have recently been discovered, or if you wish to add x-amount of ounces to the production profile quickly, you could acquire an asset that is already producing.”

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/barrick-will-still-pursue-acquisitions-despite-project-review-feehan-2012-08-07