Canada's Orca to Invest in Sudan's Gold

A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
TT

Canada's Orca to Invest in Sudan's Gold

A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)

Canada's major gold producing company, Orca, discussed the great potential for gold production in Sudan, announcing a $350 million investment for explorations.

The company intends to produce about 60 tons of gold annually in its exploration area in northeastern Sudan.

Orca Gold CEO Richard Clark discussed the company's production plans in Sudan and said the geological potential in the country is enormous, making Sudan the second or third country to produce gold in Africa, Suna reported.

According to Clark, Orca is determined to produce more than 228,000 ounces of gold annually in its concession area in the far northeast of Sudan.

In a television interview reported by Bloomberg, Clark said that Sudan's geological potential is vast. The country's political and economic conditions witnessed a steady improvement following the transitional government's removal of extremist groups.

As a result, Sudan was removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and approved for debt relief.

He explained that Sudan expects to write off its over $55 billion debt as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative (HIPC), which means its eligibility for development aid and economic aid.

According to Clark, a feasibility study for the projects in Sudan revealed the possibility of producing about 228,000 ounces of gold annually at the cost of $751 per ounce.

He explained that Sudan currently produces more than 100 tons of gold, most of which comes from traditional mining.

Ocra company will invest $350 million in mining operations as the most prominent and first specialized company to enter this market in Sudan.

According to Clark, his company operates in a mining area located within the "Nubian Gold Belt," extending from Egypt to Saudi Arabia and Eritrea.

Ocra Gold is one of the largest gold mining companies globally and is working on developing the 14th project for gold in Sudan, which is about 200 km north of Dongola.



Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
TT

Oil Prices Steady as Markets Weigh Demand against US Inventories

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices were little changed on Thursday as investors weighed firm winter fuel demand expectations against large US fuel inventories and macroeconomic concerns.

Brent crude futures were down 3 cents at $76.13 a barrel by 1003 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures dipped 10 cents to $73.22.

Both benchmarks fell more than 1% on Wednesday as a stronger dollar and a bigger than expected rise in US fuel stockpiles pressured prices.

"The oil market is still grappling with opposite forces - seasonal demand to support the bulls and macro data that supports a stronger US dollar in the medium term ... that can put a ceiling to prevent the bulls from advancing further," said OANDA senior market analyst Kelvin Wong.

JPMorgan analysts expect oil demand for January to expand by 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) year on year to 101.4 million bpd, primarily driven by increased use of heating fuels in the Northern Hemisphere.

"Global oil demand is expected to remain strong throughout January, fuelled by colder than normal winter conditions that are boosting heating fuel consumption, as well as an earlier onset of travel activities in China for the Lunar New Year holidays," the analysts said.

The market structure in Brent futures is also indicating that traders are becoming more concerned about supply tightening at the same time demand is increasing.

The premium of the front-month Brent contract over the six-month contract reached its widest since August on Wednesday. A widening of this backwardation, when futures for prompt delivery are higher than for later delivery, typically indicates that supply is declining or demand is increasing.

Nevertheless, official Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed rising gasoline and distillates stockpiles in the United States last week.

The dollar strengthened further on Thursday, underpinned by rising Treasury yields ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's entrance into the White House on Jan. 20.

Looking ahead, WTI crude oil is expected to oscillate within a range of $67.55 to $77.95 into February as the market awaits more clarity on Trump's administration policies and fresh fiscal stimulus measures out of China, OANDA's Wong said.