VANCOUVER, July 13, 2020 /CNW/ - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its gold production and gold revenue for the second quarter and first half of 2020. All dollar figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.

2020 Second Quarter Highlights
•Consolidated gold production of 239,574 ounces, above budget by 3% (7,327 ounces) and a significant increase of 15% (30,684 ounces) over the second quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations of El Limon and La Libertad)
•Total gold production of 241,593 ounces (including 2,019 ounces of attributable production from Calibre Mining Corp. ("Calibre"))
•Record quarterly consolidated gold revenue from the Company's three operating mines of $442 million, a significant increase of 65% ($175 million) over the second quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations)
•No lost time injury ("LTI") incidents at the Company's operating mines during the second quarter; the Otjikoto and Masbate Mines continued their remarkable safety performance extending the number of days without a LTI to 826 days (well over 2 years) for Otjikoto and 592 days (well over 1.5 years) for Masbate as at June 30, 2020
•The Fekola Mine continues to operate unimpeded and no operational days have been lost due to the recent political developments and demonstrations in Mali
•On June 12, 2020, the B2Gold Board declared a cash dividend for the second quarter of 2020 of $0.02 per share, paid on July 7, 2020 to shareholders of record as of June 23, 2020
•B2Gold remains well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance. Total consolidated production guidance remains at between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces of gold; total consolidated cash operating costs (see "Non-IFRS Measures") are forecast to be between $415 and $455 per ounce and total consolidated all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") (see "Non-IFRS Measures") are forecast to be between $780 and $820 per ounce.

2020 First Half Highlights
•Record half-year consolidated gold production from the Company's three operating mines of 490,206 ounces, well above budget by 5% (23,483 ounces) and a significant increase of 20% (80,774 ounces) over the first half of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations); with solid performances from all the Company's operations (all exceeding their targeted production for the first half of the year)
•Total gold production of 506,455 ounces (including 16,249 ounces of attributable production from Calibre)
•Record half-year consolidated gold revenue from the Company's three operating mines of $822 million, a significant increase of 55% ($291 million) over the first half of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations)
•Based on current assumptions, including a gold price of $1,700 per ounce for the balance of 2020, the Company expects to generate cashflows from operating activities of approximately $850 million in 2020

The Company has been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact at B2Gold's operations since mid-February 2020. B2Gold places the safety and well-being of its workforce as the highest priority and continues to encourage input from all its stakeholders as the situation continues to evolve. 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 the 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 operation, while ensuring the safe operation of its mines.

Gold Production and Development

Consolidated gold production in the second quarter of 2020 was 239,574 ounces, above budget by 3% (7,327 ounces) and a significant increase of 15% (30,684 ounces) over the second quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations) with solid performances from all the Company's operations. The significant increase in gold production over the second quarter of 2019 was driven by the Fekola Mine in Mali which continued its very strong operational performance with gold production of 147,424 ounces, well above budget by 5% (6,424 ounces), and 29% (33,527 ounces) higher compared to the second quarter of 2019. Fekola's significant increase in gold production over the second 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 second quarter, producing 43,496 ounces of gold, 3% (1,342 ounces) above budget, and 16% (6,075 ounces) higher compared to the second quarter of 2019. The Masbate Mine in the Philippines continued to perform well through the second quarter of 2020, despite being limited by a reduced workforce due to COVID-19 restrictions, producing 48,654 ounces of gold, approximately in-line with budget.

Including attributable ounces from Calibre (2,019 ounces), the Company's total gold production in the second quarter of 2020 was 241,593 ounces.

Consolidated gold production for the first half of 2020 was a half-year record of 490,206 ounces, 5% (23,483 ounces) above budget and 20% (80,774 ounces) higher than the first half of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations).

Including attributable ounces from Calibre (16,249 ounces), the Company's total gold production in the first half of 2020 was 506,455 ounces.

Based on current assumptions for 2020, B2Gold remains well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance. On June 24, 2020, Calibre provided its revised 2020 production guidance following the temporary suspension of its Nicaraguan operations due to COVID-19. The Company's attributable gold production from Calibre is now estimated to be between 37,000 and 42,000 ounces for 2020 (or 8,000 ounces lower than the original estimate of between 45,000 and 50,000 ounces of gold). However, given that the Company's three operating mines were 23,483 ounces ahead of budget at the end of the first half of 2020, the Company continues to maintain its overall total consolidated production and financial guidance. Therefore, total consolidated production guidance remains at between 1,000,000 and 1,055,000 ounces of gold; total consolidated cash operating costs are forecast to be between $415 and $455 per ounce and total consolidated AISC are forecast to be between $780 and $820 per ounce.

The Company's expansion and development projects also progressed well through the second quarter of 2020:
•At Fekola, the mine expansion project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2020. Mining fleet expansion equipment (including excavators, trucks, and drill rigs) continued to arrive on site and be commissioned throughout the second quarter. The mill expansion continues to be on budget and schedule and was approximately 75% complete by the end of June 2020. The mill expansion commissioning team is scheduled to arrive on site in late July and the mill expansion is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of the third quarter 2020.
•At Otjikoto, engineering of the Wolfshag underground mine continued and an underground mining contractor bid process was held in the second quarter of 2020 for the development of the underground workings up to the production stopes. In line with previously announced schedules, the development of the portal and primary ramp is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2020 and stope ore production is expected to commence in early 2022.
•At the Gramalote Project, operations restarted on May 4, 2020 (following a temporary shutdown due to COVID-19) for Environmental Impact Assessment related field activities, with exploration drilling recommencing on May 11, 2020. During the shutdown, other aspects of the Feasibility Study such as mine engineering review, metallurgical investigations and process plant design development continued to advance. Ongoing exploration work continues with a focus on infill drilling of the Inferred Mineral Resource which is expected to be completed in August 2020. As previously announced, the Company now expects to complete the Feasibility Study in the first quarter of 2021.

Gold Revenue

Consolidated gold revenue in the second quarter of 2020 was a quarterly record of $442 million from the Company's three operating mines on sales of 257,100 ounces at an average price of $1,719 per ounce compared to $267 million on sales of 203,700 ounces at an average price of $1,312 per ounce in the second quarter of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations). Compared to the second quarter of 2019, the significant increase in consolidated gold revenue of 65% ($175 million) was mainly attributable to a 31% increase in the average realized gold price and a 26% increase in gold ounces sold (due to the higher gold production and timing of gold sales).

Consolidated gold revenue for the first half of 2020 was a half-year record of $822 million on sales of 496,600 ounces at an average price of $1,656 per ounce compared to $531 million on sales of 407,100 ounces at an average price of $1,305 per ounce in the first half of 2019 (excluding discontinued operations). The significant increase in consolidated gold revenue of 55% ($291 million) was mainly attributable to a 27% increase in the average realized gold price and a 22% increase in gold ounces sold.

Operations
Mine-by-mine gold production in the second quarter of 2020 (including the Company's estimated 34% share of Calibre's production) was as follows:

Mine Q2 2020 Gold Production (ounces)
First Half 2020 Gold Production (ounces) 2020 Annual Gold Production Guidance (ounces)
Fekola 147,424 311,435 590,000 - 620,000

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