Equinox Gold Consolidates Ownership of the Greenstone Gold Mine Arranges Term Loan and Bought Deal Equity Financing

All dollar amounts shown in United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX: EQX, NYSE American: EQX) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding share purchase agreement (the “SPA”) with certain funds managed by Orion Mine Finance Management LP (“Orion”) to acquire Orion’s 40% interest in Greenstone Gold Mine GP Inc., giving Equinox Gold 100% ownership of the Greenstone Mine (“Greenstone”) in Ontario, Canada (the “Transaction”).

Under the terms of the SPA, Equinox Gold will pay $995 million to acquire Orion’s 40% interest in Greenstone, payable as follows:

• 42.0 million common shares of Equinox Gold valued at $250 million;
• $705 million in cash payable on closing; and
• $40 million in cash payable by December 31, 2024.
  

Equinox Gold will fund the cash consideration with net proceeds from both a new $500 million three-year term loan and a bought deal equity financing of common shares of Equinox Gold for approximately $260 million.

Anticipated Benefits to Equinox Gold Shareholders

• Rare opportunity to consolidate a world-class gold mine – Consolidates 100% ownership of Greenstone, one of the largest and highest-grade open pit gold mines in Canada, a top mining jurisdiction, at the beginning of its expected 14+ year mine life and into a historically strong gold price environment.
• Increases production and is significantly accretive to near-term EBITDA and cash flow – Increases the Company’s annual gold production by an expected 160,000 low-cost ounces per year with significant near-term EBITDA and cash flow per share accretion. Consolidated Greenstone will be Equinox Gold’s largest mine, producing an expected average of 400,000 ounces of gold per year over the first five years, and is expected to be one of the world’s lowest-cost open-pit gold mines, with cash costs in the industry’s lower quartile.

• Delivers substantial growth and exploration potential – Consolidates the Greenstone underground deposit, a key expansion opportunity at Greenstone, as well as multiple gold deposits in a highly prospective land package over a 100-km trend to the west of Greenstone, enhancing the Company’s long-term growth profile with both expansion and exploration potential.