AngloGold Ashanti: No More Australian Asset Sales Planned

Global gold miner AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG.JO) said Wednesday that it doesn't plan to offload any other Australian projects, after completing the US$1.1 billion sale of a minority stake in the Boddington gold mine.

"There are no implications for our other Australian assets - we are committed to developing the Tropicana project and our Sunrise operation is running well," AngloGold Ashanti General Manager Corporate, Andrea Maxey, told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview.

Earlier Wednesday the Johannesburg-based miner announced it had sold its one-third stake in the US$2.6 billion-plus Boddington gold development near Perth to U.S.-based operator Newmont Mining Corp. (NEM).

AngloGold Ashanti Chief Executive Mark Cutifani said in a statement that the deal will strengthen the company's balance sheet and allow the early repayment of a recently announced US$1.0 billion bridge facility.

-By Stephen Bell, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; 61-8-9244-4243; [e-mail]

Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.