GUYANA · GOLD
Key Facts
- What Aurora Gold Mine, Guyana’s only large-scale gold producer, booked US$334 million in sales in the first half of 2026.
- Royalty The state’s royalty (a share of sales) would be about US$26.7 million at 8%; actual figure unpublished.
- Output Company reports 2.2 tonnes, up 10% (rounded from 2.0); ounces declared to the state fell 1.7%.
- Price World gold averaged about US$4,694 an ounce; the mine’s all-in cost was about US$1,682 an ounce.
- Owner AGM Inc., the local operator, is wholly owned by Zijin Gold International, a Hong Kong-listed miner.
Guyana’s biggest gold mine sold US$334 million of gold in six months, but what the state received in royalties is not published and can only be estimated.
Guyana’s Aurora Gold Mine booked US$334 million in revenue in the first half of 2026, according to the interim results of its owner, Zijin Gold International, a gold miner listed in Hong Kong. The mine, run by the local company AGM Inc., produced about 2.2 tonnes of gold, which the company puts at 10% more than a year earlier on rounded figures.
Guyana’s own count of gold declared by the mine fell slightly over the same period, and neither the company’s results nor the Ministry of Finance’s mid-year report gives a royalty figure. Royalties are the share of gold sales that a miner pays to the state, and at the 8% rate that Guyana’s mining commission says large-scale deals commonly use, the bill on US$334 million would be about US$26.7 million.
What the Mine Reported
Zijin Gold International’s half-year results for the six months to 30 June 2026, dated 14 August, list Aurora’s revenue at US$334 million. On 30 June the mine’s total assets stood at US$779 million.
Geological drilling covered 11,000 metres and added about 1.4 tonnes of gold metal, the company said. It also drilled 10,000 metres inside the open pit, and five underground drilling rigs kept working.
The mine’s all-in sustaining cost per ounce, which includes royalties, was about US$1,682. That was higher than a year earlier, but without royalties it fell, the company said, and royalties rise with the gold price.
What Guyana’s Books Show
Guyana’s Ministry of Finance says its lone large-scale gold producer, whose output matches Aurora’s, declared 70,105 troy ounces of gold to the state in the first half, down 1.7% from 71,316 a year earlier. A troy ounce is the unit gold is traded in, about 31.1 grams.
The ministry’s mid-year report puts total national declarations at 232,287 ounces. That makes the mine about 30% of the total, so the national growth came from small and medium miners, whose declarations rose to 162,182 ounces from 137,441.
Gold exports brought in US$826.2 million in the half, up 48.5% from US$556.3 million, the ministry’s mid-year report says, while the world gold price averaged US$4,694 per ounce in the half, the ministry says. It projects US$2.307 billion for the full year, against a budget estimate of US$1.754 billion, as our report on Guyana’s gold export receipts details.
How the Royalty Works
The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the state regulator of mining, says gold carries a standard 5% royalty on production value for mines of every size. It adds that large-scale agreements now commonly apply 8% when gold trades above US$1,000 per ounce.
The mine’s own agreement sets its exact rate, and we have not seen it. Applying 8% to US$333.8 million gives US$26.7 million, while 5% would give US$16.7 million, so both numbers are estimates rather than payments.
What It Means for You
Guyana is known abroad mainly for oil, but gold is a large export too, and a high price lifts both sales and royalties. Our pages on foreign investors in Guyana and on the regulator’s warning to small gold miners give more context.
For investors following gold producers, the mine shows how high gold prices lift sales, while royalties also rise with the price. The country page on Guyana tracks the next releases.
What Is Not Known
The royalty the mine actually paid in the half, and the rate written into its agreement, are not stated in the documents we read. The company’s 2.2 tonnes is also a rounded figure, whereas the ministry counts exact troy ounces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much gold did Guyana’s Aurora mine produce in early 2026?
About 2.2 tonnes in the first half of 2026, up 10% on a year earlier, according to its owner. Guyana’s Ministry of Finance counts 70,105 troy ounces declared.
How much royalty does Guyana get from the mine?
The amount is not published. At the 8% rate commonly used for large-scale gold agreements it would be about US$26.7 million on US$334 million of revenue.
Who owns the Aurora Gold Mine?
AGM Inc., the local operating company, which is wholly owned by Zijin Gold International, a gold miner listed in Hong Kong. It is Guyana’s only large-scale gold producer.
How much gold does Guyana export?
Gold export receipts were US$826.2 million in the first half of 2026, up 48.5% on a year earlier. The Ministry of Finance projects US$2.307 billion for the full year.
Sources: Zijin Gold International, Interim Results Announcement for the Six Months Ended 30 June 2026, 14 August 2026; Guyana Ministry of Finance, Mid-Year Report 2026; Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Fiscal Regimes for Guyana, July 2025.
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