By Divya Rajagopal and Varun Sahay
July 23 (Reuters) - Newmont, the world's biggest gold miner, beat second-quarter profit estimates on Thursday after a rally in bullion prices outweighed the impact of lower output, while it forecast steady production in the third quarter.
Gold has rallied on safe-haven demand and hopes of U.S. interest rate cuts, although a stronger dollar and a crude oil-led inflation scare amid the Iran war have occasionally limited gains.
Prices of the yellow metal averaged $4,506.41
per ounce in the second quarter, up about 37% from a year earlier.
Newmont's quarterly average realized price for gold was at $4,414 per ounce, compared with $3,320 per ounce a year ago.
Quarterly gold production fell to 1.29 million ounces, from 1.48 million ounces a year earlier, hurt by lower output at Cadia due to seismic events and at Ahafo South, Penasquito and Yanacocha due to lower grades from planned mine sequencing.
Earlier this month, Newmont said the expansion of its Red Chris mine in British Columbia would depend on whether the project fits within its capital allocation framework and delivers value accretion.
CEO Natascha Viljoen said on Thursday Newmont has received all critical approvals and is working with the British Columbia government on mining investment terms.
But the C$500 million ($355.09 million) support "that we received from the British Columbia government is not a pre-requisite for us to take a decision on Red Chris Mine," she said.
The company expects third-quarter gold production to be broadly in line with second-quarter output. Operations at Cadia returned to normal levels as of mid-June.
Newmont said unit costs are expected to increase in the third quarter, mainly due to higher sustaining capital spend, and could also be affected by higher oil prices, while remaining sensitive to royalties tied to gold prices.
The miner expects to invest $1.4 billion of development capital in 2026.
Newmont posted an adjusted profit of $2.10 per share for the quarter ended June 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of $1.99, according to data compiled by LSEG.
($1 = 1.4081 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Varun Sahay in Bengaluru and Divya Rajagopal in Toronto; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
