The competitive position of gold and copper mining company Barrick is being progressively boosted by exploration, which results in the company replacing the extracted ore with similar quality. “We’re the only company that has replaced our ounces at the same quality through exploration – though the drill bit – and today we’re a much more competent explorer than we were in 2019,” Barrick CEO Dr Mark Bristow, himself a renowned geologist, enthused in an interview.