The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition Barrick finished construction of the Jabal Sayid copper mine in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The Post's Peter Koven, writing in Trading Desk, says, however, it never entered production. After two years in limbo, it was clear that Barrick needed help to resolve the local regulatory issues. It finally made a move over the weekend, announcing it will sell 50 per cent of Jabal Sayid to Ma'aden, a Saudi company controlled by the government. The deal is worth $210-million in cash (all figures U.S.). Analysts said bringing in a local partner is a logical move, but it does not change the fact that the price tag is extremely cheap. RBC analyst Stephen Walker valued the Jabal Sayid stake at $498-million, more than double the sale price. Other analysts had lower valuations for the project, but they agreed the deal is essentially a fire sale. "The transaction allows the project to move to production in 2015, in line with our estimate, which we view as a positive," Mr. Walker said in a note. John Bridges at JP Morgan added that settling this dispute with the Saudis could help with Barrick's corporate restructuring. For Barrick, a $210-million deal is barely material.