Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Canplats Resources Corp. accepted a sweetened buyout offer from Goldcorp Inc. valued at about C$254 million ($242 million), thwarting a takeover attempt from a venture partially owned by Newmont Mining Corp.

Goldcorp, the world’s second-largest gold producer, today offered C$4.20 in cash per share and shares worth 20 cents each in a newly formed company established to hold Canplats’ exploration properties. That matches yesterday’s bid from the Penmont venture, which is 44 percent owned by Newmont and the remainder by Fresnillo Plc.

Canplats’ board determined that the offer from Penmont is “not superior” to Goldcorp’s latest bid, the company said in a statement. Canplats would have had to pay Goldcorp C$7.2 million to accept any competing offers.

The competition between Goldcorp and Penmont comes more than a month after Goldcorp first agreed to buy Canplats for about C$238 million. Gold miners are trying to raise output after the metal rose about 25 percent this year.

Omar Jabara, a Newmont spokesman, didn’t immediately return a message left seeking comment.

Vancouver-based Goldcorp climbed 59 cents to C$42.73 at 1:15 p.m. in Toronto Stock Exchange trading. Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Newmont fell 6 cents to $47.98 in New York. Canplats added 11 cents, or 2.3 percent to C$4.96 in Toronto.

Vancouver-based Canplats owns Mexico’s Camino Rojo project, which has 3.45 million ounces of measured and indicated gold.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rob Delaney in Toronto at robdelaney@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 24, 2009 13:24 EST