GreenX Metals #GRX – Quarterly Activities Report June 2024

GreenX Metals #GRX – Quarterly Activities Report June 2024

·     In July 2024, following renegotiation with Greenfields Exploration Pty Ltd (Greenfields) GreenX Metals Ltd (GreenX or the Company) entered into a revised agreement to acquire 100% of the Eleonore North Gold Project (Eleonore North or Project) in eastern Greenland.

o  These revised terms provide GreenX with the opportunity to retain the Project and to conduct further exploration work before making a decision to continue with the Project by 31 December 2025.

o  Eleonore North has the potential to host a “reduced intrusion-related gold system” (RIRGS), analogous to large bulk-tonnage deposit types found in Canada.

o  Field work to date at Eleonore North has been focused on determining the depth of an intrusion within the project area by deployment of an array of seismic nodes.

o  The results from seismic nodes have significantly reduced the exploration search space at Eleonore North.

o  Future fieldwork will now target these sites where plutons approach the surface. Within a RIRGS setting, 1-2 km-wide elongated plutons rising from a deeper batholith are very favourable exploration targets.

o  GreenX will now collaborate with Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen (GEUS) to possibly commission a fast-tracked production of an updated geological map at Eleonore North based on helicopter photography collected in 2023.

o  Samples collected by GEUS are also available in Copenhagen for inspection and analysis. These samples may provide a new regional perspective on the gold systems present in northeastern Greenland

·     In November 2022, the hearing for the claim against the Republic of Poland under both the Energy Charter Treaty and the Australia-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty was concluded (Claim).

o  Combined arbitration hearing took place in front of the Tribunal in London under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.

o  With completion of the hearing, the Tribunal will render an Award (decision) in due course.

o  Damages of up to £737 million (A$1.3 billion / PLN4.0 billion) have been claimed including the assessed value of GreenX’s lost profits and damages related to both the Jan Karski and Debiensko projects, and accrued interest related to any damages.

·      Cash balance as at 30 June 2024 was A$7.1 million and no debt.

GreenX Metals Limited (ASX:GRX, LSE:GRX) (GreenX or the Company) is pleased to present its Quarterly Activities Report for the period during and subsequent to 30 June 2024.

ELEONORE NORTH GOLD PROJECT

The Eleonore North gold project comprises of two exploration licences covering an area of 1,221 km² in an arid part of north-eastern Greenland, approximately 1,000 km south of the Company’s ARC project (Figure 1).

The two exploration licences are located on Ymer Island in the south and the Strindberg Land peninsula in the north (Figure 2). The 300 m deep fjords in this area are around 6 km wide, sailed annually by large container ships, and aircraft frequent the area. The Company had identified no significant environmental, archaeological, or social challenges in the area.

Subsequent to the end of the quarter and following renegotiation with Greenfields, GreenX will acquire a 100% interest in the Eleonore North project through a revised Option Agreement.  Having spent the required amount on an agreed work exploration program for the Project; GreenX will now acquire the Project and conduct further exploration work before making a decision to continue with the Project by 31 December 2025.

Results from Seismic Survey

The Company commissioned a passive seismic survey over the Noa Pluton target at Eleonore North licence for the 2023 field season. Passive seismic surveys use ambient noises generated by nature instead of active noise sources. Natural noise sources include waves crashing in the ocean or creaking glaciers whereas active noise sources include vibration trucks or explosives. Passive seismic surveys with ambient noise are therefore much less impactful on the environment.

Fieldwork was completed by Greenfields in conjunction with the Institute of Mine Seismology (IMS). Eleonore North is prospective for RIRGS similar to the Fort Knox and Dublin Gulch/Eagle Gold deposits. The RIRGS deposit style hosts structurally-controlled gold in plutons as well as in the surrounding hornfels aureole. The purpose at of the survey at Eleonore North was to identify plutons that are blind to the surface in the target area.

Data collected from the array of passive seismic nodes was processed by IMS. As shown in the conceptual 3D velocity model below, multiple blind plutons may be situated in the target area (Figure 3). Hornfels have been mapped at Noa Dal, but the causative plutons have not yet been identified. Noa Dal has only been mapped at 1:250,000 scale by GEUS, so it is possible that detailed mapping could identify the currently unknown plutons. More likely however, the causative plutons are blind to the surface (as shown in the cross-section in Figure 3).

The results from 2023’s passive seismic survey have significantly reduced the exploration search space at Eleonore North. Future fieldwork will target these sites where plutons approach the surface. Within a RIRGS setting, 1-2 km-wide elongated plutons rising from a deeper batholith are very favourable exploration targets.    

Figure 3:  IMS’s conceptual 3D velocity model from Noa Dal target area with GreenX’s interpretation of target plutons. Inset shows survey location in Noa Dal. Velocity values above 2,900 m/s are considered to be igneous material. The A-A’ section shows three potential plutons extending upwards towards the surface.

Planned 2024 Activities

GreenX is again collaborating with the GEUS. For the last two years, GEUS has conducted fieldwork in the region surrounding and within the Eleonore North licence. GEUS has a multi-year project working to update the geological maps to a higher level of detail. This work is primarily being done with traditional field mapping, sample collection, and helicopter-based photography. Based on previous discussions with GEUS, there is the possibility to commission GEUS to fast-track production of an updated geological map at Eleonore North based on helicopter photography collected in 2023. Samples collected by GEUS are also available in Copenhagen for inspection and analysis. These samples may provide a new regional perspective on the gold systems present in northeastern Greenland.

Figure 4: Map showing regional historical samples collected by GUES as publicly available from GUES, a subset of which are available for inspection.

ARCTIC RIFT COPPER PROJECT

The ARC project is an exploration joint venture between GreenX and Greenfields. GreenX can earn-in up to 80% in ARC with the Company awaiting final registration of its initial 51% interest in the project. The project is targeting large scale copper in multiple settings across a 5,774 km² Special Exploration Licence in eastern North Greenland. The area has been historically underexplored yet is prospective for copper, forming part of the newly identified Kiffaanngissuseq metallogenic province.

The results of work program announced last year have demonstrated the high-grade nature of the known copper sulphide mineralisation and wider copper mineralization in fault hosted Black Earth zones and adjacent sandstone units. The exact position of a native copper fissure at the Neergaard Dal prospect was also identified.

The Company is in the process of analysing further remote-sensing options for ARC, which  would be used to supplement current understanding of the known copper sulphide mineralisation and refine plans for the next exploration program.

DISPUTE WITH POLISH GOVERNMENT

In November 2022, the Company reported the conclusion of the Claim against the Republic of Poland under both the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and the Australia-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) (together the Treaties). The hearing took place in London in and lasted two weeks.

Following completion of the hearing, the Tribunal will render an Award (i.e., the legal term used for a ‘decision’ by the Tribunal) in due course with no specified date available for the Tribunal decision.

As previously advised, the arbitration and hearing proceedings in relation to the Claim are required to be kept confidential.

Details of the Claim

The Company’s Claim against the Republic of Poland is being prosecuted through an established and enforceable legal framework, with GreenX and Poland agreeing to apply the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Rules (UNCITRAL) rules to the proceedings. The arbitration claims are being administered through the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague.

The evidentiary hearing phase of the arbitration proceedings has now been completed in front of the Arbitral Tribunal. With completion of the hearing, the Arbitral Tribunal will render an Award in due course. There is no specified date for an Award to be rendered. The Company’s claims for damages against Poland are in the amount of up to £737 million (A$1.3 billion/PLN4.0 billion), which includes a revised assessment of the value of GreenX’s lost profits and damages related to both the Jan Karski and Debiensko projects, and accrued interest related to any damages. The Claim for damages has been assessed by independent external quantum experts appointed by GreenX specifically for the purposes of the Claim.

In February 2019, GreenX formally notified the Polish Government that there exists an investment dispute between GreenX and the Polish Government. GreenX’s notification called for prompt negotiations with the Government to amicably resolve the dispute and indicated GreenX’s right to submit the dispute to international arbitration in the event of the dispute not being resolved amicably.

In July 2020, the Company announced it had executed the LFA for US$12.3 million with LCM. US$10.7 million of the facility has been drawn down to cover legal, tribunal and external expert costs as well as defined operating expenses associated with the Claim. The Company does not anticipate further material drawdowns in relation to the ongoing BIT and ECT Tribunal proceedings. The LFA is a limited recourse loan with LCM that is on a “no win – no fee” basis.

In September 2020, GreenX announced that it had formally commenced with the Claim by serving the Notices of Arbitration against the Republic of Poland. In June 2021, GreenX announced that it had formally lodged its Statement of Claim in the BIT arbitration, including the first assessed claim for compensation. The Company’s Statement of Reply, the last material filing to be made by the Company for the BIT arbitration proceedings, was submitted in July 2021. The Statement of Reply addresses various points raised by the Republic of Poland in their Statement of Defence. The Statement of Reply also contains a re-evaluation of the claim for damages based on responses to Poland’s Statement of Defence.

GreenX’s dispute alleges that the Republic of Poland has breached its obligations under the applicable Treaties through its actions to block the development of the Company’s Jan Karski and Debiensko projects in Poland which effectively deprived GreenX of the entire value of its investments in Poland.

GreenX’s investment dispute with the Republic of Poland is not unique, with international media widely reporting that the political environment and investment climate in Poland has deteriorated since the change in Government in 2015. As a result, there are a significant number of International Arbitration claims being bought against Poland.

CORPORATE

At 30 June 2024, GreenX had cash of A$7.1m placing it in a strong financial position to progress with exploration activities in Greenland and to pursue additional business development opportunities in the resource sector to complement its current projects.

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