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#AYM Anglesey Mining PLC – Annual Report 2024

Anglesey Mining plc is a UK company engaged in the development of owned and managed mining projects.

 

Parys Mountain: 100% ownership of the Parys Mountain underground copper-zinc-lead-silver-gold deposit in North Wales, UK where an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment dated January 2021 included a financial model for a 3,000 tpd mining operation with a pre-tax NPV10% of US$120 million, (£96 million), 26% IRR and 12-year mine life.

 

Grängesberg: 49.75% interest in the Grängesberg iron ore project in Sweden where Anglesey has management rights.

An independent Pre-Feasibility Study announced on 19 July 2022 demonstrated Probable Ore Reserves of 82.4 million tonnes supporting a 16-year mine life with annual production of 2.5 million tonnes of high-grade concentrate grading 70% iron ore and a post-tax NPV8% of US$688 million with an IRR of 25.9% after tax.

 

Labrador Iron Mines: 11.9% shareholding in Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Limited which holds Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) deposits of iron in Canada where an independent Preliminary Economic Assessment of its Houston project published in 2021 showed potential for production of 2 million tonnes of DSO per year, with an initial 12-year mine life, for total production of 23.4 million tonnes of product at 62.2% Fe over the life of the mine.

 

 

The AGM will be held at the Geological Society, Burlington House,
Piccadilly, London W1J 0BG on 8 November 2024 at 11 am

 

 

Chairman’s statement

To Anglesey Shareholders

The 2023-24 financial year was another challenging year for Anglesey Mining plc which saw a number of board and management changes but also the ongoing advancement of the Parys Mountain project.

Board changes

At the 2023 Annual General Meeting long-time Chairman of Anglesey Mining, John Kearney, was not re-elected to the Board and as a result I was appointed into the role of Interim Chairman of your company. John had been Chairman for nearly 29 years, having been appointed in November 1994. On behalf of the Board and the shareholders I would like to thank John for his service to Anglesey Mining over the period of his tenure.

On 14th November 2023 the Board accepted the resignation of Danesh Varma. Danesh, like John, joined the Board in November 1994. It is with sadness that I report to you the death of Danesh on 8th August 2024.

Jo Battershill stepped down as Chief executive effective 31st December 2023 to take up a new executive role in Australia but remained on the board as a non-executive director.  I would like to thank Jo for all his effort during his time as Chief executive and his ongoing support of Anglesey Mining.

We were also sorry also to accept the resignation of Namrata Verma as a non-executive director on 6th September 2024 but understand her reasons for leaving and wish her every success in the future.

Parys Mountain

Important geological work has continued throughout the year at Parys Mountain with new exploration drilling into the Northern Copper Zone. We are very encouraged by the results and further work is continuing. We would like to firm up our knowledge and increase the tonnage of the declared geological resource, thus improving the business case for developing a long term mining operation at Parys Mountain.

Grängesberg and Labrador Iron Mines Holdings

During the financial year we maintained our shareholding in Grängesberg AB in Sweden and Labrador Iron Mines Holdings in Canada and continue to explore alternatives to optimise and realise value for Anglesey Mining’s interest in these assets.

Appreciation

I wish to recognise the dedication and enthusiasm of our small management team, led by Jo Battershill. After the financial year end, in May 2024, we were delighted to welcome Rob Marsden as our company’s CEO. I would also like to thank our board of directors for their leadership, as well as consultants and advisors for their contribution. Finally, I should welcome our new shareholders and thank them, and all our shareholders, for their continued support.

Andrew King

Interim Chairman

27 September 2024

 

 Strategic report – Operations

As the newly appointed Chief executive of Anglesey Mining it is my pleasure to report to you the activities that have been undertaken in the 2023-24 financial year; in doing so I must thank my predecessor Jo Battershill for providing a strong basis from which to build. It is to his immense credit that the first drilling campaign since 2012 into the Northern Copper Zone was able to be undertaken during the back half of the financial year with the assay results reported during the first half of calendar year 2024.

Under Jo’s direction the great bulk of the EIA scoping document was completed. I was grateful for the opportunity to review it and submit it to the planning authorities in the first weeks of my tenure. It is a detailed, robust assessment of the likely impacts that underground mining and processing of minerals on Parys Mountain will have. It is an essential report to guide the strategies which will be put in place to avoid, mitigate and where required, compensate for those impacts.

The geological resources form the basis for every other subsequent aspect in the planning and evaluation phase, from the mine design through to metallurgy and management of tailings. In addition to the new drilling into the Northern Copper Zone which I have already mentioned, new resource estimates were made of the White Rock and Engine Zones at Parys Mountain allowing the first inclusion of tonnes in the measured category of mineral resource reporting.

The combined mineral resource estimate for the White Rock and Engine Zones is now reported at 5.72Mt grading 0.36% Cu, 2.30% Zn, 1.24% Pb, 28/t Ag and 0.28g/t Au or 2.0% Copper Equivalent (CuEq) / 5.6% Zinc Equivalent (ZnEq). All the resources were reported above a cut-off based on a net smelter revenue of US$45.15/t, including 1.6Mt at 2.5% CuEq in the Engine Zone. The White Rock and Engine Zones have 5.28Mt (92%) of the resource now reporting to the Measured and Indicated categories with 23% Measured and 70% Indicated.

The overall mineral resource estimate for Parys Mountain, including the Northern Copper Zone, is reported at 16.1Mt grading 1.0% Cu, 1.3% Zn, 0.7% Pb, 15g/t Ag and 0.2g/t Au. (1.9% CuEq or 5.3% ZnEq) containing 486,000t of combined Zn/Pb/Cu, 7.9Moz silver and 86koz gold.

These two programs of work highlighted the outstanding exploration potential of the project. Several zones have been identified where mineralisation could potentially extend beyond the resource boundary, indicating that once mining commences at Parys Mountain the probability of finding more ore zones is very high, as with many volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits.

In May 2023, an equity placing and subscription raised gross proceeds of £1m and following this in July 2023, a further placing raised gross proceeds of £0.5m.

In December 2023 we reported the results of metallurgical test work carried out on a 340kg sample of White Rock and Engine Zone material, which, as it is shaft adjacent, is very likely to be among the first mineralisation to be mined at Parys Mountain. The highlight of this work was the demonstration that a successful pre-concentration stage would be applicable. Tests of two pre-concentration methods were conducted – Dense Media Separation (DMS) undertaken by Pesco and X-Ray Transmission sorting (XRT) completed by TOMRA. These showed the overall base metals only head-grade increasing from 7.5% ZnEq to 11.4% ZnEq from the DMS (+52%) with 35% mass rejection and metal loss of 5.2% and 11.7% ZnEq from the XRT (+55%) with 29% mass rejection and metal loss of 3.0%.

 

Licence to operate

It is well understood at Anglesey Mining that it is ultimately a combination of economic, regulatory, environmental and social aspects of developing and operating a mining operation that will provide us with a licence to operate, which is the enabler of realising a return on investment.

The group has publicly committed to updating the existing planning permissions that it holds for Parys Mountain and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been allowed for in the planning submission process. Work has been undertaken throughout the year to progress both the planning application and the EIA.

At the beginning of the financial year in April 2023 a pre-application consultation was held on the Parys Mountain site and in the town of Amlwch with a number of statutory consultees including Natural Resources Wales, Cadw, Anglesey County Council Departments (including Environmental Health, Highways & Transportation, Ecology & Environment and Heritage), Archaeological Planning Services, local councillors and members of both Westminster and Welsh governments.

Throughout the year, baseline surveys and ecological studies have continued, the results from which, taken together with the feedback from all stakeholders, enabled the EIA Scoping Report to be submitted to the North Wales Minerals and Waste Planning Service which assesses mineral planning applications on behalf of the Isle of Anglesey County Council and other county councils within the North Wales region.

The Scoping Report forms part of our first stage in the EIA process and comes after almost 2-years of extensive studies and work by the team on site. Cumulative expenditure on the EIA process in that timeframe is in excess of £300,000. The report sets out all the project’s perceived impacts, specifically identifying any crucial and significant factors which will be assessed as part of the final EIA report, the compilation of which will require further environmental and ecological work.  At this EIA Scoping stage, the project description remains indicative and will be refined following ongoing mining engineering studies, economic analysis and discussions with neighbours, the wider community and other stakeholders.

Preservation of existing heritage areas, sites of special scientific interest (SSSI’s) and scheduled historic monuments and buildings have been a major factor in determining the location of new proposed surface infrastructure and similarly other environmental and social considerations. The EIA Scoping Report considers how measures to avoid, mitigate or compensate would be identified to address the impacts of the project.

Grängesberg

The Grängesberg project is a substantial iron ore asset with an estimate of 82.4Mtpa of Probable Ore Reserves located in a very favourable jurisdiction. During the 1980s the mine, located about 200 kilometres north-west of Stockholm, had produced around 180Mt of iron ore and current plans envisage the production of high-grade ore at or above 70% Fe.  The group holds a direct 49.75% interest in the Grängesberg project, together with management rights.

Labrador

Anglesey Mining has a 11.9% holding in the OTC listed Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Limited (“LIMH”), which through its 52% owned subsidiaries Labrador Iron Mines Limited (“LIM”) and Schefferville Mines Inc. (“SMI”), is engaged in the exploration and development of iron ore projects in the central part of the Labrador Trough region, one of the major iron ore producing regions in the world, situated in the Menihek area in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and in the Province of Quebec, centred near the town of Schefferville, Quebec.

 

Financial results and position

There are no revenues from the operation of the properties.

The loss before other comprehensive income for the year ended 31 March 2024 after tax was £1,213,279 compared to a loss of £961,288 in the 2023 fiscal year. The administrative and other costs excluding investment income and finance charges were £839,424 compared to £696,545 in the previous year. Higher salaries and corporate advisor charges accounted for a significant part of this increase. Some was due to one-off charges for Grängesberg expenses in respect of prior periods. There were also share based payments charges representing the value of warrants granted to subscribers to the group’s placings and subscriptions during the year, compared to none last year.

The value of the group’s holding in LIM is reported in other comprehensive income and effectively is based on its share price. This year there is a loss of £0.63 million as the share price declined. The outcome for the group is a total comprehensive loss for the year of £1,859,181, compared to a loss of £1,462,670 in the previous year.

During the year there were no additions to fixed assets (2023 – nil) and £679,475 (2023 – £460,118) was capitalised in respect of the Parys Mountain property, as the programme of geological and environmental work as well as drilling continued as described in this Strategic report.

At 31 March 2024 the mineral property exploration and evaluation assets had a carrying value of £16.9 (2023 – £16.2) million. These carrying values are supported by the results of the 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Parys Mountain project.

At the reporting date, as detailed in note 10, the directors considered the carrying value of the Parys Mountain exploration and evaluation assets to determine whether specific facts and circumstances suggest there is any indication of impairment. They carefully considered the positive results of the resource update completed in March 2023, the independent PEA and the plans for moving the project forward. Consequently, the directors concluded that there were no facts and circumstances which materially changed during the year which might trigger an impairment review and that there are no indicators of impairment.

In May and July 2023 £1.5 million was raised by means of investor placings. Directors participated in these placings and warrants were issued to subscribers. Further details are included in the directors’ report and note 20. Subsequent to the year-end, on 28 June 2024 and 25 September 2024, placings of equity were completed raising £415,000 and £220,000 gross. See note 29.

The cash balance at 31 March 2024 was £219,685, compared to £247,134 at 31 March 2023. At 17 September 2024 the group had cash resources of £113,602.

At 31 March 2024 there were 420,093,017 ordinary shares in issue (2023 – 295,220,548), the increase being due to the financing events referred to above. At 17 September 2024 there were 461,593,017 ordinary shares in issue.

 

Outlook

In the current year, we are:

  • Developing strategies to enable investment in the development of Parys Mountain to be, so far as practicable, incremental, thus allowing risks to be mitigated in stages, before considering the options for the next step of development.
  • Progressing the re-permitting of Parys Mountain, the key aspect of which is the assessment of environmental and social impacts. We are developing action plans to avoid, mitigate and where necessary compensate for the adverse impacts of the future mining and processing operations, communicating and setting these out publicly and responding to comments and questions. We are collaborating closely with stakeholders, communities, industry and supply chain participants, particularly around minimising potential environmental impacts and maximising economic development opportunities for local communities.
  • Consolidating and cross-referencing the plethora of data about the geology of Parys Mountain and the mineralisation occurrences within, that has been observed, measured and collected since the 1960s. Re-sampling and re-logging, and in some cases first time sampling, of exploration drill core obtained in pervious drilling campaigns. Re-examining the important work that was done mapping and sampling of the geology exposed in the excavated 280m (below surface) level in the modern underground mine when it was open in 1990.
  • Engaging with a range of potential partners to progress the development of the Grängesberg mine in Sweden which if successful will allow our management more time to focus on Parys Mountain.

 

Development of a new mine at Parys Mountain, producing copper, zinc and lead with gold and silver credits, can deliver economic growth in the UK, regional jobs for the community and business opportunities for local service providers. Importantly, these critical and strategic metals, essential for the decarbonisation of the economy, are primarily imported into the UK currently. This creates a unique and timely opportunity, both for Anglesey Mining and for the UK, to develop a new, modern, mine at Parys Mountain in an environmentally sustainable manner.

 

This report was approved by the board of directors on 27 September 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

 

Rob Marsden

 

Chief Executive

 

 

 

The full annual report is avalable on the company’s website at www.angleseymining.co.uk

 

CONTACT: For further information, please contact:

Anglesey Mining plc

Rob Marsden, Chief Executive – Tel: +44 (0)7531 475111

Davy

Nominated Adviser & Joint Corporate Broker

Brian Garrahy / Daragh O’Reilly – Tel: +353 1 679 6363

WH Ireland

Joint Corporate Broker

Katy Mitchell / Harry Ansell – Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666

LEI: 213800X8BO8EK2B4HQ71


#GRX GreenX Metals LTD – Acquiring Large Scale Copper Project in Germany

GREENX TO ACQUIRE LARGE SCALE SEDIMENT-HOSTED COPPER PROJECT IN CENTRAL GERMANY

GreenX Metals Limited (“GreenX” or “Company”) is pleased to advise that it has entered into an Earn-in Agreement through which GreenX can earn a 90% interest in Group 11 Exploration GmbH, a private German company which holds the Tannenberg exploration licence (“Project”) and is highly prospective for sediment-hosted (Kupferschiefer type) copper deposits.

The Project

·      The Tannenberg exploration licence covers 272 km2 in the State of Hesse in central Germany, encompassing the historical “Richelsdorf” copper – silver mines.

·      Prior to closure in the 1950’s, the Richelsdorf mines produced 416,500 t of copper and 33.7 Moz of silver from Kupferschiefer type deposits. These historic mines consisted of shallow underground workings originally accessed from surface outcrops.

·      The Project also contains multiple drill intercepts over the high priority 14 km-long Richelsdorf Dome target, including:

2.1 m at 2.7% Cu and 48g/t Ag from 365.48 m; 1.5 m at 3.7% Cu and 33 g/t Ag from 209.50 m; 2.5 m at 1.8% Cu and 19 g/t Ag from 339.5 m in the southwest of the license area.

2.0 m at 1.6% Cu and 19 g/t Ag from 268 m in the north-east of the license area.

Figure 1: The Project is located in the industrial centre of Europe.

·      Kupferschiefer style deposits are a well-known and prolific subtype of sediment-hosted copper deposit that:

are the second most prevalent source of copper production and reserves in the world; and

have been historically mined in Germany and are still mined in Poland where KGHM produced 592 kt of electrolytic copper in 2023.

·      Excellent potential for new discoveries of shallow (50 m to 500 m), large scale and high grade Kupferschiefer style copper and silver mineralisation, with much of licence area remaining untested by modern exploration whereby thicker sections of footwall/ hanging wall mineralisation will be targeted.

·      Modern understanding of Kupferschiefer mineralisation from prolific mining in Poland places new emphasis on hanging wall and footwall mineralisation, structural controls and metal zonation.

In Polish Kupferschiefer mines, mineralisation typically forms within the Kupferschiefer shale and in strata up to 60 m below and 30 m above the shale. E.g., KGHM’s Rudna Mine in Poland, where footwall sandstone hosts 80% of the total copper resource, hanging wall limestone hosts 15%, and Kupferschiefer shale hosts only 5%.

GERMANY & EU MINING INDUSTRY

·      Germany has been a significant mining jurisdiction in the past and continues its mining tradition, including:

The K+S potash mines which operate 4 km away from the license area and are located in the State of Hesse.

Anglo American are actively exploring the Löwenstern and Leine-Kupfer copper projects nearby. Löwenstern is 25 km away to the south in the German state of Thüringia, where drilling targeting the Kupferschiefer commenced in 2023. Leine-Kupfer was granted in January 2024 and is 60 km away to the north in the state of Lower Saxony.

AMG Graphite operates a graphite mining and processing complex at Kropfmühl near Passau, Bavaria

Vulcan Energy is successfully permitting lithium brine and geothermal power projects in the German states of Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, and Hesse.

·      Copper is a designated a Strategic Raw Material (“SRM”) under the EU’s Critical Raw Material Act, that entered into force on 23 May 2024. The CRMA signals the EU’s political commitment to strengthen EU supply of SRM’s (including copper) by giving the European Commission the power to designate Strategic Projects that will benefit from easier access to financing, expedited permitting processes and matchmaking with off-takers.

·      The manufacturing sector, including the automotive, mechanical engineering, chemical and electrical industries, accounts for over 25% of Germany’s economic output, and 18% of GDP; these figures are significantly higher than in most other advanced economies

The manufacturing sector provides 16% of national employment, some 8 million jobs, with mechanical engineering being the largest segment and dominated by SMEs.

The automotive sector is a key industry and with around four million automobiles produced in 2023. Electric Vehicles are being adopted in Germany with numerous OEM’s investing in new production facilities and supply chains, such as Volkswagen’s Battery and Electric Drive production facilities and Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory.

Many of these industries are reliant on critical raw materials such as copper.

·      German government recently announced creation of a EUR 1.1 billion (A$1.8 billion) investment fund to fortify Germany’s access to SRM’s (including copper) essential for high-tech and green projects. The fund will be managed by the state-owned KfW Development Bank.

GreenX Metals’ Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Stoikovich, commented:

“We are very excited to be adding the Tannenberg project to our exploration portfolio. Kupferschiefer style deposits are widely acknowledged as the most prolific source of modern-day copper production, with copper mining from the Polish Kupferschiefer deposits (KGHM) presently being Europe’s largest domestic source of strategic copper supply. We believe that Tanneberg has the potential to host large scale and high-grade copper deposits located in the heartland of German industry in the vicinity of major OEM’s such as Volkswagen’s Battery and Electric Drive production facilities and Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory.

Copper is officially recognised by the EU as a strategic raw material for European industry and ongoing decarbonisation in Europe. This acquisition comes at a time when the German government and the EU have recently announced major policy initiatives to enhance security of supply of strategic raw materials such as copper by facilitating expedited permitting processes and access to project development funding. Germany, and in particular the State of Hesse, has a well-established mining industry with practical and efficient mine permitting processes. Furthermore, we anticipate increased political support for new copper projects in accordance with Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action critical raw materials policies and the EU’s newly introduced Critical Raw Material Act.

Tannenberg is complementary to our Arctic Rift Copper project in Greenland and provides GreenX shareholders with enhanced exposure to strategic raw materials that are now a policy priority in both Germany and the wider EU. We are looking forward to updating shareholders over the coming months as we commence our exploration activities in Germany.”

Classification:   2.2 Inside Information

2.5 Total number of voting rights and capital

ENQUIRIES

Ben Stoikovich
Chief Executive Officer

+44 207 478 3900

 

Sapan Ghai
Business Development

+44 207 478 3900

 

SUMMARY OF TERMS

GreenX has entered into an Earn-in Agreement (“Agreement”) through which GreenX can earn a 90% interest in Group 11 Exploration GmbH (“Group 11”). Key terms of the Agreement are as follows:

·      GreenX to issue the vendor 500,000 fully paid ordinary shares (“Shares”) upfront.

·      GreenX will fund a Work Program up to EUR 500,000 by 31 December 2025 (“Minimum Commitment”). The Work Program will be sufficient to satisfy requirements for the grant of an extension of the exploration license.

·      Once the Minimum Commitment has been discharged, GreenX can elect to acquire 90% of the fully diluted share capital of Group 11 on or before 31 December 2025 in return for:

GreenX paying A$3,000,000 to the vendor in Shares (based on the higher of the 10-day VWAP or A$0.30 per Share).

The vendors’ 10% interest in Group 11 will then be free carried until completion of a feasibility study by Group 11 or GreenX.

The Agreement also includes usual drag along and tag along rights, and an Area of Influence provision.

Once GreenX has earned its 90% interest, the vendor may elect to exchange their remaining 10% interest in return for a 0.5% Net Smelter Royalty.

·      If a Scoping Study is published by GreenX on the ASX regarding the license area or any area within the Area of Influence within 5 years of execution of the Agreement, GreenX will issue the vendor 5 million Shares on the completion of the first such Scoping Study.

·      GreenX will act as the project manager.

Project Geology

Historical drilling and mine workings confirm the widespread presence of the crucial Kupferschiefer sequence within the Tannenberg licence (Figure 2). The sedimentary sequence forms a broad dome that outcrops near the centre of the licence area and extends down to approximately 500 m at the periphery (Figure 3). Regional and small-scale faults cut the licence area with the dominant orientation trending northwest-southeast, perpendicular to the Variscan Orogen. Zones of copper enrichment within the licence area correspond to fault intersections. Structure is a key targeting consideration at the Project.

Figure 2: The Kupferschiefer is gently folded to form the Richelsdorf Dome that extends from surface down to 500 m depth within the licence area. Historical mining around Richelsdorf exploited mineralisation near the surface. Historical drilling intercepted mineralised Kupferschiefer down to 436 m. Much of the Kupferschiefer between 50 to 500 m remains untested.

 

Figure 3: Interpreted cross-section through Tannenberg exploration licence with simplified stratigraphy. The historical Richelsdorf District is located at the apex of a large-scale anticline, the Richelsdorf Dome. The approximate extent of historical mining is shown. The cross-section passes between drill holes Ro23 and Ro45.

 

In the south of the licence area near the town of Ronshausen, drill holes intersected mineralised Kupferschiefer sequence at depths ranging from 211 to 368 m below the surface (e.g., Ro18 and Ro23). Near the town of Nentershausen in the north, an isolated drill hole intersected 2 m at 1.6% Cu (Ro45).

Table 1: Selected Drill Holes.

Locality

Hole ID

Intersect (m)

Cu (%)

From

To

Interval

Ronshausen

Ro23

365.48

367.58

2.10

2.7

Ro18

209.50

211.00

1.50

3.7

Ro19

339.50

342.00

2.50

1.7

Ro15

285.86

289.31

3.45

1.0

Nentershausen

Ro45

268.00

269.63

2.00

1.6

 

Historical exploration and sampling might have been too focussed on the Kupferschiefer shale horizon. For example, in Ro45, the isolated drill hit near Nentershausen, the last sample from the footwall assayed at 1% Cu (Figure 4). In bothRo45 and Ro23 shown in Figure 4, the historical sampling only covers one mineralised interval. Drilling at the Rudna Mining in Poland shows that copper mineralisation can occur in multiple intervals, above and below the Kupferschiefer shale. 

Figure 4: Selected historical drill results from the Richelsdorf Dome target with comparison to drilling at the Rudna Mine, Poland. Sample coverage did not typically extend much above or below the shale unit. 

 

Kupferschiefer copper deposits feature a distinct metal zonation pattern. The zonation transitions from iron, to copper, lead then zinc (Figure 5). Adjacent to every known copper deposit is the iron rich zone known as “Rote Fäule”, or “red rot” in English. Within the Tannenberg licence, a distinct zone of red rot has been identified in the south near Ronshausen. As well as the copper, historical drill core was also assayed for lead and zinc. This data will allow the Company to identify important metal zonations in the Project area.   

A diagram of a red and blue color scheme Description automatically generated

Figure 5: Metal zonation pattern associated with Kupferschiefer type copper deposits. The zonation cuts across stratigraphy and progresses from iron to copper, lead, then zinc. Note: hem = hematite, cc = chalcocite, bo = bornite, cpy = chalcopyrite, ga = galena, sph = sphalerite, py = pyrite. Modified from Borg, 2017.

 

GreenX’s exploration hypothesis for the Project is that historical exploration was mainly based on an outdated deposit model that focussed on the 30-60 cm-thick Kupferschiefer shale horizon. Modern understanding of the Kupferschiefer deposit model now shows that up to 95% of mineable copper can be hosted in the footwall sandstone and hanging wall limestone.

Project History

Pre-industrial mining in central Germany dates back to the 12th Century. Copper was exploited from the Kupferschiefer in the Mansfield, Sangerhausen, and Richelsdorf mining districts. Most of the historical copper mining in central Germany was prior to the Industrial Revolution and well-before mechanised mining technology was widely available. Once surface accessible deposits were depleted, adits and shallow shafts were used to access deeper underground Kupferschiefer copper ores (Figure 6).

In the Richelsdorf district, historical production is estimated at 416,500 t of copper and 1,050 t (33.7 Moz) of silver. Production commenced in the 13th Century and ceased in 1955.

The Project area remains ostensibly undeveloped, comprised predominantly of small-holding farmland and woodland, since it was located in the Cold-War border zone between West and East Germany. During the Cold War (1947-1991), the Richelsdorf district sat within the strategically-important Fulda Gap. The Fulda Gap hosts two lowland corridors through which NATO military planners believed the Soviet Union could launch a land attack. The US military observation post “Romeo” was active at the Hesse-Thuringia border in the vicinity of the Project area during the Cold War and was only disbanded in 1991.

Between 1980 and 1987, St Joes Exploration GmbH (“St Joes Exploration”) were active in the region. St Joes Exploration’s drilling campaigns identified Kupferschiefer mineralisation near the towns of Ronshausen and Nentershausen (Appendix 1, Table 2).  

The major mining activity in Hesse is potash mining operated by K+S Group, an international fertiliser company with production sites in Europe and North America. The major potash mining complex “Werra” has been operating for over 100 years and produces some 19 Mtpa of crude salt from underground workings between 700 – 1000m depth. K+S Group’s Werra plant is recognised as an important pillar for the economic and demographic development of the region.

In 2021, Anglo American’s ‘Kupfer Copper Germany GmbH’ (“Anglo”) began exploration activities in Thuringia, 25 km from the Tannenberg licence. There, historical drilling intercepted 0.5 m at 1.4% Cu from 761.9 m. Anglo initiated seismic, gravity, and magnetic surveys in 2021 and exploratory drilling in 2023.

 

Figure 6: Left: Underground extraction of the Kupferschiefer shale at the Wolfsberg mine in 1954. Miners laid on their sides to excavate the ore-bearing material. Right: Schematic of pre-industrial underground mining in Germany.

Modified from Zientek et al., 2015.

 

EU CrITICAl RAW MATERIAL ACT

On 23 May 2024, the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (“CRMA”), published as Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, entered into force following its adoption by the Council of the EU and European Parliament. The main objective of the CRMA is to maintain and establish a secure and sustainable supply of Critical Raw Materials to the EU. The CRMA lists Strategic Raw Materials (SRM’s), which are those most crucial for strategic technologies used for the green, digital, defence and aerospace applications. Copper is a designated a Strategic Raw Material (SRM’s) under the act

The CRMA sets benchmarks for domestic capacities along the strategic raw material supply chain and for diversifying EU supply by 2030:

·      EU extraction capacity of at least 10% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials;

·      EU processing capacity of at least 40% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials;

·      EU recycling capacity of at least 25% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials; and

·      Not more than 65% of the Union’s annual consumption of each strategic raw material relies on a single third country for any relevant stage of the value chain.

The CRMA further demonstrates the EU’s political commitment to strengthening supply of SRM’s (including copper) by giving the European Commission the power to designate Strategic Projects that will benefit from easier access to financing, expedited permitting processes and matchmaking with off-takers.

In terms of permitting processes, under the CRMA EU Member States will be required to give priority to Strategic Projects in their administrative processes. The Act sets clear timelines for decisions to be taken on permitting applications linked to Strategic Projects. i.e., for Strategic Projects, the total duration of the permit granting process should not exceed 27 months for extraction projects or 15 months for processing and recycling projects.

To help companies through permitting, Member States are also required to designate single points of contact for critical raw materials projects. The single point of contact will provide guidance to project promoters on administrative issues and will serve as the sole contact point throughout the permit granting process.

Exploration Targeting Model

The Project is prospective for Kupferschiefer style copper-silver mineralisation. Kupferschiefer is a subtype of the sediment-hosted copper deposit model. Mineralisation typically forms around the Kupferschiefer shale, but is known to occur up to 60 m below and 30 m above the shale in Poland (Figure 7). In KGHM’s Rudna Mine in Poland, footwall sandstone hosts 80% of the total resource, hanging wall limestone hosts 15%, and Kupferschiefer shale hosts only 5%. Modern insights from mining the Kupferschiefer in Poland will be applied to our exploration strategy in Germany.

A diagram of copper mines Description automatically generated

Figure 7: Comparison of current-day Kupferschiefer mining in Poland with historical mining in Germany.

Note: Modified from Zientek et al., 2015.

 

Historical mining and exploration in Germany mainly focussed on the Kupferschiefer shale unit (Figure 6 & 7). The Company’s exploration hypothesis is that as in Poland, significant footwall and hanging wall accumulations of Kupferschiefer copper are potentially present at the Project.

The historical thinking about Kupferschiefer deposits in Germany was that mineralisation was syngenetic with the sediments. Meaning that the copper was deposited at the same time as the shale. Accordingly, historical mining and exploration was highly focussed on the shale. Modern mining and research challenges the historical deposit model. In Poland, copper is being mined up to 60 m below and 30 m above the Kupferschiefer shale.

The modern understanding of Kupferschiefer mineralisation recognises epigenetic deposition. This means that the copper mineralisation came after the sediments were deposited (Figure 8). Modern Kupferschiefer mining recognises the importance of structures, metal zonation patterns, and footwall and hanging wall host rocks.

A diagram of a soil layer Description automatically generated

Figure 8: Deposit model of Kupferschiefer mineralisation and alteration. Note: Compared to pre-industrial times, copper mineralisation is now known to extend from the hanging wall limestone, through the Kupferschiefer shale, and well into the footwall sandstone. Source: Zientek et al., 2015.

Regional Geological Setting

The Project is hosted in the Southern Permian Basin (“SPB”) of Europe. The SPB is an intracontinental basin that developed on the northern foreland of the Variscan Orogen. Two Groups make up the SPB, the Rotliegend and the Zechstein (Figure 9). The Lower Rotliegend Group marks the boundary between the Permian and Carboniferous and is comprised of bi-modal volcanics with interbedded sedimentary rocks. After a 20- to 30-million-year-long- hiatus, the Upper Rotliegend Group was deposited towards the end of the Permian. The Upper Rotliegend Group strata transitions from terrestrial to a shallow marine environment.

The Zechstein Group formed in the late Permian when the Barents Sea flooded the continental SPB. The organic-rich reduced Kupferschiefer shale marks the base of the Zechstein Group. “Kupferschiefer” is German for “Copper Shale” and is also called “T1” by geologists. The shale is typically 30-60 cm thick but can also be missing from the stratigraphy.

Very high-grade copper mineralisation is generally associated with the Kupferschiefer shale unit. However, minable copper mineralisation also occurs in the footwall sandstone and hanging wall limestone units in Poland. Mineralisation can also be offset from the shale by up to 30 m above and 60 m below. Pre-industrial mining in Germany focussed on the high-grade but thin shale. Modern mining in Poland extracts copper from the footwall sandstone, shale, and hanging wall limestone. Mining intervals at the Rudna mine is 3 m on average but reach over 12 m in places.

A diagram of a geological structure Description automatically generated

Figure 9: Generalised Kupferschiefer stratigraphic sequence from Germany and Poland. Mineralisation can extend below and above the T1 shale. Source: Borg, 2017.

 

In Poland, copper deposits are hosted in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline, a sub-basin of the SPB. KGHM’s current mining operations take place over multiple adjacent deposits at depths ranging from 844 m to 1,385 m below ground. In 2023, KGHM’s Polish operations produced 592 kt of electrolytic copper and 1,403 t of silver (45.8 Moz).

Upcoming Work Programs

Future work programs at the Project will aid drill targeting. Initially, an in-country search for additional historical drilling and mining records will be undertaken. Geophysical methods such as seismic and magnetic surveys will be evaluated for their effectiveness in delineating subsurface structures at the high-priority Richelsdorf Dome target. Historical drill assays will be used to identify metal zonation patterns useful for exploration targeting. The area of primary interest covers 14 km-long stretch of the Richelsdorf Dome where Kupferschiefer strata outcrop at surface in the centre and extend down to approximately 500 m at the periphery.

A European based technical team will be assembled to manage exploration activities at the Project.

Risk Factors

Whilst GreenX has undertaken a due diligence process (including title and other risks) with respect to the Project, it should be noted that the usual risks associated with companies undertaking exploration and development activities of projects in Germany will remain at completion of the acquisition.

A number of additional risk factors specific to the Project and associated activities have also been identified, including, but not limited to:

(a)        The Project is located in Germany, and as such, the operations of the Company will be exposed to related risks and uncertainties associated with the country, regional and local jurisdictions. Opposition to the Project, or changes in local community support for the Project, along with any changes in mining or investment policies or in political attitude in Germany and, in particular to the mining, processing or use of copper, may adversely affect the operations, delay or impact the approval process or conditions imposed, increase exploration and development costs, or reduce profitability of the Company.

(b)        The Company’s exploration and any future mining activities are dependent upon the grant, maintenance and/or renewal from time to time of the appropriate title interests, licences, concessions, leases, claims, permits and regulatory consents which may be withdrawn or made subject to new limitations. Maintaining title interests or obtaining renewals of or getting the grant of title interests often depends on the Company being successful in obtaining and maintaining required statutory approvals for its proposed activities (including a licence for mining operations) and that the title interests, licences, concessions leases, claims, permits or regulatory consents it holds will be maintained and when required renewed.

There is no assurance that such title interests, licences, concessions, leases, claims, permits or regulatory consents will be granted, or even if granted, not be revoked, significantly altered or granted on terms or with conditions not acceptable to the Company, or not renewed to the detriment of the Company or that the renewals thereof will be successful.

Shareholders should note that some of the risks may be mitigated by the use of appropriate safeguards and systems, whilst others are outside the control of the Company and cannot be mitigated. Should any of the risks eventuate, then it may have a material adverse impact on the financial performance of the Project, the Company and the value of the Company’s securities.

TENEMENT INFORMATION

Table 2: Tenement information.

Licence Name

Commodities

Area (km2)

Issue Date

Expiry Date

Tannenberg

 

1copper, silver

2antimony, arsenic, lead, gallium, germanium, gold, indium, cadmium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, selenium, thallium, vanadium, bismuth, and zinc

271.92

07.06.2022

07.06.2025

Notes

1 Target commodities

2 Commodities included in the licence

 

ISSUE OF SHARES

GreenX Metals Limited has today issued 600,000 Shares in relation to the Agreement.

An application will be made for admission of the Shares to the standard listing segment of the Official List of the FCA (Official List) and to trading on the main market of the London Stock Exchange for listed securities (LSE Admission). LSE Admission is expected to take place on or before 9 August 2024.

 

For the purposes of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTRs), following LSE Admission, the Company’s issued ordinary share capital will be 279,501,032 ordinary shares. The above figure of 279,501,032 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they can determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company following LSE Admission

 

Following the issue of Shares, GreenX has the following securities on issue:

·      279,501,032 ordinary fully paid shares;

·      4,775,000 unlisted options exercisable at A$0.45 each on or before 30 November 2025;

·      5,525,000 unlisted options exercisable at A$0.55 each on or before 30 November 2026; and

·      11,000,000 performance rights that have an expiry date 8 October 2026.

 

-ENDS-

Competent Persons Statement

Information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Results is based on information compiled by Mr Thomas Woolrych, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Woolrych is a Director Group 11 Exploration GmbH and will hold an indirect interest in GreenX shares and deferred consideration for the Project. Mr Woolrych has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken, to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’. Mr Woolrych consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

Forward Looking Statements

This release may include forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “projects”, “plans”, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on GreenX’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of GreenX, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. GreenX makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this release, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of that release.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (‘MAR’). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service (‘RIS’), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain

1 Production numbers sourced from Zientek et al., 2015, Table 4.

Appendix 1: Exploration Results and JORC Tables

Table 1: Historical drill hole information

Hole ID

Easting

Northing

Elevation

(m MSL)

Dip (°)

Depth (m)

Assay available

Bebra-1

4346428

5649690

n/a

90

n/a

No

C/77-B10

4353728

5660165

235

90

68.2

No

Cornberg

4349990

5658105

302

90

151.6

No

Iba-1

4349160

5650548

n/a

90

n/a

No

Iba-3

4349120

5649684

n/a

90

n/a

No

Iba-4

4348366

5649523

n/a

90

n/a

No

KB1

4356129

5659867

288.83

90

15

No

Nesselroeden-1

4368324

5655767

252

90

193.7

No

Obergude

4339370

5662062

308.88

90

200.2

Yes

Ro1

4349714

5649065

n/a

90

n/a

No

Ro3

4348224

5648740

n/a

90

n/a

No

Ro6

4348997

5648337

n/a

90

n/a

No

Ro8

4348234

5648558

n/a

90

n/a

No

Ro10

4347033

5647996

n/a

90

n/a

No

Ro15

4348595

5647200

255

90

351

Yes

Ro18

4348389

5647549

235

90

227

Yes

Ro19

4349107

5647350

280

90

360.5

Yes

Ro21

4348105

5647941

203

90

211

Yes

Ro23

4347684

5647433

300

90

380

Yes

Ro26

4347272

5647775

270

90

400

Yes

Ro27

4346047

5649652

215

90

432

Yes

Ro30

4347604

5647936

240

90

292.3

Yes

Ro31

4346844

5651396

217

90

159.2

Yes

Ro33

4347521

5648340

205

90

251.9

Yes

Ro34

4347363

5651850

220

90

244.75

Yes

Ro36

4347359

5650524

310

90

320.45

Yes

Ro39

4358152

5656842

200

90

197.2

Yes

Ro41

4346982

5647411

250

90

426.2

Yes

Ro42

4348170

5647070

249

90

307

Yes

Ro45

4356946

5656716

407

90

289

Yes

Ro46

4358278

5658088

200

90

228

No

Note: Coordinates are DHDN / 3-degree Gauss-Kruger zone 4.

Table 2: Historical drill hole assays

Hole

ID

Intersect (m)

Cu

(%)

Ag

(ppm)

From

To

Interval

Ro15

285.857

286.018

0.161

0.532

10

Ro15

286.018

286.068

0.05

0.846

15

Ro15

286.068

286.243

0.175

0.72

13

Ro15

286.243

286.288

0.045

0.919

16

Ro15

286.288

286.388

0.1

0.638

12

Ro15

286.388

286.438

0.05

0.681

13

Ro15

286.438

286.532

0.094

0.59

12

Ro15

286.532

286.619

0.087

0.562

11

Ro15

286.619

286.695

0.076

0.64

12

Ro15

286.695

286.812

0.117

0.707

13

Ro15

286.812

286.942

0.13

0.811

13

Ro15

286.942

287.043

0.101

0.737

11

Ro15

287.043

287.17

0.127

1.6

21

Ro15

287.17

287.272

0.102

1.437

19

Ro15

287.272

287.372

0.1

0.835

13

Ro15

287.372

287.463

0.091

0.499

11

Ro15

288.021

288.093

0.072

0.313

4

Ro15

288.151

288.206

0.055

0.441

5

Ro15

288.206

288.261

0.055

0.651

5

Ro15

288.261

288.281

0.02

0.506

5

Ro15

288.281

288.323

0.042

0.642

6

Ro15

288.323

288.388

0.065

1.573

12

Ro15

288.388

288.472

0.084

4.708

28

Ro15

288.472

288.51

0.038

3.837

24

Ro15

288.559

288.588

0.029

8.823

57

Ro15

288.588

288.623

0.035

4.774

30

Ro15

288.623

288.651

0.028

4.382

32

Ro15

288.651

288.721

0.07

3.554

98

Ro15

288.721

288.763

0.042

3.511

32

Ro15

288.763

288.793

0.03

2.814

28

Ro15

288.793

288.823

0.03

1.573

11

Ro15

288.823

288.865

0.042

2.313

17

Ro15

288.865

288.883

0.018

0.567

7

Ro15

288.883

288.901

0.018

0.469

7

Ro15

288.901

288.972

0.071

0.645

10

Ro15

288.972

289.004

0.032

0.617

8

Ro15

289.004

289.057

0.053

0.641

9

Ro15

289.057

289.117

0.06

0.523

9

Ro15

289.117

289.129

0.012

0.349

0

Ro15

289.151

289.159

0.008

1.033

18

Ro15

289.159

289.169

0.01

0.641

14

Ro15

289.169

289.179

0.01

0.477

15

Ro15

289.179

289.235

0.056

0.817

10

Ro15

289.235

289.257

0.022

0.312

4

Ro15

289.257

289.312

0.055

0.321

4

Ro18

209.5

210

0.5

0.9

20

Ro18

210

210.25

0.25

7.2

70

Ro18

210.25

210.53

0.28

8.6

50

Ro18

210.53

210.76

0.23

3.3

35

Ro18

210.76

211

0.24

0.3

-2

Ro19

339.5

339.71

0.21

7.6

80

Ro19

339.71

340

0.29

2.5

30

Ro19

340

340.5

0.5

1.5

15

Ro19

340.5

341

0.5

1

10

Ro19

341

341.5

0.5

1.3

10

Ro19

341.5

342

0.5

0.43

10

Ro21

199

199.18

0.18

0.94

10

Ro21

199.18

199.4

0.22

0.49

6

Ro23

365.48

366

0.52

2

21

Ro23

366

366.45

0.45

0.88

17

Ro23

366.45

367

0.55

3.2

78

Ro23

367

367.49

0.49

5

80

Ro23

367.49

367.58

0.09

0.97

12

Ro26

388.3

388.48

0.18

2.1

Ro26

388.48

388.72

0.24

0.88

Ro26

388.72

389

0.28

0.74

Ro33

242.5

243.1

0.6

1.2

35

Ro33

243.1

243.5

0.4

0.31

10

Ro34

196.75

197

0.25

0.45

10

Ro41

414.35

414.85

0.5

0.45

10

Ro45

268

268.5

0.5

0.35

2

Ro45

268.5

269

0.5

2.3

25

Ro45

269

269.28

0.28

4.8

75

Ro45

269.28

269.63

0.35

0.59

3

Ro45

269.63

270

0.37

1

5

Note: Only assay results equal to or greater than 0.3% copper are reported.

 

JORC Code, 2012 Edition – Table 1 Report

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)

Criteria

JORC Code explanation

Commentary

Sampling techniques

Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Due to the historic nature of the drilling results reported herein, it is not possible to comment on the quality of the sampling used to produce the results described. It is known from historic reports that the drill core was sawn. Sampling of ¼ core was conducted during multiple exploration phases between 1980 and 1987 within the licence area by St Joes Exploration GmbH (“St Joes Exploration”). The information shown here was collated from scans of hard copy reports from that era and a State Survey Database. Assays, geological logging and gamma ray logs were conducted by St Joes Exploration.

 

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

No QAQC was reported.

 

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where ‘industry standard’ work has been done this would be relatively simple (eg ‘reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay’). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (eg submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information.

Work was not conducted to modern industry standards.

Drilling techniques

Drill type (eg core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (eg core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc).

St Joes Exploration

·          10 cm drill cores were collected, further specifications are not known.

State Survey Database

·          Unknown drilling techniques.

Drill sample recovery

Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

 

Due to the historic nature of the drilling results reported herein, it is not possible to comment on the recoveries achieved at the time.

 

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Not reported.

 

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material.

Not reported.

Logging

Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Information available is not appropriate for a Mineral Resource estimate.

 

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.

Available logs are qualitative only.

 

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged.

The entire hole was logged, the target zone is typically 2 m thick.

Sub-sampling techniques

If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

A reference to ¼ core is reported by St Joes Exploration however this is not specific to every hole/phase.

and sample preparation

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

N/A

 

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

N/A

 

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

N/A

 

 

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

N/A

 

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled.

N/A

Quality of assay data and laboratory tests

The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

A St Joes Exploration reference reports that geochemical analysis was carried out by Robertson Research Ltd, Wales, however it is not specified if this was for each hole/phase.

 

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

N/A

 

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (eg standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (ie lack of bias) and precision have been established.

N/A

Verification of sampling and assaying

The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

 

No verification carried out.

 

The use of twinned holes.

No twinned holes.

 

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Limited data is available via hard copy reports. Data was digitised by Group 11 Exploration and merged with State/Federal databases.

 

Discuss any adjustment to assay data.

N/A

Location of data points

Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Location accuracy is unknown. The location of holes drilled by St Joes Exploration comes from collar tables in historical reports.  All other collar locations come from State/Federal databases.

 

Specification of the grid system used.

Latitude and Longitude in degree, minutes and seconds were provided by St Joes Exploration. All drill collar coordinates are reported here in the DHDN / 3-degree Gauss-Kruger zone 4 grid system.

 

Quality and adequacy of topographic control.

N/A

Data spacing and distribution

Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Drillholes within the Ronshausen mineralised area are spaced between 400 – 700m. Outside of this area the drilling is sparce.

 

Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Not sufficient for the establishment of a JORC compliant resource.

 

Whether sample compositing has been applied.

N/A

Orientation of data in relation to geological structure

Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

The target Kupferschiefer layer is flat to slightly dipping, vertical drilling therefore intercepts at right angles and is appropriate.

 

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material.

No sampling bias.

Sample security

The measures taken to ensure sample security.

N/A

Audits or reviews

The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data.

N/A

 

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria

JORC Code explanation

Commentary

Mineral tenement and land tenure status

Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The “Tannenberg” exploration licence is held 100% by Group 11 Exploration GmbH. The licence was granted on the 7th of June 2022 and is valid for 3 years. The licence is free from overriding royalties and native titles interests. There are historical mine workings within the licence area, but no known historical sites of cultural significance outside of mining.

Within and surrounding the licence area, there are environmental protections zones with differing levels of protections. There are small areas identified as Natura 2000 Fauna Flora Habitat Areas and Bird Sanctuaries. Other environmental protection designated areas include Nature Reserves, National Natural Monuments, Landscape Protection Area, and Natural Parks. Based on due diligence and discussions with various stakeholders and consultants, the presence of environmental protection areas does not preclude exploration or eventual mining if conducted in accordance with applicable standards and regulations.

The landform across the license area comprises mostly of farmland, forested areas, and small towns and villages.

 

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area.

The licence is in good standing.

Exploration done by other parties

Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties.

Exploration was carried out by St Joes Exploration (in JV with the Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd later BHP-Utah) between 1980 and 1987. Two projects were undertaken. The Richelsdorf project within the licence area as well as the Spessart-Rhoen project 85 km to the south. Hole IDs starting with ‘Ro’ were drilled by St Joes Exploration.

All other drill holes come from State Survey databases with unknown history.

Historical mining took place within the licence area. Mining activities ceased in the 1950’s. Comprehensive records of all mine workings are not available to the Company (and may not exist).

Geology

Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation.

Mineralisation is of the classic Kupferschiefer type (copper slate) within the Permian Zechstein Basin of Germany and Poland.

The Zechstein Basin is hosted within the Southern Permian Basin (“SPB”) of Europe. The SPB is an intracontinental basin that developed on the northern foreland of the Variscan Orogen.

Very high-grade copper mineralisation is generally associated with the Kupferschiefer shale unit. However, minable copper mineralisation also occurs in the footwall sandstone and hanging wall limestone units in Poland. Mineralisation can be offset from the shale by up to 30 m above and 60 m below.

Drill hole Information

A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes:

easting and northing of the drill hole collar

elevation or RL (Reduced Level – elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar

dip and azimuth of the hole

down hole length and interception depth

hole length.

Appendix 1 contains all relevant drillhole information.

 

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case.

All available drill collars are provided. The availability of historical assay results are listed in Appendix 1 Table 1.  Assay results less than 0.3% Cu are not reported.

Data aggregation methods

In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (eg cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

N/A

 

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high grade results and longer lengths of low grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

N/A

 

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated.

N/A

Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths

These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results. If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

Drilling is perpendicular to mineralisation. Detailed sampling was done to lithological contacts on a range of scales from 1-50cm.

 

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (eg ‘down hole length, true width not known’).

Intercepts are true width.

Diagrams

Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views.

Appropriate diagrams, including a maps, cross sections, and tables are included in the main body of this announcement.

Balanced reporting

Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results.

All available results are reported. Only assays above or equal to 0.4% Cu are reported for practical reasons.

Other substantive exploration data

Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples – size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances.

All substantive results are reported. Geological logs and downhole gamma logs are not reported here.

Further work

The nature and scale of planned further work (eg tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Infill and step out drilling required to assess the full potential of mineralisation near Ronshausen is planned. The search for additional archive material and historical records will continue. Desktop analysis and drill targeting will be conducted in consultation with subject-matter experts. Geophysical methods (such as seismic, magnetic, electrical, and gravity) will be evaluated and used if deemed appropriate for the project.

 

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive.

These diagrams are included in the main body of this release.

 

#FCM First Class Metals PLC – Operations update – Coco East and OnGold Earn-in

First Class Metals PLC (“First Class Metals” “FCM” or the “Company”) the UK listed metals exploration company seeking economic metal discoveries across its extensive land holdings, remains focused in northern Ontario, Canada, is pleased to announce that field work on the Coco East base / precious metal property is now underway.

Highlights

·    Field work has commenced  on the Coco East property, base metal potential

·    The Earn-in deal with OnGold Invest Corp (“OnGold”) has been renegotiated, FCM has now acquired 100% of the property as a result  the exploration work commitment has been removed.

Marc Sale First Class Metals CEO Commented:

In true FCM fashion we are endeavouring to put as much of the available funds ‘into-the-ground’, though gold prices are soaring the Coco East property has real potential for base metals. However, the very anomalous gold in lake sediment samples on the OnGold property constitute a significant target which too demands follow-up when appropriate.’ 

Coco East

The Coco East block of 30 single cell claims covering ~6.3km² situated about 25km north of the town of Terrace Bay. Geologically the property is on the eastern sector of the Big Duck Lake Porphyry. The Big Duck Lake Porphyry contains a number of historic showings as well as the Coco Estelle gold deposit.

The one showing located within the Coco East property boundary, the Big Birch occurrence, where two pits are reported with a 5m spacing, striking east-west. The main pit exposes a 10cm-wide quartz and calcite vein and contains pyrite and possible chalcopyrite mineralisation; historic assay results have returned values of 0.56 g/t Au and 2.83 g/t Ag

A map of the north shore zone Description automatically generated

Figure 01 Showing the regional setting of the Coco East claim block with Ontario Mineral Index (OMI) showings.

During the 2022 field season, FCM collected 47 rock samples predominantly in the area of the Big Birch occurrence and historical drilling. Over the winter of 2022/23 six lake sediment samples were collected, Assays returned gold and silver grades that were generally in order of the historic samples,

Figure 02 Showing the main target areas, southern sector being gold and northern base metals.

The Coco East property not only has potential for precious metal targets but also base metals. The geophysical anomaly in the northern sector has been interpreted as a potential eastern continuation of the ‘zinc belt’ from the Winston Lake area.

The Winston Lake Mine closed at the end of the 1990s due to low zinc prices. The Winston deposit was mined between 1988 and 1998, producing approximately 3.3 million tonnes of 14 per cent zinc and one per cent copper.

Today, the critical mineral is hovering between US$2,500 and US$3,000 per tonne. Zinc is in demand for renewable energy technologies in wind, solar and battery storage, as well as for the galvanizing, construction and automotive sectors.

A mine feasibility study published in 2022 shows 2.35 million tonnes at 17.9 per cent zinc and 0.9 per cent copper. There are also some precious metals in the mix, including one million gold equivalent ounces at 13 grams per tonne. Source- Metallum Resources: NPV(8) increases to C$383M(1,2) with average EBITDA of C$102m pa(3) for Superior Lake Zinc Project – Junior Mining Network

The focus of the current field exploration programme will be the geophysical anomaly in the northern sector.

OnGold 

The project is located roughly 21km southeast from the town of Manitouwadge, Ontario comprising of 163 single cell mining claims covering about 34km2. Limited previous exploration has been focussed to investigate several discreet magnetic anomalies thought to be associated with Ni-Cu-PGE mineralised mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Similar rock types comprise the Tyko, RJ, Smoke Lake and the recently discovered West Pickle massive sulphide discovery, see link below to the full report:

https://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/afri/data/imaging/20000021101/20000021101_01.pdf

The 103ppb Au lake sediment sample collected by Emerald Geological Services ‘EGS’ in the winter of 2022/23 also now shows the gold potential of the area.A map of a geothermal area

Figure 03 showing the extended North Hemlo claim block with the contiguous 100% owned OnGold claims. 

FCM, as part of the due diligence process, conducted an extension lake sediment sampling campaign in April to March 2023 extending from the wider North Hemlo sampling programme. The initial results from this campaign have reported gold grades of up to 103ppb.

Bruce MacLachlan, Principle of EGS was  quoted in a previous press release as saying, “To the best of our knowledge the 103ppb Au Lake sediment value is the highest lake sediment value collected in the Hemlo Belt outside of the deposit area”.

 While at a very early stage, these initial results are extremely encouraging and add to the potential for the prospectivity of the property.

A map of a gold mine Description automatically generated

Figure 04 Showing geophysical targets identified by OnGold as well as location of the lake sediment samples with the very anomalous 103ppb Au result.

The terms of the revised Agreement, which is now a Purchase Agreement, not Earn-In as the property is now 100% controlled by FCM and the annual work requirements are removed:

Structure of Deal

FCM has assumed  100% of the claim block constituting the ‘OnGold deal’, being the previous executed Agreement. 

·    The claims cells will be transferred to First Class Metals Canada Inc.

·      The existing 2% NSR on southern block with 50% buy back for $500k, remain as is but the buy back is transferred to FCM. 

·      OnGold to be granted a 2% NSR on northern block with 50% buy back of $500k.

·      OnGold to be granted £100k shares in FCM subject to the publication of an FCA approved prospectus.

The amendments made to the original deal are advantageous for FCM, as they grant the company 100% control over the property. This development, if further exploration success ensues, is expected to significantly bolster future value potential as complete ownership will be retained solely by FCM. 

The  original deal is detailed in the RNS published 14 June 2023 polaris.brighterir.com/public/first_class_metals/news/rns/story/xlkm7gw

Admission of Shares

The Company has become aware that 300 ordinary shares of 0.1p each (“Shares”) that were issued in connection of the exercise of warrants announced on 23 January 2023, were not admitted to trading.

Application is therefore being made for 300 Shares to be admitted to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange which is expected to be on or around 1 July 2024. These shares rank pari passu with the existing Shares of the Company.

Following the issue of the 300 new Shares, the Company’s issued ordinary share capital shall consist of 82,046,029 Shares. This figure of 82,046,029 represents the total voting rights in the Company and should be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculation by which they can determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under the Financial Conduct Authority’s Disclosure Guidance & Transparency Rules. 

Ends 

For further information, please contact: 

James Knowles, Executive Chairman

JamesK@Firstclassmetalsplc.com

07488 362641

Marc J Sale, CEO

MarcS@Firstclassmetalsplc.com

07711 093532

Novum Securities Limited

(Financial Adviser) 

David Coffman/ George Duxberry

 www.novumsecurities.com

(0)20 7399 9400

#SVML Sovereign Metals LTD – Follow-Up Drilling Initiated North of Kasiya

FOLLOW-UP DRILLING INITIATED NORTH OF KASIYA RESOURCE AREA

·      Wide-spaced regional follow-up drilling for the Kasiya Project underway focusing on the region to the north of the current resource footprint, with results from the drill program expected in the coming weeks

·      Recently reported reconnaissance drilling to the south identified an 8km extension of mineralisation which remains open along strike and at depth

·      Kasiya is already the largest natural rutile deposit and second-largest flake graphite deposit in the world

·      Kasiya’s current MRE of 1.8 Billion tonnes at 1.0% rutile and 1.4% graphite comprises broad and contiguous zones of high-grade rutile and graphite that occur across an area of over 201km2

·      Optimisation program for the Kasiya Project continues in conjunction with our strategic investor, Rio Tinto

 

Sovereign Metals Limited (ASX:SVM; AIM:SVML) (the Company or Sovereign) is pleased to report that the Company has initiated a follow-up 400 metre spaced drill program at its tier one Kasiya Rutile-Graphite Project (Kasiya) in Malawi. The program will focus on determining the boundaries and extent of mineralisation north of the known Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) area.

The 70+ hole hand-auger drill program has been designed to target areas where mineralisation was identified in earlier wide-spaced regional hand-auger drilling. The target area is up to 20km north of the current MRE boundary. Drilling is currently underway and will be completed in the coming weeks. Four hand-auger teams have been deployed under the supervision of Sovereign’s in-country technical team.

Samples will be initially processed in the Company’s Lilongwe own lab facility and then shipped for final analysis at certified international laboratories. Results from the drill program are expected in the coming weeks.

SOUTHERN EXTENSION

In February 2024, the Company announced regional hand-auger drilling south of the Kasiya MRE footprint had identified significant strike extensions of approximately 8km across a number of parallel mineralised zones ranging from 400m to 2km in width.

All newly defined mineralisation in the south remains open at depth due to the limitations of the hand-auger drilling method but are expected to continue to the saprock boundary normally between 20 and 30 vertical metres from surface. The multiple mineralised zones identified remain open along strike both to the north and south.

These results indicate the potential to expand the already significant, high-grade rutile and graphite MRE at Kasiya.

A map with a map and a pointer Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Figure 1: Southern mineralised extensions at Kasiya

 

ENQUIRIES

Frank Eagar (South Africa/Malawi)
Managing Director

+61(8) 9322 6322

Sam Cordin (Perth)
+61(8) 9322 6322

Sapan Ghai (London)
+44 207 478 3900

 

 

Nominated Adviser on AIM and Joint Broker

 

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

+44 20 3470 0470

Ewan Leggat

Charlie Bouverat

Harry Davies-Ball

 

 

Joint Brokers

 

Stifel

+44 20 7710 7600

Varun Talwar

 

Ashton Clanfield

 

 

 

Berenberg

+44 20 3207 7800

Matthew Armitt

 

Jennifer Lee

 

 

 

Buchanan

+ 44 20 7466 5000

 

Competent Person Statement

The information in this announcement that relates to the Exploration Results is extracted from the announcement dated 1 February 2024 entitled ‘Extensions to Rutile & Graphite Mineralisation at Kasiya’. which is available to view at www.sovereignmetals.com.au. Sovereign confirms that a) it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original announcement; b) all material assumptions included in the original announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed; and c) the form and context in which the relevant Competent Persons’ findings are presented in this announcement have not been materially changed from the original announcement.

The information in this announcement that relates to the Mineral Resource Estimate is extracted from an announcement dated 5 April 2023 entitled ‘Kasiya Indicated Resource Increased by over 80%’ which is available to view at www.sovereignmetals.com.au and is based on, and fairly represents information compiled by Mr Richard Stockwell, a Competent Person, who is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG). Mr Stockwell is a principal of Placer Consulting Pty Ltd, an independent consulting company. The original announcement is available to view on www.sovereignmetals.com.au. Sovereign confirms that a) it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original announcement; b) all material assumptions included in the original announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed; and c) the form and context in which the relevant Competent Persons’ findings are presented in this announcement have not been materially changed from the original announcement.

The information in this announcement that relates to Production Targets, Ore Reserves, Processing, Infrastructure and Capital Operating Costs, Metallurgy (rutile and graphite) is extracted from an announcement dated 28 September 2023 entitled ‘Kasiya Pre-Feasibility Study Results’ which is available to view at www.sovereignmetals.com.au and is based on, and fairly represents information compiled by . Sovereign confirms that: a) it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original announcement; b) all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the Production Target, and related forecast financial information derived from the Production Target included in the original announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed; and c) the form and context in which the relevant Competent Persons’ findings are presented in this presentation have not been materially modified from the original announcement.

Ore Reserve for the Kasiya Deposit

 

Classification

Tonnes
(Mt)

Rutile Grade
(%)

Contained Rutile
(Mt)

Graphite Grade (TGC) (%)

Contained Graphite
(Mt)

RutEq. Grade*
(%)

Proved

Probable

 538

1.03%

5.5

1.66%

8.9

2.00%

Total

 538

1.03%

5.5

1.66%

8.9

2.00%

* RutEq. Formula: Rutile Grade x Recovery (100%) x Rutile Price (US$1,484/t) + Graphite Grade x Recovery (67.5%) x Graphite Price (US$1,290/t) / Rutile Price (US$1,484/t). All assumptions are taken from the PFS ** Any minor summation inconsistencies are due to rounding

Kasiya Total Indicated + Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate at 0.7% rutile cut-off grade

Classification

Resource
(Mt)

Rutile Grade
(%)

Contained Rutile
(Mt)

Graphite Grade (TGC) (%)

Contained Graphite
(Mt)

Indicated

 1,200

1.0%

12.2

1.5%

18.0

Inferred

 609

0.9%

5.7

1.1%

6.5

Total

 1,809

1.0%

17.9

1.4%

24.4

Forward Looking Statement

This release may include forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “projects”, “plans”, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on Sovereign’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Sovereign, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Sovereign makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this release, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of that release.

 

 

#SVML Sovereign Metals LTD – Appointment of Experienced ESG Officer

Sovereign Metals Limited (ASX:SVM; AIM:SVML) (the Company or Sovereign) is pleased to announce the appointment of highly experienced environmental and social specialist Mr Marco Da Cunha, as its new Lead Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Officer.

Mr Da Cunha has almost 20 years of experience in the field of environmental and social management, including over a decade preparing Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), and Environmental Management Plans, for mining projects. In addition, Mr Da Cunha has specialist experience in Social Impact Assessments, and Management Plans, for large scale mining, oil & gas, and infrastructure projects, throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

Recently, Mr Da Cunha was part of Rio Tinto’s Simandou iron ore project team in Guinea. Simandou is the world’s largest undeveloped high-grade iron ore deposit, and its development will be the largest greenfield integrated mine and infrastructure investment in Africa. Mr Da Cunha’s role at Simandou involved functioning as international support to the Simandou Mine Communities and Social Performance Manager in Guinea, and the support and development of the social management strategy.

Kasiya’s ESIA will now advance following the appointment of Mr Da Cunha. Sovereign has previously completed site surveys by specialist environmental and social consultants in August 2021, May 2022, and October 2023. These surveys provide a solid basis from which to advance the ESIA.

Kasiya’s ESIA will be undertaken in compliance with relevant Malawian legislation, regulations, and standards; in particular, the Environmental Management Act (No. 19 of 2017) and Guidelines of Environmental Impact Assessment (DEA, 1997). The project also aims to meet international guidelines and standards, including the IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability (IFC, 2012), the World Bank Group Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines (WBG, 2007), and the Equator Principles (Equator Principles Association, 2020).

Upon Mr Da Cunha’s appointment, Managing Director, Frank Eagar commented: Our ambition, with the development of Kasiya, is to set the global standard in Climate Smart Mining by bringing our low carbon footprint rutile and graphite products to market, while realising real-world community and environmental benefits. In order to achieve this, we have attracted the best talent and experience in the ESG field. Marco’s appointment has bolstered our Owners Team’s ESG capability bringing exemplary experience in environmental and social management for large-scale African mine development projects aligning and consolidating on the recent appointment of SocialEssence.”

 

ENQUIRIES

Frank Eagar (South Africa/Malawi)
Managing Director

+61(8) 9322 6322

Sam Cordin (Perth)
+61(8) 9322 6322

Sapan Ghai (London)
+44 207 478 3900

 

 

Nominated Adviser on AIM and Joint Broker

 

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

+44 20 3470 0470

Ewan Leggat

Charlie Bouverat

Harry Davies-Ball

 

 

Joint Brokers

 

Berenberg

+44 20 3207 7800

Matthew Armitt

 

Jennifer Lee

 

 

 

Buchanan

+ 44 20 7466 5000

 

Forward Looking Statement

This release may include forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “projects”, “plans”, and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on Sovereign’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Sovereign, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Sovereign makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this release, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of that release.

#GRX GreenX Metals LTD – Quarterly Activities Report September 2023

In July 2023, GreenX entered into an Option Agreement with Greenfields Exploration Limited (Greenfields) to acquire up to 100% of the Eleonore North gold project (Eleonore North) in eastern Greenland.

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

Option to earn 100% of the Project vests upon GreenX spending A$600,000 on exploration on Eleonore North within 12 months and can be exercised in return for a 1.5% Net Smelter Royalty plus A$250,000 payable in cash and A$250,000 payable in either cash or GreenX shares at GreenX’s election.

Transaction provides GreenX with gold exposure in Greenland and complements GreenX’s existing exploration prospect in Greenland, the Arctic Rift Copper project (ARC).

·    During the quarter, GreenX completed a Placing to issue 5.2 million new ordinary shares to raise gross proceeds of approximately A$4.2 million (~£2.1 million) from new and existing investors (Placing). Proceeds from the Placing will be used for exploration activities at the Company’s projects in Greenland and general corporate activities.

·    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).

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

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 September 2023 was A$10.7 million.

 

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 September 2023.

 

Eleonore north gold project option acquisition

In July 2023, GreenX entered into an Option Agreement (Agreement) with Greenfields to acquire up to 100% of the Eleonore North gold project in eastern Greenland.

Eleonore North has the potential to host a “reduced intrusion-related gold system” (RIRGS), analogous to large bulk-tonnage deposit types found in Canada including Donlin Creek, Fort Knox and Dublin Gulch.

Gold mineralisation documented at the high-priority Noa Pluton prospect within Eleonore North.

·      Geophysical “bullseye” anomaly 6 km wide co-incident with elevated gold mineralisation from historical geochemical sampling.

·      Anomalous gold mineralisation associated with quartz veining exposed at surface over a length of up to 15 km.

·      Historical sampling includes 4 m chip sample grading 1.93 g/t Au and 1.9% Sb (refer to Appendix 1 of the Company’s announcement on 10 July 2023).

Eleonore North has potential to host large scale, shallow, bulk tonnage gold deposits. Eleonore North remains underexplored, with the existence of a possible RIRGS being a relatively new geological interpretation based on the historical data. Initial field work consists of a seismic survey to determine the depth from surface to the Noa Pluton to aid in drill targeting.

A map of a geoglyphical area Description automatically generated with low confidence

Figure 1: Eleonore North licence area showing the 6km diameter geophysical anomaly co-incident with gold veining visible at surface over some 15km at the high priority Noa Pluton prospect

Eleonore North license area contains other gold targets as well as copper, antimony and tungsten prospects. At Holmesø there is copper and antimony mineralisation outcropping at surface. Historical mapping and sampling in the 1970s at Holmesø show a prospective horizon between 15 m and 20 m thick, with per cent level grades for both metals.

Option to earn 100% of the project vests upon GreenX spending A$600,000 on exploration on Eleonore North within 12 months and can be exercised in return for a 1.5% Net Smelter Royalty plus A$250,000 payable in cash and A$250,000 payable in either cash or GreenX shares at GreenX’s election.

Transaction provides GreenX with gold exposure in Greenland and complements GreenX’s existing exploration prospect in Greenland, the ARC project. There are significant synergies with regards to personnel, logistics and equipment in having multiple exploration projects in Greenland. Field works for the 2023 field season have already been completed at Eleonore North, with follow-on exploration field activities for the ARC project currently being planned.

Greenland is a mining friendly jurisdiction with strong Government support for expanding its mining industry, simple laws and regulations, and a competitive fiscal regime.

The primary target in Eleonore North is the Noa Pluton, followed by the Holmesø prospect and its source intrusion.  The Noa Veins provide a near-term drill target, however, the Company’s 2023 field work was focussed on determining the depth of the intrusion with greater precision using a passive seismic survey. Once analysed, this information will validate the magnetic interpretation, provide more certainty for a future drilling program, and help identify the size of the intrusion within the well-defined hornfels.

A map of the north pole Description automatically generated

A map of land with black and green squares Description automatically generated

Figure 2: Map of Greenland showing GreenX’s ARC and Eleonore North license areas

Figure 3: Map showing prospects and geological features within the Eleonore North license areas

 

ARCTIC RIFT COPPER PROJECT

The ARC project is an exploration joint venture between GreenX and Greenfields. GreenX can earn-in upto 80% of ARC by spending A$10 million by October 2026. ARC 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.

Analysis of this information is underway and will be key to future planned work programs.

ShARE PLACING

In July 2023, the Company announced that it had successfully completed a Placing of 5.2 million new ordinary shares at a price of A$0.80 (41 pence) per share for gross proceeds of approximately A$4.2 million (~£2.1 million) from new and existing investors.

The net proceeds from the Placing will be used for exploration activities at the company’s projects in Greenland and will help ensure that GreenX retains a strong balance sheet position.

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 July 2020, the Company announced it had executed the LFA for US$12.3 million with LCM. US$10.4 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 now that funded costs relating to the claims have been dispersed. 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.

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.

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

Financial Position

Following the successful completion of the Placing, GreenX had cash of A$10.7m as at 30 September 2023.

-ENDS-

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (‘MAR’). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service (‘RIS’), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain

Forward Looking Statements

This release may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on GreenX’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events. Forward looking statements are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of GreenX, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. GreenX makes no undertaking to subsequently update or revise the forward-looking statements made in this release, to reflect the circumstances or events after the date of that release.

Competent Persons Statement

The information in this report that relates to exploration results were extracted from the ASX announcement dated 10 July 2023 which is available to view at www.greenxmetals.com.

GreenX confirms that (a) it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original announcement; (b) all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the content in the relevant announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed; and (c) the form and context in which the Competent Person’s findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original announcement

This announcement has been authorised for release by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Stoikovich.

APPENDIX 1: TENEMENT INFORMATION

 

As at 30 September 2023, the Company has an interest in the following tenements:

Greenland

Arctic Rift Copper Project (Licence No. 2021-07 MEL-S)

1

Granted

Exploration Licence

Greenland

Eleonore North gold project

(Licence No’s 2018-19 and 2023-39)

2

Granted

Exploration Licence

Jan Karski, Poland

Jan Karski Mine Plan Area (K-4-5, K6-7, K-8 and K-9)2

3

In dispute3

Exclusive Right to apply for a mining concession3

Debiensko, Poland

Debiensko 1

3

In dispute3

Mining3

Notes:

1        In October 2021, the Company announced that it had entered into an Earn-In Agreement (EIA) with Greenfields to acquire an interest of up to 80% in ARC. As at the date of this announcement, the Company held no beneficial interest in ARC, other than through the EIA.

2        In July 2023, the Company announced that it had entered into an Option Agreement with Greenfields to acquire an interest of up to 100% in Eleonore North. As at the date of this announcement, the Company held no beneficial interest in Eleonore North, other than through the Option Agreement.

3        GreenX formally commenced international arbitration claims against the Republic of Poland under both the ECT and the BIT in 2021. GreenX alleges that the Republic of Poland has breached its obligations under the Treaties through its actions to block the development of the Company’s Jan Karski and Debiensko projects in Poland. Refer to discussion of the Claim above. The Company has received notice from the relevant Polish authority that the Debiensko mining licence has been extinguished.

 

Appendix 2: Related Party Payments

 

During the quarter ended 30 September 2023, the Company made payments of A$241,000 to related parties and their associates. These payments relate to existing remuneration arrangements (director fees, consulting fees and superannuation of A$166,000 and the provision of a serviced office and company secretarial and administration services of A$75,000).

 

Appendix 3: Exploration and Mining Expenditure

 

During the quarter ended 30 September 2023, the Company made the following payments in relation to exploration activities:

 

Activity

$000

Greenland (Eleonore North and ARC)

Project Management

173

Exploration program, including sampling

152

Transport costs (including equipment and fuel)

429

Personnel costs

96

Other (field supplies, equipment, fuel, satellite imagery, etc)

192

Total as reported in the Appendix 5B (item 2.1(d))

1,042

 

There were no mining or production activities and expenses incurred during the quarter ended 30 September 2023.

 

Appendix 5B

Mining exploration entity or oil and gas exploration entity
quarterly cash flow report

Name of entity

GreenX Metals Limited

ABN

Quarter ended (“current quarter”)

23 008 677 852

30 September 2023

 

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Current quarter
$A’000

Year to date
(3 months)
$A’000

1.

Cash flows from operating activities

1.1

Receipts from customers

1.2

Payments for

(a)   exploration & evaluation

(b)   development

(c)   production

(d)   staff costs

(375)*

(375)*

(e)   administration and corporate costs

(363)

(363)

1.3

Dividends received (see note 3)

1.4

Interest received

93

93

1.5

Interest and other costs of finance paid

1.6

Income taxes paid

1.7

Government grants and tax incentives

1.8

Other (provide details if material)

(a)    Business Development

(b)    Property rental and gas sales

(c)    Arbitration related expenses

(d)    Receipt of arbitration funding

(e)    Occupancy

 

(114)

6

(194)

 

(114)

6

(194)

1.9

Net cash from / (used in) operating activities

(947)

(947)

*includes legal and permitting expenditure and payments made to consultants (Debiensko technical statutory operations personnel).

2.

Cash flows from investing activities

2.1

Payments to acquire or for:

(a)   Entities

(b)   Tenements

(c)   property, plant and equipment

(d)   exploration & evaluation

(1,042)

(1,042)

(e)   investments

(f)    other non-current assets

2.2

Proceeds from the disposal of:

(a)   entities

(b)   tenements

(c)   property, plant and equipment

(d)   investments

(e)   other non-current assets

2.3

Cash flows from loans to other entities

2.4

Dividends received (see note 3)

2.5

Other (provide details if material)

2.6

Net cash from / (used in) investing activities

(1,042)

(1,042)

3.

Cash flows from financing activities

4,164

4,164

3.1

Proceeds from issues of equity securities (excluding convertible debt securities)

3.2

Proceeds from issue of convertible debt securities

3.3

Proceeds from exercise of options

3.4

Transaction costs related to issues of equity securities or convertible debt securities

(136)

(136)

3.5

Proceeds from borrowings

3.6

Repayment of borrowings

3.7

Transaction costs related to loans and borrowings

3.8

Dividends paid

3.9

Other (provide details if material)

3.10

Net cash from / (used in) financing activities

4,028

4,028

4.

Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents for the period

4.1

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

8,674

8,674

4.2

Net cash from / (used in) operating activities (item 1.9 above)

(947)

(947)

4.3

Net cash from / (used in) investing activities (item 2.6 above)

(1,042)

(1,042)

4.4

Net cash from / (used in) financing activities (item 3.10 above)

4,028

4,028

4.5

Effect of movement in exchange rates on cash held

2

2

4.6

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

10,715

10,715

 

5.

Reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents
at the end of the quarter (as shown in the consolidated statement of cash flows) to the related items in the accounts

Current quarter
$A’000

Previous quarter
$A’000

5.1

Bank balances

2,715

4,174

5.2

Call deposits

8,000

4,500

5.3

Bank overdrafts

5.4

Other (provide details)

5.5

Cash and cash equivalents at end of quarter (should equal item 4.6 above)

10,715

8,674

 

6.

Payments to related parties of the entity and their associates

Current quarter
$A’000

6.1

Aggregate amount of payments to related parties and their associates included in item 1

(241)

6.2

Aggregate amount of payments to related parties and their associates included in item 2

Note: if any amounts are shown in items 6.1 or 6.2, your quarterly activity report must include a description of, and an explanation for, such payments.

 

7.

Financing facilities
Note: the term “facility’ includes all forms of financing arrangements available to the entity.

Add notes as necessary for an understanding of the sources of finance available to the entity.

Total facility amount at quarter end
$A’000


Amount drawn at quarter end
$A’000

7.1

Loan facilities

19,101*

16,204

7.2

Credit standby arrangements

7.3

Other (please specify)

7.4

Total financing facilities

19,101*

16,204

 

7.5

Unused financing facilities available at quarter end

2,897

7.6

Include in the box below a description of each facility above, including the lender, interest rate, maturity date and whether it is secured or unsecured. If any additional financing facilities have been entered into or are proposed to be entered into after quarter end, include a note providing details of those facilities as well.

On 30 June 2020, the Company executed a Litigation Funding Agreement (LFA) for US$12.3 million (*now worth A$19.1 million with the movement of the A$ compared to the $US) with LCM Funding UK Limited a subsidiary of Litigation Capital Management Limited (LCM), to pursue damages claims in relation to the investment dispute between GreenX and the Polish Government that has arisen out of certain measures taken by Poland in breach of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Australia – Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). LCM will provide up to US$12.3million (~A$19.1 million), denominated in US$, in limited recourse financing which is repayable to LCM in the event of a successful Claim or settlement of the Dispute that results in the recovery of any monies. If there is no settlement or award, then LCM is not entitled to any repayment of the financing facility. In return for providing the financing facility, LCM shall be entitled to receive repayment of any funds drawn plus an amount equal to between two and five times the total of any funds drawn from the funding facility during the first five years, depending on the time frame over which funds have remained drawn, and then a 30% interest rate after the fifth year until receipt of damages payments.

 

8.

Estimated cash available for future operating activities

$A’000

8.1

Net cash from / (used in) operating activities (item 1.9)

(947)

8.2

(Payments for exploration & evaluation classified as investing activities) (item 2.1(d))

(1,042)

8.3

Total relevant outgoings (item 8.1 + item 8.2)

(1,989)

8.4

Cash and cash equivalents at quarter end (item 4.6)

10,715

8.5

Unused finance facilities available at quarter end (item 7.5)

2,897

8.6

Total available funding (item 8.4 + item 8.5)

13,612

8.7

Estimated quarters of funding available (item 8.6 divided by item 8.3)

7

Note: if the entity has reported positive relevant outgoings (ie a net cash inflow) in item 8.3, answer item 8.7 as “N/A”. Otherwise, a figure for the estimated quarters of funding available must be included in item 8.7.

8.8

If item 8.7 is less than 2 quarters, please provide answers to the following questions:

8.8.1     Does the entity expect that it will continue to have the current level of net operating cash flows for the time being and, if not, why not?

Answer: Not applicable

8.8.2     Has the entity taken any steps, or does it propose to take any steps, to raise further cash to fund its operations and, if so, what are those steps and how likely does it believe that they will be successful?

Answer: Not applicable

8.8.3     Does the entity expect to be able to continue its operations and to meet its business objectives and, if so, on what basis?

Answer: Not applicable

Note: where item 8.7 is less than 2 quarters, all of questions 8.8.1, 8.8.2 and 8.8.3 above must be answered.

 

Compliance statement

1        This statement has been prepared in accordance with accounting standards and policies which comply with Listing Rule 19.11A.

2        This statement gives a true and fair view of the matters disclosed.

 

Date:                13 October 2023

Authorised by:  Company Secretary

(Name of body or officer authorising release – see note 4)

Notes

1.          This quarterly cash flow report and the accompanying activity report provide a basis for informing the market about the entity’s activities for the past quarter, how they have been financed and the effect this has had on its cash position. An entity that wishes to disclose additional information over and above the minimum required under the Listing Rules is encouraged to do so.

2.          If this quarterly cash flow report has been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, the definitions in, and provisions of, AASB 6: Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources and AASB 107: Statement of Cash Flows apply to this report. If this quarterly cash flow report has been prepared in accordance with other accounting standards agreed by ASX pursuant to Listing Rule 19.11A, the corresponding equivalent standards apply to this report.

3.          Dividends received may be classified either as cash flows from operating activities or cash flows from investing activities, depending on the accounting policy of the entity.

4.          If this report has been authorised for release to the market by your board of directors, you can insert here: “By the board”. If it has been authorised for release to the market by a committee of your board of directors, you can insert here: “By the [name of board committee – eg Audit and Risk Committee]”. If it has been authorised for release to the market by a disclosure committee, you can insert here: “By the Disclosure Committee”.

5.          If this report has been authorised for release to the market by your board of directors and you wish to hold yourself out as complying with recommendation 4.2 of the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations, the board should have received a declaration from its CEO and CFO that, in their opinion, the financial records of the entity have been properly maintained, that this report complies with the appropriate accounting standards and gives a true and fair view of the cash flows of the entity, and that their opinion has been formed on the basis of a sound system of risk management and internal control which is operating effectively

#BRES Blencowe Resources PLC – Receipt of $1m Grant First Tranche from DFC

Blencowe receives first US$1 Million Grant funding from Development Finance Corporation for Orom-Cross Graphite Project

Initial 20% Mobilisation tranche paid to Blencowe for Project Feasibility Costs

Blencowe Resources Plc (“Blencowe” or the “Company”) (LSE: BRES) is pleased to announce it has received its first US$1 million mobilisation tranche payment from the Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”).  This represents 20% of the full US$5 million DFC grant for Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”) costs, recently completed and announced by Blencowe.

Blencowe announced on 22 September that the Company had secured a US$5 million grant from tier one funding provider DFC to cover a substantial part of the DFS costs for the Orom-Cross Project.  Furthermore, DFC is now the lead mandated partner to deliver a full funding solution for Orom-Cross production, assuming completion of a successful DFS.

Blencowe is confident that this unique strategic relationship will now open doors to unlock additional value at Orom-Cross by expanding the project in ways previously considered not possible due to capital constraints.

Orom-Cross is one of the largest graphite projects worldwide by size and scale of deposit and a 21 year Mining License has already been awarded.  Blencowe took the project through a successful Pre-Feasibility Study in 2022 and is now embarked on the Definitive Feasibility Study as it drives towards decision to mine.  Metallurgical test results by leading graphite industry experts in South Africa, Canada, Australia and China have all underlined Orom-Cross graphite as upgrading to one of the cleanest, purest high grade concentrates of any graphite project, with an excellent mix of both coarse and smaller flakes.  This has recently been confirmed again on a commercial scale within the 100 tonne bulk sample test programme conducted at one of the leading graphite producer’s facility in China.

 

Cameron Pearce, Executive Chairman commented;

This first US$1 million received is of significance firstly because it is completely undilutive funding for Blencowe and its shareholders, and secondly because it solidifies the critical strategic relationship that has been developed between our Company and the DFC.  I would like to emphasise once again that the Grant Agreement with DFC does not require Blencowe to match funds input by them.  Their US$5 million funding is provided via this initial mobilisation tranche and thereafter by further tranches that are paid upon Blencowe achieving as-agreed milestones, which are all key deliverables within the DFS program.  We are already well advanced in our achievement of the next milestone which would access and release another US$1 million payment from DFC.”

 

Mr Pearce added “The DFC Grant Agreement also has no pre-set marketing restrictions and we remain committed to achieving the best offtake partnerships for our products wherever they may be.  Our bulk sample pre-qualification process is well underway and we have considerable offtake interest from recent marketing in China. We look forward to the completion of critical SPG testing in USA to prove that Orom-Cross can ultimately produce an efficient 99.95% uncoated battery-ready product for the anode market which will then lead to further OEM SPG testing as part of our DFS.”

 

For further information please contact:

 

 

  Blencowe Resources Plc

Sam Quinn

 

www.blencoweresourcesplc.com

Tel: +44 (0)1624 681 250

info@blencoweresourcesplc.com

Investor Relations

Sasha Sethi

Tel: +44 (0) 7891 677 441

sasha@flowcomms.com

 

Tavira Financial 

Jonathan Evans

Tel: +44 (0)20 3192 1733

jonathan.evans@tavira.group

 

 

First Equity Limited

Jason Robertson

Tel: +44(0)20 7330 1833

jasonrobertson@firstequitylimited.com

#KAV Kavango Resources PLC – KCB – Agreement to acquire six new PLs

Kavango Resources plc (LSE:KAV), the Southern Africa-focused metals exploration company, is pleased to announce that it has entered an agreement with Global Exploration Technologies (Pty) Limited (“GET”), a wholly owned subsidiary of ENRG Elements (ASX:ENRG) (“ENRG”) to acquire a 90% working interest in six Prospecting Licences (“PLs”) located in Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt (“KCB”) (the “Acquisition”).

The PLs cover ground adjacent to Kavango’s existing Karakubis Block next to the Namibian border, currently the priority focus in its KCB copper/silver exploration programme. The PLs are also adjacent to the Company’s South Ghanzi block in the KCB, giving Kavango a single, contiguous project area to explore.

Kavango is particularly keen to test the combined potential of PL049/2020, PL052/2020 (in the Karakubis Block) and PL203/2016 (within the area to be acquiredand satisfaction of certain other conditions).  The Company believes these three PLs cover a single regional system that incorporates notable domal structures, which are key exploration targets in the search for large-scale copper/silver mineralisation.

Ben Turney, Chief Executive Officer of Kavango Resources, commented:

The new licences join up our Karakubis and South Ghanzi blocks, providing us with a contiguous, highly prospective system to explore along strike from major discoveries such as Sandfire Resources’ (ASX:SFR) T3 deposit and Khoemacau Copper Mining’s Zone 5 deposit.

We now have uninterrupted control of the single system in this portion of the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB). We believe today’s acquisition significantly increases our chances of making a discovery here. We will  push ahead in the KCB, by reviewing exploration data for the new licence areas and the results of our recently completed IP surveys at the Karakubis project area. Our goal is to identify high-confidence drill targets to pursue in Q1 next year. 

With completion of the Purebond financing imminent, we are in an extremely strong position to execute our ambitious plans.”

Figure 1: Map of Kavango’s KCB landholding

Next steps in the KCB

Recent work by Kavango has included 30km of Induced Polarisation (“IP”) survey lines over targeted areas within its Karakubis group of licences.

Kavango is, in conjunction with David Catterall, an expert on the KCB, completing a review of all available data for both Kavango’s previous and these six new licences. Kavango has also recently appointed a new Exploration Manager for Botswana, Mr Leon de Waal, who will be leading the KCB work. Kavango’s goals over the coming months are:

1.   To “level up” its exploration data coverage across its entire KCB holdings and,

2.   To identify potential sulphide bodies that will be ranked as targets for future drilling (announced >>> 25 July 2023).

The current “levelling-up” programme has been designed to field test a new geological interpretation. Kavango believes it has successfully identified the lower D’Kar/Ngwako Pan Formations, the contact of which is known to host the majority of copper-silver mineralisation elsewhere within the Kalahari Copperbelt, over PL036/2020, PL049/2020 & PL052/2020. The field mapping on PL036/2020 has effectively extended the area underlain by the lower D’Kar Formation and for which 5,054 samples have been collected.

Kavango believes the lower D’Kar Formation it has mapped across PL049/2020 & PL052/2020 (in the Karakubis Block)  extends into PL203/2016 (which Kavango has now acquired), where pathfinder minerals galena and sphalerite have been observed in historic drill chips.

Preliminary modelling of Kavango’s recent IP survey data across an AEM target on PL049/2020 has already highlighted prospective domal structural trap sites (announced >>> 25 July 2023) for future drill targeting.

Acquisition terms

Kavango has agreed to acquire a 90% working interest in the six PLs by acquiring 90% of the issued shares of Icon Trading (Pty) Ltd (“Icon”) and Ashmead Holdings (Pty) Ltd (“Ashmead”), two subsidiary companies of GET.

Kavango shall have exclusive right to appoint directors to the board of both Icon and Ashmead.

To complete the Acquisition, Kavango will pay GET a total of AUD$2.5 million in cash in the three following instalments:

–     AUD$1.5 million on the completion of the Acquisition

–     AUD$500,000 90 days after the completion of the Acquisition

–     AUD$500,000 180 days after the completion of the Acquisition

The names of the PLs, along with their existing owner, status, and expiry date, can be found in Figure 2 below.

PL Number

Company

Status

Expiry Date

PL127/2017

Ashmead Holdings (Pty) Ltd

2nd Renewal 

30/06/2024

PL128/2017

Ashmead Holdings (Pty) Ltd

2nd Renewal 

30/06/2024

PL129/2017

Ashmead Holdings (Pty) Ltd

2nd Renewal 

30/06/2024

PL203/2016

Icon Trading (Pty) Ltd

3rd Renewal 

30/09/2025

PL204/2016

Icon Trading (Pty) Ltd

3rd Renewal 

30/09/2025

PL205/2016[1]

Icon Trading (Pty) Ltd

3rd Renewal 

30/09/2025

Figure 2: Details of the GET PLs

The agreement will complete on the receipt of necessary permissions in Botswana on or after 30 OCtober 2023 and satisfaction of certain other conditions.

Under the terms of the transaction, Kavango will assume the benefit of the outstanding intercompany loans for historic exploration onto its balance sheet. Icon and Ashmead  will retain ownership of all historic exploration data gathered by them.

Financing update

Kavango continues to finalise the circular and prospectus for the forthcoming Stage 2 financing with Purebond (announced >>> 09 May 2023 for £4.6million at 1p per share). The Company expects to publish the Circular in the coming days and call the general meeting to seek approval from independent shareholders of a waiver in accordance with Rule 9 of the Takeover Code (Whitewash) in relation to this transaction.

In the event there is a delay in completing the Stage 2 financing, Purebond has indicated to Kavango’s board its readiness to lend the Company sufficient funds to complete the Acquisition.

Further information in respect of Kavango and its business interests is provided on the Company’s website at www.kavangoresources.com and on Twitter at #KAV.

For further information please contact:

Kavango Resources plc

Ben Turney

+46 7697 406 06

First Equity (Broker)

+44 207 374 2212

Jason Robertson

Kavango Competent Person Statement

The technical information contained in this announcement pertaining to geology and exploration have been read and approved by Brett Grist BSc(Hons) FAusIMM (CP).  Mr Grist is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy with Chartered Professional status.  Mr Grist has sufficient experience that is relevant to the exploration programmes and geology of the main styles of mineralisation and deposit types under consideration to act as a Qualified Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’.

#KAV Kavango Resources PLC – Ditau Core Review

Kavango Resources plc (LSE:KAV) (“Kavango”), the Southern Africa focussed metals exploration company, is pleased to announce completion of relogging of drillhole DITDD004 at the Ditau Project.

CORE REVIEW RESULTS

·   Relogging of Hole DITDD004 complete, following the recent recommendations from Dr. Hamid Mumin (>>> announced 06 March 2023) who has proposed a possible Banded Iron Formation (BIF) Hosted Lode Gold system at Ditau.

·    Hole DITDD004 was drilled to test the i10 Target.

·    Key observations from relogging of Hole DITDD004 include:

·    Localised brecciation of the BIF has enhanced permeability, allowing passage of sulphide and gold bearing fluids.

·    The previously reported gold assays (>>> announced 14 October 2022) are seen to coincide with the presence of fine pyrite in the BIF.

·    The association of pyrite with the gold, typical in gold deposits, is useful confirmation of some of the characteristics of the Ditau mineralisation. These characteristics will then be targeted in the next stage of exploration.

·    Kavango is developing a working hypothesis that some of the sediments above the BIF may be of Proterozoic age, rather than of the much younger Karoo age sediments.

·    If this is the case, then mineralising fluid flow could also have taken place through these.

·    Proterozoic age BIFs, such as at Ditau, can be associated with Lode Gold systems.

Brett Grist, Chief Operations Officer of Kavango, stated,

“Dr. Hamid Mumin’s report has highlighted the gold potential at Ditau and proposed a new deposit model. Relogging of the core by Kavango has identified a number of features that could be consistent with this. We look forward to logging the additional drillholes we’ve identified over the I10 Target at the end of this month and using the results to expand our exploration program.”

NEXT STEPS

·    Additional core samples have been taken and will be sent to a laboratory in Canada for additional assays.

·    Up to 24 samples are also being sampled for petrological work under the supervision of Dr. Mumin, aimed at further enhancing Kavango’s understanding of the mineralisation style prior to future drilling.

·    Kavango is preparing a geophysical survey program at Ditau, which is likely to include Induced Polarisation (IP) surveys targeting pyrite as a proxy for gold.

·    The IP survey will initially be run over already identified mineralisation, to trace the wider extension over the i10 Target area.

·    Kavango has been given permission to relog two additional diamond drill holes located over the i10 Target area, which were drilled by another company.

·    The Botswana Geoscience Institute (BGI) has provided approval for Kavango to take and analyse samples from these holes.

Kavango Resources plc   

Ben Turney

bturney@kavangoresources.com

+46 7697 406 06

First Equity (Broker)

+44 207 374 2212

Jason Robertson   

Kavango Competent Person Statement

The technical information contained in this announcement pertaining to geology and exploration have been read and approved by Brett Grist BSc(Hons) FAusIMM (CP).  Mr Grist is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy with Chartered Professional status.  Mr Grist has sufficient experience that is relevant to the exploration programmes and geology of the main styles of mineralisation and deposit types under consideration to act as a Qualified Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’.

 

#BRES Blencowe Resources PLC – Appointment of Leading Engineering Firm to DFS

Highlights

·    Blencowe continues to progress the Orom-Cross project with appointment of a notable engineering firm to manage the Definitive Feasibility Study (“DFS”).

·    Appointment of CPC Engineering (“CPC”) of Perth to lead and develop the DFS for Orom-Cross.

·    CPC have extensive experience in African graphite projects and Blencowe will leverage this knowledge to refine the delivery of the Orom-Cross DFS.

Blencowe Resources Plc (“Blencowe Resources” or the “Company”) (LSE: BRES) is pleased to announce it has engaged leading engineering firm CPC Engineering to lead, deliver and sign off on the DFS for the Orom-Cross Graphite Project.

CPC has extensive experience in other leading graphite projects in East Africa, having completed the DFS for the Maniry Graphite Project (Black Earth Minerals, ASX: BEM) in Madagascar, as well as both the Mahenge (Black Rock Mining Ltd, ASX: BKT) and Chilalo Graphite (Evolution Energy Minerals, ASX: EV1) Projects in Tanzania and the scoping study for the Ancuabe Graphite Project (Triton Minerals, ASX: TON) in Mozambique. CPC also completed the detailed engineering, procurement, construction support and commissioning services for the Syrah Resources (ASX: SYR) Balama Graphite Project in Mozambique.

Blencowe is pleased to have partnered with a firm with extensive experience in both graphite and flotation circuits. CPC will work with the Company and various other Ugandan service providers in the delivery of the DFS for Orom-Cross Graphite in 2023.

The CPC works will include:

·    Optimisation of the process plant design, incorporating results of the various testwork programs from SGS, IMO and the pilot plant works (Jilin/China) along with CPC’s expertise in design and construction of graphite process plants.

·    Provide updated and optimised CAPEX and OPEX for project cost and schedule certainty;

·    Provide updated project costs and schedule for the Project non-processing Infrastructure.

·    Sign off on full DFS once completed to provide the third party approval from a recognised leading technical firm as required to ensure project funding support.

Cameron Pearce, Executive Chairman commented;

We are pleased to add another high-quality partner to the Orom-Cross Project.  CPC has a very impressive track record within the graphite market and we are now able to leverage off their skills, experience and relationships to ensure we deliver a first class DFS.

 

He continued “The graphite market continues to shift in our favour and we expect the supply-demand imbalance to widen further, as demand for graphite accelerates, given its material role within lithium-ion batteries. Orom-Cross has continued to exceed our expectations and we remain focused on delivering a world class project. CPC are recognised as one of the top tier engineering firms within the graphite sector and their sign off on the DFS will not only help optimise the Project, but also provide the credibility required for project funding and market support.” 

 

For further information please contact:

 

 

Blencowe Resources Plc

Sam Quinn

 

www.blencoweresourcesplc.com

Tel: +44 (0)1624 681 250

info@blencoweresourcesplc.com

Investor Relations

Sasha Sethi

Tel: +44 (0) 7891 677 441

sasha@flowcomms.com

 

Tavira Financial 

Jonathan Evans

Tel: +44 (0)20 3192 1733

Jonathan.evans@tavira.group

 

First Equity Limited

Jason Robertson

Tel: +44(0)20 7330 1833

jasonrobertson@firstequitylimited.com

 

Twitter https://twitter.com/BlencoweRes

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/72382491/admin/

About CPC Engineering

CPC Engineering is a privately owned, Perth-based engineering company with 50 years’ experience providing reliable and practical engineering solutions to the resources industry, both nationally and internationally. CPC employs over 350 personnel and specialises in engineering design, construction and maintenance.

CPC Project Design is located at CPC Engineering head office in West Perth and is a multidiscipline engineering design, procurement, construction and project management team which has developed a reputation for delivering practical and cost-effective services to the resource industry.

CPC has extensive resource engineering experience with clients that include Syrah Resources, BlackEarth Minerals, Black Rock Mining, Albemarle, First Quantum, AngloGold Ashanti, Tronox Limited OceanaGold, Newmont, Barrick Gold and Sandfire Resources.

Background

Orom-Cross Graphite Project

Orom-Cross is a potential world class graphite project both by size and end-product quality, with a high component of more valuable larger coarse flakes within the deposit.

A 21-year Mining Licence for the Project was issued by the Ugandan Government in 2019 following extensive historical work on the deposit and Blencowe completed a successful Pre-Feasibility Study in 2022.  The Company has now moved into the Definitive Feasibility Study phase as it drives towards first production.

Orom-Cross presents as a large, shallow open-pitable deposit, with a maiden JORC Indicated & Inferred Mineral Resource deposit of 24.5Mt @ 6.0% Total Graphite Content, with only a small percentage of the overall deposit drilled to date. Development of the resource is expected to benefit from a low strip ratio and free dig operations, thereby ensuring lower operating and capital costs.

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