European Metals Holdings Limited Extension of Cinovec Exploration Licence (8652H)

TIDMEMH

RNS Number : 8652H

European Metals Holdings Limited

05 August 2019

For immediate release

5 August 2019

EUROPEAN METALS HOLDINGS LIMITED

EXTENSION OF CINOVEC EXPLORATION LICENCE

European Metals Holdings Limited ("European Metals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the granting of an extension to the Cinovec Exploration Licence ("the licence") that covers the two granted Preliminary Mining Permits ("PMP's").

The granted PMP's convey the sole and exclusive rights upon the Company to apply for a Final Mining Permit, however do not allow for further drilling. As the Company wishes to conduct further metallurgical and measured resource drilling, the extension to the exploration license that was due to expire in July 2019 was sought.

The licence has now been extended until 31 December 2020.

The Czech Ministry of the Environment stated in its extension decision the possibility of a further extension of the licence if necessary to complete all planned work. The Company does not envisage that a further extension will be necessary.

(Please refer to the announcement on the European Metals website for the graphic of Figure 1: Map of Cinovec Licences - www.europeanmet.com)

Czech Permitting

After granting of the exploration licence, a company needs to undertake a summary geological and reserves calculation report that is submitted to the Ministry of Environment ("MoE") and if successful, results in granting of a Deposit Certificate. Approval from MoE and a Deposit Certificate issued entitles the Company to apply for a PMP.

Geomet has already carried out a geological survey at all 3 deposit territories - the East, South and Northwest and successfully presented all final reports and reserves calculations to MoE. Deposit Certificates have been granted for all 3 deposits.

The Company currently holds PMP's for East and South deposits. A PMP application for the Northwest deposit area is currently in the permitting process. If the process is successfully completed, the 3 granted PMP's will cover the entire area of the Cínovec deposit. The Company holds an exclusive right to apply for this permit until the end of 2021.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON CINOVEC

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Cinovec Lithium/Tin Project

European Metals, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Geomet s.r.o., controls the mineral exploration licenses awarded by the Czech State over the Cinovec Lithium/Tin Project. Cinovec hosts a globally significant hard rock lithium deposit with a total Indicated Mineral Resource of 372.4Mt at 0.45% Li(2) O and 0.04% Sn and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 323.5Mt at 0.39% Li(2) O and 0.04% Sn containing a combined 7.18 million tonnes Lithium Carbonate Equivalent and 263kt of tin reported 28 November 2017 (Further Increase in Indicated Resource at Cinovec South). An initial Probable Ore Reserve of 34.5Mt at 0.65% Li(2) O and 0.09% Sn reported 4 July 2017 (Cinovec Maiden Ore Reserve - Further Information) has been declared to cover the first 20 years mining at an output of 22,500tpa of lithium carbonate reported 11 July 2018 (Cinovec Production Modelled to Increase to 22,500tpa of Lithium Carbonate).

This makes Cinovec the largest lithium deposit in Europe, the fourth largest non-brine deposit in the world and a globally significant tin resource.

The deposit has previously had over 400,000 tonnes of ore mined as a trial sub-level open stope underground mining operation.

In June 2019 EMH completed an updated Preliminary Feasibility Study, conducted by specialist independent consultants, which indicated a return post tax NPV of USD1.108B and an IRR of 28.8% and confirmed that the Cinovec Project is a potential low operating cost, producer of battery grade lithium hydroxide or battery grade lithium carbonate as markets demand. It confirmed the deposit is amenable to bulk underground mining. Metallurgical test-work has produced both battery grade lithium hydroxide and battery grade lithium carbonate in addition to high-grade tin concentrate at excellent recoveries. Cinovec is centrally located for European end-users and is well serviced by infrastructure, with a sealed road adjacent to the deposit, rail lines located 5 km north and 8 km south of the deposit and an active 22 kV transmission line running to the historic mine. As the deposit lies in an active mining region, it has strong community support.

The economic viability of Cinovec has been enhanced by the recent strong increase in demand for lithium globally, and within Europe specifically.

There are no other material changes to the original information and all the material assumptions continue to apply to the forecasts.

CONTACT

For further information on this update or the Company generally, please visit our website at www. http://europeanmet.com or see full contact details at the end of this release.

COMPETENT PERSON

Information in this release that relates to exploration results is based on information compiled by Dr Pavel Reichl. Dr Reichl is a Certified Professional Geologist (certified by the American Institute of Professional Geologists), a member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists and is a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and a Qualified Person for the purposes of the AIM Guidance Note on Mining and Oil & Gas Companies dated June 2009. Dr Reichl consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears. Dr Reichl holds CDIs in European Metals.

The information in this release that relates to Mineral Resources and Exploration Targets has been compiled by Mr Lynn Widenbar. Mr Widenbar, who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, is a full time employee of Widenbar and Associates and produced the estimate based on data and geological information supplied by European Metals. Mr Widenbar has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Minerals Resources and Ore Reserves. Mr Widenbar consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context that the information appears.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information included in this release constitutes forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward looking words such as "may", "will", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "continue", and "guidance", or other similar words and may include, without limitation, statements regarding plans, strategies and objectives of management, anticipated production or construction commencement dates and expected costs or production outputs.

Forward looking statements inherently involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the company's actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and general economic conditions, increased costs and demand for production inputs, the speculative nature of exploration and project development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licences and permits and diminishing quantities or grades of reserves, political and social risks, changes to the regulatory framework within which the company operates or may in the future operate, environmental conditions including extreme weather conditions, recruitment and retention of personnel, industrial relations issues and litigation.

Forward looking statements are based on the company and its management's good faith assumptions relating to the financial, market, regulatory and other relevant environments that will exist and affect the company's business and operations in the future. The company does not give any assurance that the assumptions on which forward looking statements are based will prove to be correct, or that the company's business or operations will not be affected in any material manner by these or other factors not foreseen or foreseeable by the company or management or beyond the company's control.

Although the company attempts and has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in forward looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and many events are beyond the reasonable control of the company. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in these materials speak only at the date of issue. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange listing rules, in providing this information the company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward looking statements or to advise of any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

LITHIUM CLASSIFICATION AND CONVERSION FACTORS

Lithium grades are normally presented in percentages or parts per million (ppm). Grades of deposits are also expressed as lithium compounds in percentages, for example as a percent lithium oxide (Li(2) O) content or percent lithium carbonate (Li(2) CO(3) ) content.

Lithium carbonate equivalent ("LCE") is the industry standard terminology for, and is equivalent to, Li(2) CO(3) . Use of LCE is to provide data comparable with industry reports and is the total equivalent amount of lithium carbonate, assuming the lithium content in the deposit is converted to lithium carbonate, using the conversion rates in the table included below to get an equivalent Li(2) CO(3) value in percent. Use of LCE assumes 100% recovery and no process losses in the extraction of Li(2) CO(3) from the deposit.

Lithium resources and reserves are usually presented in tonnes of LCE or Li.

The standard conversion factors are set out in the table below:

Table: Conversion Factors for Lithium Compounds and Minerals

 
 Convert from                      Convert to   Convert to   Convert to Li(2) 
                                    Li           Li(2) O      CO(3) 
-------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ----------------- 
 Lithium              Li           1.000        2.153        5.324 
                      Li(2) 
 Lithium Oxide         O           0.464        1.000        2.473 
                      Li(2) 
 Lithium Carbonate     CO3         0.188        0.404        1.000 
                      LiOH.H(2) 
 Lithium Hydroxide     O           0.167        0.357        1.135 
-------------------  -----------  -----------  -----------  ----------------- 
 

WEBSITE

A copy of this announcement is available from the Company's website at www.europeanmet.com.

ENQUIRIES:

 
 European Metals Holdings Limited        Tel: [phone] 
  Keith Coughlan, Managing Director       Email: [e-mail] 
  Kiran Morzaria, Non-Executive           Tel: [phone] 
  Director                                Tel: [phone] 
  Julia Beckett, Company Secretary        Email: [e-mail] 
 Beaumont Cornish (Nomad &              Tel: [phone] 
  Broker)                                Email: [e-mail] 
  Michael Cornish 
  Roland Cornish 
 Shard Capital (Joint Broker)           Tel: [phone] 
  Damon Health 
  Erik Woolgar 
 Blytheweigh (Financial PR)             Tel: [phone] 
  Tim Blythe 
  Megan Ray 
 

The information contained within this announcement is considered to be inside information, for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014, prior to its release. The person who arranged for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company was Keith Coughlan, Managing Director.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [e-mail] or visit www.rns.com.

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August 05, 2019 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT)