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HZM Horizonte Minerals Plc

1.375
-2.38 (-63.33%)
Last Updated: 14:50:19
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Horizonte Minerals Plc LSE:HZM London Ordinary Share GB00BMXLQJ47 ORD 20P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  -2.38 -63.33% 1.375 1.25 1.50 4.25 1.375 3.75 13,077,597 14:50:19
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Gold Ores 0 -5.32M -0.0197 -0.70 3.7M

Horizonte Minerals PLC Araguaia Ni 43-101 FS Filed and Stage 2 Expansion (1657K)

12/12/2018 7:01am

UK Regulatory


Horizonte Minerals (LSE:HZM)
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TIDMHZM

RNS Number : 1657K

Horizonte Minerals PLC

12 December 2018

NEWS RELEASE

12 December 2018

FILING OF NI 43-101 FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE ARAGUAIA NICKEL PROJECT INCLUDING OPPORTUNITY FOR A STAGE 2 EXPANSION TO DOUBLE NICKEL PRODUCTION

Horizonte Minerals Plc, (AIM/TSX: HZM) ('Horizonte' or 'the Company') the nickel development company focused in Brazil, is pleased to announce that it has filed the Feasibility Study ('FS' or the 'Study') for the Araguaia Ferronickel Project ('Araguaia', or 'the Project') in Brazil's Pará State on SEDAR. The Study has been prepared in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 - standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ('NI 43-101') and was previously announced on the 29(th) October 2018.

The Study confirms Araguaia as a Tier 1 project with a large high-grade scalable resource, a long mine life and a low-cost source of ferronickel for the stainless-steel industry. The Stage 1 FS design allows for future construction of a second Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace ('RKEF') process line ('Stage 2 expansion' or 'Stage 2'), with potential to double Araguaia's production capacity from 14,500 tonnes per annum ('t/a') nickel up to 29,000 t/a nickel. The results of this Stage 2 expansion study are included as an opportunity in Section 25 of the NI 43-101 Technical Report with the economics highlighted below.

Stage 1 - FS Highlights:

-- Initial 28-year mine life generates cash flows after taxation of US$1.6 billion with sufficient mineral resources to extend beyond 28 years;

-- Estimated post-tax Net Present Value[1] ('NPV') of US$401 million[2] and Internal Rate of Return ('IRR') of 20.1% using the base case nickel price forecast of US$14,000 per tonne(3) ('/t');

-- Upon development, the Project is expected to produce an average of 14,500 tonnes of nickel contained within approximately 52,000 tonnes ferronickel per annum, utilising the proven RKEF technology currently used at over 40 mines around the world;

-- The base case FS economics assume a flat nickel price of US$14,000/t for the entire 28-year mine life based on Wood Mackenzie's short-term forecast;

-- C1 (Brook Hunt) cash cost year 1 to year 10 of US$3.08 per pound ('/lb') of nickel (US$6,794/t), making Araguaia a low-cost producer;

-- Using the consensus mid-term nickel price of US$16,800/t, the post-tax NPV increases to US$740 million with an IRR of 28.1%, reflecting the significant leverage that the Project returns have to any future increase in nickel prices; and

-- Capital cost estimate of US$443 million (AACE class 3), including US$65.3 million of contingencies equating to 17.2% of total capex budget.

Stage 2 - Second Line Expansion Highlights:

A key part of the FS Stage 1 Project design was that the RKEF plant and associated infrastructure was designed to accommodate the addition of a second RKEF process line (Stage 2 expansion), with potential to double Araguaia's production capacity from 14,500 t/a nickel up to 29,000 t/a nickel. The Project Mineral Resource inventory has the grade and scale to support the increase in plant throughput from 900 kt/pa (Stage 1) to the Stage 2 rate of 1.8 Mt/a supporting the twin line RKEF flow sheet. The Stage 2 expansion assumes operating at Stage 1 production rate of 900 kt/pa for three years, after which free cash flows would be reinvested to expand the plant to 1.8 Mt/pa by the addition of a second line. All figures below represent this combined production of stage 1 for 3 years followed by the enlarged production for the remainder of the Life of Mine.

-- The Stage 2 expansion, assumed in year 3, supports a 26-year mine life generating cash flows after taxation of US$2.6 billion;

-- No increase in upfront capital cost which remains at the same level at the FS Stage 1 of US$443 million, the Stage 2 expansion is financed through operational cash flow;

-- Estimated post-tax Net Present Value[3] ('NPV') of US$741 million[4] and Internal Rate of Return ('IRR') of 23.8% using the base case nickel price forecast of US$14,000/t[5];

-- Using a nickel price of US$11,000/t generates cash flows after taxation and payback of capital of US$1.0 billion;

   --     Nickel grade of 1.82% for the first 10 years of the Stage 2 operation; 
   --     Annual nickel production of 29,000 t/a; 

-- C1 (Brook Hunt) cash cost year 1 to Year 10 of US$3.00 per pound ('/lb') of nickel (US$6,613/t), making Araguaia a low-cost producer. Life of mine C1 cash cost of US$3.51 per pound ('/lb') of nickel (US$7,737/t); and

-- Using the consensus mid-term nickel price of US$16,800/t, the post-tax NPV(8) for the Stage 2 option increases to US$1,264 million with an IRR of 31.8%.

Horizonte CEO, Jeremy Martin, commented;

"Following on from the successful completion of the Feasibility Study for the Araguaia ferronickel project, we are very pleased to file the 43-101 Feasibility Technical Report which includes as an opportunity the Stage 2 expansion to add a second RKEF line to the Project. The Stage 2 expansion would potentially increase annual nickel production from 14,500 tonnes per annum to 29,000 tonnes per annum whilst demonstrating economies of scale for both operating and capital costs. For this scenario the upfront pre-production capital cost remains unchanged at US$443 million and the incremental capital expenditure to build the stage 2 expansion, is anticipated to be financed out of operational free cash flow. The FS design of the RKEF plant and all associated infrastructure was configured to allow a second RKEF line to be added at a future time, as such the Stage 2 expansion benefits from the existing utilities and infrastructure expenditure. Significant items such as the powerline, water pipeline, overall process plant site, utilities, and slag storage facility already have sufficient capacity built in during the Stage 1 planning to meet the desired production increase.

The economics of the Stage 2 expansion in year 3 are compelling with the Base Case NPV(8) of US$741 million and IRR of 23.8%, increasing to an IRR of 31.8% when applying consensus nickel price assuming no change in the upfront capital investment for the Stage 1 single line RKEF plant as shown in the FS. If we apply a nickel price of US$11,000 per tonne nickel, the enlarged twin line plant generates cash flows after taxation and pay back of capital of US$1.0 billion.

We have always maintained that Araguaia has a high grade scalable mineral resource with only a small part utilised for the single line plant. As demonstrated in the Stage 2 expansion the resource can comfortably support the increased capacity for over 26 years with the first 10 years averaging 1.82% nickel which places Araguaia on the upper range of the global grade curve even with the increased mining rate.

The recent weakness in nickel prices appears to be reflection of macroeconomics and does not appear to have impacted wider consensus of the positive future potential of the nickel market. Demand versus supply deficits remain forecast for the short term. Inventories on the LME continue to fall with significant new supply required for the stainless-steel market which is growing at 5%[6] year on year, with new demand driven from the EV battery sector. Araguaia is anticipated to come online in 2021 and be placed in the lower quartile[7] on the laterite C1 cost curve (year 1 to year 10 of US$3.08 per pound of nickel (US$6,794/t)[8] making it one of the lower cost new nickel projects. Meanwhile the forward C1 cost curve is expected to consistently rise due to the rising costs of inputs as well as the reducing global grade profile across existing mines.

The successful completion of the Feasibility Study and the positive economics from the Stage 2 expansion all confirm that Araguaia is a tier 1 asset demonstrating flexibility and scalability with compelling economics.

The Company is well funded as we work to advance Araguaia to the construction stage and start to advance our second 100% owned Vermelho Nickel Cobalt project as part of the company's strategy to become a leading nickel development Company. I look forward to updating the market on progress as we move into 2019."

Stage 2 Second Line Expansion Details:

The FS plant ore feed rate of 900kt/a is based on a single line RKEF plant (Stage 1). This size plant represents the optimal capacity for an achievable capital cost for project financing for a single project junior development company. However, the Stage 1 plant capacity underutilises the significant Mineral Resource that HZM has within the project area (119Mt Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources at 1.27% Ni). In the FS, the cut-off grade is 1.4% Ni and represents a "high-grade" option. The marginal cut-off grade for the Project is closer to 1.0% Ni. This means that there is a significant quantity of potentially economic material that is not mined or processed in the current Stage 1 FS schedule. Accordingly, the opportunity contemplated here is that the Stage 1 production scenario (the FS Base Case) is built and produces at an initial production level 14,500 t/a of Nickel, and that the Stage 2, expansion in year 3 is implemented as the project starts generating cash flows, thereby increasing total production to 29,000 t/a Nickel.

To explore the potential value of increasing the production rate at Araguaia, a Stage 2 expansion to 1,800kt/a plant feed in Year 3 was contemplated at a scoping level. In this Stage 2 scenario, Snowden completed pit optimisations based on the FS costs and modifying factors. The pit optimisations targeted any material determined to be economic, rather than the elevated Ni cut-off grade applied in the FS. Only Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources were considered in this scenario. Overall, the target was to achieve a similar mine life to the FS schedule (28 years). This was achieved by selecting a revenue factor pit shell equivalent to a nickel price of US$11,200/t Ni which yields 44.0Mt of ore feed.

The Stage 1 FS plant layout was designed to allow for the future construction of a second RKEF line. A significant portion of the Stage 1 RKEF plant and associated infrastructure has sufficient capacity to support the Stage 2 expansion, resulting in substantially lower capital costs to implement the second RKEF line. The Stage 1 equipment and infrastructure that does not require upgrading for Stage 2 includes;

   --     The main power line to the plant; 
   --     The principle road and bridge infrastructure in-bound and outbound to the mine site; 
   --     Overall plant site layout, plant road / offices / stores / workshops; 
   --     Refinery facility; 
   --     The slag storage facility; and 
   --     Water abstraction pipeline. 

As part of the preparation of the Stage 2 expansion, HZM has completed a scoping level estimate of the costs associated with implementing a second RKEF line after Year 3 of the mine life using the FS capex as a basis and locating the additional equipment in the areas within the existing FS plant layout. A summary of the estimated direct equipment costs along with associated civil works and installation costs for the Stage 2 expansion are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Stage 1 and Stage 2 capex

 
    WBS    Area                 Stage         Stage        Equipment 
                                  1             2           Additions 
                                  FS            -              for 
                                 Pre-         Second          Stage 
                              production       RKEF             2 
                                Capex          line 
                                 (US$          Pre- 
                               million)     production 
                                              Capex 
 
                                               (US$ 
                                             million) 
    1000   Mine                  6.0            -              NA 
           Ore 
    3000    Preparation         39.0          25.2           Dryer 
                                                             Kiln, 
    4000   Pyrometallurgy       137.5         109.2          Furnace 
           Material                                           Coal 
    5000    Supply              21.4           8.6        pulverisation 
                                                          Substation, 
                                                              water 
                                                            pumping, 
                                                             cooling 
                                                               dam 
                                                              lift, 
           Utilities                                          water 
            and                                              cooling 
    6000    Infrastructure      106.9          18.5           pipe 
--------  ----------------  ------------  ------------  --------------- 
                                                             Admin, 
                                                             change 
                                                             house, 
    7000   Buildings             9.1           0.6           canteen 
--------  ----------------  ------------  ------------  --------------- 
                                                             EPCM, 
                                                             Owners, 
                                                          Construction 
           Indirect                                           Camp, 
    8000    Costs               82.4          22.0         engineering 
           Contingency          41.0          15.6        Contingency 
--------  ----------------  ------------  ------------  --------------- 
           Total 
            capex               443.1         199.7 
--------  ----------------  ------------  ------------  --------------- 
 

The additional costs for the Stage 2 - Second RKEF line shown in Table 1 above, represent sustaining capital expenditure which would be financed once the Stage 1 operation is cash flow positive. Therefore, the pre-production capital costs would remain the same as the FS at US$443.1 million.

Key additional items required within the plant area for Phase 2 are included in Table 1; ore preparation dryer, kiln and furnace. Items outside of the plant area include additional pumping capacity for the water abstraction pipeline, a second plant cooling water pipeline and an increase in the cooling water dam capacity.

The operating costs after the Stage 2 RKEF line becomes fully operational were estimated based on the FS operating cost estimate. A comparison of the physicals and the economics of the FS and the expansion opportunity are shown Table 2 below.

Table 2 Comparison of physicals and financial KPI's for the FS case and the Stage 2 Expansion[9]

 
 Item                                             FS Stage 1                    Stage 2 - Second Line RKEF Expansion 
                                                                              ---------------------------------------- 
                                        Base Case          Consensus case          Base Case          Consensus case 
                         Unit        (US$14,00/t Ni)      (US$16,800/t Ni)      (US$ 14,000/t Ni)    (US$16,800/t Ni) 
                                  --------------------                        -------------------  ------------------- 
 Physicals 
 LOM plant feed[10]       Mt              27.3                  27.3                  44.1                 44.1 
 Process rate            kt/a              900                   900               1,800[11]            1,800(11) 
 Year 1- 10 Ni grade       %              1.91                  1.91                  1.82                 1.82 
 LOM Ni grade              %              1.69                  1.69                  1.53                 1.53 
 LOM Nickel 
  production              kt               426                   426                  624                  624 
 Strip ratio              w:o              2.1                   2.1                  1.9                  1.9 
 Mine life               years           28[12]                28(12)                26[13]               26(13) 
--------------------  ----------  --------------------  --------------------  -------------------  ------------------- 
 Economics 
 Pre-production 
  Capital                US$ M             443                   443                  443                  443 
 LOM Sustaining 
  Capital cost           US$ M             143                   143                  396                  396 
 Capital Intensity - 
  Initial capex/t 
  Nickel               US$/t Ni           1,041                 1,041                 710                  710 
 C1 Cost (Brook 
  Hunt)                US$/t Ni           8,193                 8,193                7,737                7,737 
 C1 Cost (Brook 
  Hunt) Years 1- 10    US$/t Ni           6,794                 6,794                6,613                6,613 
 Breakeven (NPV(8) ) 
  Ni price               US$/t           10,766                10,766                10,105               10,105 
 Total Revenue           US$ M            5,970                 7,164                8,742                10,490 
 Total cost              US$ M            3,811                 3,995                5,351                5,617 
 Operating cash flow     US$ M            2,159                 3,169                3,391                4,876 
 Net cash flow           US$ M            1,572                 2,582                2,552                4,033 
 NPV(8)                  US$ M             401                   740                  741                 1,264 
 IRR                       %              20.1                  28.1                  23.8                 31.8 
--------------------  ----------  --------------------  --------------------  -------------------  ------------------- 
 

Report Filing

A technical report on this FS, prepared in accordance with the NI 43-101 reporting requirements, has been filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and at www.horizonteminerals.com

Qualified Persons

Mr Frank Blanchfield, B.Eng, FAusIMM, Principal Consultant, Snowden Mining Industry Consultants Pty Ltd;

Mr Andrew Ross, BSc (Hons), MSc, FAusIMM, Principal Consultant, Snowden Mining Industry Consultants Pty Ltd;

Mr Francis Roger Billington, BSc (Hons), P.Geo. (APGO), Consultant;

Dr Nicholas Barcza, BSc (Eng.), MSc (Eng.), PhD, Pr.Eng. (ECSA), HLFSAIMM, Metallurgical Engineering Consultant;

Mr. David Haughton, B. Sc, MIMM, C Eng, Senior Process Engineer on behalf of Canadian Engineering Associates Ltd; and

Mr Robin Kalanchey, BASc.(Metals and Materials Engineering), P.Eng., Director, Minerals and Metals Western Canada, Ausenco Engineering Canada Inc (Ausenco);

are the Qualified Persons under NI 43-101, and have reviewed, approved and verified the technical content of this press release, related to their area of expertise.

For further information visit www.horizonteminerals.com or contact:

 
 
   Horizonte Minerals plc 
 Jeremy Martin (CEO)                            +44 (0) 203 356 2901 
 
 Numis Securities Ltd (NOMAD & Joint Broker) 
 John Prior 
  Paul Gillam                                   +44 (0) 207 260 1000 
 
 Shard Capital (Joint Broker) 
 Damon Heath 
  Erik Woolgar                                  +44 (0) 20 186 9952 
 
 Tavistock (Financial PR) 
 Emily Fenton 
  Gareth Tredway                                +44 (0) 207 920 3150 
 
 

About Horizonte Minerals:

Horizonte Minerals plc is an AIM and TSX-listed nickel development company focused in Brazil. The Company is developing the Araguaia project, as the next major ferronickel mine in Brazil, and the Vermelho nickel-cobalt project, with the aim of being able to supply nickel and cobalt to the EV battery market. Both projects are 100% owned.

Horizonte shareholders include: Teck Resources Limited, Canaccord Genuity Group, JP Morgan, Lombard Odier Asset Management (Europe) Limited, City Financial, Richard Griffiths and Glencore.

Glossary of technical terms

 
 AACE                      Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering 
 AACE Class 3              +-10% +15% accuracy 
 Agglomerated              Made into small lumps 
 Al2O3                     Aluminium Oxide 
 ANN                       Araguaia Nickel North (the Northern deposit) 
 ANS                       Araguaia Nickel South (the Southern deposits) 
 C1                        C1 cash cost as defined by Brook Hunt 
 Calcine                   Output from the kiln which is ore that is 
                            reduced by heating in the presence of oxygen 
                            and coal 
 Capex                     Capital cost 
 Co                        Cobalt 
 Cut-off grade             Lowest grade of mineralisation material considered 
                            economic, used in the calculation of ore 
                            resources 
 Cr2O3                     Chromium Oxide 
 Dilution                  Waste or low-grade material accidently mined 
                            with the ore 
 EPC                       Engineering Procurement and Construction 
 EPCM                      Engineering Procurement and Construction 
                            Management 
 EV                        Electric Vehicles 
 Fe                        Iron 
 FeNi30                    Ferronickel with 30% Nickel and 70% Iron 
 Ferronickel or FeNi       An alloy that contains approximately 30% 
                            nickel and 70% iron and is the produced by 
                            the project as an ingot 
 HZM, Horizonte or         Horizonte Minerals plc 
  the Company 
 IFC                       International Finance Corporation 
 IRR                       Internal Rate of Return 
 Kt                        Thousand Tonnes (metric) 
 LME                       London Metal Exchange 
 LOM                       Life of mine 
 Loss                      Ore that is unintentionally left behind or 
                            mined as waste 
 MgO                       Magnesium Oxide 
 MT                        Million Tonnes (metric) 
 Ni                        Nickel 
 NPV(8)                    Net present value at an 8% discount rate 
 Opex                      Operating cost 
 Ore                       A naturally occurring solid material from 
                            which a metal or valuable mineral can be 
                            extracted profitably 
 PEA                       Preliminary Economic Assessment 
 Reverse Circulation       A rock drilling system that circulates drill 
  Drilling                  cuttings through the centre of the drill 
                            rod so that they can be collected and assayed 
                            without contamination 
 RKEF                      Rotating Kiln Electric Furnace is the process 
                            by which nickel laterite ore is reduced and 
                            then melted in so that metal is separated 
                            from the slag to produce ferronickel 
 ROM                       Run of mine stockpile 
 Shotted                   Formation of small pellets from molten material 
 SiO2                      Silicon Dioxide 
 Tpa                       Tonnes (metric) per annum 
 US$                       United States Dollar 
 WM                        Wood Mackenzie 
 Mineral Reserves          Mineral Reserves are sub-divided into 2 categories. 
                            The highest level of Reserves or the level 
                            with the most confidence is the `Proven' 
                            category and the lower level of confidence 
                            of the Reserves is the `Probable' category. 
                            Reserves are distinguished from resources 
                            as all of the technical and economic parameters 
                            have been applied and the estimated grade 
                            and tonnage of the resources should closely 
                            approximate the actual results of mining. 
                            The guidelines state "Mineral Reserves are 
                            inclusive of the diluting material that will 
                            be mined in conjunction with the Mineral 
                            Reserve and delivered to the treatment plant 
                            or equivalent facility." The guidelines also 
                            state that, "The term `Mineral Reserve' need 
                            not necessarily signify that extraction facilities 
                            are in place or operative or that all government 
                            approvals have been received. It does signify 
                            that there are reasonable expectations of 
                            such approvals. 
 Proven Mineral Reserves   A `Proven Mineral Reserve' is the economically 
                            mineable part of a Measured Mineral Resource 
                            demonstrated by at least a Preliminary Feasibility 
                            Study. This study must include adequate information 
                            on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, 
                            and other relevant factors that demonstrate, 
                            at the time of reporting, that economic extraction 
                            is justified. 
 Probable Mineral          A `Probable Mineral Reserve' is the economically 
  Reserves                  mineable part of an Indicated and in some 
                            circumstances a Measured Mineral Resource 
                            demonstrated by a least a Preliminary Feasibility 
                            Study. This study must include adequate information 
                            on mining, processing, metallurgical, economic, 
                            and other relevant factors that demonstrate, 
                            at the time of reporting, that economic extraction 
                            can be justified. 
 Minerals Resource         Mineral Resources are sub-divided into 3 
                            categories depending on the geological confidence. 
                            The highest level with the most confidence 
                            is the `Measured' category. The next level 
                            of confidence is the `Indicated' category 
                            and the lowest level, or the resource with 
                            the least confidence, is the `Inferred' category. 
 Indicated Mineral         An `Indicated Mineral Resource' is that part 
  Resource                  of a Mineral Resource for which quantity, 
                            grade or quality, densities, shape and physical 
                            characteristics, can be estimated with a 
                            level of confidence sufficient to allow the 
                            appropriate application of technical and 
                            economic parameters, to support mine planning 
                            and evaluation of the economic viability 
                            of the deposit. The estimate is based on 
                            detailed and reliable exploration and testing 
                            information gathered through appropriate 
                            techniques from locations such as outcrops, 
                            trenches, pits, workings and drill holes 
                            that are spaced closely enough for geological 
                            and grade continuity to be reasonably assumed. 
 Measured Mineral          A `Measured Mineral Resource' is that part 
  Resource                  of a Mineral resource for which quantity, 
                            grade or quality, densities, shape and physical 
                            characteristics are so well established that 
                            they can be estimated with confidence sufficient 
                            to allow the appropriate application of technical 
                            and economic parameters, to support production 
                            planning and evaluation of the economic viability 
                            of the deposit. The estimate is based on 
                            detailed and reliable exploration, sampling 
                            and testing information gathered through 
                            appropriate techniques from locations such 
                            as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and 
                            drill holes that are spaced closely enough 
                            to confirm both geological and grade continuity. 
 Inferred Mineral          An `Inferred Mineral Resource' is that part 
  Resource                  of a Mineral Resource for which quantity 
                            and grade or quality can be estimated on 
                            the basis of geological evidence and limited 
                            sampling and reasonably assumed, but not 
                            verified, geological and grade continuity. 
                            The estimate is based on limited information 
                            and sampling, gathered through appropriate 
                            techniques from locations such as outcrops, 
                            trenches, pits, workings and drill holes. 
 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Company to complete the Acquisition as described herein, statements with respect to the potential of the Company's current or future property mineral projects; the success of exploration and mining activities; cost and timing of future exploration, production and development; the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral resources; the ability of the Company to complete the Placing as described herein, and the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to risks related to: the inability of the Company to complete the Acquisition as described herein, exploration and mining risks, competition from competitors with greater capital; the Company's lack of experience with respect to development-stage mining operations; fluctuations in metal prices; uninsured risks; environmental and other regulatory requirements; exploration, mining and other licences; the Company's future payment obligations; potential disputes with respect to the Company's title to, and the area of, its mining concessions; the Company's dependence on its ability to obtain sufficient financing in the future; the Company's dependence on its relationships with third parties; the Company's joint ventures; the potential of currency fluctuations and political or economic instability in countries in which the Company operates; currency exchange fluctuations; the Company's ability to manage its growth effectively; the trading market for the ordinary shares of the Company; uncertainty with respect to the Company's plans to continue to develop its operations and new projects; the Company's dependence on key personnel; possible conflicts of interest of directors and officers of the Company, the inability of the Company to complete the Placing on the terms as described herein, and various risks associated with the legal and regulatory framework within which the Company operates. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

[1] NPV calculated using 8% discount rate

[2] USD/BRL 1/3.5 exchange rate applied for life-of-mine

[3] NPV calculated using 8% discount rate

[4] USD/BRL 1/3.5 exchange rate applied for life-of-mine

[5] Wood Mackenzie Short term forecast - see market section of NI 43 -101

[6] Source: Glencore

[7] Data from Wood Mackenzie cost curve

[8] Stage 1 only, C1 cash costs as per FS

[9] The physicals and cashflow assessment presented as Stage 2 in the table are preliminary in nature and are based on a mine schedule and an estimate of the additional plant and equipment needed to achieve the additional capacity. The capital costs for the additional plant and equipment are based on the FS costs, and the cost of installation and civil engineering are factored from the FS costs. Operating costs at the increased capacity are factored based on the FS operating cost estimate.

[10] Includes low grade stockpiles processed at the end of the schedule

[11] Increased process rate commences after year 3

[12] 28 years mining following by 3 years of low grade stockpile processing

[13] 26 years mining followed by 2 years of low grade stockpile processing

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 rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

END

MSCDMMMZVMDGRZM

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 12, 2018 02:01 ET (07:01 GMT)

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