Commercially significant maiden resource statement (1304Z)

TIDMPTMN

RNS Number : 1304Z

Petmin Limited

12 March 2012

Petmin Limited

(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)

(Registration number 1972/001062/06)

"Committed to growth, dedicated to value"

JSE code: PET AIM code: PTMN

ISIN: ZAE000076014

("Petmin" or "the Group")

Commercially significant maiden resource statement for Petmin's iron sands to pig iron project in Canada

Petmin has issued a maiden resource statement for its jointly-controlled North Atlantic Iron Corporation (NAIC) iron sands to pig iron project in Canada's Labrador province.

Petmin will now accelerate its investment in NAIC based on the project's technical and economic viability.

The iron sands resource provides an abundant low-cost feedstock for production of a concentrate with in excess of 50% Fe /ton at a cost of under US$30 per ton for conversion into high-purity pig iron, with a 25 to 30 years life of mine for Phase 1 production of 500,000 tonnes of pig iron annually.

The resource statement, based on just 3% of NAIC's 450km2 claim, indicates an inferred resource of 594 million tonnes of iron sands at 9.35 weight percent (wt %) heavy minerals of which 38.02% is Fe2O3 equivalent (at a cut off grade of 5% heavy minerals).

The resource statement is based on the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) reporting guidelines (Canada's equivalent of SAMREC/JORC).

Petmin has an earn-in option to acquire 40% of NAIC for a total consideration of US$25 million, plus a further option to acquire an additional 9.9%. Petmin's investment to date is US$3.5 million for its current stake of 10.17% in NAIC.

"We now have independent verification of a very substantial resource suitable for production of a quality concentrate which becomes a low-cost feedstock for high-purity pig iron," said Bradley Doig, Petmin director of business development.

"Our exploration of just a small part of the extensive NAIC claim demonstrates the potential for NAIC to become a major low cost producer of pig iron."

The NAIC claim in Labrador is close to clean low-cost power and an existing port seven days from US markets.

Petmin and its partners in NAIC, Grand River Ironsands Incorporated, propose to produce pig iron for export to the US and other countries.

NAIC has already produced a concentrate of between 55% and 60% iron from which pig iron has been produced using two different technologies on a batch scale.

During the next six months NAIC will carry out a continuous demonstration scale smelt test and complete an updated National Instrument (NI) 43 101 compliant statement.

NAIC has drilled 4,500 metres and analysed more than 1,400 samples.

Exploration to date and the maiden resource statement are based on just 3% of the NAIC claim, which has been drilled to a depth of 15 metres. Aeromagnetic and Lidar surveys show potential for the resource to be extended at least to 45 metres.

Exploration/drilling plans for the next six months include step out drilling as well as larger diameter drilling on the current resource to a depth of 45 meters. This deeper drilling has the potential to triple the size of the resource on the 3% of the claim currently explored.

Cash costs for Phase 1 are estimated at around US$210 per tonne with an all in cost (including interest, depreciation and amortisation) of approximately US$260 per tonne. Average pricing over the last 12 months has been >US$500/t free on board (FOB) Ponta da Madeira - Brazil. At these levels, based on current capital expenditure and operational expenditure estimates, Phase 1 of the NAIC project has a net present value of over US$450 million.

Tenova has been appointed and is busy with a conceptual design of the furnace. An engineering company will be contracted to carry out a similar process on the concentration plant.

Pig Iron - the commodity

Pig Iron is used as a feedstock into the steel making process. Most pig iron produced in the world is used in integrated steel mills with merchant pig iron (pig iron traded on world markets) making up about 70 to 80 million metric tons of the approximate 1.1 billion tonnes produced globally.

Significant merchant pig iron producers are located in Brazil, Russia and Ukraine. Brazilian producers are expected to be the most direct competitors to NAIC due to proximity to the US market.

In December 2011 it was estimated that the median cost of production of the Brazilian pig iron producers was around US$475 per tonne delivered FOB to New Orleans (Stemcor).

World Steel Dynamics estimates the world pig iron production requirements to increase to approximately 1.7 billion tonnes in 2025 from 1.1 billion tonnes in 2011.

Qualified person

The resource estimate was undertaken for Petmin by SRK Consulting Engineers and Scientists'(SRK) Mark Wanless Pr. Nat. Sci., a geologist with more than 15 years experience in southern Africa and internationally. His expertise is in due diligence studies and mineral resource estimation in a range of commodities including gold, PGEs, base metals, iron and manganese, and mineral sands.

Mark is a Partner and Principal Geologist with SRK, and is registered as a Professional Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals. He is an associate member of the South African Institute for Mining and Metallurgy.

Mark is a Qualified Person under the definitions of NI43 101.

The resource estimation methodology and results were also reviewed and approved by Don Hains, P. Geo., Don is a registered Professional Geoscientist in Ontario and is an independent Qualified Person in terms of NI43 101. Don Hains has also reviewed and verified the technical information contained in this release.

Don is an independent Professional Geologist who specializes in feasibility and mineral economics studies related to industrial minerals and resource development.

Enquiries:

Petmin

Bradley Doig (Director of business development)

[phone]

Media

Jonathon Rees

[phone]

Sponsor and Corporate Adviser (JSE)

River Group

Andrew Lianos

[phone]

Nominated Adviser and Broker (AIM)

Macquarie Capital (Europe) Limited

Steve Baldwin

[phone]

Nicholas Harland

[phone]

Johannesburg

12 March 2012

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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