Sale of SLM Gold Project

Sale of SLM Gold Project

ECR Minerals plc

 

5 February 2020

ECR MINERALS plc

(“ECR Minerals”, “ECR” or the “Company”)

SALE OF SLM GOLD PROJECT

ECR Minerals plc (LON: ECR), the precious metals exploration and development company, is pleased to announce the sale of its wholly owned Argentine subsidiary Ochre Mining SA (“Ochre”), which holds the SLM gold project in La Rioja, Argentina.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• ECR retains an NSR royalty of up to 2% to a maximum of USD 2.7 million in respect of future production from the SLM gold project;
• The purchaser, Hanaq Argentina SA (“Hanaq”), is a Chinese-owned company engaged in lithium, base and precious metals exploration in Northwest Argentina including Salta, Jujuy and La Rioja, with a highly experienced management team;
• The sale allows ECR to focus on its core gold exploration activities in Australia.

Craig Brown, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“We are pleased to retain exposure to potential upside from the SLM gold project in the form of a royalty on future production, and we believe that Hanaq has the operational capabilities and access to Chinese investment capital necessary to put the SLM project into production, subject to the usual prerequisites.

Moreover, the transaction enables ECR to concentrate its resources on our core gold exploration activities in Australia.”

Further Information

Ochre’s sole asset is the SLM gold project, which comprises seven mining licences in La Rioja, Argentina. Hanaq has purchased 100% ownership of Ochre from ECR. The consideration for the acquisition is the grant to ECR of a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty in respect of four of the licences, and a 1% NSR royalty in respect of the other three licences. The NSR is capped at USD 2.7 million in aggregate (across all licences). This is the equivalent of approximately £2.07 million, based on 1.3031 GBP/USD exchange rate (Bloomberg closing rate 04/02/2020).

The directors of the Company understand that the founder and CEO of Hanaq Group, of which Hanaq Argentina SA is part, is Mr Xiaohuan (Juan) Tang, who has a substantive track record in Latin America, including responsibility for the successful permitting of the Pampa de Pongo iron ore project in Peru in his former capacity as General Manager of Jinzhao Mining Peru. Pampa de Pongo is one of the largest iron ore deposits in Latin America. Mr Tang has degrees from Tsinghua University in China, and Imperial College, Cambridge University and Oxford University in the UK.

More information regarding the Hanaq group can be found at the following link:

http://www.hanaqgroup.com/en/index.html

Commencement of production at the SLM project under Hanaq’s ownership is not a certainty, and is subject, inter alia, to further exploration and feasibility studies being successfully completed (if deemed necessary by Hanaq) and to the necessary permits for production being obtained. Upon the receipt of any future royalties, the Company intends to apply the funds to its exploration and development activities.

The book value of Ochre and the SLM project in ECR’s unaudited half-yearly results for the six months ended 31 March 2019 was £1,072,210. In its audited financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2019, Ochre reported no turnover and no profits, and net assets of approximately £170,000 (equivalent). Ochre has one employee.

MARKET ABUSE REGULATIONS (EU) No. 596/2014

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 (MAR). Upon the publication of this announcement via Regulatory Information Service (RIS), this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

ECR Minerals plc	Â	Tel: [phone]
David Tang, Non-Executive Chairman
Craig Brown, Director & CEO
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.ecrminerals.com
			Â
WH Ireland Ltd		Tel: [phone]
Nominated Adviser
Katy Mitchell/James Sinclair-Ford
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SI Capital Ltd	Â	Tel: [phone]	Â
Broker	Â	Â	Â
Nick Emerson	Â	Â

ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC

ECR is a mineral exploration and development company. ECR’s wholly owned Australian subsidiary Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd has 100% ownership of the Avoca, Bailieston, Creswick, Moormbool and Timor gold exploration projects in central Victoria, Australia and the Windidda project in the Yilgarn region, Western Australia.

ECR has earned a 25% interest in the Danglay epithermal gold project, an advanced exploration project located in a prolific gold and copper mining district in the north of the Philippines. An NI43-101 technical report was completed in respect of the Danglay project in December 2015 and is available for download from ECR’s website.

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