Letter of Intent Signed

Ovoca Resources plc OVOCA GOLD PLC OVOCA SIGNS HEADS OF AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE 74 MILLION OUNCE SILVER DEPOSIT IN NORTH-EAST RUSSIA Ovoca Gold plc, ("Ovoca" or "the Company") the London AIM (OVG.L) and Dublin IEX (OVX.IR) traded exploration company is pleased to announce that it has signed a heads of agreement to acquire a 74% controlling interest in CJSC Ayax Prospectors Artel company ("Ayax"), a Russian company which owns the Goltsovoe silver deposit in the Magadan oblast in Eastern Russia. Subject to satisfactory completion of additional due diligence over the next 3 to 4 months, and any regulatory approvals required in Dublin and London, Ovoca will acquire 74% of the equity in Ayax for 110 million Ovoca new ordinary shares together with a payment of $1m within six months of signing the acquisition agreement. Ovoca will also have the option at its sole discretion to acquire the remaining 26% of the equity of Ayax at any time between the first and second anniversary of the signing date. Under the heads of agreement Ayax will have the right to appoint three directors to the Ovoca Board upon completion of the acquisition agreement. Ovoca has been in discussions with the shareholders of Ayax since early September 2005 and, with the assistance of GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants Limited of the UK ("GBM"), has invested some 300 man days evaluating their Goltsovoe Silver project in Magadan. The Company has instructed DentonWildeSapte and Deloitte & Touché, who have completed preliminary legal and financial reviews of Ayax from their Moscow offices The Goltsovoe deposit is located in the district of Omsukchan in the Magadan Oblast. It is 69 kilometres from the regional administrative centre of Omsukchan and is accessed by a good all-weather road. A 110 kV power line and telephone communications run along the Magadan-Omsukchan highway. It is close to Bema Gold Corporation's Julietta Mine and near the famous Dukat silver deposit. Ovoca and GBM have completed a study of the resources, mining methods, mineable reserves, processing and infrastructure as well as capital and operating costs estimates for a 260,000 tonne a year underground mine, with a 10 year mine life. Considerable metallurgical testwork has already been completed by Ayax, and GBM has carried out a detailed evaluation of the work done and have recommended a mine and process plant design. Source data has been taken from a previously completed Russian study prepared by the Institutes VNII-I-Magadan and TsNIGRI (Moscow) and JSC NBL-Gold, independent metallurgical and engineering consultants. Goltsovoe is an advanced stage project with C1 and C2 resources, in accordance with Russian geological estimation standards. These have been determined based on extensive drilling and underground exploration development conducted by the Dukat Geological Mission and were approved by the Soviet State Committee for Reserves (GKZ) in 1987 at a cut-off grade of 50 grammes per tonne silver. A recalculation of the resources at various cut off grades has been completed by Ayax and a revised resource at a 150 gramme per tonne cut-off grade is being submitted to GKZ for approval. The recalculated resource at a 150 gramme per tonne cut-off grade will be audited during the due diligence process. The Goltsovoe Resources as calculated by Ayax, in accordance with Russian geological estimation standards, at 150 grams per tonne silver cut-off grade are as follows: Category Ore tonnes Silver Grade g/t Silver ozs C1 1061.66 1136.68 38,799,000 C2 1413.88 781.28 35,515,000 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C1+C2 2475.54 933.70 74,314,000 (Gold equivalent resources 1,239,000 ounces) GBM have evaluated the metallurgical testwork that had previously been completed by VNII-I-Magadan and TsNiiGRI (Moscow) and have estimated the following data for the project. Mineable Reserves 2,400,000 Tonnes Annual Production 260,000 Tonnes/year Average Diluted Silver Grade 752 Grams per tonne 24.2 Ounces per tonne Average Lead Grade 2.46 % Operating Cost 71 US$ per tonne ore Average Cash Cost of Production 2.41 US$ per ounce of silver Pre Production Capital Cost 65 US$Millions Commenting on this potential major acquisition Roger Turner, Chairman of Ovoca, stated:- "This high-grade, advanced-stage, silver project will allow Ovoca to commence feasibility studies as soon as the acquisition is complete. We will work closely with Russian, as well as Western, engineering groups to complete a bankable feasibility study and obtain all of the required permits and approvals for early construction. In the earlier years of the mine life we believe a production rate of over 6 million ounces of silver a year can be achieved and the exploration potential is good. The three designated Russian Directors who will join the Ovoca Board are already successful businessmen in their own right. They will bring committed and strong support to Ovoca, not only for the Goltsovoe project but also our project in Kola, and possible additional mine and mineral deposit acquisitions throughout Russia. We have developed a good working relationship with them over the past months and I look forward to working with them in the future. Goltsovoe has the potential to be one of the lowest cost silver producers in the world and we have the experience of building and commissioning mines within the Former Soviet Union. We will try to complete the technical, financial and legal due diligence, and obtain the required approvals, to close this acquisition as quickly as possible. Once done this will be Ovoca's flagship project and has the potential to make Ovoca a profitable mid-tier producing mining company with a secured future" For further information please contact: Barrie Oakes -CEO +44 (0)795 1139266 Roger Turner - Chairman +44 (0)7739 092 813 Kevin Lynch - Nabarro Wells & Co Limited +44 (0)20 7710 7400 John Frain - Davy Corporate Finance + 353 (0)1 679 6363 Emma Priestley - Ambrian Partners Limited +44 (0)20 7776 6465 Connexions PR - Tom McCormack + 353 (0)86 245 4215 + 353 (0)1 230 3015
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