Ghana - progress report

Goldplat plc 11 May 2007 Goldplat plc / Ticker: GDP / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining & Exploration 11 May 2007 Goldplat plc ('Goldplat' or 'the Company') Progress Report on Ghana Operations The directors of Goldplat PLC are pleased to announce that substantial progress has been made towards bringing the new plant in Ghana, operated by the wholly owned subsidiary Gold Recovery Ghana Limited ('GRG'), into full production. Plant Construction Stage one of construction at the free port of Tema, Ghana, has been completed. This includes the office building, change house, security building, electrical sub-station, container loading ramp, process building, material storage containers and the installation of the incinerators. The property is surrounded by a brick wall and steel gates and has 24 hour security guards. A supervisor and production staff have been appointed. These staff members are Ghanaian citizens. Completion of stage one has meant that processing fine carbon, steel and rubber mill liners and similar high value materials is under way. The second phase of construction is now in progress. This will enable GRG to process lower value gold bearing materials similar to those presently processed in South Africa. A mill has been selected and is being refurbished at the group's facility in Benoni for shipment to Ghana. Gravity concentrators have been ordered and a quotation has been obtained for the CIL tanks which we propose to order from a Ghanaian company. This second stage will allow GRG to reach its full planned production capability later this year. Processing and raw materials As stated above, GRG has commenced production of gold. To date 14 kg of gold have been produced from 108 tons of raw material and GRG is already operating profitably. Further material has been processed to the concentrate stage and is being stockpiled at Tema for bulk shipping to Rand Refineries. The procurement of raw material is an essential element for GRG to be successful, and the directors are very encouraged by progress to date. The contract with Anglogold Ashanti's Obuasi mine was referred to in the Goldplat Admission document and has subsequently been renewed and extended to include mill liners and grease.. Fine carbon has also been secured from Golden Star Mining's Wassa mine and from Central African Gold's Bibiani mine. Mill liners have been secured from Obuasi, from Redback Mining's Chirano mine and from Wassa. In addition, mill grease has been secured from Obuasi. Supplies of mill liners and grease are currently being negotiated with another Anglogold Ashanti operation at Iduapriem as well as from Bibiani. Taken together these contracts will mean that GRG has a steady flow of materials for processing. The board is also encouraged at the progress made in securing materials to be processed though the CIL plant, when construction is complete. In addition to materials similar to those processed in South Africa, it has become clear that small scale mining in Ghana has resulted in tailings which are an environmental liability and at the same time contain much higher concentrations of gold that those found in South Africa. The Ghana Minerals Commission provided GRG with a list of the licensed small workers which contains approximately 100 license holders. Visits to some of these licence holders and the initial sampling of the tailings on their properties indicate that the processing of this material in Tema will be economically viable. Testwork on one of the stockpiles provided a head grade of 14.7g/t and a gold recovery of 43.5% using a standard gravity concentration process and 92% recovery on the middlings and gravity tails using the CIL process. An official testwork report has been obtained. This initiative is supported by the authorities in Ghana. A more detailed evaluation of the volumes of tailings available and the gold grade is being undertaken. These visits have resulted in other opportunities being presented. In particular, the acquisition of gold in a form with a much higher grade and the acquisition of gold mining properties and their subsequent development into small mining operations are two examples of the opportunities available. Commenting on progress in Ghana, Demetri Manolis, CEO of Goldplat, said, 'The Ghana operation is only one area where Goldplat is making rapid progress. The opportunities available to us to enter the junior mining area have exceeded expectations, and some of our cash flow has been used to investigate these opportunities. For that reason, the board took a decision to reduce the rate of development in Ghana while maintaining profitability by stepping up South African production. Despite the change of emphasis, production in Ghana commenced precisely on schedule and I remain convinced of the excellent prospects for GRG.' * * ENDS * * For further information visit www.goldplat.com or contact: Demetri Manolis, CEO Goldplat plc Tel: +27 11 423 1203 James Joyce WH Ireland Limited Tel: 020 7220 1666 Isabel Crossley St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: 020 7242 4477 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

Companies

Goldplat (GDP)
UK 100

Latest directors dealings