Investment Update: Redcorp Earn-In Terms Extended

RNS Number : 6939S

Mineral & Financial Invest. Limited

15 July 2022

 

MINERAL AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED

Investment Update: Redcorp Earn-In Terms Extended To Grant Additional Six Months To Deliver Feasibility Study

HIGHLIGHTS:

· Extension to deadline to complete feasibility study to June 22, 2023

· Ascendant is targeting feasibility study completion by Q1-2023

· Next cash payment of US$2.5m to M&FI remains scheduled for December 22, 2022

· Additional time to complete study will allow for the inclusion of recent drill results

· M&FI believes the additional time should result in a higher quality feasibility study

GEORGE TOWN, CAYMAN ISLANDS, July 15, 2022 - Mineral and Financial Investments Limited (LSE-AIM: MAFL) ("M&FI" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has, through its wholly owned subsdiary Mineral and Financial Investments AG (previously known as TH Crestgate) ("AG"), granted an extension to the terms of the earn-in and call option agreements with Ascendant Resources Inc. ("Ascendant").

Feasbility Study

As set out in the announcement dated 2 August 2018 (as amended on 1 July 2020), following receipt of a series of scheduled payments (the last of which was received in May 2022) for a 50% interest in Redcorp Empreendimentos Mineros Lda ("Redcorp"),  Ascendant now has the option to earn an additional 30% interest in Redcorp (for a total 80% interest). It can do so by completing a Feasibility Study on Lagoa Salgada and making a final payment to AG of US2.5m before the end of December 2022.

However, pursuant to the extension, AG will now allow Ascendant to complete the Feasibility Study by 22 June 2023 instead of 22 December 2022. The requirement to make the payment of US$2.5million to AG remains unchanged and it is scheduled to be paid on or before December 22, 2022.  Ascendant anticipates completing the Feasibility Study by 1Q 2023.

Jacques Vaillancourt, Mineral and Financial Investment Limited's President & CEO stated - "We believe that Lagoa Salgada has the potential to be a world class project. The challenges caused by COVID delayed our partner's progress in delivering the Feasibilty Study. Although we believe that Ascendant could have delivered a Feasibility Study by the originally agreed deadline of December 22, 2022, our willingness to amend the agreement was based on several factors. Firstly, we believe Lagoa Salgada has the potential to be a world class project. An integral part of being recognized as a world class project is a high quality Feasibity Study that demonstrates geology, time and money can provide the indicated operational and financial returns indicated. We consider that a Feasibility Study becomes a permanent part of the Project's history and merits all of the time and effort possible to ensure that it is as credible an assessment of the Project's economics as possible. Secondly, as some recent exploration drilling has shown, the yield of tonnage to resources has been excellent which suggests there is potentially significant resource growth still to come and technically we are seeing better results than initially expected across the board. Thirdly, by allowing a little more time to complete the Feasibility Study and incorporating these results, this may, I believe, result in improved economics for the Project".

Additional Call Option

Redcorp owns 85% of the Lagoa Salgada project and in June 2017 Redcorp signed an agreement with Empresa Desenvolvimento Mineiro SA (EDM), a Portuguese state owned company to purchase the remaining 15% for a 100% interest in the project ("2017 Agreement"). However, as previously announced, the 2017 Agreement was subject to Portuguese Secretary of State approval which has not yet been received, and Redcorp, AG and M&FI continue to pursue the completion of this acquisition.

As part of the agreements with Ascendant, M&FI and AG have granted call options to Ascendant for nil consideration over 12% of the ordinary shares in Redcorp held by AG ("Call Options") so that in the event that  Redcorp/M&FI is unsuccessful in obtaining the completion of the 2017 Agreement, Ascendant will be assured of a net 80% interest in the Lagoa Salgada Project. However, if Redcorp/M&FI can secure 100% ownership of Lagoa Salgada then the Call Options are cancelled. The Call Options can be exercised on the date being 6 months after the date on which Ascendant increases its ownership of Redcorp to 80% or immediately if EDM elect to participate in the Project.  If the other conditions set out in this announcement are satisfied, and if the call option was exercised, TH Crestgate's and M&FI's net carried interest in Lagoa Salgada would decrease from 20% to 5%. Further updates will be provided in due course as this progresses.  

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the UK version of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended ("MAR"). Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Jacques Vaillancourt, Mineral & Financial Investments Ltd.    [phone]

Katy Mitchell and Ben Good, WH Ireland Limited   [phone]

Jon Belliss, Novum Securities Limited    [phone]

 

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