Jupiter Mines Ltd Update

RNS Number : 9922I

Red Rock Resources plc

06 June 2014

 



Red Rock Resources Plc

("Red Rock" or the "Company")

Jupiter Mines Ltd Update

6 June 2014

Red Rock Resources plc ("Red Rock" or the "Company"), the mining and exploration company with gold interests in Colombia, Ivory Coast, and Kenya is pleased to announce an update on its investment in Jupiter Mines Ltd ("Jupiter"), a steel feed company in which Red Rock has a 1.2% holding, as well as a royalty stake over Jupiter's Mt Ida iron-ore project.    

2014 Jupiter Mines Ltd Annual Report Highlights

·     Net Asset Value per share increased to AUD 21c

·     Significant progress on key projects

·     Tshipi Borwa mine produced 1m tonnes of ore in first full year of operation

·     Production at Tshipi set to increase to 2.4m tonnes per annum

·     Mt. Mason DSO Hematite project optimisation continues

·     Progress in plans for Port Esperance expansion increases likelihood of Mt. Mason going forward

·     Steel Feed Corporation strategy remains intact; value realization in focus

Tshipi Kalahari Manganese Projects

Jupiter retains a 49.9% interest in two manganese projects in the Kalahari Manganese fields, Tshipi Borwa and Tshipi Bokone. Tshipi Borwa saw production of over 1m tones of manganese ore in its first year of operation and was profitable. Transportation optimisation for its production continues, and completion of the mine itself and all related infrastructure is expected in the current fiscal year. Jupiter expects to produce and ship over 1.7m tonnes of ore in this period. A take or pay offtake agreement with Singapore-based OM Tshipi is now in place to handle all available production for the next two years, with an option to extend past this period.      

Central Yilgarn Iron Projects

The Central Yilgarn Iron projects consist of two main efforts, the smaller direct shipping ore (DSO) Mount Mason project and the flagship long-life magnetite project, Mount Ida.  The focus of the past months has been on the Mt. Mason project, with efforts to reduce capital and operating costs via optimisation and use of common infrastructure in the Yilgarn. All baseline and environmental surveys have been completed and project approvals are expected by July 2014. 

The Mt. Ida magnetite project remains the main iron asset for Jupiter in the Yilgarn, but is currently on hold at this time.  Following the end of this fiscal period the Esperance Ports Sea and Land announced that the YES Consortium has been named as the preferred proponent to develop the Multi User Iron Ore Facility at Esperance Port, in which Jupiter is expected to participate and be a primary customer. The resolution of port capacity and throughput issues at Esperance is expected to materially impact the decision to proceed to mining at both Mt. Mason and Mt. Ida.        

More detail on the projects and Jupiter's financial performance can be found in the annual report and accessed at the following address:

http://www.jupitermines.com/images/jupiter---sooheneeng.pdf

Andrew Bell, Chairman, states: "Developments at Jupiter Mines since its delisting have been excellent.  Its producing manganese mine at Tshipi continues to expand towards its optimal 2.4m tones of production ahead of schedule, and from commissioning has constituted a profitable division for Jupiter; very impressive in current markets. 

"Progress in resolving transportation issues at the Esperance Port in Western Australia bodes well for the eventual green-lighting of the robust Mt. Mason hematite project, which would likely ultimately result in production at the much larger and longer term Mt. Ida project, where the Company retains a 0.75%  gross revenue royalty.

"As recently as December 2013 Red Rock was able to purchase Jupiter shares before delisting at AUD 5.6c, whereas current Jupiter figures put a Net Asset Value of AUD 21c a share, with 86% of this value tied up in cash and the Tshipi investment. True value is likely to be higher. This puts the book value of Red Rock's current holdings at $AUD 5.75m.  Red Rock's current market cap sits at £3.84m, with £3.18m of this alone backed by this holding.

"While a non-core asset at this stage, the Company will continue to actively manage its investment in Jupiter with a focus on maximising ultimate disposal value."

For further information contact:

Andrew Bell 0207 747 9990 or 0776 647 4849                Chairman Red Rock Resources plc

Colin Aaronson / David Hignell 0207 383 5100            NOMAD Grant Thornton UK LLP

Nick Emerson 01483 413500                                          Broker SI Capital Ltd.

Saif Janjua 0207 382 8416                                             Joint Broker Beaufort Securities Ltd

Rupert Trefgarne 0203 128 8817                                    Media Relations MHP Communications

 

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