Unaudited Financial Statement

Tertiary Minerals PLC 05 December 2003 Tertiary Minerals plc Announcement of Unaudited Financial statements for the ended 30 September 2003 Tertiary Minerals plc - Chairman's Statement - Year ended 30th September 2003 During 2003 the prices of a number of metals have increased substantially with copper and nickel recently reaching 5-year highs and gold regaining its lustre with a price around $400 per ounce today. This has improved sentiment towards the mining and exploration sector and enabled the Company to raise further funds and increase the tempo of its exploration for gold and base-metal projects in politically stable Scandinavia. Progress has been made in acquiring new and exciting exploration projects and advancing these to the stage where the Company is able to focus on a limited number of drill-stage projects to maximise the opportunity for discovery and delineation of mineral resources and the creation of shareholder value. Drilling at NottrTM?sk in 2003 resulted in the discovery of a new zone of nickel mineralisation and although of low nickel tenor, this discovery underlines the abilities of our exploration team and the high prospectivity of the project and has encouraged us to drill test a number of new targets at NottrTM?sk this coming winter. In last year's Annual Report we highlighted a programme to acquire and explore for 'Olympic Dam' style iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits in Sweden and Finland. This project has gathered pace with new project acquisitions and the definition of drill targets. The first IOCG target to be drill tested this winter is Ahmavuoma in Sweden. Drilling is planned to extend and better define a known zone of copper-gold-cobalt mineralisation and to test other high priority targets within a broader mineralised area. More recently we announced the acquisition of the KaaresselkTM? gold project in Finland by claim application, after two years patient monitoring of previous tenement holdings which have now lapsed. This acquisition illustrates the benefits of the Company's long-term commitment to Scandinavia and its ability to cost-effectively acquire advanced exploration projects. A number of significant zones of gold mineralisation have been outlined at Kaaresselka in previous work done by the Geological Survey of Finland. We are now in the process of evaluating the data from that work in order to plan drilling programmes to define resources and test for extensions. This past year the Company's share price has suffered as stock overhangs in the tantalum market have undermined our solid, value-adding progress on the Ghurayyah tantalum project in Saudi Arabia. Notwithstanding regional political uncertainties, however, I am confident that recent improvements in the tantalum market will see this trend reversed. Tantalum is not traded on terminal markets and market trends are not transparent to the investing public, who would not necessarily be aware that the tantalum market is, in fact, recovering strongly and stocks levels have returned to normal at end-user level. Demand growth is being led by the more widely appreciated growth in the sales of consumer electronics which account for 80% of world tantalum consumption in the form of capacitors, an essential component in DVD's, mobile phones, laptop computers, games consoles and digital cameras. The Company's world-class Ghurayyah tantalum project is well positioned to take advantage of this market recovery. During the year a detailed economic and technical scoping study was completed, confirming the potential of Ghurayyah to profitably supply substantial amounts of tantalum and niobium over many decades. The Company intends to seek external funding for feasibility studies and the future development of Ghurayyah. In this way shareholders can participate in the valuable upside of this project with little further financial exposure whilst the Company focuses future expenditure on its exciting exploration projects in Scandinavia. To fund its exploration expenditure the Company has announced today that it has raised £438,750 (before expenses) through a private placement of 4,875,000 new ordinary 1 pence shares at a price of 9 pence per share. The loss associated with the Group's exploration activities for the year ended 30 September 2003 was £397,037 after interest of £7,992, administration expenses of £225,577 and £179,452 written off for expenditure on abandoned exploration projects. I would like to thank my fellow shareholders and our hardworking and enthusiastic staff for their support during the past year. As we move forward with further financial resources in place I believe that the Company is now firmly established as an attractive vehicle for investment in the expanding resource sector and the Directors look forward to delivering a year of progress and growth. Patrick L. Cheetham Executive Chairman Further Information: Patrick Cheetham, Tertiary Minerals Plc. Tel: 01625-626203. Ron Marshman/John Greenhalgh, City of London PR Ltd. Tel: 020-7628-5518 Web-site: www.tertiaryminerals.com Tertiary Minerals plc Unaudited Consolidated Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 30 September 2003 2003 2002 £ £ Exploration costs written off 179,452 15,923 Administrative expenses 225,577 266,903 --------- --------- Operating loss (405,029) (282,826) Interest receivable 7,992 9,604 --------- --------- Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (397,037) (273,222) Tax on profit on ordinary activities - - --------- --------- Loss for the financial year (397,037) (273,222) --------- --------- Loss per share - basic (pence) (1.3) (1.1) --------- --------- All amounts relate to continuing activities. Tertiary Minerals plc Unaudited Balance sheets for the year ended 30 September 2003 Group Company 2003 2002 2003 2002 £ £ £ £ Fixed assets Intangible assets 1,180,396 1,065,724 - - Tangible assets 3,879 9,542 101 865 Investments - - 224,889 224,889 --------- -------- -------- -------- 1,184,275 1,075,266 224,990 225,754 --------- -------- -------- -------- Current assets Debtors 28,392 67,772 1,552,762 1,220,258 Cash at bank and in 227,505 393,760 220,863 382,401 hand --------- -------- -------- -------- 255,897 461,532 1,773,625 1,602,659 Creditors: amounts falling due 37,851 111,623 21,137 26,064 within one year --------- -------- -------- -------- Net current assets 218,046 349,909 1,752,488 1,576,595 --------- -------- -------- -------- Total assets less current 1,402,321 1,425,175 1,977,478 1,802,349 liabilities --------- -------- -------- -------- Capital and reserves Called up share 315,460 276,652 315,460 276,652 capital Share premium 2,053,728 1,766,836 2,053,728 1,766,836 account Merger reserve 131,096 131,096 131,096 131,096 Profit and loss (1,097,963) (749,409) (522,806) (372,235) account --------- -------- -------- -------- Shareholders funds 1,402,321 1,425,175 1,977,478 1,802,349 --------- -------- -------- -------- Tertiary Minerals plc Unaudited Consolidated Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 30 September 2003 2003 2002 £ £ Net cash outflow from operating activities (272,464) (248,495) Returns on investment and servicing of finance Interest received 7,994 9,604 -------- --------- Net cash outflow from operating activities after returns (264,470) (238,891) on investments and servicing of finance -------- --------- Capital expenditure and financial investment Purchase of intangible fixed assets (230,933) (486,399) Purchase of tangible fixed assets (139) (4,802) Sale of tangible fixed assets - 2,702 -------- --------- Net cash outflow from capital expenditure and financial (231,072) (488,499) investment -------- --------- Financing Issue of share capital (net of expenses) 325,700 825,162 Exchange differences 3,587 2,253 -------- --------- Net cash inflow from financing 329,287 827,415 -------- --------- Increase/(Decrease) in cash (166,255) 100,025 -------- --------- Notes: 1. Publication of Non-Statutory Accounts The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Company's Statutory Accounts for the period ended 30 September 2003 or 2002. The financial information for 2002 is derived from the Statutory Accounts for 2002, which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors have reported on the 2002 accounts; their report was unqualified and did not contain statements under section 237 of the Companies Act 1985. The Statutory Accounts for 2003 will be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented by the directors in this announcement and will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's annual general meeting. 2. Accounting policies The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the Company's financial statements. Basis of Preparation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards and under the historical cost accounting rules modified to include the revaluation of certain assets. Basis of consolidation The Group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of Tertiary Minerals plc and its subsidiary undertakings using the acquisition method. The results of subsidiaries acquired or sold during the year are consolidated from or to the date on which effective control passes. In accordance with section 230 (4) of the Companies Act 1985, Tertiary Minerals plc is exempt from the requirement to present its own profit and loss account. The amount of the loss for the financial year recorded within the financial statements of Tertiary Minerals plc is £150,572 (2002: £194,081). Depreciation Depreciation is provided by the Group on all tangible fixed assets, at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation, less estimated residual value, of each asset evenly over its expected useful life, as follows: Fixtures and fittings 25% to 33% per annum. Intangible assets - exploration and development Accumulated costs incurred in relation to separate areas of interest (which may comprise more than one exploration licence or exploration licence applications) are capitalised and carried forward where: (a) such costs are expected to be recouped through successful development and exploration of the area, or alternatively by its sale; or (b) exploration and/or evaluation activities in the area have not yet reached a stage which permits a reasonable assessment of the existence or otherwise of economically recoverable reserves, and active and significant operations in, or in relation to the areas are continuing. An annual review is carried out by the Directors to consider whether any exploration and development costs have suffered impairment in value and if necessary provisions are made accordingly. Accumulated costs in respect of areas of interest, which have been abandoned, are written off to the profit and loss account in the year in which the area is abandoned. Costs in respect of reconnaissance exploration (where the Group has no licences or licence applications) are written off to the profit and loss account in the year in which the reconnaissance exploration took place. Exploration and development costs are carried at the lower of cost and expected net realisable value. Deferred taxation Deferred taxation, if applicable, is provided in full in respect of taxation deferred by timing differences between the treatment of certain items for taxation and accounting purposes. No provision for deferred taxation has been made in these accounts. Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that they are regarded as recoverable. Foreign currencies For consolidation purposes, the assets and liabilities and the profit and loss accounts of overseas subsidiary undertakings and associated undertakings are translated at the closing exchange rates. Exchange differences arising on these translations are taken to reserves, net of exchange differences arising on related foreign currency borrowings. Leasing and hire purchase commitments Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the profit and loss account on a straight-line basis 3. Segmental Operating Net Operating Net analysis loss assets loss assets 2003 2003 2002 2002 £ £ £ £ United 150,571 1,752,589 194,081 1,577,460 Kingdom Overseas 246,466 (350,268) 79,141 (152,285) -------- --------- -------- -------- 397,037 1,402,321 273,222 1,425,175 -------- --------- -------- -------- In the opinion of the directors, the Group's activities represent one class of business. A split of overseas segmental information is not considered to be meaningful by the directors. 4. Share 2003 2003 2002 2002 capital No. £ No. £ Authorised Ordinary 150,000,000 1,500,000 150,000,000 1,500,000 shares of 1p ---------- --------- ---------- -------- each 150,000,000 1,500,000 150,000,000 1,500,000 ---------- --------- ---------- -------- Allotted, called up and fully paid Ordinary 31,546,093 315,460 27,665,260 276,652 shares of 1p ---------- --------- ---------- -------- each 31,546,093 315,460 27,665,260 276,652 ---------- --------- ---------- -------- During the year the following share issues took place. 755,833 12 pence warrants coverted to 1 penny ordinary shares for total consideration of £90,700. A placement of 3,125,000 1 penny ordinary shares for a total consideration of £250,000. All shares rank pari passu and are all 1 penny ordinary shares. Warrants are issued for nil consideration and are exchangeable on a one for one basis for each ordinary share of 1 penny at the exercise price on the date of conversion. 5. Warrants granted Unexercised Issue dates Exercise price Number Expiry Dates warrants 21/05/02 20p 300,000 20/05/05 6. Reconciliation of operating loss to net cash outflow from operating activities 2003 2002 £ £ Operating loss (405,029) (282,826) Depreciation and loss on disposal of fixed 5,802 5,615 assets Intangible fixed assets written off 161,157 10,003 Decrease/(Increase) in debtors 39,378 (29,457) (Decrease)/Increase in creditors (73,772) 48,170 --------- --------- Net cash outflow from operating activities (272,464) (248,495) --------- --------- 7. Annual Report The Company's 2003 Annual Report will be published and sent to shareholders in due course and copies will be available to the public, free of charge, from the Registered Office of the Company or from Tertiary Minerals plc, Sunrise House, Hulley Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 2LP for at least 30 days from the date of publication. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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