Preliminary Economic Assessment

Preliminary Economic Assessment

African Consolidated Resources plc / Ticker: AFCR / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining

4 December 2012

African Consolidated Resources plc ('ACR' or 'the Company')
Preliminary Economic Assessment

African Consolidated Resources plc, the AIM listed resource and development company focused on Southern Africa, announces further information following its announcement on the 14 November 2012.  The Company has completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment ('PEA') on what was referred to as Pit 2 of the Pickstone Gold project in the earlier announcement.  The Company retained an established Johannesburg based mining consultancy, PDNA Minxcon, to undertake this study being the first component of the feasibility study commissioned at the beginning of October 2012.  The study focused solely on an open-pit operation on the Pickstone sheer zone and has considered neither the Pickstone underground nor the Peerless sheer zone open-pit and/or underground potential.  

The PEA confirms early indications of a high grade open pit able to produce at a rate of 50, 000 tonnes per month ('ktpm') and a mined grade of 4.6 grams per tonne ('g/t') by applying a mining cut-off of 2.0 g/t derived from a resource grade of 5.1 g/t.  At this cut-off grade the open pit will produce an estimated 720,000 gold ounces over a life of mine of 10 years.  Applying a 1.0 g/t cut-off at the same production rate, the open pit will yield 850,000 gold ounces for a life of mine of 16 years.

The project will require an estimated investment in the order of US$60 million which in turn will yield an NPV10% (Net Present value at 10% discount rate) of approximately US$300 million (IRR 128%) and a payback anticipated within 18 months applying a 2.0 g/t cut-off. The gold price assumed is US$/oz 1,500 whilst an estimated operating cost of approximately US$/oz. 450 is applied.

The PEA considered 26 scaled options ranging from 25ktpm to 100ktpm production.  This options' analysis has provided management an early perspective on the scalability of the operation with a view to maximising shareholders' returns.  The 50ktpm option has been selected at this time on the basis of its operating sustainability and capital efficiency.

This PEA is considered to have a confidence level of (+/-) 30%.  The Company is continuing the feasibility study and is targeting completion in Q2 2013. The full PEA document can be viewed on the Company's website at www.acrplc.com.

This announcement has been reviewed by Mike Kellow BSc, a member of the Australian Institute of Geologists and Technical Director of ACR.  Mr Kellow meets the definition of a "qualified person" as defined in the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies.

The technical economic evaluation presented in the study is not based on any JORC compliant Mineral Resource classification and should be considered preliminary in nature. There is no certainty that the economic forecast will be realised. Capital and operating costs are also preliminary in nature and may vary once further metallurgical test-work is undertaken and quotations from suppliers are received.

**ENDS**

For further information visit www.acrplc.com or please contact:

Roy Tucker     African Consolidated Resources plc   +44 (0) 1622 816918

+44 (0) 7920 189012

Andrew Godber   Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited     +44 (0) 207 886 2500

Callum Stewart     Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited     +44 (0) 207 886 2500

Susie Geliher     St Brides Media & Finance Ltd     +44 (0) 20 7236 1177

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS

TermExplanationAcronym
archeanOne of the four principal eons of Earth history.  The oldest rock formations exposed on the surface of the Earth are Archean (2500-2800 million years) or slightly older and surviving rocks from this eon are mostly metamorphic or igneous.
Auchemical symbol for gold
CAPEXcapital expenditure
corecylindrical sample of rock as cut by a diamond drill
diamond drillingDrilling method using a diamond-impregnated cutting bit to obtain a core sample of rock
greenstone beltbelts of metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks of Archean age
JORCJoint Ore Reserves Committee of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
lodesHigher grade portion of mineralised zones, usually with specific orientation
mineralised zoneshydrothermally altered structural features containing potentially valuable minerals
orebodyeconomically viable portion of a mineralised zone
Resource mineral resource as defined by the JORC Code 2004
reverse circulation drilling rotary percussion drilling whereby the sample is returned from the cutting head inside the rod string to surface thereby avoiding contamination from the walls of the hole RC
strip ratioratio between the volume of total waste material and the volume of gold bearing ore
sulphide sulphur bearing metallic mineral
tenement an area encompassing a number of blocks of claims
UNITS
cm.g/tcentimetre grams per tonne - metal content expressed as grade times thickness
ggramme
g/tgrammes per metric tonne - metal concentration
hahectare
kgkilogramme, a thousand grammes
kmkilometre
kozthousand ounces
ktthousand metric tonnes
kvthousand volt
kvathousand volt amperes
mmetre
mmmillimetre
µmmicron, or millionth of a metre
Mtmillion metric tonnes
Mozmillion ounces
ozfine troy ounce equaling 31.1048 grammes - normal unit used in selling gold
ppbparts per billion
ppmparts per million, equivalent to g/t
tmetric tonne
t/m3density measured as metric tonnes per cubic metre
troztroy ounce
°degrees



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Source: African Consolidated Resources Plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

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