Acquisition of Lithium, Tungsten and Tantalum Project Adjoining Blesberg
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Marula Mining PLC
(“Marula’’ or the “Company”)
19 July 2024
Acquisition of Lithium, Tungsten and Tantalum Project Adjoining Blesberg
Marula Mining (AQSE: MARU A2X: MARU) an African focused mining and development company, is pleased to announce that the Company’s wholly-owned South African subsidiary, Southern African Lithium and Tantalum Mining (Pty) Limited (“SALT”), has signed a formal Share Sale Agreement (“Agreement”) to acquire 100% of the shareholding in South African mining and exploration company Northern Cape Lithium and Tungsten (Pty) Limited (“NCLT”).
NCLT is the registered holder of Prospecting Right NC 30/5/1/1/2/13317 PR, which extends over 15,000 hectares of the Vioolsdrift Farm, and 12 kilometres (“km”) south of the Orange River in the Namaqualand District of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa (the “NCLT Project”).
The NCLT Project is contiguous to and immediately north of the Company’s existing operating Blesberg Lithium and Tantalum Mine (“Blesberg”). It comprises over 16 known tungsten deposits and former high-grade tungsten mining operations including the Kalbeen and Isis Tungsten Mines and the Koubank, Kaalbeen West and Armbank Tungsten Deposits, all of which are located within 5km to 10km of Blesberg.
The NCLT Project also includes the Spodumene Kop II Pegmatite, located 6km from Blesberg, which was previously mined to shallow depths of just 5 metres (“m”) for its spodumene ore, tantalite and beryl and where historical non-JORC compliant resources have been identified down to initial depths of 30m. Also located on the license area is the Groendoorn Pegmatite Field which includes approx. 30 small pegmatites, of which half are well zoned and mineralised with the other half weakly zoned. These pegmatites have been observed to contain spodumene, tantalite, beryl, feldspar and mica, and where small-scale mining was undertaken up to the 1960s.
The acquisition of the NCLT Project is considered strategically important, as it comprises a large and highly prospective licence area that adjoins Blesberg and includes a number of battery minerals development opportunities, including a portfolio of tungsten assets with the potential to commence open pit operations at the Isis and Koubank Tungsten Mines, and develop the pegmatites at Spodumene Kop II and Groendoorn which have good potential for tantalite and industrial minerals such as feldspar.
All the key projects are brownfields sites, with good access and infrastructure and which were historically mined previously. However, none of these deposits have been re-assessed for over 40 years, during which time both tungsten and pegmatite and battery mineral markets have undergone fundamental changes with greatly increased demand prices for quality products.
Following the Company’s technical and financial due diligence work which has confirmed the potential high-grade nature of the tungsten and tantalum mineralisation at the NCLT Project, the Directors believe there is the opportunity to advance plans to recommence mining of tungsten at Kalbeen and Isis and complete new exploration and mine development of the nearby Koubank, Kalbeen West and Armbank tungsten deposits as well as tantalum and spodumene exploration and mine development at Spodumene Kop II and at the Groendoorn Pegmatites.
Under the commercial terms of the Agreement, the Company will now make a cash payment of approx. £125,000 (ZAR3,000,000) to the existing NCLT shareholders, and on or before 31 July 2024 and 30 September 2024 make two further payments each of £625,000 (ZAR15,000,000) payable at the Company’s election in cash or through the issue of new ordinary shares in the Company at the 30 day VWAP price. The Company is proposing to meet these cash payments from advances due from AUO Commercial LLC under its existing funding arrangements, and from expected future cash flows from operations.
Highlights:
- agreement signed to acquire 100% of the shareholding in NCLT and the NCLT Project
- the NCLT Project extends over 15,000 hectares and significantly increases the Company’s geographic footprint in an area with strategic minerals potential including lithium, tantalum and tungsten
- the NCLT Project is contiguous to and immediately north of the Company’s existing operating Blesberg spodumene, tantalum and feldspar mining and processing operations and can be accessed from both the main N7 Highway and from existing additional access roads including several from the actual Blesberg mining and processing operations
- the acquisition follows a successful legal, technical and financial due diligence by the Company and SALT on NCLT and the NCLT Project which has identified the opportunity to further strengthen the Company’s strategic metals project portfolio with tungsten mining opportunities
- key areas of the NCLT Project are typically within 5km and 10km of the Company’s Blesberg mining and processing operations and provide the opportunity for the Company to use its existing, and to be expanded processing equipment to accelerate development and production activities at a number of the NCLT Projects
Kaalbeen Tungsten Mine
- was one of the most significant regional producer of tungsten concentrates in the Northern Cape
- it is located approximately 12km from Blesberg and accessed from the main N7 Highway
- it is a tungsten vein deposit, with scheelite tungsten mineralisation grading 2-3% tungsten oxide (“WO3”) that was mined by both open pit and underground methods
- production of 10 to 12 tonnes per year of tungsten concentrate with grades of 74% were achieved during the 1970s
- initial investigations by NCLT has shown that the tungsten veins extend beyond the areas of historic mining areas and that operations ceased in the 1970s not because of depletion of resources, but rather due to the poor prices for tungsten
- there are at least 4 other main tungsten deposits within a short distance of the Kalbeen Tungsten Mine with similar geological setting and scheelite mineralisation in quartz veins, and these include the larger Kaalbeen West and Armbank deposits
Isis Tungsten Mine
- located around 10km directly west of Blesberg
- it was mined by shallow open pits and trenches, with a number of tailings stockpiles still present in the mining area
- tungsten scheelite mineralisation was previously mined between 1943 and 1953 at reported grades of 2.46% WO3 , however, reported concentrates were only in the region of 100t suggesting poor process efficiency, the majority confined to the southern portion of a 3km wide zone intersected by a number of pegmatites which contain tantalite
- the Isis Tungsten Mine is considered to have the potential for shallow, open pit mining in addition to the retreatment of the existing tailings dumps and potentially large scale mining in select areas depending on the density of veins and grades
Koubank Tungsten Deposit
- located 6km from Blesberg and immediately to the south of Spodumene Kop II
- previous exploration has been undertaken for tungsten including drilling along trenches and occasional larger quarries, or cross-cuttings to the quartz veins and pegmatitic dykes which are the primary hosts of the tungsten mineralisation
- trenches, pits and quarries extend for over 1km2 and a small recovery plant was previously operational on site and results are understood to show a sizeable but irregularly mineralised, low-grade, surface tungsten deposit
- in a similar style to Kaalbeen, Koubank has several satellite tungsten deposits, mainly to the north of the main deposit and in these veins scheelite occurs with secondary copper minerals and molybdenite
- Koubank III is the largest of these satellite deposits and where ultramafic rocks have been identified. Individual veins are around 0.6m wide, up to 80m long and continuing to at least 30m in depth
- collectively the Koubank Tungsten Deposit are potentially sizeable, starting from surface and open ended at depth
Kaalbeen West Tungsten Deposit
- is an unmined deposit located 2.3km northwest of the main Kaalbeen Mine and contains several sets of tungsten-bearing veins reported to be up to 7m in thickness extending over an area of 1km2 suggesting a potentially significant tonnage of mineralisation
Spodumene Kop II Pegmatite
- the main Spodumene Pegmatite lies 6km northeast of Blesberg and is a large dyke-shaped body around 250m in length and over 15m wide in places
- geologically it is a three zone, albite intrusive with a large wall zone of coarse albite and accessory spodumene. It has an intermediate zone of quartz, albite and spodumene with accessory beryl and tantalite. The core is small and contains abundant quartz and spodumene
- historically mining was undertaken in a continuous 45m long pit at the eastern section of the orebody - in the core zone - for its spodumene content (as well as beryl and tantalite) down to a maximum depth of 5m
- historical non-JORC compliant resources was estimated by the Geological Survey of South Africa (Schutte, 1972) of 350,000 tonnes down to 30m depth
- the Company will complete a program of detailed mapping and sampling of the exposed body and excavations, and initial observations suggest that tantalite maybe present in several zones
- the Company anticipates carrying out subsequent drilling to investigate the pegmatite at depth
Groendoorn Pegmatite Field
- Groendoorn is a complete, pegmatite field located approx. 25 km west of Blesberg
- the pegmatite field covers an area of 2.5km x 2km and comprises around 30 pegmatites, all are mineralised to variable extents
- historical work by the Geological Survey of South Africa investigated and mapped these small pegmatites for beryl, spodumene, amblygonite and tantalite and microlite
- the Company will now proceed with its initial work programs which will focus on further review and sampling work on the three primary tungsten projects for a potential accelerated start-up of operations
Jason Brewer, Marula Mining PLC CEO said:
"I am thrilled to be able to announce this strategic acquisition of NCLT.
“The NCLT Project comprises a highly prospective and extensive licence area for a number of minerals, most especially a strong portfolio of tungsten assets including the potentially shallow open castable Kaalbeen, Koubank and Isis operation. Similarly, the pegmatites at Spodumene Kop II and Groendoorn have good potential for tantalite, spodumene and industrial minerals.
“All these key projects are located close to our existing Blesberg mining and processing operations, and are brownfields sites, with great infrastructure and a good mining and exploration history.
“Over the past decade both the tungsten and pegmatite mineral markets have undergone fundamental changes which have greatly increased the demand and pricing for quality high-grade products.
“Tungsten has quickly become one of the most critical of critical minerals worldwide and initially we will focus on Kaalbeen and Isis as the best known and amongst the most prospective deposits in the Northern Cape. Isis has the dual prospectivity as a well-known location for high grade tantalite associated with the many surrounding pegmatites. Additionally, our focus on the extension of the Kaalbeen - Koubank line of several tungsten deposits is a further priority and has the potential to lead to an accelerated production timetable.
“Scheelite tungsten mineralisation is a heavy mineral and processing can be undertaken by both low cost, straight-forward gravity methods to produce saleable concentrates and also by using the existing XRF TOMRA and RADOS Ore Sorters at our Blesberg mining and processing operations which is a major advantage for us.
“Of the pegmatites, Spodumene Kop II has been the subject of a previous mining and exploration and it is a zoned body containing both lithium and tantalum in the central areas and volumes of industrial feldspar in the wall zones. The other pegmatites, including Groendoorn, form part of what we believe is major upside potential for us in our now significantly increased footprint in the Northern Cape.
“This acquisition not only expands Marula’s portfolio and geographic footprint in South Africa, but also provides an opportunity to build on infrastructure at Blesberg and position ourselves as a fast emerging and growth focused company in the South African mining landscape.
“Moving forward, I am looking forward to providing further updates on the NCLT Projects and our broader mining and processing activities in South Africa, as we continue to pursue opportunities for mineral production, cashflow generation and value creation."
The Directors of Marula are responsible for the contents of this announcement. This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of UK Market Abuse Regulation.
Review of Announcement by Qualified Person
This announcement has been reviewed by Mr Jacques Perold (PrSciNat, MGSSA, MIQ MSc(Eng), MSc(ESPM), NDSURMA, Datametrics), who is engaged by Marula Mining plc as its professional consulting geologist.
Mr Jacques Perold is a professional geologist with 37 years of experience in the field and extensive knowledge of all aspects of mineral resource management.
Mr Jacques Perold is Member of the Geological Society of South Africa (No. 965505) and a registered scientist of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (Reg No. 400171/05) in terms of section 20(3) of the Natural Scientific Professions Act, 2002 (Act 27 of 2003) in the field of Geological Science (Professional Natural Scientist).
About Marula Mining
Marula Mining (AQSE: MARU) is an African focused battery metals investment and exploration company and has interests in several high value mine projects in Africa; the Blesberg Lithium and Tantalum Mine, the Northern Cape Lithium and Tungsten Projects, and Kruisrivier Cobalt Mine all in South Africa, the Larisoro Manganese Mine and Kilifi Manganese Processing Plant both in Kenya,the Kinusi Copper Mine, the Nyorinyori Graphite Project, the NyoriGreen Graphite Project and the Bagamoyo Graphite Project all in Tanzania and the Nkombwa Hill Project in Zambia. As we advance operations at these battery metals focused projects, Marula will continue to build and expand its interests in other high-quality projects in Africa.
Marula's strategy is to identify and invest in advanced and high-value mining projects throughout East, Central and Southern Africa that the Directors believe would deliver returns for its shareholders. The Board and management team aims to establish Marula as a socially and environmentally responsible, sustainable, and profitable producer of critical metals and commodities that are of increasingly strategic importance to modern technologies and the global economy. Marula's shares are traded on AQUIS Stock Exchange (AQSE) in London and A2X Markets in South Africa. Marula is exploring opportunities to admit its shares to trading on Kenya's Nairobi Securities Exchange and South Africa's Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
For enquiries contact:
| Marula Mining PLC Jason Brewer, Chief Executive Officer
Faith Kinyanjui Mumbi Investor Relations |
Email : jason@marulamining.com
Email : info@marulamining.com
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| AQSE Corporate Adviser Cairn Financial Advisers LLP, Liam Murray / Ludovico Lazzaretti | +44 (0)20 7213 0880 |
| Broker Peterhouse Capital Limited, | +44 (0)20 7469 0930
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| Financial PR and IR BlytheRay Tim Blythe / Megan Ray / Said Izagaren | +44 (0)20 7138 3204
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| A2X Advisor AcaciaCap Advisors Proprietary Limited Michelle Krastanov | +27 (11) 480 8500
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Caution:
Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward-looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.
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