15 March 2024
Interim
Results
Award of
the historic Ewoyaa Lithium Project Mining Lease serves as key
catalyst for the advancement of the Project through the permitting
phases towards construction
The Board of Atlantic Lithium Limited (AIM: ALL, ASX:
A11, OTCQX: ALLIF, "Atlantic Lithium" or the "Company"), the
African-focused lithium exploration and development company
targeting to deliver Ghana's first lithium mine, is pleased to announce its unaudited Interim Results for the
half-year period ended 31 December 2023.
A full copy of the report is available through the
Investor Centre of the Company's website (https://www.atlanticlithium.com.au)
or can be viewed in the PDF version via the following link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/0186H_1-2024-3-15.pdf
Highlights from the Reporting Period:
Project Development:
-
Mining Lease granted in respect of
the Ewoyaa Lithium Project ("Ewoyaa" or the "Project"),
representing a major milestone in the advancement of the Project
towards production.
-
Completion of Flotation Scoping
Study, confirming the viability of the inclusion of a flotation
circuit at Ewoyaa, to run independently from the Dense Media
Separation-only ("DMS") processing plant, for the beneficiation of
naturally-occurring fines and middlings.
-
Environmental Protection Agency
authorisation granted to divert two transmission lines currently
traversing planned mining areas of the Mankessim licence, which
contains the Ewoyaa Mining Lease area.
-
Bulk Customer Permit awarded to
Ewoyaa for electricity requirements, expected to deliver a 30-50%
overall power cost reduction for the Project.
Exploration:
-
Positive results delivered from the
ongoing 2023/2024 drilling programme:
o Drilling outside current Mineral Resource
Estimate returned multiple broad intervals of visible spodumene and
the longest continuous pegmatite interval of 106m reported in the
current drilling programme and, post-period end, reported 83m at 1%
Li2O from 36m and 47m at 1.05% Li2O from 87m
within the same area.
o Drilling programme has been extended from the
planned 18,500m to 26,500m and, post-period end, by a further
3,000m of sterilisation drilling over the proposed processing plant
area to support construction, bringing the total planned programme
to 29,500m.
-
Maiden JORC (2012) compliant 15.7Mt
at 40.2% Feldspar Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE), including 13.7Mt
(87%) in the Measured and Indicated categories, reported for the
Project, based on approximately the first five years of the mine
plan.
-
Grant of highly prospective,
undrilled Bewadze and Senya Beraku prospecting licences in the
eastern portion of the Company's Cape Coast Lithium Portfolio in
Ghana.
Corporate:
-
Successful Equity Placing raising
A$8m, enabling the completion of the activities agreed under the
grant of the Mining Lease for the Project, key items of early works
and permitting-related Project expenditure, further extensional
drilling, and for working capital purposes.
-
Appointment of several strategic
hires, strengthening the Company's leadership team ahead of mine
construction.
-
Appointment of Jonathan Henry as an
Independent Non-Executive Director.
-
Rejection of two conditional and
non-binding offers from the Company's largest shareholder, Assore
International Holdings Limited ("Assore"), to acquire all the
shares in the Company that it does not already own at an offer
price of £0.33 per share (A$0.63).
-
Strong cash position of A$9.6
million at 31 December 2023.
-
Exploration and evaluation
expenditure held on the balance sheet for the period ended 31
December 2023 was A$19.7 million (30 June 2023: A$18.0 million)
which is net of Piedmont contributions.
Post-period end:
-
Completion of Minerals Income
Investment Fund of Ghana's ("MIIF") US$5m subscription for
19,245,574 Atlantic Lithium shares, representing the first stage of
its agreed US$32.9m total Strategic Investment in the Company and
the Project.
-
Completion of the first stage of the
competitive offtake partnering process to secure Project funding
for a portion of the remaining 50% available feedstock from
Ewoyaa.
-
The Company's largest shareholder,
Assore, increased its stake in the Company through the purchase of
shares at a premium from Piedmont.
Commenting, Neil Herbert, Executive Chairman of Atlantic
Lithium, said:
"In
granting the Mining Lease in respect of the Ewoyaa Lithium Project,
the Government of Ghana has demonstrated its support for the
advancement of the Project towards production as the country's
first lithium mine. This is a historic development for both the
Company and for Ghana.
"The grant of the Mining Lease enabled the commencement of the
permitting process, which is now well underway. Key milestones,
therefore, lie ahead of the Company, namely EPA approval,
parliamentary ratification of the Mining Lease and, as the final
step before we can begin construction, the grant of the mine
operating permit. With overwhelmingly strong support from our local
stakeholders, the permitting phases are advancing as anticipated
and we remain on track to break ground in Q4
2024.
"We
are delighted to have welcomed the Minerals Income Investment Fund
of Ghana on board as a shareholder and funding partner following
the completion of its US$5m subscription in the Company. We believe
that MIIF's strong desire to contribute towards driving the Project
to production reflects Ghana's aspirations to establish itself as a
leading critical minerals jurisdiction. We look forward to
completing the second stage of MIIF's planned investment, which
will enable increased Ghanaian ownership of the Project, further
aligning the Project's continued progress with Ghana's long-term
strategic and economic objectives.
"The agreed terms of the Mining Lease highlight the Ewoyaa
Lithium Project as one of the most attractive, low-cost hard rock
lithium assets globally. The considerable interest in the Project
has been evident through our ongoing offtake partnering process.
Representing a major milestone for the financing of the Company's
allocation of the development expenditure of the Project, we look
forward to completing the process in the coming
months.
"With these corporate developments ongoing, our focus remains
on permitting and achieving shovel-readiness. The recent addition
of 3,000m of sterilisation drilling, which is being prioritised
over resource growth drilling, demonstrates the Company's mine
build ambitions.
"Encouraging results also continue to be returned from the
ongoing drilling programme, offering strong confidence for further
upgrades to the current 35Mt Resource. Further updates on our
ongoing drilling activities will be provided as they become
available. In parallel, we continue to grow our pipeline of
exploration targets with the recent grant of the Bewadze and Senya
Beraku licences, where we are securing remaining permits ahead of
field work commencing.
"2024, therefore, represents an exciting year for Atlantic
Lithium. We look forward to delivering upon the significant
milestones ahead of us, with sights set on breaking ground towards
the end of the calendar year."
This announcement contains inside information for the
purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014
as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("MAR"), and is disclosed in accordance with
the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR.
Competent Persons
Information in this report relating to the exploration
results is based on data reviewed by Mr Lennard Kolff (MEcon.
Geol., BSc. Hons ARSM), Chief Geologist of the Company. Mr Kolff is
a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists who has in
excess of 20 years' experience in mineral exploration and is a
Qualified Person under the AIM Rules. Mr Kolff consents to the
inclusion of the information in the form and context in which it
appears.
For any further information, please
contact:
Atlantic Lithium Limited
Neil Herbert (Executive Chairman)
Amanda Harsas (Finance Director and Company
Secretary)
|
www.atlanticlithium.com.au
|
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IR@atlanticlithium.com.au
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Tel: +61 2 8072
0640
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SP
Angel Corporate Finance LLP
Nominated Adviser
Jeff Keating
Charlie Bouverat
Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470
|
Yellow Jersey PR Limited
Charles
Goodwin
Bessie
Elliot atlantic@yellowjerseypr.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 3004
9512
|
Canaccord Genuity Limited
Financial Adviser:
Raj Khatri (UK) /
Duncan St John, Christian
Calabrese (Australia)
Corporate Broking:
James
Asensio
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523
4500
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Notes to Editors:
About Atlantic
Lithium
www.atlanticlithium.com.au
Atlantic Lithium is an AIM and ASX-listed lithium
company advancing its flagship project, the Ewoyaa Lithium Project,
a significant lithium spodumene pegmatite discovery in Ghana,
through to production to become the country's first
lithium-producing mine.
The Definitive Feasibility Study for the Project
indicates the production of 3.6Mt of spodumene concentrate over a
12-year mine life, making it one of the largest spodumene
concentrate mines in the world.
The Project, which was awarded a Mining Lease in
October 2023, is being developed under an earn-in agreement with
Piedmont Lithium Inc.
Atlantic Lithium holds a portfolio of lithium projects
within 509km2 and 774km2 of granted and
under-application tenure across Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
respectively, which, in addition to the Project, comprises
significantly under-explored, highly prospective licences.