CMET Capital Metals Plc

TIDMCMET

RNS Number : 4318V

Capital Metals PLC

01 December 2023

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE UK VERSION OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION NO 596/2014 WHICH IS PART OF ENGLISH LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. ON PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

1 December 2023

Capital Metals plc

("Capital Metals" or the "Company")

Reinstatement of Industrial Mining Licences

Capital Metals (AIM: CMET), a mineral sands company approaching mine development stage at the high-grade Eastern Minerals Project in Sri Lanka (the "Project"), is pleased to announce that the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau ("GSMB") has today formally reinstated Industrial Mining Licences 16236 and 16237 (the "IMLs") to the Company's Sri Lankan subsidiary, Damsila Exports (Pvt) Limited.

The IMLs had previously been subject to a suspension and notice of cancellation until a statutory appeal ruling, announced on 19 October 2023, ordered them to be reissued.

Key points:

   --    The IMLs were granted for an initial 10-year period from August 2022 

-- The IMLs were granted pursuant to the approval of an Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") in November 2021

-- The IMLs cover an initial 16 hectares of land for the commencement of mining activities, including some of the Project's highest-grade resources with grades up to 25% Total Heavy Minerals

-- The Coast Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Department ("CCD") in Sri Lanka has today also issued an extension to its permit to mine pursuant to the EIA approval in November 2021, evidencing further in-country support for the Project

-- The reinstatement of the IMLs is a key milestone in moving from the previously announced Memorandum of Understanding to the finalisation of negotiations with LB Group (002601:SHENZHEN; Market Cap: US$6 billion), the world's No. 1 manufacturer of high-performance titanium dioxide pigments, to unlock the funding for the total capital expenditure for the Project

Greg Martyr, Executive Chairman, commented:

"The reinstatement of the IMLs marks the culmination of over a year's unrelenting efforts to overcome interference by a minority of bad actors who no longer hold their offices. We are working towards execution of the Joint Venture with LB Group to fund the total capital expenditure for one of the highest-grade heavy mineral sands projects globally, with additional upside not yet included in the resource. This will be a significant project to kick-start much needed foreign investment in Sri Lanka's heavy mineral sands mining and export industry which could be a major contributor to rebuilding the economy.

We would like to thank the new team at the GSMB for their cooperation in what has been a challenging period after many changes in numerous related government departments in Sri Lanka. We look forward to working constructively with them, as well as the Board of Investment, the CCD, and all other stakeholders, as we progress mine construction planning."

For further information, please contact:

 
 Capital Metals plc                      Via Vigo Consulting 
  Greg Martyr (Executive Chairman) 
 Vigo Consulting (Investor Relations)    +44 (0)20 7390 0234 
  Ben Simons / Peter Jacob                capitalmetals@vigoconsulting.com 
 SPARK Advisory Partners (Nominated 
  Adviser) 
  Neil Baldwin / James Keeshan           +44 (0)20 3368 3554 
 Tavira Financial 
  Jonathan Evans / Oliver Stansfield     +44 (0)20 7100 5100 
 

About Capital Metals

Capital Metals is a UK company listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: CMET). We are developing the Eastern Minerals Project in Sri Lanka, approximately 220km east of Colombo, containing industrial minerals including ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and garnet. The Project is one of the highest-grade mineral sands projects globally, with potential for further grade and resource expansion. In 2022, a third-party Preliminary Economic Assessment provided a Project NPV of US$155-235m based on existing resources, with further identified optimisation potential. We are committed to applying modern mining practices and bringing significant positive benefits to Sri Lanka and the local community. We expect over 300 direct new jobs to be created and over US$130m in direct government royalties and taxes to be paid.

Visit our website:

www.capitalmetals.com

Follow us on social media:

Twitter: @MetalsCapital

LinkedIn: @Capital Metals plc

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