|
Condor Gold
plc
7/8 Innovation
Place
Douglas
Drive
Godalming
Surrey
GU7 1JX
Tel: +44 (0) 207 493
2784
|
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS
INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF REGULATION (EU) 596/2014 AS
IT FORMS PART OF DOMESTIC LAW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM BY VIRTUE OF
THE EU (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018 ("MAR").
31 July 2024
Condor Gold
Plc
("Condor" or the
"Company")
Condor Gold Provides an
Update on the Sale of Assets
On 22 November 2022, Condor Gold
(AIM: CNR; TSX: COG) announced that following a robust and
economically attractive Bankable Feasibility Study, also known as a
Feasibility Study, on the La India open pit, it appointed H&P
Advisory Limited (Hannam and Partners) to seek a buyer for the
assets of the Company. The Company most recently updated the Market
on 17 May 2024 and the current status is that there are now eleven
companies under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), the Company
remains in receipt of five non-binding offers and three site visits
have been completed. An additional formal expression of interest
has been received in the past 3 weeks.
Jim
Mellon, Chair of Condor Gold, commented:
"There remains substantial interest
from gold producers to acquire the Company's assets. Wholly owned,
fully permitted, construction ready gold mines with potential
production of 150,000 oz gold per annum, in major Gold Districts,
with the land and a new SAG Mill package purchased and a
construction period of only 18 months are rare. There are currently
eleven companies under NDAs, five non-binding offers received and
three site visits completed. Whilst discussions have ceased with
one gold producer previously referred to, the Company is now
focused on active discussions with three other gold producers, one
of which we consider the preferred bidder. Companies under NDAs
have access to a virtual data room, which includes all drill data,
technical studies to Feasibility Study level, details of permits to
construct and operate a mine and financial models. While the sales
process is taking longer than anticipated, new enquires continue to
be received. Record gold prices of over US$2,400 oz gold in recent
weeks compared to a US$1,600 oz gold price used in the Feasibility
Study, materially improves project economics. The Board remains
confident that a binding agreement can be reached and Investors
will be updated in due course. Meanwhile, the entire board,
including the executive, will continue to give their full attention
to obtaining the best outcome possible for all
investors."
Cautionary Statement: Investors
should note that, whilst the Board is encouraged by the process to
date, there can be no guarantee that the Company will complete the
sale of its assets.
-
Ends -
For further information please visit
www.condorgold.com or contact:
Condor Gold plc
|
Mark Child, CEO
+44 (0) 20 7493 2784
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited
|
Roland Cornish and James
Biddle
+44 (0) 20 7628 3396
|
SP Angel Corporate Finance
LLP
|
Ewan Leggat
+44 (0) 20 3470 0470
|
H&P Advisory Limited
|
Andrew Chubb, Matt Hasson, Jay
Ashfield
+44 207 907 8500
|
Adelaide Capital (Investor
Relations)
|
Deborah Honig
+1-647-203-8793
|
About Condor Gold plc:
Condor Gold plc was admitted to AIM
in May 2006 and dual listed on the TSX in January 2018. The Company
is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on
Nicaragua.
The Company's principal asset is La
India Project, Nicaragua, which comprises of a large, highly
prospective land package of 588 sq km comprising of 12 contiguous
and adjacent concessions. The Company has filed a feasibility study
technical report dated 25 October 2022 and entitled "Condor Gold
Technical Report on the La India Gold Project, Nicaragua, 2022"
(the "2022
FS") which is available on the
Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and was prepared in
accordance with the requirements of NI 43-101. The 2022 FS
indicated that La India Project hosts a high grade Mineral Resource
Estimate ("MRE") of 9,672 kt at 3.5g/t gold for 1,088,000 oz gold
in the indicated mineral resource category and 8,642 kt at 4.3 g/t
gold for 1,190,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource
category. The open pit MRE is 8,693 kt at 3.2 g/t gold for 893,000
oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 3,026 kt at
3.0 g/t gold for 291,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource
category. Total underground MRE is 979 kt at 6.2 g/t gold for
94,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 5,615
kt at 5.0 g/t gold for 98,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral
resource category.
The 2022 FS replaces the previously
reported Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") as presented in the Technical Report filed on SEDAR in
October 2021 as the current technical report for the La India
project.
The 2021 PEA considered the expanded
Project inclusive of the exploitation of the Mineral Resources
associated to the La India, Mestiza, America and Central Breccia
deposits. The strategic study covers two scenarios: Scenario A, in
which the mining is undertaken from four open pits, termed La
India, America, Mestiza and Central Breccia Zone ("CBZ"), which
targets a plant feed rate of 1.225 million tonnes per annum
("Mtpa"); and Scenario B, where the mining is extended to include
three underground operations at La India, America and Mestiza, in
which the processing rate is increased to 1.4 Mtpa. The 2021 PEA
Scenario B presented a post-tax, post upfront capital expenditure
NPV of US$418 million, with an IRR of 54% and 12 month pay-back
period, assuming a US$1,700 per oz gold price, with average annual
production of 150,000 oz gold per annum for the initial 9 years of
gold production. The open pit mine schedules were optimised from
designed pits, bringing higher grade gold forward resulting in
average annual production of 157,000 oz gold in the first 2 years
from open pit material and underground
mining funded out of cashflow. The 2021 PEA Scenario A presented a
post-tax, post upfront capital expenditure NPV of US$302 million,
with an IRR of 58% and 12 month pay-back period, assuming a
US$1,700 per oz gold price, with average annual production of
approximately 120,000 oz gold per annum for the initial 6 years of
gold production. The Mineral Resource
estimate and associated Preliminary Economic Assessment contained
in the 2021 PEA are considered a historical estimate within the
meaning of NI 43-101, a qualified person has not done sufficient
work to classify such historical estimate as current, and the
Company is not treating the historical Mineral Resource estimate
and associated studies as current, and the reader is cautioned not
to rely upon this data as such. Mineral Resources that are not
Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The
Company believes that the historical Mineral Resource estimate and
Preliminary Economic assessment is relevant to the continuing
development of the La India Project.
In August 2018, the Company
announced that the Ministry of the Environment in Nicaragua had
granted the Environmental Permit ("EP") for the development,
construction and operation of a processing plant with capacity to
process up to 2,800 tonnes per day at its wholly-owned La India
gold Project ("La India Project"). The EP is considered the master
permit for mining operations in Nicaragua. Condor has purchased a
new SAG Mill, which has mainly arrived in Nicaragua. Site clearance
and preparation is at an advanced stage.
Environmental Permits were granted
in April and May 2020 for the Mestiza and America open pits
respectively, both located close to La India. The Mestiza open pit
hosts 92 Kt at a grade of 12.1 g/t gold (36,000 oz contained gold)
in the Indicated Mineral Resource category and 341 Kt at a grade of
7.7 g/t gold (85,000 oz contained gold) in the Inferred Mineral
Resource category. The America open pit hosts 114 Kt at a grade of
8.1 g/t gold (30,000 oz) in the Indicated Mineral Resource category
and 677 Kt at a grade of 3.1 g/t gold (67,000 oz) in the Inferred
Mineral Resource category. Following the permitting of the Mestiza
and America open pits, together with the La India open pit Condor
has 1.12 M oz gold open pit Mineral Resources permitted for
extraction.
Disclaimer
Neither the contents of the
Company's website nor the contents of any website accessible from
hyperlinks on the Company's website (or any other website) is
incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
Qualified Persons
The technical and scientific
information in this press release has been reviewed, verified and
approved by Andrew Cheatle, P.Geo., a director of Condor Gold plc,
and Gerald D. Crawford, P.E., the Chief
Technical Officer of Condor Gold plc, each of whom is a "qualified
person" as defined by NI 43-101.
Nominated Adviser
Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont
Cornish") is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and
regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the
Company's Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise
and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules
for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely
to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for
and will not be responsible to any other persons for providing
protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for
advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in
this announcement or any matter referred to in it.
Forward Looking
Statements
All statements in this press release, other than statements of
historical fact, are 'forward-looking information' with respect to
the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws,
including statements with respect to: the issuance of the Payment
Shares, including the receipt of the approvals of AIM and the TSX;
future development and production plans, projected capital and
operating costs, mine life and production rates, metal or mineral
recovery estimates, Mineral Resource, Mineral Reserve estimates at
the La India Project, the potential to convert Mineral Resources
into Mineral Reserves, the Company's plans to sell the assets of
the Company or seek alternatives to an asset sale and the
construction timeline of the La India project upon receipt of
financing. Forward-looking information is often, but not always,
identified by the use of words such as: "seek", "anticipate",
"plan", "continue", "strategies", "estimate", "expect", "project",
"predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe",
"potential", "could", "might", "will" and similar expressions.
Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future
performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions
of management at the date the statements are made including, among
others, assumptions regarding: future commodity prices and royalty
regimes; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of
capital expenditures; future currency exchange and interest rates;
the impact of increasing competition; general conditions in
economic and financial markets; availability of drilling and
related equipment; effects of regulation by governmental agencies;
the receipt of required permits; royalty rates; future tax rates;
future operating costs; availability of future sources of funding;
ability to obtain financing and assumptions underlying estimates
related to adjusted funds from operations. Many assumptions are
based on factors and events that are not within the control of the
Company and there is no assurance they will prove to be
correct.
Such forward-looking information involves known and unknown
risks, which may cause the actual results to be materially
different from any future results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking information, including, risks related to: mineral
exploration, development and operating risks; estimation of
mineralisation and resources; environmental, health and safety
regulations of the resource industry; competitive conditions;
operational risks; liquidity and financing risks; funding risk;
exploration costs; uninsurable risks; conflicts of interest; risks
of operating in Nicaragua; government policy changes; ownership
risks; permitting and licencing risks; artisanal miners and
community relations; difficulty in enforcement of judgments; market
conditions; stress in the global economy; current global financial
condition; exchange rate and currency risks; commodity prices;
reliance on key personnel; dilution risk; payment of dividends; as
well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in
the Company's annual information form for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2021 dated March 29, 2022 and available under the
Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important
factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to
differ materially from those described in forward-looking
information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events
or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There
can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate
as actual results and future events could differ materially from
those anticipated in such statements. The Company disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
information, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise unless required by law.