Kibo Energy PLC
(Incorporated in Ireland)
(Registration Number:
451931)
(External registration
number: 2011/007371/10)
LEI Code:
635400WTCRIZB6TVGZ23
Share code on the JSE
Limited: KBO
Share code on the AIM:
KIBO
ISIN: IE00B97C0C31
('Kibo' or 'the
Company')
Dated: 03
December 2024
Kibo Energy PLC ('Kibo' or the 'Company')
Termination of Term Sheet,
Signing of Loan Agreement and Deed of Amendment to RiverFort
Loan
Kibo
Energy PLC (AIM: KIBO; AltX: KBO), the renewable energy-focused
development company, announces that it has terminated the Term
Sheet for the proposed Reverse Takeover of the Company (the "RTO")
as announced in the Company's RNS of 16 September 2024 by mutual
agreement with ESTGI AG (the "Vendor") effective 02 December 2024.
The Company has taken this decision as it believes that, it does
not now have sufficient time to secure all relevant information in
a timely manner necessary to complete the RTO particularly noting
the Company will have been suspended for 6 months on 31 December
2024. The Company will now instead focus on completing and
publishing its audited accounts to 31 December 2023 and interim
accounts to 30 June 2024 which are well advanced, and the Company
expects will be published on or before 31 December 2024. This
should then enable the Company's current suspension from trading on
AIM to be lifted. Following resumption of trading, the Company will
seek an alternative project portfolio to proceed with a revised
transaction (the "Revised Transaction"). The Company is already
evaluating a number of project acquisition opportunities in this
regard and will update the market in due course.
In order to fund the
Company while it identifies an alternative transaction, it is
pleased to announce that the Company has signed an unsecured loan
agreement (the "Loan Agreement" or "Facility") with Aria Capital
Management Limited (the "Lender" or "Aria"), the Arranger of the
Reverse Takeover of the Company (the "RTO") as announced in the
Company's RNS of 16 September 2024. The Facility provides for
drawdowns in multiple traches, the amount of each tranche to be
mutually agreed between Lender and Borrower, up to £500,000 in
aggregate by the Company to be used for working capital purposes
over the next four months to keep the Company in good standing
until it is able to identify and complete a Revised Transaction and
to fund initial costs in this regard.
Summary of
Facility Terms
· Comprises a facility for drawdown
of up to £500,000 from the signing date of the Loan Agreement
(being 02 December 2024) up to and including 31 March 2025 (the
"Availability Period").
· Drawdowns under the Facility shall
be used to fund the initial costs of an RTO once identified and
announced and /or the working capital of the
Company as agreed from time to time between Aria and the Company
and may be drawn down in multiple tranches of no more than £500,000
in aggregate during the Availability Period, each tranche to be mutually agreed between Lender and
Borrower, with the period in between drawdowns not being less than
30 days. The initial drawdown, required to be provided by Aria
within 7 business days from signing, is being agreed by the Company
and is expected to be received shortly.
· Repayment of the outstanding
balance on the Facility will be on the Repayment Date defined as
the earlier of 31 March 2025 or the date on which the Company's
suspension on AIM is lifted coinciding with the completion of the
Revised Transaction. Repayment will be at the election of the
Lender in any combination of cash and/or newly issued ordinary
shares in the Company at a price per share of £0.000120 being the last closing price of the Company's shares
on AIM prior to the Company being suspended from trading on AIM on
1 July 2024.
· Funds drawn down
under the Facility shall bear interest at a rate of 3% per annum
and an arrangement fee of £500 is payable to the Lender, at the
election of the Company in either new ordinary shares of the
Company or in cash. Failure to make settlement of all
outstanding amounts on the Repayment Date by the Company will incur
an interest charge of 10% per annum above the base rate of the Bank
of England and accrue daily.
· The Facility had been subordinated
to an existing facility between the Company and RiverFort Global
Opportunities PCC Limited ("RiverFort") dated 16 February 2022 as
amended on 30 September 2024 (the "RiverFort Loan"), and grants
RiverFort third party rights with respect to the enforcement of
such subordination rights. Such subordination rights granted to
RiverFort do not apply where the Facility is settled by way of
share conversion (i.e. subordination rights only apply to cash
settlements).
· The Loan Agreement is subject to
standard conditions covering a loan of this type with regard to
mutual Representation and Warranties, Covenants and Events of
Default & Remedies.
RiverFort
Loan Amendment
As required under the terms
of the RiverFort Loan, the Company has sought and obtained
permission from RiverFort to avail of the Facility. The terms under
which this permission is granted by RiverFort are recorded in
another deed of amendment to the RiverFort Loan that has been
signed between RiverFort and the Company on 02
December 2024 (the "RiverFort December Deed of Amendment" or
the "Deed"). The summary terms of the RiverFort December Deed of
Amendment are as follows:
· The outstanding balance on the
RiverFort Loan will be reduced by the payment of £20,000 (the
"Partial Repayment") by the Company to £329,787.10 (the "Remaining Balance") which will accrue
interest at a daily rate of 10% per annum. The Partial Repayment is
due within 3 trading days from the date of receipt of the first
drawdown from the Aria Facility.
· If the first drawdown under the
Facility has not occurred within 21 days of the date of the Deed,
RiverFort may terminate the Deed and the consent provided by
RiverFort pursuant to the Deed will automatically lapse with effect
from the date of the Deed. Accordingly, any drawdown (or receipt of
a prior drawdown) under the Facility following the date of
termination will constitute an Event of Default (as provided under
the terms of the RiverFort Loan).
· Legal cost of
£2,500 will be charged by RiverFort to cover their
legal costs in the negotiation of the RiverFort December Deed of Amendment and this charge will be paid on the earlier of (a) the date of
the Partial Repayment being settled and (b) 60 days from the date
of this Deed.
· The Remaining Balance and accrued
interest will be repayable on the earlier of the completion of a
Revised Transaction (including subsequent re-admission of the
enlarged share capital to AIM) or 30 June 2025.
· Riverfort will enjoy the same
conversion rights on the Remaining Balance as Aria enjoys under the
terms of the Facility i.e. repayment will be at the election of
RiverFort in any combination of cash and/or newly issued ordinary
shares in the Company at a price per share of £0.000120 being the last closing price of the Company's shares
on AIM prior to the Company being suspended from AIM on 1 July 2024
(the "RiverFort Conversion Rights").
· RiverFort may reject any mandatory
conversion rights if either (a) the fundraise for the Revised
Transaction is below £5,000,000 (five million GBP); or (b) the
enlarged market capitalization post-closing of a Revised
Transaction (or RTO) is less than £20,000,000 (twenty million GBP);
and any shares issued to the Noteholders resulting from such a
conversion will not be subject to any lock-up or trading
restrictions.
· the Facility is subordinated
to the RiverFort Loan and grants RiverFort third party rights with
respect to the enforcement of such subordination rights.
· Any changes to the Facility
will require the prior written permission of RiverFort.
Cobus van der Merwe, Interim CEO of
Kibo said: "The Company is
pleased that it has successfully secured the Facility with Aria
which will greatly assist in keeping the company in good standing
whilst pursuing alternative opportunities. We would also like to
thank RiverFort for their ongoing support in allowing the Company
to obtain the Facility. The Company is appreciative of both
RiverFort and Aria's support which has been instrumental in
assisting the company with its restructuring
objectives."
This announcement contains inside information as stipulated
under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) no.
596/2014.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit
www.kibo.energy or
contact:
Cobus van der Merwe
|
info@kibo.energy
|
Kibo Energy PLC
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
James Biddle
Roland Cornish
|
+44 207 628 3396
|
Beaumont Cornish Limited
|
Nominated Adviser
|
Claire Noyce
|
+44 20 3764 2341
|
Hybridan LLP
|
Joint Broker
|
James Sheehan
|
+44 20 7048
9400
|
Global Investment Strategy UK
Limited
|
Joint Broker
|
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.
Johannesburg
03 December 2024
Corporate and Designated Adviser
River Group