Acquisition
Copper Resources Corporation
25 May 2005
COPPER RESOURCES CORPORATION
('CRC' or 'the Company')
COPPER RESOURCES ACQUIRES OPTION ON THE HAIB COPPER PROJECT IN NAMIBIA
Copper Resources Corporation (AIM: 'CRC'), whose principal asset is the
Hinoba-an Copper Project in the Philippines, today entered into an option and
operating agreement with Deep South Mining Company (Pty) Ltd., Afri-Can Marine
Minerals Corporation and African Millennium Corporation (the 'Option Agreement')
on the Haib Copper Porphyry Project (the 'Haib Project') in Namibia. Deep South
Mining Company (Pty) Limited is the holder of the Haib Project exploration
licence, subject to option agreements with Afri-Can Marine Minerals Corporation
and African Millennium Corporation.
The Haib Project is a substantial low grade sulphide copper porphyry deposit,
located in southern Namibia 8 km from the Orange River and the South African
border. The property is held by Deep South Mining Company (Pty) Ltd. under
Exclusive Prospecting License (EPL) 3140. The licence area is 74,563 hectares
and incorporates all of the mineralization within the Haib deposit and a
substantial area around the deposit. The EPL renewal date is 21 April 2007.
Renewal of the licence is assured under the Minerals Act of 1992 providing all
conditions of the EPL have been satisfied and a reasonable work program is
submitted in support of the renewal application.
With 52,000 meters of drilling, the Haib Project is a well-defined deposit that
was placed on care and maintenance in the late 1990s owing to low copper prices.
Previous work has been carried out by Falconbridge (Pty) Ltd. (1963-1964), King
Resources of South Africa (1968-1969), Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation (1972-1975),
Rand Merchant Bank Ltd. (1992-1993), and most recently by Great Fitzroy Mines NL
(GFM) of Australia (1995-1998). The most recent feasibility study work,
undertaken in 1995-1997, focused on producing cathode copper utilizing a
roast-leach-electro-winning process plant. In 1996, Behre Dolbear estimated the
Haib Project resource at 244 million tonnes, grading 0.37% Cu, using a cut-off
grade of 0.3% Cu. This equates to 2 billion pounds of contained copper (net 1.2
billion pounds Cu to CRC based on 60% ownership), substantially increasing CRC's
total copper resource base. CRC intends to use the extensive geological and
metallurgical database available on the Haib Project to evaluate the optimal
process recovery method for project development.
Under the terms of the Option Agreement, CRC can earn a 60% interest in the Haib
Project by incurring initial expenditures of US$1.2 million and through the
issuance of 120,000 CRC shares. With further expenditures of US$1.0 million CRC
can earn an additional 10% for a total of 70%. Thereafter, Deep South and
Afri-Can have the option to contribute their share of the development cost or be
diluted to a 10% non-contributing interest; under the latter scenario CRC can
earn up to a 90% interest in the Haib Project through the further issuance of
150,000 CRC shares
Namibia is a politically stable country in which mining is a major contributor
to GDP. The Namibian Government has indicated its strong support to advance the
Haib Project to a point where a production decision can be made.
Sir Sam Jonah, Chairman of CRC, commented: 'The acquisition of the Haib Project
represents a low cost entry opportunity for CRC into a second major copper
project. The extensive drilling and metallurgical database available for the
Haib Project is already at the standard necessary for a Bankable Feasibility
Study. The next challenge for CRC will be to evaluate different process recovery
options and assess their relative economic merits. Once completed, CRC will be
able to make a final determination of the long term economic viability of the
project.'
Funds raised by CRC from its recently completed IPO on the London AIM Exchange
will be used to complete a detailed Bankable Feasibility Study on its Hinoba
Copper Project in the Philippines over the next 12-18 months at an expected cost
of £3.1 million. With its cash position of approximately £9.2 million (i.e.
£0.33/share), CRC is well-positioned to undertake work on the Haib Project and
to evaluate other copper acquisition opportunities.
For further information please contact:
Copper Resources Nabarro Wells & Co. ODL Securities
Mitchell Alland John Robertson Tony Clements
Executive Vice Chairman
+44 (0)787 569 5563 +44 (0)20 7710 7405 +44 (0)20 7903 6281
Copies of the M. Horn & Co. Research Report and AIM admission document are
available from the Company's website, www.copperresources.com, or from ODL
Securities Ltd.
Background Information on Copper Resources Corporation
Copper Resources is the ultimate holding company of a group of mineral
exploration, development and operating companies. The Group effectively has a
92.5 per cent economic interest in the Hinoba-an Porphyry Copper Project (the
'Project'), subject to a 3 per cent net benefits royalty payable to the original
claimowner. The Project is located on the island of Negros in the Republic of
the Philippines, approximately 700 km south of Manila.
The Group's interest in the Project is held under an Integrated Mining and
Operating Agreement with Colet Mining and Development Corporation, which holds
mining leases over 90 hectares and approximately 2,900 hectares of mineral
claims (collectively, the 'Colet Claims'). The Colet Claims cover two known
porphyry copper deposits, the Don Jose deposit and the A1 deposit, which
comprise the Hinoba-an property.
Over the years, a significant amount of exploration and metallurgical testwork
has been performed on the Hinoba-an property with its previous owners having
spent approximately C$14.7 million. The Hinoba-an property has been subject to
approximately 48,000 metres of diamond drilling and 11,000 metres of reverse
circulation drilling. Pre-feasibility studies indicate that the two deposits are
well drilled and that all due attention has been paid to core handling, sampling
and assaying.
A scoping study undertaken in 1998 envisioned a 15 year mine life for the Colet
Claims based on a geological resource of 254 million tonnes at 0.46 per cent
copper at a 0.30 per cent copper cut-off. The study showed that the deposits
could be profitably mined by open pit method with the ore processed in a
conventional flotation milling operation to produce approximately 2 billion
pounds of recoverable copper and other by-products. Annual production was
estimated at 56,000 tonnes of recoverable copper with an average cash cost
(including smelting, refining and by-product credits) of US$0.48/lb of copper.
The Company will complete additional infill core drilling on the property and a
feasibility study within the next 18 months. Upon completion of the feasibility
study, and assuming favourable economics, the Group plans to develop a potential
15 million tonnes per annum open pit copper mine on the Hinoba-an property. The
development of the Project will be dependent on obtaining future financing.
In addition, the Copper Resources Group owns 23 unpatented lode claims covering
approximately 186 hectares in the state of Colorado. The copper deposit on the
property has historically been mined as an underground operation. The Group
plans to undertake exploration and evaluation on these claims within the next
twelve months. The exploration and evaluation stage includes a drilling
programme that will be commenced in early 2006.
25th May 2005
Issued on behalf of Copper Resources Corporation by gth media relations. For
media enquiries, please contact Toby Hall +44 20 7153 8039 or Jade Mamarbachi
+44 20 7153 8035.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange