Mbeya Coal to Power Project Update

RNS Number : 6080L

Kibo Mining Plc

13 January 2016

 

Kibo Mining Plc (Incorporated in Ireland)

(Registration Number: 451931)

(External registration number: 2011/007371/10)

Share code on the JSE Limited: KBO 

Share code on the AIM:KIBO

ISIN:  IE00B97C031

("Kibo" or "the Company")

 

13 January 2016

Mbeya Coal to Power Project - Kibo consolidates Mbeya Coal Deposit

Kibo Mining plc ("Kibo" or the "Company") (AIM: KIBO; AltX: KBO), the Tanzania focussed mineral exploration and development company, is pleased to announce that three new Prospecting Licences ("PLs") were issued to its wholly owned subsidiary Rukwa Coal Limited. These newly issued PLs are contiguous with its existing PL block in southern Tanzania that contains the 109 million tonne Mbeya Coal Mineral Resource (the "Resource"). The Resource underpins the Company's Mbeya Coal to Power Project ("MCPP"), currently in the final stages of a Bankable Feasibility Study ("BFS").

The three new PLs, namely, PL 10744/2015, PL 10742/2015 and 10743/2015 are located immediately north, south and east respectively of the Resource and consolidates the Company's ground position on and peripheral to the MCPP development area. In the short term these new PLs will further enhance the BFS and subsequent development of the project and in the longer term provides the company with significantly increased exploration potential. The new prospecting licenses will provide the Company with the ability to test for extensions to the Resource and/or the discovery of additional satellite coal deposits in addition to the existing deposit's 48km strike of which to date, only approximately 12km have been delineated and stated as a NI 43-101 compliant resource.

A map showing the current licence status position for the MCPP can be found under the MCPP project section on the Company's website www.kibomining.com 

Louis Coetzee, CEO of Kibo Mining, said: "The addition of these prospecting licences to the Company's Mbeya portfolio completes an important and very strategic consolidation of the ground immediately adjacent to its Mbeya Coal Resource. This is of significant strategic importance as it secures the long term fuel supply to the power station, provides confidence that the power plant can ultimately be expanded to 1 000MW and allays any fears from long term investors about possible instability in the long term fuel prices, at which the power station will be able to procure fuel for the power plant. It also demonstrates the Tanzanian Government's on-going support for and acknowledgment of the strategic importance of the MCPP."

Contacts

Louis Coetzee	[phone]	Kibo Mining plc	Chief Executive Officer
Andreas Lianos	[phone]	River Group	Corporate Adviser and Designated Adviser on JSE
Jon Belliss	[phone]	Beaufort Securities Limited	Broker
Oliver Morse	[phone]	RFC Ambrian Limited	Nominated Adviser on AIM
Daniel Thöle / Anna Legge	[phone]	Bell Pottinger	Investor and Media Relations

Kibo Mining - Notes to editors

Kibo Mining is listed on the AIM market in London and the AltX in Johannesburg. The Company is focused on exploration and development of mineral projects in Tanzania, and controls one of Tanzania's largest mineral right portfolios. Tanzania provides a secure and stable operating environment for the mineral resource industry and Kibo Mining therein.

Kibo Mining holds a thermal coal deposit at Rukwa, which has a significant JORC compliant defined resource (See Table 1 below), and is developing a 250-350MW mouth-of-mine thermal power station, the Mbeya Coal to Power Project ("MCPP"), previously called Rukwa Coal to Power Project ("RCPP"), with an established management team that includes Standard Bank as Financial Advisor.  Kibo is undertaking a Coal Mining Definitive Feasibility Study and a Power Pre-Feasibility Study for the Mbeya project with an integrated Coal-Power interim study report to be released in the near term. On 20^th April 2015, Kibo signed a Joint Development Agreement for the completion of the Definitive Feasibility Studies and development of the MCPP with China based EPC contractor SEPCO III.

The Company also has extensive gold focused interests including Lake Victoria Goldfields and Morogoro projects. At Lake Victoria, the Company has projects with a 550,000oz JORC compliant gold Mineral Resource at Imweru Project and a 168,000oz NI 43-101 compliant gold Mineral Resource at the Lubando Project in which the Company holds a 90% attributable interest. The Company is currently undertaking a Definitive Feasibility Study on its Imweru Project.

Kibo also holds the Haneti Project on which the latest technical report confirms prospectivity for nickel, PGMs, gold and strategic metals including lithium. 

Kibo Mining further holds the Pinewood (coal & uranium) project where the company has entered into a 50/50 Exploration Joint Venture with Metal Tiger plc.

Finally the Company also holds the Morogoro (gold) project where the company has also entered into a 50/50 Exploration Joint Venture with Metal Tiger plc.

The Company's projects are located in the established and gold prolific Lake Victoria Goldfields, the emerging goldfields of eastern Tanzania and the Mtwara Corridor in southern Tanzania where the Government has prioritised infrastructural development attracting significant recent investment in coal and uranium. The Company has a positive working relationship with the Tanzanian government at local, regional and national levels and works hard to maintain positive relationships with all communities where company interests are held.  The Company recognises the potential to enhance the quality of life and opportunity for Tanzanian citizens through careful development of its projects.

Updates on the Company's activities are regularly posted on its website www.kibomining.com  

Technical data

Mbeya Mineral Resource

Table 1 below presents a table showing the Mineral Resource estimate for the Mbeya Coal Project. The table is taken from an NI 43 101-Compliant Report by GEMECS (Pty) Ltd dated April 2012.

Table 1

RUKWA COAL RESOURCE SUMMARY- GEMECS (Pty) Ltd
	SEAM	NI 43-101	IN SITU
SEAM	THICKNESS	CLASS	MILLION TONS
S4	1.14	Indicated	2.17
S3U	2.04	Indicated	6.92
S3L	2.3	Indicated	12.63
S2	3.45	Indicated	23.43
S1U	2.48	Indicated	7.34
S1L	2.92	Indicated	17.4
S0	1.08	Indicated	1.44
Total Indicated Resources			71.34
S4	1.31	Inferred	1.38
S3U	2.24	Inferred	2.94
S3L	2.27	Inferred	3.86
S2	3.42	Inferred	7.94
S1U	2.05	Inferred	6.5
S1L	3.15	Inferred	12.83
S0	1.06	Inferred	2.6
Total Inferred Resources			38.05
TOTAL RESOURCES			*109.39

*Kibo holds 100% of the Rukwa Mineral Resource

Review by Qualified Persons

The information in this announcement that relates to the Mbey Coal Mineral Resource is taken from a report titled "Independent Technical Report for the Mbeya Coal Project, Mbeya Region, United Republic of Tanzania" dated 19^th April 2012 by CD van Niekerk Director and Principal Geologist with the firm GEMECS (Pty) Ltd. Mr van Niekerk is a Professional Natural Scientist with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP), Registration No. 400066/98 and a Fellow Member of the Geological Society of South Africa. He has relevant experience and technical qualifications to be a "Qualified Person" for reporting coal resources to the NI 43-101 Standard

The Company's Exploration Director, Noel O'Keeffe has reviewed the resource reports and the references to them in this announcement.

Johannesburg

13 January 2016

Corporate and Designated Adviser

River Group

 

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