Final Results

Ovoca Resources PLC 15 November 2002 Ovoca Resources PLC York House, Rear 176 Rathgar Road Dublin 6 Phone Intl + 353 1 491 2944 Fax Intl + 353 1 491 2945 OVOCA RESOURCES PLC PRELIMINARY STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2002 Set out below is an extract from the audited consolidated financial statements of Ovoca Resources PLC for the year ended 28th February 2002. For further information contact Mr. John O'Connor, (01) 491 2944. Copies of this report will be available at the Company's offices at York House, Rear 176 Rathgar Road, Dublin 6. 15 November 2002 Ovoca Resources plc Chief Executive's Statement The past year has been one of continuous progress for your company on a number of fronts. In the first instance our mineral exploration program has been moved forward at an accelerated pace under the direction of Amcorp Ireland Ltd in line with the joint arrangement agreement signed in October 2001. Under the terms of this agreement a very considerable work program has been carried out over all properties concerned and this is discussed in detail below. In tandem with the above your company has entered into a joint venture with Mercury Holdings Plc with the specific purpose of exploring and developing opportunities in the sustainable energy field, with initial focus on the Irish market. Minerals Exploration Program Cahir Area This project area consists of some 13 licences, 9 held by Ovoca and 4 additional licences held by Amcorp. Under the terms of the agreement Ovoca will be credited with a 49% interest should these licences prove to be of potential going forward. A very extensive work program has also been completed here. This includes review and compilation of historic data together with extensive new geochemical testing, a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey of the entire block and selected ground gravity surveys. Two drill holes with a combined depth of 750m have been completed. The results are seen to be most encouraging and, while the mineralization discovered to date has not been significant, further ongoing exploration will take place. North Galway Area This project area consists of 18 prospecting licences covering 739sq km located at the very north of Co Galway. Exploration in this area was driven by the location of small but significant mineral deposits at Pollremon and Rossmearan coupled with a large area of under explored, geologically favourable ground. Ovoca Resources Plc holds 6 licences in its own name and Amcorp holds an additional 12 licences in their name. As before the agreement allows that Ovoca will have a 49% interest in any discoveries emerging on this ground. A work program of considerable magnitude has been completed on this group of properties. To date this includes compilation of all previous work, open file data and regional magnetic /gravity surveys together with all available outcrop and borehole data, review of all previous geochemistry, biostratographic testing of rock samples and an airborne magnetic survey over the entire area. This work was designed to delineate fault structures and provide geologic guidance. An extensive ground gravity survey with readings recorded at 927 stations was also completed. Based on the results of these surveys an exploratory drill hole was completed to some 400m depth. No mineralization was intercepted and the geological and explorational information derived from this work program was not encouraging. Accordingly an agreed decision has been reached between Amcorp and Ovoca to relinquish this ground and drop this project from the joint venture so as to concentrate resources on the Cahir area. Newcastlewest and Co Clare These licences remain under the control and management of Ovoca. These properties have always been regarded as high potential by your company and information recently to hand upgrades their prospectivity significantly further. Progress has been delayed in this area due to problems with drilling accessibility to our preferred targets. An alternative work program has been devised that will help considerably with further evaluation of this area. Your company is of the view that this project area deserves to be moved forward, even in the present climate. Energy Storage Project : Optimum Energy Ltd In June 2001 Ovoca announced that it had entered into a joint venture arrangement, the purpose of which was to make a pre-feasibility study of energy storage possibilities. A considerable research program was undertaken which involved meetings with various energy related bodies in Ireland together with equipment manufacturers and site developers in the USA. Discussions with consultant groups specialising in this field worldwide were also initiated. Results of this study clearly indicated considerable potential for developments of this style in Ireland and accordingly in April 2002 a decision was reached to consolidate the joint venture into a limited company, Optimum Energy Limited, which is owned 50% by Ovoca. Optimum Energy has identified the storage of electrical energy for use at peak times as a highly profitable and as yet undeveloped aspect of the electricity market in Ireland. Peak power is priced at an attractive premium over off-peak energy and storage utilises this price differential by storing the cheaper off-peak electricity and selling it back into the market during the premium hours. In recent years in Ireland peak power demand has run up over 90% of all available supply illustrating the need and demand for additional peak generation. In addition Optimum sees storage as a key component in the strategic development of a Sustainable Green Energy programme in Ireland. The EU Directive on Renewable Energy sets Ireland a target of 13.2% of electricity used to come from renewable resources by 2010 (approx 1,170MW at that time). Currently by far the largest component in the national strategy is the further large-scale development of wind power. Already 130MW is in place with planning permission granted for a further 355MW of onshore development and 520MW of offshore and recently a further 700MW has been proposed. However there are two major inhibiting factors in developing wind power. 1. System Stability. The generation and transmission system can only accommodate a certain percentage of wind energy as a proportion of the total due to the instability that wind energy introduces. This caps the installable wind generation capacity at a relatively low level thus limiting its contribution to a green energy program. Discussions with the relevant agencies suggested an upper limit of the order of 500MW (A full technical evaluation has been commissioned by the regulatory body). It is clear however that even the present proposed wind energy program far exceeds the systems stability limits and this highlights the absolute imperative of storage. 2. Unreliability. Wind power by its nature is unpredictable and uncontrollable in the sense of matching capacity to demand. Hence much potential wind energy will remain unharnessed to useful purposes, especially at off-peak periods, even though expensive plant is installed. Storage as a Solution • The oscillations and instability of wind-power would be smoothed by synchronizing the storage/generation cycle of the storage plant with the variance of wind power availability. This would increase the installable capacity of wind power thus facilitating a larger green energy program. • Wind farm operators would have a 24-hour market for their production, thus rendering the process much more viable and so encouraging greater investment. • The effective storage of green energy at off-peak and its re-release at peak periods essentially multiplies the benefit of wind energy in curbing the need for hydro-carbon powered plants and cutting greenhouse emissions. • Due to the fast reaction times of the storage systems planned to sudden load demands, the current practice of holding expensive hydro-carbon powered plants on spinning reserve could be greatly reduced or even eliminated. Optimum Energy has carried out an extensive feasibility study over the past eighteen months into various methodologies for energy storage with particular focus being placed on compressed air energy storage (CAES). CAES employs technology that has been proven in service for a number of years. The fundamentals of the system involve using off-peak electrical energy to compress air in underground storage facilities and then releasing it as the motive force in driving a turbine/generator producing electricity at peak demand. There are currently two plants operational in the world (commissioned in the late 70's and early 90's). Recently it has come into major prominence due to changes in the world energy market. At present one extremely large plant (2700MW) is in development in the USA with several more in the planning process both in the USA and Japan. For our scheme the intended storage vessel for the compressed air are deep underground areas of high rock porosity (Several natural gas storage plants use similar underground structures). Major advantages include the fact that no excavation would be needed and the compression and generation plant requires a very small surface footprint. Meetings with key players in the electricity market in Ireland such as the semi-state Electricity Supply Board, the recently established National Grid Operator, Eirgrid and the Commission for Electricity Regulation all confirm that the proposed development by Optimum Energy could be very beneficial to the electricity industry in Ireland and to the effort to meet the country's commitments to reduce atmospheric emissions. In light of the universal benefits of storage we are confident that this project will have the full practical and financial support of the Irish Government and of the EU. Future Project Development Following detailed analysis of existing geologic and drilling data a number of potential sites suitable for CAES development have been selected. A program for future work has been designed to prove the project's full feasibility, particularly in relation to reservoir integrity and suitability. This is intended to bring the project through planning and up to the construction stage. This will involve geotechnical surveys, drill testing, computer modelling etc. as well as various surface engineering studies and EIS. A sum of up to €1.3m has been budgeted for this phase of which half is to be paid by Ovoca. I, together with the board of directors, look forward to advancing these exciting and innovative projects over the coming year. Frank Buckley B.E. 17 October 2002 Chief Executive Ovoca Resources plc Consolidated profit and loss account for the year ended 28 February 2002 2002 2001 Euro Euro Administrative expenses (135,100) (213,607) Other operating income - 952 Operating loss - continuing operations (135,100) (212,655) Share of operating losses of joint venture undertaking (12,181) Interest receivable (net) 642 8,140 Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (146,639) (204,515) Tax on loss on ordinary activities - 32,179 Loss for the financial year (146,639) (172,336) Profit and loss account at beginning of year (5,132,975) (4,960,639) Profit and loss account at end of year (5,279,614) (5,132,975) Basic loss per ordinary share (0.51)c (0.63)c Ovoca Resources plc Consolidated balance sheet at 28 February 2002 2002 2001 Euro Euro Fixed assets Intangible assets 3,156,145 2,985,448 Tangible assets 232,783 246,889 Financial Assets Investment in joint venture undertaking Share of gross assets 21,828 - Share of gross liabilities (4,008) - 3,406,748 3,232,337 Current assets Debtors 105,310 95,521 Cash at bank and in hand 60,774 18,564 166,084 114,085 Creditors: Amounts falling due (183,966) (207,110) within one year Net current liabilities (17,882) (93,025) Net assets 3,388,866 3,139,312 Financed by: Capital and reserves Called-up share capital 727,079 700,469 Share premium account 7,757,235 7,399,134 Capital conversion reserve fund 11,482 - Revaluation reserve 172,684 172,684 Profit and loss account (5,279,614) (5,132,975) Shareholders' funds - equity 3,388,866 3,139,312 Ovoca Resources plc Consolidated cash flow statement for the year ended 28 February 2002 2002 2001 Euro Euro Net cash outflow from Operating activities (187,320) (161,492) Returns on investments and servicing of finance Interest received - net 642 11,327 Net cash inflow from returns on investments and servicing of finance 642 11,327 Tax paid - - Capital expenditure and financial investment Purchase of tangible assets - (29,637) Purchase of intangible assets (177,925) (271,827) Net cash outflow from capital expenditure and financial investment (177,925) (301,464) Acquisitions and disposals Investment in joint venture undertaking (2,233) - Net cash outflow from acquisitions and disposals (2,233) - Net cash outflow before financing and use of liquid resources (355,686) (451,629) Financing Proceeds received from issue of share capital 20,250 25,712 Net cash transferred from/(to) liquid resources 336,717 (427,544) Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing and use of liquid resources 356,967 (453,256) Increase in cash in the year 1,281 (1,627) This announcement has been issued through the Companies Announcement Service of the Irish Stock Exchange. 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