Jupiter Mines: appointment of financial adviser

RNS Number : 4213Z

Red Rock Resources plc

14 March 2017

 

Red Rock Resources plc

("Red Rock" or the "Company")

Jupiter Mines: Appointment of Financial Advisor

14 March 2017

Further to the announcement of 13^th March 2017, Red Rock announces that Jupiter Mines Ltd, an Australian unlisted public company in which Red Rock owns 25,684,913 shares, has made the following announcement:

            "JUPITER APPOINTS FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Jupiter Mines Limited ("Jupiter" or "Company") and its partner Main Street 774 (Pty)

Limited, are pleased to announce the launch of the process to investigate strategic options to realise shareholder value from their flagship Tshipi manganese mine. As stated in the Jupiter announcement of 23 January 2017, this may result in a listing in 2017. Bank of America Merrill Lynch have been appointed as advisors to progress these options.

The Company has also just announced the successful close of its US$55 million buy-back, thereby effectively returning to shareholders over half their original capital investment. Given reasonable manganese prices, shareholders should receive the remaining half of their original capital investment in the near future." 

Notes

The manganese mine owned by Jupiter's 49.9% owned associate Tshipi é Ntle Manganese Mining Proprietary Ltd ("Tshipi") is in the Kalahari Manganese Basin of South Africa, thought to contain some 80% of the world's metallurgical grade manganese. Tshipi is one of the five largest manganese operations globally, and one of the three largest in South Africa.

The Tshipi mine has been in operation as an open pit mine over three full years. In these years, to February 2016, the average manganese price for the 37% ore that Tshipi is producing has been US$3.06 per DMTU (Dry Metric Tonne Unit). The manganese price has been in decline over the period, reaching lows of US$1.32 per DMTU towards the end of the last financial year. There has been a recovery since, with the price trading for much of this year between US$2 and US$3 per DMTU and recently at levels between US$2.35 and over US$6 per DMTU. 

The Tshipi mine is in the lowest cost quartile of global manganese producers. Classified Resources of the Bottom Cut, which is currently being mined, were stated to be 163m tons at 37.1% in the Independent Technical Report announced by Jupiter on 6 July 2010. It was noted that down dip from the open pit design, the Resource was open and there was scope for significant increase in the Classified Resource base. Resources in the Upper Cut, currently mainly being stockpiled, were stated to be 145m tons at 31.75%.

Production capacity was 2.4m tons per annum and is increasing to 3.6m tons per annum. Production in the three years to 28 February 2016 was 0.94m t, 2.11m t and 1.54m t respectively, with the target for the current year initially set at just under 2m t but now expected to be comfortably exceeded.

After implementation of the equal access buy-back announced yesterday, Red Rock holds 25,684,913 shares in Jupiter, equivalent to approximately 1.2% of the issued share capital. The carrying cost of these shares in the books of Red Rock at the date of the last audited accounts, 30 June 2016, was £1,394,131.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Bell 0207 747 9990                                                       Chairman Red Rock Resources Plc

Scott Kaintz 0207 747 9990                                                         Director Red Rock Resources Plc

Roland Cornish/ Rosalind Hill Abrahams 0207 628 3396          NOMAD Beaumont Cornish Limited

Jason Robertson 0129 351 7744                                                 Broker Dowgate Capital Stockbrokers Ltd

 

END

 

 

MSCBDGDXBBBBGRS