Issue of Shares

RNS Number : 1795F

SolGold PLC

12 November 2020

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH IT WOULD BE UNLAWFUL TO DO SO.

FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE EU REGULATION 596/2014

12 November 2020

SolGold plc

("SolGold" or the "Company")

Issue of Shares

The Board of Directors of SolGold (LSE & TSX:SOLG) is pleased to announce that Valuestone Advisors Ltd. (the "Subscriber") has irrevocably agreed to subscribe for 11,900,000 new ordinary shares in the capital of the Company (the "Subscription Shares") at a purchase price of US$0.42 per Share, pursuant to a subscription agreement dated 12 November 2020 between the Company and the Subscriber (the "Subscription"). The Subscription Shares are expected to raise gross proceeds of approximately US$5,000,000 (approximately £3,800,000).‎ 

The Company will apply for admission of the Subscription Shares to the Official List (Standard ‎Segment and to trading on the LSE Main Market ("UK Admission") and to the Toronto Stock ‎Exchange (the "TSX") to list the new ordinary shares ("TSX Admission" and together with UK ‎Admission, "Admission"). The issue of the Subscription Shares is conditional, inter alia, upon UK Admission and the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange. It is expected ‎that UK Admission of the Subscription Shares will occur at 8:00 am on or around 13 November 2020 and ‎TSX Admission on or around 13 November 2020.‎

The Subscription Shares represent approximately 0.6 per cent. of ‎the issued ordinary share capital of the Company following the issue of the Subscription Shares. ‎The Subscription Shares will be issued credited as fully paid and will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary ‎shares.

On UK Admission of the Subscription Shares the Company's issued share capital will comprise 2,084,113,494 Ordinary Shares, with no Ordinary ‎Shares held in treasury‎.  This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations by which they will determine whether they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

The proceeds of the subscription will be used by the Corporation to advance the Company's 100% owned Porvenir Project located in southern Ecuador.

The Subscription Shares will be subject to a statutory hold period in Canada expected to expire on March 14, 2021.

By order of the Board

Karl Schlobohm
Company Secretary

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 ‎("MAR"). Upon publication of this announcement, the inside information is now considered to be in the ‎public domain for the purposes of MAR. The person responsible for arranging release of this information ‎on behalf of the Company is Nicholas Mather, Chief Executive Officer. 

Enquiries:

SolGold plc                                                                                                                     Tel: [phone]

Nicholas Mather (Chief Executive Officer)   

Ingo Hofmaier (Executive General Manager, Corporate Finance)   

Cormark Securities Inc.   Tel: [phone]

Paul Nieznalski   

Darren Wallace

Camarco‎ (Financial PR/IR)      Tel: [phone]

Gordon Poole   

Nick Hennis 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT ITSELF CONSTITUTE AN OFFER FOR SALE OR SUBSCRIPTION OF ANY SECURITIES IN SOLGOLD PLC.

[THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE QUALIFIED FOR DISTRIBUTION OR DISTRIBUTION TO THE PUBLIC UNDER APPLICABLE CANADIAN SECURITIES LAWS AND, ACCORDINGLY, ANY SALE OF THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES WILL BE MADE ON A BASIS WHICH IS EXEMPT FROM THE PROSPECTUS REQUIREMENTS OF SUCH SECURITIES LAWS ONLY TO "ACCREDITED INVESTORS" WITHIN THE MEANING ASCRIBED TO THAT TERM IN NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 45-106 - PROSPECTUS EXEMPTIONS, OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES ADMINISTRATORS ("NI 45-106"). THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES ARE NOT BEING OFFERED TO AND MAY NOT BE PURCHASED BY, OR FOR THE BENEFIT OF, PERSONS RESIDENT IN CANADA EXCEPT FOR "ACCREDITED INVESTORS". THE INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT INTENDED TO, AND DOES NOT, COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS THAT WOULD APPLY UNDER APPLICABLE CANADIAN SECURITIES LAW IF THIS SUBSCRIPTION WAS BEING QUALIFIED PURSUANT TO A PROSPECTUS FILED WITH THE RELEVANT CANADIAN SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES AND THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE AVAILABLE EXEMPTIONS UNDER NI 45-106 WILL BE SUBJECT TO A STATUTORY HOLD PERIOD IN CANADA FOR A PERIOD OF FOUR MONTHS AND ONE DAY FOLLOWING THE CLOSING OF THE SUBSCRIPTION. NO SECURITIES COMMISSION OR SIMILAR SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY IN CANADA HAS REVIEWED OR IN ANY WAY PASSED UPON THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OR THE CONTENTS HEREOF, OR THE MERITS OF THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES AND ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS AN OFFENSE UNDER APPLICABLE CANADIAN SECURITIES LAWS.]

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. FURTHER, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, NOR IS IT INTENDED THAT IT WILL BE SO APPROVED.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.  THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE INTO THE UNITED STATES.  THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES, EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION. 

The distribution of this Announcement and/or the Subscription and/or issue of the Subscription Shares in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law.  No action has been taken by the Company or any of its affiliates, agents, directors, officers or employees that would permit an offer of the Subscription Shares or possession or distribution of this Announcement or any other offering or publicity material relating to such Subscription Shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.  Persons into whose possession this Announcement comes are required by the Company to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions.

This Announcement or any part of it does not constitute an offer to sell or issue, or the invitation or solicitation of an offer to buy or acquire, shares in any jurisdiction where to do so (i) may be unlawful, (ii) would result in the requirement to comply with any governmental or other consent or any registration filing or other formality which the corporation regards as duly onerous, or (iii) would otherwise breach any applicable law or regulation, including, without limitation, the Restricted Jurisdictions. No public offering of the Subscription Shares is being made in any such jurisdiction.

This Announcement may contain and the Company may make verbal statements containing "forward-looking statements" with respect to certain of the Company's plans and its current goals and expectations relating to its future financial condition, performance, strategic initiatives, objectives and results.  Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as "aim", "anticipate", "target", "expect", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "goal", "believe", "seek", "may", "could", "outlook" or other words of similar meaning.  By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances which are beyond the control of the Company.  As a result, the actual future financial condition, performance and results of the Company may differ materially from the plans, goals and expectations set forth in any forward-looking statements.  Any forward-looking statements made in this Announcement by or on behalf of the Company speak only as of the date they are made.  Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publish any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement to reflect any changes in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

This Announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning any investor's options with respect to the Subscription or otherwise. The price of shares and any income expected from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested upon disposal of the shares. Past performance is no guide to future performance. The contents of this Announcement are not to be construed as legal, business, financial or tax advice. Each investor or prospective investor should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, business adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial, business or tax advice.

This Announcement does not identify or suggest, or purport to identify or suggest, the risks (direct or indirect) that may be associated with an investment in the Subscription Shares or otherwise. Any indication in this Announcement of the price at which ordinary shares have been bought or sold in the past cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.

The information in this Announcement may not be forwarded or distributed to any other person and may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever. Any forwarding, distribution, reproduction or disclosure of this information in whole or in part is unauthorised. Failure to comply with this directive may result in a violation of the Securities Act or the applicable laws of other jurisdictions.

The Subscription Shares to be issued pursuant to the Subscription will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the London Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.

This Announcement has been prepared for the purposes of complying with applicable law and regulation in the United Kingdom and the information disclosed may not be the same as that which would have been disclosed if this Announcement had been prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations of any jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING IN THE FOREGOING, NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES IS BEING MADE BY ANY PERSON ANYWHERE AND THE COMPANY HAS NOT AUTHORISED OR CONSENTED TO ANY SUCH OFFERING IN RELATION TO THE SUBSCRIPTION SHARES.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the contents of this news release.

 

Follow us on twitter @SolGold_plc

ABOUT SOLGOLD

SolGold is a leading resources company focussed on the discovery, definition and development of world-class copper and gold deposits. In 2018, SolGold's management team was recognised by the "Mines and Money" Forum as an example of excellence in the industry and continues to strive to deliver objectives efficiently and in the interests of shareholders. SolGold is the largest and most active concession holder in Ecuador and is aggressively exploring the length and breadth of this highly prospective and gold-rich section of the Andean Copper Belt.

The Company operates with transparency and in accordance with international best practices.  SolGold is committed to delivering value to its shareholders, while simultaneously providing economic and social benefits to impacted communities, fostering a healthy and safe workplace and minimizing the environmental impact.

Dedicated stakeholders

SolGold employs a staff of over 700 employees of whom 98% are Ecuadorean.  This is expected to grow as the operations expand at Alpala, and in Ecuador generally. SolGold focusses its operations to be safe, reliable and environmentally responsible and maintains close relationships with its local communities. SolGold has engaged an increasingly skilled, refined and experienced team of geoscientists using state of the art geophysical and geochemical modelling applied to an extensive database to enable the delivery of ore grade intersections from nearly every drill hole at Alpala.  SolGold has over 80 geologists on the ground in Ecuador exploring for economic copper and gold deposits.

About Cascabel and Alpala

The Alpala deposit is the main target in the Cascabel concession, located on the northern section of the heavily endowed Andean Copper Belt, the entirety of which is renowned as the base for nearly half of the world's copper production.  The project area hosts mineralisation of Eocene age, the same age as numerous Tier 1 deposits along the Andean Copper Belt in Chile and Peru to the south.  The project base is located at Rocafuerte within the Cascabel concession in northern Ecuador, an approximately three-hour drive on sealed highway north of the capital Quito, close to water, power supply and Pacific ports.

Having fulfilled its earn-in requirements, SolGold is a registered shareholder with an unencumbered legal and beneficial 85% interest in ENSA (Exploraciones Novomining S.A.) which holds 100% of the Cascabel concession covering approximately 50km².  The junior equity owner in ENSA is required to repay 15% of costs since SolGold's earn in was completed, from 90% of its share of distribution of earnings or dividends from ENSA or the Cascabel concession. It is also required to contribute to development or be diluted, and if its interest falls below 10%, it shall reduce to a 0.5% NSR royalty which SolGold may acquire for US$3.5million.

Advancing Alpala towards development

The resource at the Alpala deposit contains a high-grade core which will be targeted to facilitate early cashflows and an accelerated payback of initial capital. SolGold is currently progressing its Pre-Feasibility Study and is fully funded through to development decision following the Net Smelter Royalty Financing with Franco-Nevada Corporation for US$100million. Franco-Nevada will receive a perpetual 1% NSR interest from the Cascabel licence area.

SolGold is currently assessing financing options available to the Company for the development of the Alpala mine following completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study.

SolGold's Regional Exploration Drive

SolGold is using its successful and cost-efficient blueprint established at Alpala, and Cascabel generally, to explore for additional world class copper and gold projects across Ecuador.  SolGold is the largest and most active concessionaire in Ecuador.

The Company wholly owns four other subsidiaries active throughout the country that are now focussed on thirteen high priority gold and copper resource targets, several of which the Company believes have the potential, subject to resource definition and feasibility, to be developed in close succession or even on a more accelerated basis compared to Alpala. 

SolGold is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange (LSE/TSX: SOLG). The Company has on issue a total of 2,072,213,494 fully-paid ordinary shares and 113,175,000 share options.

Quality Assurance / Quality Control on Sample Collection, Security and Assaying

SolGold operates according to its rigorous Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) protocol, which is consistent with industry best practices.

Primary sample collection involves secure transport from SolGold's concessions in Ecuador, to the ALS certified sample preparation facility in Quito, Ecuador. Samples are then air freighted from Quito to the ALS certified laboratory in Lima, Peru where the assaying of drill core, channel samples, rock chips and soil samples is undertaken. SolGold utilises ALS certified laboratories in Canada and Australia for the analysis of metallurgical samples.

Samples are prepared and analysed using 100g 4-Acid digest ICP with MS finish for 48 elements on a 0.25g aliquot (ME-MS61). Laboratory performance is routinely monitored using umpire assays, check batches and inter-laboratory comparisons between ALS certified laboratory in Lima and the ACME certified laboratory in Cuenca, Ecuador.

In order to monitor the ongoing quality of its analytical database, SolGold's QA/QC protocol encompasses standard sampling methodologies, including the insertion of certified powder blanks, coarse chip blanks, standards, pulp duplicates and field duplicates. The blanks and standards are Certified Reference Materials supplied by Ore Research and Exploration, Australia.

SolGold's QA/QC protocol also monitors the ongoing quality of its analytical database. The Company's protocol involves Independent data validation of the digital analytical database including search for sample overlaps, duplicate or absent samples as well as anomalous assay and survey results. These are routinely performed ahead of Mineral Resource Estimates and Feasibility Studies. No material QA/QC issues have been identified with respect to sample collection, security and assaying.

Reviews of the sample preparation, chain of custody, data security procedures and assaying methods used by SolGold confirm that they are consistent with industry best practices and all results stated in this announcement have passed SolGold's QA/QC protocol.

The data aggregation method for calculating Copper Equivalent (CuEq) for down-hole drilling intercepts and rock-saw channel sampling intervals are reported using copper equivalent (CuEq) cut-off grades with up to 10m internal dilution, excluding bridging to a single sample and with minimum intersection length of 50m.

Copper Equivalent is currently calculated (assuming 100% recovery of copper and gold) using a Gold Conversion Factor of 0.751 (CuEq = Cu + Au x 0.751), calculated from a current nominal copper price of US$3.30/lb and a gold price of US$1700/oz.

True widths of downhole intersections are not well constrained. Drill hole one was inclined -55degrees towards the east, and the interpreted trend of the Cacharposa Intrusive Complex and its associated porphyry copper-gold mineralisation is subvertical, dipping approximately 85-90 degrees to the west.  The true width of down-hole intersections reported are therefore expected to be approximately 55-60% of the down-hole lengths.

See www.solgold.com.au for more information. Follow us on twitter @SolGold plc

CAUTIONARY NOTICE

News releases, presentations and public commentary made by SolGold plc (the "Company") and its Officers may contain certain statements and expressions of belief, expectation or opinion which are forward looking statements, and which relate, inter alia, to interpretations of exploration results to date and the Company's proposed strategy, plans and objectives or to the expectations or intentions of the Company's Directors.  Such forward-looking and interpretative statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors beyond the control of the Company that could cause the actual performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from such interpretations and forward-looking statements.

Accordingly, the reader should not rely on any interpretations or forward-looking statements; and save as required by the exchange rules of the TSX and LSE or by applicable laws, the Company does not accept any obligation to disseminate any updates or revisions to such interpretations or forward-looking statements.  The Company may reinterpret results to date as the status of its assets and projects changes with time expenditure, metals prices and other affecting circumstances.

This release may contain "forward‑looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.  Forward‑looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the Company's plans for developing its properties.  Generally, forward‑looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". 

Forward‑looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward‑looking information, including but not limited to: transaction risks; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; future prices of mineral prices; accidents, labour disputes and shortages and other risks of the mining industry.  Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.  There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such  forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, risks relating to the ability of exploration activities (including assay results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; the preliminary nature of visual assessments; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other required approvals; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; the global economic climate; fluctuations in commodity prices; the ability of the Company to complete further exploration activities, including drilling; delays in the development of projects; environmental risks; community and non-governmental actions; other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry; the ability of the Company to retain its key management employees and skilled and experienced personnel; and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.  Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward‑looking information.  The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Company and its officers do not endorse, or reject or otherwise comment on the conclusions, interpretations or views expressed in press articles or third-party analysis, and where possible aims to circulate all available material on its website.

 

END

 

 

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