Final Results
Goldplat plc / Ticker: GDP / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining &
Exploration
15 September 2009
Goldplat plc ('Goldplat' or the 'Company')
Preliminary Statement
Goldplat plc, the AIM listed gold producer, is pleased to announce
its results for the year ended 30 June 2009.
Overview
* Record pre-tax profits of £2.4 million for the year ended
30 June 2009 (2008: £1.6 million)
* Healthy cash position with £2.2 million in the bank (2008:
£1.5 million)
* South African and Ghanaian gold recovery plants performing
strongly - production totalled 21,068 ounces ('oz') of gold ('Au')
(2008: 19,322 oz Au)
* Stocks of materials for processing in South Africa and Ghana
continued to increase securing future production - 88,000 oz of
contained gold in stockpiles
* Finalising agreement to acquire remaining 50% of Kilimapesa
Gold (Pty) Limited ('Kilimapesa Gold') in Kenya from International
Gold Exploration AB ('IGE') for US$2.7 million
* Developing Kilimapesa Hill gold mining project with a view
to establishing a formal mining operation - working towards a JORC
compliant resource to clarify its economic potential
* Evaluating opportunities to acquire other mining projects
with deposits of between 200,000 and 1,000,000 oz Au with a short
lead time to production throughout Africa
Chairman's Statement
This has been another year of strong growth, increasing production at
both our recovery plants in South Africa and Ghana, and advancing our
Kenyan gold mining operation. We are delivering on our strategy of
consolidating our position as the market leader in gold recovery from
by-products of the mining process in Africa and advancing our
activities in gold mining in order to achieve our objective of
becoming a mid-tier gold mining house.
We have continued to expand the range of materials being processed
and the techniques used at our recovery plants and have also focused
on developing the Kilimapesa Hill gold mining project in Kenya with a
view to establishing a formal mining operation. Additional projects
are also being evaluated, primarily in West Africa, as we endeavour
to expand our portfolio, utilise our strong treasury and leverage the
expertise of the team to generate further value.
During the period under review we have increased profitability at the
recovery operations, producing 13,960 oz Au (2008: 15,239 oz Au) from
the South African operations and 7,108 oz Au (2008: 4,083 oz Au) from
the Ghanaian operations for the financial year ended 30 June 2009.
This generated strong revenue of £11.1 million (2008: £7.7 million)
culminating in pre-tax profits of £2.4 million (2008: £1.6 million).
Exceptional items affected the headline profit. The sale of 15% of
our South African operations to satisfy Black Economic Empowerment
('BEE') rules resulted in a profit of £420,000. Against that there
is a charge of £134,000 in respect of the options granted to
directors and senior management. The strong improvement of the South
African Rand exchange rate against the United States Dollar during
the second half of the year negated the large gains achieved at half
year. From a trading point of view the second half remained strong.
Our cash position remained healthy with £2.2 million (2008: £1.5
million) in the bank. No dividend is proposed as the profits will be
retained for further expansion of our operations and to accelerate
our growth strategy.
We have continued to build stockpiles of materials to process at both
our gold recovery plants. To this end, we have 37,000 oz of
contained gold in stockpiles at our South African plant, with a
further 16,000 oz contractually secured off-site, and 35,000 oz of
contained gold in stockpiles in Ghana, securing future production.
Additionally we increased capacity at the South African operations by
commissioning a larger mill and increasing our flotation capacity.
In Ghana we purchased a fluidised bed incinerator and installed a
spiral plant which is currently being commissioned. These
improvements will have a positive effect on future production and
enhance the flexibility of the operations. At current prices and
average production costs in the region of £413 per oz Au (2008: £372
per oz Au) at our South African operations and £456 per oz Au (2008:
£393 per oz Au) in Ghana, I believe the potential of our operations
to generate significant cash flow for the Company is very evident.
Our wholly owned subsidiary, Gold Mineral Resources Limited (GMR),
has agreed to acquire the remaining 50% interest in Kilimapesa Gold
from IGE, together with IGE's loans to Kilimapesa Gold. On
completion Goldplat will own 100% of the project. Kilimapesa Gold
includes the Kilimapesa Hill gold mine and adjacent exploration
assets as per the agreement with IGE. The total consideration for
the acquisition is US$2.7 million, of which US$1.2 million is payable
on completion of the Sale Agreement, and the balance in six monthly
amounts of US$250,000.
As a result Kilimapesa Gold is required to convert its existing
exploration licence to a mining licence, and until the mining licence
is issued Kilimapesa Gold is not permitted to make commercial sales
of gold. This change is now with the Kenyan Authorities, and is
expected to be granted soon. Kilimapesa Gold will then be in a
position to move into commercial production and an announcement
regarding our future mining plans will be made on the issuing of the
mining licence. In addition, we expect to be able to announce a JORC
compliant resource in the near future as a result of our exploration
and development programme.
We had had hoped to commence commercial production of gold at the
Kilimapesa Hill gold mining project early in 2009. Our inability to
sell gold under the previous exploration licence, combined with the
recent modifications to the processing plant, resulted in commercial
production being deferred and the financial statements have been
prepared on the basis the Kilimapesa Gold remained in a
pre-production phase.
In line with our objective of building a mid-tier mining house, we
are also evaluating opportunities to acquire other mining projects
with deposits of between 200,000 and 1,000,000 oz Au with a short
lead time to production throughout Africa. A number are under
evaluation using stringent criteria to ensure that the Company's
resources will not be dissipated. Our focus at this point in the
economic cycle is on the acquisition of mining assets, rather than
building new reprocessing facilities.
Staff relations in all Goldplat's group companies remain good. The
operations have an excellent safety record, with no reportable
accidents at any of our subsidiaries. We greatly benefit from the
support of the governments in the countries in which we operate, and
in turn, we provide employment and contribute towards important
environmental obligations. The Company's continued involvement in
the local communities we operate in has had a beneficial impact on
Goldplat's image.
On a corporate level, John Woolgar, a non-executive Director since
the flotation of Goldplat, has stepped down from the Board with
effect from 31 August 2009, in order to devote more time to new
projects where he has executive responsibilities. I would like take
this opportunity to thank John for all his efforts on behalf of
Goldplat, particularly during the flotation of the Company and
establishing its London presence over the years.
In conclusion, the last year has seen Goldplat build upon its
strengths as the market leader in gold recovery from by-products of
the mining process in Africa to produce record profits. In addition,
our objective of becoming a mid-tier miner is underway with
Kilimapesa Gold moving towards profitable production and other
projects under review. The current favourable gold price environment
is enhancing our value and we are in a strong position for growth. I
believe Goldplat has an exciting potential and a team with which to
realise this.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the executive
directors, management and work force for their dedication and support
over the past year, which resulted in the excellent financial
performance.
Brian Moritz
Chairman
Operations Report
Gold Recovery Operations
Goldplat Recovery (Pty) Ltd ('GRL') - South Africa
GRL is a mature business controlling the majority of available
materials for processing in the sector in South Africa. During the
year it performed strongly, producing 13,960 oz Au (2008: 15,239 oz
Au).
Our business model relies on good relationships with the local mining
houses - we buy their mining by-products and in turn provide them
with an economic waste disposal solution which meets environmental
obligations. To this end, during the year GRL won a number of new
contracts across South Africa and strengthened relationships with
existing clients which in-turn increased our stockpiles of raw
materials for processing to 53,000 oz of contained gold.
Additionally we have entered into a number of new agreements for
product which I believe could see this trend continue.
We also increased milling capacity and installed additional flotation
equipment in the flotation plant section which will enhance the
flexibility and recovery of gold and platinum materials on site.
Following the sale of 15% of its issued shares during the year, GRL
is fully compliant under South African BEE legislation, which we
believe enhances our business connections within South Africa and
improves our competitive position when tendering for processing
contracts. By 1 May 2014 the percentage in the hands of Historically
Disadvantaged South Africans will need to increase to 26%.
Gold Recovery Ghana Limited ('GRG') - Ghana
GRG has performed buoyantly with 7,108 oz Au (2008: 4,083 oz Au)
produced during the year. GRG's strategic location gives it access
to the major mining houses across West Africa. However, there are
plenty of opportunities closer to home in Ghana, where GRG has
identified and evaluated a significant number of surface stockpiles
of gold bearing material with high gold grades. GRG has purchased a
number of these stockpiles and will continue to procure further
material based on evaluation results. Furthermore, GRG has signed
agreements with suppliers, to recover gold from carbon fines located
at properties in Ghana. These raw materials will add to GRG's total
current stockpiles of 35,000 oz of contained gold, which equates to
several years of current production capability.
As part of GRG's optimisation programme, a new fluidised bed carbon
incinerator was installed in July 2009, which will be used to burn
fine carbon as part of the gold recovery process and is expected to
be commissioned shortly. This has increased GRG's processing
capabilities which in-turn will have a positive impact on total
ounces of gold produced and a reduction of the cost per unit from the
recovery plant.
Gold Mining
Kilimapesa Gold - Kenya
Kilimapesa Gold's project is situated in south-western Kenya within
the historically producing Migori Archaean Greenstone Belt. Goldplat
first became involved in the Kilimapesa Hill gold mining project in
June 2007 and since then it has been developing the gold mine with a
view to turning it into a small, high grade, formal mining
operation. As mentioned in the Chairman's Statement, we are close to
completing the acquisition of the remaining 50% of Kilimapesa Gold,
which will see Goldplat wholly owning the project.
During the year we refurbished the Kilimapesa Hill gold mining
project's plant at a cost of £120,000, which included the
installation of a new mill motor, crushing unit, the addition of a
gravity circuit and thickener, an upgrade to the leach section, a new
pumping reticulation circuit, replacement of the electrical
recirculation circuit, a complete refurbishment of the assay
laboratory, and a general upgrade to the safety aspects.
A further £165,000 was expended on underground development and the
equipping of 458 metres of on reef development and 101 metres of
raise development and associated plant and equipment. This also
included the cost of the infrastructure to connect to the national
grid to secure reliable power supply which is expected to be running
shortly.
In terms of exploration and development, a programme was undertaken
to define a JORC compliant resource to clarify the project's economic
potential. Initial results have been encouraging and a JORC
compliant resource will be announced to the market in tandem with an
underground mine development programme once the mining licence from
the Kenyan authorities is granted.
Two new veins, the Mid Vein and the North Vein, were intersected on
Kilimapesa Hill in addition to the existing South Vein, which are all
robust in nature. The Mid Vein displayed visible gold and indicated
thicknesses of up to 100 centimetres. The North Vein is expected to
be the most continuous of the three veins, evidenced by the
continuity of the corresponding artisanal workings on surface. These
workings can be traced over a strike length of over 500 metres.
Additionally, the opening up of an adit 150 metres east of Adit B has
enhanced the understanding of the mine's geological model. This adit
has over 150 metres of existing development, all of which was chip
sampled in February 2009. We are also hopeful that a new adit 60
metres below Adit B can be developed, having received results from a
five-hole diamond drilling programme. The results of the drilling
programme at Adit B are shown below.
Hole UTM Zone 36M Arc Total Intersections (True
No. 1960 Azimuth Angle Hole Width)
Easting Northing Depth From To Au Width
2.35 58
KPB002 697131 9865282 352º -70 39.6m 14.14m 14.72m g/t cms
0.58 96
KPB007 697152 9865277 350º -69º 39.5m 11.97m 12.93m g/t cms
4.03 180
KPB008 697152 9865277 350º -45º 31.9m 19.03m 20.83m g/t cms
4.21 140
KPB011 697177 9865272 355º -65º 40.0m 13.87m 15.27m g/t cms
4.60 150
KPB012 697177 9865272 348º -43º 37.8m 21.23m 22.73m g/t cms
NB. Co-ordinates taken with GPS. To be confirmed by
survey
Goldplat is also continuing to develop its further four exploration
targets, Olepoipoi, Meghor, Teng Teng and Red Ray, as well as
investigating other known high-grade areas with surface mining
potential in order to increase the life of mine.
Demetri Manolis
Chief Executive Officer
Qualified Person
This announcement has been reviewed by Mr. Mark Austin, the group
geologist for Goldplat who has more
than 25 years' relevant experience in the field of activity
concerned. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of South Africa
('GSSA') and has consented to the inclusion of the material in
the form and context in which it appears.
Financial Results
Group and Company Balance Sheets
as at 30 June 2009
Group Group Company Company
2009 2008 2009 2008
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment 2,570 1,885 - -
Pre-production expenditure 884 233 - -
Goodwill 4,778 5,018 - -
Proceeds from sale of shares in 472 - - -
subsidiary
Investments - - 6,425 6,425
Loans to subsidiary companies - - 837 116
8,704 7,136 7,262 6,541
Current assets
Inventories 1,473 1,138 - -
Trade and other receivables 2,012 1,437 26 27
Cash and cash equivalents 2,198 1,486 723 1,024
5,683 4,061 749 1,051
Total assets 14,387 11,197 8,011 7,592
Equity and liabilities
Equity attributable to equity holders
of the Company
Share capital 1,121 1,121 1,121 1,121
Share premium 6,772 6,772 6,772 6,772
Retained earnings 3,414 1,623 70 (356)
Exchange reserves (185) (482) - -
Shareholders' equity 11,122 9,034 7,963 7,537
Minority interests 420 - - -
Total equity 11,542 9,034 7,963 7,537
Non-current liabilities
Provisions 146 109 - -
Deferred tax liabilities 289 241 - -
Loans and borrowings 647 301 - -
1,082 651 - -
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables 1,471 1,145 48 55
Obligations under finance leases - 30 - -
Taxation 292 337 - -
1,763 1,512 48 55
Total equity and liabilities 14,387 11,197 8,011 7,592
Group Income Statement
for the year ended 30 June 2009
Group Group
2009 2008
£'000 £'000
Revenue 11,149 7,713
Cost of sales (8,225) (5,259)
Gross profit 2,924 2,454
Administrative expenses (1,100) (715)
Operating profit 1,824 1,739
Profit on sale of interest in subsidiary 420 -
Finance income 204 82
Finance expense (43) (197)
Profit before tax 2,405 1,624
Taxation (527) (570)
Profit for the year 1,878 1,054
Earnings per share
Basic 1.67p 0.95p
Diluted 1.58p 0.94p
Group and Company Statements of Changes In Equity
for the year ended 30 June 2009
Share Share Retained Exchange Minority
capital premium earnings reserves interest Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Group
Balance at 30 June 1,090 6,556 569 (155) - 8,060
2007
Profit for the year - - 1,054 - - 1,054
Issue of share 31 216 - - - 247
capital
Exchange - - - (327) - (327)
translation loss
Balance at 30 June 1,121 6,772 1,623 (482) - 9,034
2008
Profit for the year - - 1,706 - 172 1,878
Minority interest - - - - (103) (103)
in subsidiary
dividend
Investment by - - - - 351 351
minorities
Treasury shares - (49) - - (49)
Share incentive - - 134 - - 134
scheme reserve
Exchange - - - 297 - 297
translation profit
Balance at 30 June 1,121 6,772 3,414 (185) 420 11,542
2009
Share Share Retained Exchange Minority
capital premium earnings reserves interest Total
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Company
Balance at 30 June 1,090 6,556 (163) - - 7,483
2007
Loss for the year - - (193) - - (193)
Issue of share 31 216 - - - 247
capital
Balance at 30 June 1,121 6,772 (356) - - 7,537
2008
Profit for the year - - 341 - - 341
Share incentive - - 134 - - 134
scheme reserve
Treasury shares - - (49) - - (49)
Balance at 30 June 1,121 6,772 70 - - 7,963
2009
Group and Company Cash Flow Statements
for the year ended 30 June 2009
Group Group Company Company
2009 2008 2009 2008
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations 1,554 1,320 (364) (214)
Financing income 204 82 33 32
Financing costs (33) (188) - -
Taxation paid (577) (439) - -
Net cash from operating activities 1,148 775 (331) (182)
Cash flows from investing activities
Proceeds from sale of property, plant 1 35 - -
and equipment
Acquisition of property, plant and
equipment
- Additions to expand (666) (626) - -
operations
- Pre-production (651) (233) - -
expenditure
Net cash flows from investing (1,316) (824) - -
activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Net proceeds on issues of share capital - 247 - 247
Purchase of treasury shares (49) - (49)
Dividends received - - 800 -
Proceeds from sale of shares in 540 - - -
subsidiary
Net cash acquired with subsidiary - - - 261
Loans to subsidiary - - (721) -
Loans raised 346 301 - -
Finance lease payments (30) (60) - -
Net cash flows from financing 807 488 30 508
activities
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and 639 439 (301) 326
cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning 1,486 1,222 1,024 698
of year
Effect of exchange rate changes on 73 (175) - -
monetary assets
Cash and cash equivalents at end of 2,198 1,486 723 1,024
year
1. The financial information contained in this announcement does not
comprise full statutory accounts.
2. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the
EU. The financial statements have been prepared on the
historical cost basis.
3. No dividend is proposed in respect of the year.
4. The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 October
2009 at 11.00am at 36 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NH. A formal notice
of AGM along with the Annual Report and Accounts will be sent to
shareholders shortly.
* * ENDS * *
For further information visit www.goldplat.com or contact:
Demetri Manolis, CEO Goldplat plc Tel: +27 (0) 11
423 1203
James Joyce WH Ireland Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20
7220 1666
Bill Sharp Alexander David Securities Tel: +44 (0)20
Limited 7448 9820
David Scott Alexander David Securities Tel: +44 (0)20
Limited 7448 9820
Felicity Edwards St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20
7236 1177
Isabel Crossley St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20
7236 1177
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