1 March 2024
HORIZONTE CORPORATE
UPDATE
Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM/TSX: HZM) ("Horizonte" or the
"Company") announces that as part of
the interim funding package as announced on 27th
December 2023, pursuant to which the existing senior lenders had
agreed to waivers including the deferral of interest originally due
at 31st December 2023 to the end of February 2024, such senior lenders
have now agreed to extend the waivers until the 29th
March 2024.
The Company will continue to work
closely with its major shareholders and senior lenders on a full
funding solution, targeted for the end of Q2 2024. While a strong
focus remains on controlling costs during this period, as announced
on 19th February 2024, the Company expects that it will
require an additional interim funding to implement such full
funding solution. As at 27 February 2024, the Company had a cash
balance of US$24.8 million (excluding cash that is segregated for
the development of the Vermelho Project) which is currently
expected to provide sufficient working capital until mid-April
2024. However, this may vary depending on the progress of
discussions with creditors, the cash expenditure profile of the
Araguaia Project and potential working capital saving measures
being explored by the Company.
At this time, there can be no
guarantee that a re-financing and re-structuring solution will lead
to a positive outcome for existing shareholders and noteholders of
the Company, nor that senior lenders will continue to extend the
waivers (including interest deferral) until a full funding solution
is completed. Further updates will be provided in due
course.
In the meantime, the Company's
Brazilian subsidiary Araguaia Níquel Metais Ltda ("ANML"), which is
the borrower of the senior loan facilities, may need to resort to
certain protective measures to negotiate indebtedness and work on a
restructuring plan to be approved by its creditors. This would be
sought by ANML to allow it a longer period to negotiate or mediate
with creditors and would be aimed at ensuring the negotiations can
be undertaken in a balanced and transparent manner, whilst
assisting to protect its cash in the short term during the relevant
period in which protective measures are in force.
The Company considers that an
application for protective measures by ANML would not directly
impact Horizonte Minerals plc's current financial condition.
However, as a guarantor of ANML's debt under the senior loan
facilities, if claims are made in relation to the guarantee, the
Company may also need to consider applying for protective measures
that may be available to it, in the event that a re-financing and re-structuring solution for the group is
not achieved or if no agreement is reached with senior lenders with
respect to further extensions of the abovementioned
waivers.
This announcement contains inside
information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation
596/2014, as retained in the UK pursuant to the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018.
For
further information, visit www.horizonteminerals.com
or
contact:
Horizonte Minerals plc
Patrick Chambers (Head of
IR)
|
info@horizonteminerals.com
+44 (0) 203 356 2901
|
Peel
Hunt LLP (Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker)
Ross Allister
David McKeown
Bhavesh Patel
|
+44 (0)20 7418 8900
|
BMO
(Joint Broker)
Thomas Rider
Pascal Lussier Duquette
Andrew Cameron
|
+44 (0) 20 7236 1010
|
Barclays (Joint Broker)
Philip Lindop
Richard Bassingthwaighte
|
+44 (0)20 7623 2323
|
ABOUT HORIZONTE MINERALS
Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM/TSX:
HZM) is developing two 100%-owned, Tier 1 projects in Pará state,
Brazil - the Araguaia Nickel Project and the Vermelho Nickel-Cobalt
Project. Both projects are high-grade, low-cost, with low carbon
emission intensities and are scalable. Araguaia is under
construction and when fully ramped up with both Line 1 and Line 2,
is forecast to produce 29,000 tonnes of nickel per year. Vermelho
is at feasibility study stage and is expected to supply nickel to
the critical metals market. Horizonte's combined production profile
of over 60,000 tonnes of nickel per year positions the Company as a
globally significant nickel producer. Horizonte's top three
shareholders are La Mancha Investments S.à r.l., Glencore Plc and
Orion Resource Partners LLP.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
INFORMATION
Except for statements of historical
fact relating to the Company, certain information contained in this
press release constitutes "forward-looking information" under
Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information
includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Company to
complete any planned acquisition of equipment, statements with
respect to the potential of the Company's current or future
property mineral projects; the ability of the Company to complete a
positive feasibility study regarding the second RKEF line at
Araguaia on time, or at all, the ability of the Company to complete
a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho Project on
time, or at all, the success of exploration and mining activities;
cost and timing of future exploration, production and development;
the costs and timing for delivery of the equipment to be purchased,
the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of
the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral
resources; the realization of mineral resource and reserve
estimates and achieving production in accordance with the Company's
potential production profile or at all. 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 statements that certain
actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or
"will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking
information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates,
analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience
and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected
developments, as well as other factors that management believes to
be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that
such statements are made, and are inherently 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 risks related to: the inability of the Company to
complete any planned acquisition of equipment on time or at all,
the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study
regarding the implementation of a second RKEF line at Araguaia on
the timeline contemplated or at all, the ability of the Company to
complete a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho
Project on the timeline contemplated or at all, exploration and
mining risks, competition from competitors with greater capital;
the Company's lack of experience with respect to development-stage
mining operations; fluctuations in metal prices; uninsured risks;
environmental and other regulatory requirements; exploration,
mining and other licences; the Company's future payment
obligations; potential disputes with respect to the Company's title
to, and the area of, its mining concessions; the Company's
dependence on its ability to obtain sufficient financing in the
future; the Company's dependence on its relationships with third
parties; the Company's joint ventures; the potential of currency
fluctuations and political or economic instability in countries in
which the Company operates; currency exchange fluctuations; the
Company's ability to manage its growth effectively; the trading
market for the ordinary shares of the Company; uncertainty with
respect to the Company's plans to continue to develop its
operations and new projects; the Company's dependence on key
personnel; possible conflicts of interest of directors and officers
of the Company, and various risks associated with the legal and
regulatory framework within which the Company operates, together
with the risks identified and disclosed in the Company's disclosure
record available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at
www.sedar.com, including without limitation, the annual information
form of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the
Araguaia and Vermelho Technical Reports available on the Company's
website https://horizonteminerals.com/. Although management of 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 statements will prove to be accurate, as
actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements.