TSX:ORV
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES/
This news release does not constitute an offer
of securities for sale in the United
States. Securities may not be offered or sold in
the United States absent
registration with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission or an exemption from registration. There will be no
public offering of any of the securities mentioned in this news
release in the United
States.
This press release shall not constitute an
offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities
in any jurisdiction.
TORONTO, July 31,
2024 /CNW/ - Orvana Minerals Corp. (TSX:
ORV) (the "Company" or "Orvana") is pleased to announce the
successful placement of 80.11% of the offered bonds in Bolivia, the keystone to financing its Oxides
Stockpile Project at the Don Mario Operation. The bonds are being
offered solely by Empresa Minera Paitití, S.A. ("EMIPA", the
Company's subsidiary in Bolivia)
and only through the facilities of the Bolivian stock exchange. The
Company is also reporting additional financing transactions related
to the Oxides Stockpile Project closed by EMIPA in Bolivia, and the filing at the Bolivian stock
market by EMIPA of its unaudited Financial Statements for the third
quarter of the fiscal year 2024 ended June
30, 2024 ("Q3 FY2024"). Orvana is not offering any
securities under the financings to restart the Don Mario
Operation.
Juan Gavidia, CEO of Orvana
Minerals Corp. stated: "This placement is the key step in the
financing process of the Oxides Stockpile Project in Bolivia. We continue focusing our efforts on
the completion of the remaining financing requirements to restart
the Don Mario Operation. Upon closing of 80% of the bonds offering
in Bolivia, EMIPA is making plans
to prepare for the Don Mario Plant expansion, expecting to start
construction before the end of 2024".
Bond Program
In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, EMIPA initiated the process
for the issuance of a US $47 million
Bond Program through the Bolivian stock market (the "Bond
Program"). In September 2023, EMIPA
received the Autoridad de Supervisión del Sistema Financiero
("ASFI") approval of its registration as an eligible Bond Issuer in
the Bolivian stock market. In November
2023, ASFI approved EMIPA's proposed Bond Program to be
offered in the Bolivian stock market. In February 2024, EMIPA notified the market in
Bolivia of its intention to
commence the bonds offering. On July 30,
2024, EMIPA's agent commenced the bond offering on a best
effort basis, achieving an 80.11% placement of the Bond Program by
the end of the day thereof. The net proceeds of the Bond
Program will be used to partially finance the Oxides Stockpile
Project.
Bond Program highlights are:
Denomination: Bonos Emipa I
Type of security: Bonds, mandatory and redeemable in a fixed
term
Currency: Bolivianos
Total Offering Amount: Bs 327.120.000,00 (US $47 million)
Offering deadline: Aug 19, 2024
Units: 32.712
Nominal value: Bs. 10.000,00 / unit
Term: 1,080 days (since issue date)
Interest rate: 6.8% nominal, annual and fixed
Security: Don Mario Plant – New circuits
Covenants: financial ratios (debt coverage, debt coverage third
parties and leverage)
Bonds Program Placement – July 30,
2024 (first tranche):
Units placed: 26,206 (80.11% of the total
units)
Total nominal value: Bs. 262,060,000 (US $37.65 million)
EMIPA is currently in the process of offering the remaining
units under the Bond Program to complete the bond portion of the
financing for the Oxides Stockpile Project.
EMIPA General Update
Through EMIPA, the Company is focused on restarting production
at Bolivia developing the Oxides
Stockpile Project (the "OSP"), consisting of a plant expansion to
treat ore stockpiled in the Don Mario Operation from previous years
of mining activity. After analyzing an economic way to treat its
oxides stockpile, EMIPA concluded that an acid leaching circuit
would maximize the value of the stockpile. EMIPA has completed the
quality assurance (metallurgical) testing, engineering plans and
CAPEX and OPEX estimates. Subject to securing sufficient funding,
EMIPA is focused on commencing the construction of the OSP at the
Don Mario mine and subsequently operate the treatment facility to
treat the oxides. The OSP is projected to operate for 35 months,
starting after a 13-month construction period.
The proposed OSP financing structure includes:
- US $47 million Bond Program, as
the main financing source, for CAPEX;
- US $33 million working capital
during construction and ramp-up phases (including without
limitation, equity at the EMIPA level and a prepayment facility
with third-parties that the Company is currently evaluating);
and
- US $3 million bank debt in
Bolivia, which had already been
secured in fiscal 2023.
During the month of July 2024,
EMIPA completed the following:
- 80.11% placement of the Bond Program units, for a total nominal
amount of US $37.65 million.
- Issuance of 56,414 non-voting preferred shares, for a total
amount of approximately US $811,000
representing 2.59% ownership of EMIPA in total. Preferred shares
were issued by EMIPA as a private placement in Bolivia, Orvana has not offered any
securities. Orvana currently holds a 100% interest in the common
shares of EMIPA, and 97.41% aggregate interest in EMIPA.
- Four promissory notes have been contracted, for a total amount
of approximately US $1.4 million,
with a due date September 2024.
- Invested in several local short term financial instruments, all
of them sold as of July 30, incurring
in a net cost of US $2M.
EMIPA intends to use the net proceeds of the Bond Program,
issuance of non-voting preferred shares and promissory notes to
partially finance its proposed Oxides Stockpile Project and for
general corporate purposes. As of the date hereof, EMIPA continues
to work on closing the remaining Bond Program in Bolivia and working on additional financing to
secure the remaining financing required for the OSP construction
and ramp-up phases.
The Company will provide updates on the progress of EMIPA's Bond
Program offering in Bolivia and
the OSP development when further material information becomes
available.
EMIPA reports in Bolivia Q3
FY2024 Financial Results
The Company's Bolivian subsidiary has filed at the Bolivian
stock market its unaudited Financial Statements for the third
quarter of the fiscal year 2024. In September 2023, ASFI, Bolivia's financial regulator, approved and
registered EMIPA as an eligible bond issuer on the Bolivian stock
market. As a registered bond issuer on the Bolivian stock market,
EMIPA is required to file its quarterly financial statements with
ASFI.
The unaudited Financial Statements can be viewed at the
following ASFI landing page (the "ASFI Page"):
https://www.asfi.gob.bo/index.php/registro-rmv/mv-entidades-inscritas-en-el-rmv.html
To search for EMIPA's financial statements, select the following
at the ASFI Page:
ENTIDADES REGULADAS – EMISORES: Empresa Minera
Paitití, S.A. EMIPA
Ver: Estados Financieros
Orvana's consolidated Q3 FY2024 financial highlights will be
released with the third quarter financials, expected mid-August,
2024.
ABOUT ORVANA – Orvana is a multi-mine gold-copper-silver
company. Orvana's assets consist of the producing El Valle and
Carlés gold-copper-silver mines in northern Spain, the Don Mario gold-silver property in
Bolivia, currently in care and
maintenance, and the Taguas property located in Argentina. Additional information is available
at Orvana's website (www.orvana.com).
Cautionary Statements – Forward-Looking
Information
Certain statements in this presentation constitute
forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within
the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking
statements"). Any statements that express or involve discussions
with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans,
projections, objectives, assumptions, potentials, future events or
performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as
"believes", "expects", "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating
that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would",
"might", "will", "are projected to" or "confident of" be taken or
achieved) are not statements of historical fact, but are
forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements herein relate to, among other
things, Orvana's ability to achieve improvement in free cash flow;
the ability to maintain expected mining rates and expected
throughput rates at El Valle Plant; the potential to extend the
mine life of El Valle and Don Mario beyond their current
life-of-mine estimates including specifically, but not limited to,
Orvana's ability to optimize its assets to deliver shareholder
value; estimates of future production (including without
limitation, production guidance), operating costs and capital
expenditures; mineral resource and reserve estimates; statements
and information regarding future feasibility studies and their
results; future transactions; future metal prices; the ability to
achieve additional growth and geographic diversification; and
future financial performance, including the ability to increase
cash flow and profits; future financing requirements; mine
development plans; the possibility of the conversion of inferred
mineral resources to mineral reserves; and Orovalle's ability to
finalize the definitive Collective Bargain Agreement.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a
number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered
reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are
inherently subject to significant business, economic and
competitive uncertainties and contingencies, which includes,
without limitation, as particularly set out in the notes
accompanying the Company's most recently filed financial
statements. The estimates and assumptions of the Company contained
or incorporated by reference in this news release, which may prove
to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to the various
assumptions set forth herein and in Orvana's most recently filed
Management's Discussion & Analysis and Annual Information Form
in respect of the Company's most recently completed fiscal year
(the "Company Disclosures") or as otherwise expressly incorporated
herein by reference as well as: there being no significant
disruptions affecting operations, whether due to labour
disruptions, supply disruptions, power disruptions, damage to
equipment or otherwise; permitting, development, operations,
expansion and acquisitions at El Valle, Don Mario and Taguas being
consistent with the Company's current expectations; political
developments in any jurisdiction in which the Company operates
being consistent with its current expectations; certain price
assumptions for gold, copper and silver; prices for key supplies
being approximately consistent with current levels; production and
cost of sales forecasts meeting expectations; the accuracy of the
Company's current mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates;
labour and materials costs increasing on a basis consistent with
Orvana's current expectations; and the availability of necessary
funds to execute the Company's plan. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, this news release also contains
certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
applicable securities legislation, including, without limitation,
references to the results of the Company's exploration activities,
including but not limited to, drilling results and analyses,
mineral resource estimation, conceptual mine plan and operations,
internal rate of return, sensitivities, taxes, net present value,
potential recoveries, design parameters, operating costs, capital
costs, production data and economic potential; the timing and costs
for production decisions; permitting timelines and requirements;
exploration and planned exploration programs; and the Company's
general objectives and strategies.
A variety of inherent risks, uncertainties and factors, many
of which are beyond the Company's control, affect the operations,
performance and results of the Company and its business, and could
cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated
or anticipated events or results expressed or implied by forward
looking statements. Some of these risks, uncertainties and factors
include: the potential impact of global health and global economic
conditions on the Company's business and operations, including: our
ability to continue operations; and our ability to manage
challenges presented by such conditions; the general economic,
political and social impacts of the continuing conflict
between Russia and Ukraine, our ability to support the
sustainability of our business including through the development of
crisis management plans, increasing stock levels for key supplies,
monitoring of guidance from the medical community, and engagement
with local communities and authorities; fluctuations in the price
of gold, silver and copper; the need to recalculate estimates of
resources based on actual production experience; the failure to
achieve production estimates; variations in the grade of ore mined;
variations in the cost of operations; the availability of qualified
personnel; the Company's ability to obtain and maintain all
necessary regulatory approvals and licenses; Orovalle's ability to
complete the permitting process of the El Valle Tailings Storage
Facility increasing the storage capacity; Orovalle's ability to
complete the stabilization project of the legacy open pit wall; the
Company's ability to use cyanide in its mining operations; risks
generally associated with mineral exploration and development,
including the Company's ability to continue to operate the El Valle
and/or ability to resume long-term operations at the Carlés Mine;
the Company's ability to successfully implement an acid leaching
circuit and ancillary facilities to process the current oxides
stockpiles at Don Mario; the Company's ability to successfully
carry out development plans at Taguas; sufficient funding to carry
out development plans at Taguas and to process the oxides
stockpiles at Don Mario; EMIPA's ability to complete the issuance
of the Bonds Program at Bolivia
and any additional required financing to commence the OSP; the
Company's ability to acquire and develop mineral properties and to
successfully integrate such acquisitions; the Company's ability to
execute on its strategy; the Company's ability to obtain financing
when required on terms that are acceptable to the Company;
challenges to the Company's interests in its property and mineral
rights; current, pending and proposed legislative or regulatory
developments or changes in political, social or economic conditions
in the countries in which the Company operates; general economic
conditions worldwide; the challenges presented by global health
conditions; fluctuating operational costs such as, but not limited
to, power supply costs; current and future environmental matters;
and the risks identified in the Company's disclosures. This list is
not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's
forward-looking statements and reference should also be made to the
Company's Disclosures for a description of additional risk
factors.
Any forward-looking statements made herein with respect to
the anticipated development and exploration of the Company's
mineral projects are intended to provide an overview of
management's expectations with respect to certain future activities
of the Company and may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans,
estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions and, except as
required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to
update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to
these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. The forward-looking statements made in this information
are intended to provide an overview of management's expectations
with respect to certain future operating activities of the Company
and may not be appropriate for other purposes.
SOURCE Orvana Minerals Corp.