For
immediate release
8 January
2025
ATOME PLC
("ATOME"
or the "Company")
Director / PDMR
Shareholding
ATOME (AIM: ATOM), the leading
developer of international green fertiliser projects is pleased to
announce an acquisition of shares by Peter Levine, the Chair of
ATOME.
ATOME has been notified that
Molecular Energies Limited ("Molecular"), the former parent company
of ATOME prior to the Company's spin out and IPO in 2021, has
transferred at the request of IYA Global Limited ("IYA"), a BVI
registered company whose ultimate entire beneficial shareholder is
Peter Levine, 1,000,000 ordinary shares in ATOME ("ATOME Shares")
to the Levine Foundation and 1,038,038 ATOME Shares to Peter
Levine, for a value equivalent to £1.02 per ATOME Share,
representing 4.2% of the entire issued share capital of ATOME in
total and separately 2.14% in respect of Peter Levine.
As previously announced on 20 March
2023, the entire holding of Molecular in ATOME was charged to IYA
as part of amended financial arrangements securing certain
outstanding indebtedness owed by Molecular to IYA, pursuant to
which Molecular also granted an option to IYA ("IYA Option") over
2,038,038 ATOME Shares (the "Option Shares") at a price of £1.062
per Option Share using the exchange rate of $1.20 to the pound.
Using the current rate of currency exchange, this equates to a
price of £1.02 per Option Share amounting to a transaction value
for the Option Shares in aggregate of US$2.6m, representing a 119%
premium over the share price of ATOME as at close of business on 6
January 2025.
Following the exercise of the IYA
Option, Peter Levine is now beneficially interested in 8,731,667
ATOME Shares representing 17.99% of the issued share capital of the
Company, comprising 3,542,771 ATOME Shares held directly, and a
further 1,630,000 ATOME Shares held in trust for the benefit
of Peter Levine by Alpha Energies Invest GmbH, and 3,558,896 ATOME
Shares held by PLLG Investments Limited (all of which is ultimately
held in trust for Peter Levine).
Molecular now has a beneficial
interest in 6,234,007 ATOME Shares representing 12.85% of the
issued share capital of the Company.
Concert Party interest
Following the exercise of the IYA
Option, the interest of the members of the Concert Party including
Peter Levine, the Chairman and founder of ATOME (as defined in the
Admission Document published on 17 December 2021), remains
unchanged in aggregate at 37.841% of the existing issued share
capital. As the members of the Concert Party currently hold more
than 30% but less than 50%. of the Company's voting share capital,
for so long as they continue to be treated as acting in concert,
any further increases in the Concert Party's interests in Ordinary
Shares are subject to the provisions of Rule 9 of the Takeover
Code.
For
more information, please visit https://www.atomeplc.com or contact:
ATOME PLC Nikita Levine,
Investor Relations
|
+44 (0) 113 337 2210
info@atomeplc.com
|
Beaumont Cornish (Nominated Adviser)
Roland Cornish, Michael Cornish
|
+44 (0) 20 7628 3396
|
Stifel (Broker)
Jason Grossman, Ashton
Clanfield
|
+44 (0) 20 7710 7600
|
SP
Angel (Broker) Richard Hail,
Caroline Rowe
|
+44 (0) 20 3490 0470
|
FTI
Consulting (Communications Adviser)
Elizabeth Adams, Ben
Brewerton
|
+44 (0) 20 3727 1000
atome@fticonsulting.com
|
About ATOME
ATOME PLC is an AIM-listed company
targeting green fertiliser production with 445-megawatt of projects
in Paraguay and a further pipeline of potential projects in Central
America.
ATOME's first project in Villeta,
Paraguay, benefits from a 145MW renewable power purchase agreement
and 43 hectares of land in a tax-free zone. Front End Engineering
Design studies have been completed and Heads of Terms signed with
Yara International, the leading international fertiliser company,
for offtake of all of Villeta's green fertilizer production. The
Company is now negotiating the project finance with a view to
commencing work in early 2025. There is a further 300MW of
renewable power reserved for ATOME in Paraguay.
In Costa Rica, The National Ammonia
Corporation S.A. was formed in 2022 with local partner Cavendish
S.A. based in Costa Rica to develop green fertiliser projects for
the region. As well as straddling the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,
Costa Rica is a democratic Central American country. In
agriculture, Costa Rica is the second largest supplier of
pineapples in the world and is in the top ten banana
growers.
All power for ATOME is from 100%
renewable sources and all chosen sites are located close to the
power and water sources and export facilities to serve significant
domestic and then international demand.
The Company has a green-focused
Board which is supported by major shareholders including Peter
Levine, Schroders, a leading fund manager, and Baker Hughes, a
global technology company operating in the energy and industry
sectors.
Other
information
Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish") is the Company's
Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA.
Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's Nominated
Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company
on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM
Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock
Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be
responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded
to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation
to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any
matter referred to in it.
APPENDIX
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1
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Details of the person discharging managerial
responsibilities/person closely associated
|
|
a)
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Name
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Peter Levine
|
|
2
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Reason for the notification
|
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a)
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Position/status
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Chairman
|
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b)
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Initial
notification/Amendment
|
Initial notification
|
|
3
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Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant,
auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor
|
|
a)
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Name
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ATOME Plc
|
|
b)
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LEI
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13800PLO4T7BYXL5I51
|
|
4
|
Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i)
each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each
date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been
conducted
|
|
a)
|
Description of the financial
instrument, type of instrument
Identification code
|
Ordinary shares of 0.2 pence
each
ISIN: GB00BP4BSM10
|
|
b)
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Nature of the transaction
|
Exercise of option over existing
Ordinary Shares
|
|
c)
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Price(s) and volume(s)
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Price(s)
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Volume(s)
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£1.02
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1,038,038
|
|
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d)
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Aggregated information
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n/a (single transaction)
|
|
e)
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Date of the transaction
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7 January 2025
|
|
f)
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Place of the transaction
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Outside of a trading
venue
|
-ends-