Marimaca Copper Corp. (“Marimaca Copper”, “Marimaca” or the
“Company”) (TSX: MARI) and Assore International Holdings Limited
(“AIH”) are pleased to announce a C$68 million equity investment
(the “Strategic Investment”) by AIH in Marimaca.
The Strategic Investment consists of the
acquisition of 9,417,210 common shares of Marimaca (“Common
Shares”) by AIH from an affiliate of Tembo Capital Mining
GP Limited, Ndovu Capital XIV B.V. (collectively, “Tembo
Capital”) (the “Tembo Acquisition”), at a
price of C$4.50 per Common Share for gross proceeds to Tembo
Capital of C$42,377,445 pursuant to a share purchase agreement
dated July 15, 2024 and the issuance of 5,725,000 units
(“Units”) of the Company to AIH by way of a
non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of C$25,762,500
pursuant to a subscription agreement dated July 15, 2024 (the
“AIH Private Placement”).
Each Unit consists of one Common Share and one
half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share
purchase warrant a “Warrant”) at a price of C$4.50
per Unit. Each Warrant will entitle AIH to purchase one additional
Common Share at an exercise price of C$5.85 for a period of 18
months following the closing of the AIH Private Placement.
Following completion of the Strategic Investment and the Additional
Private Placement (as defined below), AIH will own approximately
14.99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a non-diluted
basis and 18.07% of the Common Shares on a partially diluted basis
(assuming the exercise in full of the Warrants held by AIH and the
exercise of the Option described and defined below). Prior to the
Tembo Acquisition and the AIH Private Placement, AIH did not own
any securities of Marimaca.
The Unit subscription price represents a 15%
premium to the 20-day volume weighted average price of the Common
Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”)
as of July 12, 2024.
In addition, another investor will subscribe for
1,000,000 Units by way of private placement on the same pricing
terms as the AIH Private Placement for gross proceeds of
C$4,500,000 (the “Additional Private Placement”)
(together with the AIH Private Placement the “Private
Placements”).
Proceeds from the Private Placements will be
used to advance the development of the Company’s flagship Marimaca
Copper Project (the “Project”) located in the
Antofagasta region, Chile and for exploration work programs at key
targets within the Company’s regional land package, as further
detailed below.
Hayden Locke, President & CEO of
Marimaca Copper, commented:“Firstly, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank Tembo for its strong support of the
Company. When conflicting investment and project development
timelines meet, especially with one of a Company’s key investors,
it can create challenges for management. With this transaction,
Tembo has introduced a new investor that is perfectly aligned with
the Company’s longer-term objective, to be a copper producer. I am
also very pleased that Tembo’s former nominee Director, Tim
Petterson, has agreed to stay on the Board as an independent
director.
Secondly, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I
would like to welcome our new partner, Assore International
Holdings Limited (AIH), to the Marimaca team. AIH has completed
extensive due diligence and is aligned with our objective of
becoming a copper producer, while continuing to invest in
exploration and other opportunities for value creation. AIH and its
parent company Assore Holdings bring a valuable combination of deep
mining heritage, business acumen and financial strength, which
further derisks us on our development journey.
Lastly, we welcome Kieran Daly (Managing
Director of Assore International Holdings Limited) to the Board as
the Nominee of AIH and look forward to working closely with him,
and the broader Assore group, as we push ahead with our development
plans.”
Kieran Daly, Managing Director of Assore
International Holdings Limited, commented:“We look forward
to working alongside the Marimaca team as another step in our
journey to diversify and grow our exposure to commodities and
projects that are key to meeting the future needs of the global
consumer, in a safe and sustainable manner. The well-defined
Marimaca resource along with its considerable upside and
medium-term copper production potential, is very interesting to us,
and we are excited to partner with Marimaca by leveraging our
mining heritage, experience and expertise to realise Marimaca's
potential.”
About Assore
Assore International Holdings Limited (AIH) is a
UK-based subsidiary of Assore Holdings (Pty) Limited, the apex
company of the Assore Group. The South Africa-headquartered Assore
Group is privately held and has been engaged in the mining,
processing and marketing of a range of ores, minerals and metals
for almost 100 years, mainly in South Africa. AIH, which was formed
in 2020, houses the Group’s emerging international mining and
marketing operations and investments which up to now has comprised
strategic shareholdings in Gemfields Group Limited, Atlantic
Lithium Limited and Vision Blue Resources. Visit www.assore.com for
more information.
Marimaca intends to use the proceeds of the
Private Placements to fund the technical and related costs in
respect of the Definitive Feasibility Study
(“DFS”), technical and related costs in respect of
the detailed design and engineering programs at the Project
following completion of the DFS, the preparation, implementation
and execution of the environmental permitting process at the
Project, costs related to the continued exploration at the
Company’s regional targets (including the Sierra de Medina property
block) and any such further costs relating to the Company’s
properties, including but not limited to, the Project, including
for the avoidance of doubt, general and administrative expenses.
The Strategic Investment and the Additional Private Placement are
expected to close on or about July 22, 2024 and are subject to the
approval of the TSX and customary closing conditions of
transactions of this nature.
In connection with the AIH Private Placement,
certain rights and restrictions shall apply:
- For a period of
9 months from closing, AIH has agreed to not sell or transfer any
Common Shares
- For a period of
12 months from closing, AIH has agreed that it will not transfer or
sell any Common Shares to any third party whereby said party would
hold, in aggregate, greater than 9.99% of the Common Shares after
completion of the sale or transfer without prior written consent of
the Company, at its sole discretion
- AIH has agreed
that, for a period of 12 months following completion of the AIH
Private Placement, it shall not increase its ownership of Common
Shares, on a fully diluted basis, above 15.0% subject to certain
exceptions
- AIH has agreed
that it will not, at any time, increase its ownership of Common
Shares (on a fully-diluted basis) above 19.99% unless otherwise
agreed to in writing with the Company and subject to applicable
Canadian securities laws and the rules and regulations of the
TSX
- For so long as
AIH maintains an ownership interest of at least 12.5%, AIH will be
granted participation rights that enable it to maintain its pro
rata ownership interest in the Company
- For so long as
AIH maintains an ownership interest of at least 12.5%, AIH will
have the right to nominate one member for election to the Company’s
Board of Directors
- AIH will have
the right to appoint one additional nominee to the Company’s Board
of Directors if the ratio of (a) AIH's ownership percentage in the
Company on a non-diluted basis to (b) the percentage of AIH's
representatives on the Board of Directors of the Company following
exercise of the additional appointment, equals to or exceeds
0.99
- AIH will have
the right to appoint one member to the Project’s Technical and
Environmental Committee
In connection with the Strategic Investment,
Greenstone Resources L.P. and certain of its affiliates have agreed
to waive their respective pre-existing rights to participate on a
pro rata basis in equity financings by the Company. Pursuant to
Mitsubishi Corporation’s (“Mitsubishi”)
pre-existing rights to participate on a pro rata basis in equity
financings by the Company (see announcement dated June 21, 2023),
Mitsubishi will have the right to elect to maintain its pro rata
ownership in the Company within 30 business days of the closing of
the Private Placements. Mitsubishi’s current ownership, prior to
giving effect to the Private Placements, is approximately 4.92%
based on public filings. Assuming Mitsubishi exercises its right in
full, AIH will own approximately 14.94% of the Common Shares on a
non-diluted basis.
Upon closing of the Private Placements, a cash
introduction fee is expected to be paid to Lionhead Capital
Advisors in connection with the AIH Private Placement and 56,000
Common Shares will be issued as a finder’s fee to an individual in
connection with the Additional Private Placement.
Additional Early Warning
Disclosure
The Common Shares and Warrants will be acquired
by AIH for investment purposes. In addition to the Tembo
Acquisition and the AIH Private Placement, AIH has the option to
purchase up to an additional 756,695 Common Shares from Tembo (the
“Option”) at a price equal to the greater of (i)
C$4.50 per Common Share; and (ii) the 30-day volume-weighted
average price of the Common Shares on the TSX as of the date on
which the Option is exercised. The Option is exercisable at AIH’s
discretion at any time within 30 business days of the first
anniversary of the closing of the Tembo Acquisition.
Other than the potential exercise of the
Warrants and/or the Option, AIH has no current plan or intentions
which relate to, or would result in, acquiring additional
securities of Marimaca, disposing of securities of Marimaca, or any
of the other actions requiring disclosure under the early warning
reporting provisions of applicable securities laws. Depending on
market conditions, AIH’s view of Marimaca’s prospects and other
factors AIH considers relevant, AIH may acquire additional
securities of Marimaca from time to time in the future, in the open
market or pursuant to privately negotiated transactions, or may
sell all or a portion of its securities of Marimaca.
An early warning report with additional
information in respect of the Tembo Acquisition and the AIH Private
Placement will be filed and made available under the SEDAR+ profile
of Marimaca at www.sedarplus.ca. To obtain a copy of the early
warning report, you may also contact Janine Govender at
janinegovender@assore.com. AIH’s address is 5 Charlecote Mews,
Staple Gardens, Winchester, United Kingdom, SO23 8SR. Marimaca’s
head office is located at Suite 2400, 75 Thurlow Street, Vancouver,
BC V6E 0C5.
About MarimacaMarimaca Copper is a
Canadian exploration and development company focused on developing
the Marimaca Project, an oxide, open-pit, heap leach copper project
located in the Antofagasta region of northern Chile. The Company’s
shares trade on the TSX under the symbol “MARI” and on the OTCQX
under the symbol “MARIF”.
Contact InformationFor further
information please visit www.marimaca.com or contact:
Tavistock +44 (0) 207 920
3150Jos Simpson / Adam Baynesmarimaca@tavistock.co.uk
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes certain
“forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities
legislation, including statements related to the Strategic
Investment and the Additional Private Placement and the respective
terms thereof, the anticipated fees payable, the anticipated
closing date, the intended use of proceeds of the Private
Placements, the receipt of regulatory approvals including the
approval of the TSX and AIH’s future intentions regarding the
securities of Marimaca. There can be no assurance that such
statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs,
opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and
are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while
considered reasonable by Marimaca Copper, are inherently subject to
significant business, economic, competitive, political and social
uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and
unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to
be materially different from the results, performance or
achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions
and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such
factors include, without limitation: risks related to fulfilling
the conditions to closing of the Strategic Investment and the
Additional Private Placement including receipt of required
regulatory approvals, risks related to share price and market
conditions, the inherent risks involved in the mining, exploration
and development of mineral properties, the uncertainties involved
in interpreting drilling results and other geological data,
fluctuating metal prices, the possibility of project delays or cost
overruns or unanticipated excessive operating costs and expenses,
uncertainties related to the necessity of financing, uncertainties
relating to regulatory procedure and timing for permitting reviews,
the availability of and costs of financing needed in the future as
well as those factors disclosed in the annual information form of
the Company dated March 26, 2024 and other filings made by the
Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which
may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca). Statements regarding the
Company’s planned DFS on the Project are forward-looking statements
and may not be realized. Accordingly, readers should not place
undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Marimaca Copper
undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any
forward-looking statements contained herein whether as a result of
new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be
required by law.
Certain information contained in this news
release has been prepared by AIH, which information has not been
independently audited or verified by the Company. No representation
or warranty, express or implied, is made by the Company as to the
accuracy or completeness of such information contained in this news
release.
Neither the TSX nor the Canadian Investment
Regulatory Organization accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this news release.
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