Orbite Provides Corporate Update
04 Oktober 2018 - 10:50PM
Orbite Technologies Inc. (NEX: ORT.H) (“Orbite” or the “Company”)
today provided an update on its progress in implementing the
solutions to resolve the issues encountered with the calcination
equipment, as part of its plan to emerge from the protection of the
Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”).
Update on Financial
Situation
- Further to its press release of July 16, 2018, the Company
announced on July 30th that it had received both the CDN$3.5
million Settlement Payment and the CDN$4.0 million DIP Loan from
the calcination equipment supplier (the “Transaction”). The
terms and conditions of the DIP Loan as well as the rank of the
security granted are disclosed in more detail on SEDAR.
- Computershare Trust Company of Canada, in its capacity as
trustee for the holders of the 2015 ITC Debentures (the “Lender”)
of the $7.45 million DIP financings, confirmed to the Company that
it had waived Orbite’s obligation to repay the borrowed sums under
both DIP financings until October 1, 2018. Discussions are ongoing
with the Lender to extend such waiver to a later date in order to
allow for the completion of the modifications to the calcination
equipment before having to repay such borrowed sums.
- According to the Company’s cashflow projections filed with the
CCAA Court, the Settlement Payment, the DIP Loan and other sources
of funds expected to be received from other parties should allow
the Company to increase its workforce, proceed to the modifications
of the calcination equipment and the high purity alumina plant (the
“HPA Plant”), and maintain operations into April of 2019.
Management still expects operations at the HPA Plant to re-commence
during the second quarter of 2019.
- Orbite received earlier this year a $5 million installment
(approximately 50% of the amount claimed) from the Government of
Québec towards its 2016 Québec Investment Tax Credits (the “2016
ITC”), related to equipment purchased for manufacturing and
processing in the Gaspé region. The Company expects to
receive another installment of the 2016 ITC claimed before the end
of the year once the customary audit is completed. Such $5 million
installment was deposited in a segregated account and serves as
security for the convertible debentures issued in August 2016.
All of the ITC for the year 2015 were received and, as
mentioned above, $7.45 million were converted into the DIP
financings.
Update on Outotec Calcination
Equipment
- Concurrently with the closing of the Transaction, the Company
and Outotec entered into a new supply agreement in relation with
the re-commencement of the operation of the calcination equipment
at the HPA Plant. (See July 16 press release)
- Subsequent to the Transaction, the technical teams re-engaged
to progress the detailed engineering and order the materials needed
for the implementation of the required modifications.
- Concurrently with the above, Orbite is finalizing the design of
the changes to the plant required as a result of the modifications
to the calcination equipment. Work at the site on the upstream
plant sections commenced in September and is expected to start in
late October on the calcination system.
- The critical path remains the delivery and replacement of the
refractory bricks required for modifications in the decomposer and
delivery is slated for late January 2019.
- Accordingly, the Company plans on starting up the
hydrometallurgical section of the plant in February 2019 to
re-commence production of ACH and the pyrometallurgical section
(calcination) in the second quarter of 2019.
- The Company has commenced recalling technical and
operating/maintenance personnel in order to implement the
above. This effort will continue into early 2019.
The Company will provide further updates as
developments occur.
There can be no guarantees that Company will
otherwise be successful in its restructuring efforts and will
emerge from CCAA protection.
About OrbiteOrbite Technologies
Inc. is a Canadian cleantech company whose innovative and
proprietary processes are expected to produce alumina and other
high-value products, such as rare earth and rare metal oxides, at
one of the lowest costs in the industry, and in a sustainable
fashion, using feedstocks that include aluminous clay, kaolin,
nepheline, bauxite, red mud, fly ash as well as serpentine residues
from chrysotile processing sites. Orbite is currently in the
process of finalizing its first commercial high-purity alumina
(HPA) production plant in Cap-Chat, Québec and has completed the
basic engineering for a proposed smelter-grade alumina (SGA)
production plant, which would use clay mined from its Grande-Vallée
deposit. The Company's portfolio contains 15 intellectual property
families, including 44 patents and 38 pending patent applications
in 11 different countries and regions. The Company also operates a
state of the art technology development center in Laval, Québec,
where its technologies are developed and validated.
Forward-looking
statementsCertain information contained in this document
may include "forward-looking information". Without limiting the
foregoing, the information and any forward-looking information
include statements regarding projects, costs, objectives and future
returns of the Company or hypotheses underlying these items. In
this document, words such as "may",” confident”, "would", "could",
"will", "likely", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend",
"plan", "estimate" and similar words and the negative form thereof
are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance
or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of
whether, or the times at or by which, such future performance will
be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information are based
on information available at the time and/or the Company
management's good-faith beliefs with respect to future events and
are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions
and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the
Company's control. Risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could affect anticipated results and future events also include,
but are not limited to, those described in the section of the
Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) entitled "Risk and
Uncertainties" as filed on July 28, 2017 on SEDAR, including those
under the headings “Going Concerns”, Commercial Operation of HPA
Plant”, “We will need to raise capital to continue our growth” and
“Development Goals and Time Frames” described in the MD&A filed
on March 31, 2017.
The Company does not intend, nor does it
undertake, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
information or statements contained in this document to reflect
subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise,
except as required by applicable laws.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE
CONTACT: Orbite Technologies Inc.Geneviève Marchand,
Corporate SecretaryTel.: 450 680-3341Email:
info@orbitetech.com
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