LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Aug. 29, 2017) - Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM:HZM)(TSX:HZM) ('Horizonte' or 'the Company'), the nickel development company focused in Brazil, is pleased to report the progress to date of the on-going Feasibility Study ('FS') on its 100%-owned Araguaia nickel project ('Araguaia' or 'the Project'). The Company is developing Araguaia as Brazil's next ferro-nickel mine.
Highlights: FS is progressing on schedule and is over 60% complete, with targeted completion Q4 2017 into Q1 2018
Horizonte CEO Jeremy Martin said, "We are making good progress towards the completion of the Feasibility Study and with over 60% of the work streams complete to date the Feasibility Study remains on schedule to be completed on budget around the end of the year with targeted publishing in early 2018.
"The next major milestone and de-risking step for the Project will be the award of the Installation Licence, which allows construction to start. We are now in a position to submit all the documentation for the Installation Licence to the environmental agency in Q3 2017 with a view to the award of the licence in Q1 2018.
"There has been a steady increase in the nickel price over the last eight weeks with prices now over US$11,000 per tonne, this aligned with our project milestones over the next 12 months should see increased interest in the Company as we advance the project through to the construction stage."
Further Details
Work completed for Process Design and Engineering segments of the Feasibility Study which are being undertaken by Worley Parsons Canada Services Ltd. ('Worley Parsons') includes the following:
Work completed or at an advanced stage of development in the Geology and Mining segments of the study being undertaken by Snowden Mining Industry Consultants ('Snowden') includes the following:
Social & Environmental Activities
Licensing:
Additionally, Environmental Resources Management (ERM) consultants continue to progress the sustainability sections of the FS in line with Equator principles and IFC performance standards.
The Araguaia Nickel Project
Araguaia, which is 100% owned by Horizonte, is located on the eastern margin of the State of Par??, north-eastern Brazil, to the north of the town of Concei????o do Araguaia (population of 46,206), south of the main Caraj??s Mining District.
The Project has good regional infrastructure including a network of Federal highways and roads, with access to low tariff hydro-electric power. The Caraj??s Mining District, situated approximately 200km northwest of Araguaia, is host to a number of major iron and copper mines operated by mining major Vale SA.
The PFS released in October 2016 considers open pit mining for the exploitation of nickel laterite to establish the production of run of mine ('ROM') from eight open pits to supply a targeted 0.9 million tonnes per annum ('Mt/a') of ore to a processing and smelter facility. This facility will use the proven RKEF process with the product being sold at free on board ('FOB') at the selected port of export.
A Base Case of 0.9 Mt/a production throughput was selected because of the Company's objective to minimise the capital expenditure and overall capital intensity, and to optimise overall cash flow, payback, and the economics of the Project.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.
For further information visit www.horizonteminerals.com.
About Horizonte Minerals:
Horizonte Minerals plc is an AIM and TSX-listed nickel development company focused in Brazil, which wholly owns the advanced Araguaia nickel laterite project located to the south of the Caraj??s mineral district of northern Brazil. The Company is developing Araguaia as the next major nickel mine in Brazil, with targeted production by 2019.
The Project has good infrastructure in place including rail, road, water and power.
Horizonte has a strong shareholder structure including Teck Resources Limited 17.9%, Lombard Odier Asset Management (Europe) Limited 14.11%, Richard Griffiths 14.5%, JP Morgan 8.4%, Hargreave Hale 6.4% and Glencore 6.4%.
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, statements with respect to the potential of the Company's current or future property mineral projects; the success of exploration and mining activities; cost and timing of future exploration, production and development; the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral resources; and the realization of mineral resource and reserve estimates. 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: 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.
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.
Horizonte Minerals plc
Jeremy Martin
+44 (0) 20 7763 7157
Horizonte Minerals plc
David Hall
+44 (0) 20 7763 7157
www.horizonteminerals.com
finnCap Ltd (Corporate Broking)
Emily Morris
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finnCap Ltd (Corporate Finance)
Christopher Raggett
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James Thompson
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Anthony Adams
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Shard Capital (Joint Broker)
Damon Heath
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Shard Capital (Joint Broker)
Erik Woolgar
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Lottie Brocklehurst
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Megan Dennison
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