LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
14 December 2018
Metal Tiger Plc
(“Metal Tiger” or the “Company”)
Botswana Copper/Silver Project – All Prospecting Licences Now Extended & Transferred
Metal Tiger plc (AIM:MTR), the London Stock Exchange AIM listed investor in strategic natural resource opportunities, is pleased to provide an update regarding the exploration activities of the Company’s new Joint Venture (“New JV”), Tshukudu Exploration (Pty) Ltd (“Tshukudu Exploration”), in the Kalahari Copper Belt in Botswana. The Company holds a 30% interest in Tshukudu Exploration via Metal Capital Exploration Ltd, with MOD Resources Ltd (“MOD”) (ASX:MOD) holding the remaining 70%. In addition, the Company holds approximately 12.5% of the issued share capital of MOD. For further information on the New JV, please see the Company’s announcements of 18 July 2018 and 16 November 2018.
Highlights
- All JV Prospecting Licences (PLs) have been granted two-year extensions ahead of the scheduled expiry/renewal date on 31 December 2018. There was no reduction in land area, all ground is retained under the extensions. These approvals follow on from the first eight of 18 licences being extended and transferred to the New JV as announced 26 October 2018.
- New prospecting licence PL093/2018 has been issued for three years to 30 September 2021.
-
All PLs (excluding PL190/2008) have now been transferred to the New JV
in-country exploration company, Tshukudu Exploration.
- PL190/2008 includes the T3 Project, with all areas excluding the T3 Project being held on trust for the New JV.
- Total area under licence now covers 8,163km2, of which 3,350km2 includes the highly prospective T20 Exploration Project.
Michael McNeilly, Chief Executive Officer of Metal Tiger, commented:
“We are delighted to report that the Botswana Minister for Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security has now granted all prospecting licence extensions, and that these licences have been successfully transferred into the New JV.
These extensions, together with the new prospecting licence, secure title over a very prospective tract of the Kalahari Copper Belt, including the Central Structural Corridor which is yielding some very exciting targets and offers the potential of new copper deposit discoveries.”
This announcement coincides with an update released today by MOD which can be viewed through the following link: https://www.asx.com.au/asx/share-price-research/company/MOD
The technical information contained in this disclosure has been read and approved by Mr Nick O’Reilly (MSc, DIC, MAusIMM, FGS), who is a qualified geologist and acts as the Competent Person under the AIM Rules - Note for Mining and Oil & Gas Companies. Mr O’Reilly has visited the T3 site and reviewed MOD’s drilling and sampling protocols and procedures. Mr O’Reilly is a Principal consultant working for Mining Analyst Consulting Ltd, which has been retained by Metal Tiger to provide technical support.
Metal Tiger currently holds 31,064,220 MOD ordinary shares, representing approximately 12.5% of MOD’s issued share capital; 40,673,566 unquoted options with a nil exercise price expiring on 15 November 2021; and 154,167 options over MOD ordinary shares, each exercisable at AU$0.06 per MOD ordinary share on or before 15 April 2019.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR").
For further information on the Company, visit: www.metaltigerplc.com:
| Michael McNeilly | (Chief Executive Officer) | Tel: +44 (0)20 7099 0738 | |||
| Mark Potter | (Chief Investment Officer) | ||||
|
Richard Tulloch
James Dance Jack Botros |
Strand Hanson Limited (Nominated Adviser) | Tel +44 (0)20 7409 3494 | |||
| Nick Emerson | SI Capital (Broker) | Tel: +44 (0)1483 413 500 | |||
|
Gordon Poole
James Crothers Monique Perks |
Camarco (Financial PR) | Tel: +44 (0)20 3757 4980 |
Notes to Editors:
Metal Tiger plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM Market (“AIM”) with the trading code MTR and invests in high potential mineral projects with a base, precious and strategic metals focus.
The Company’s target is to deliver a high return for shareholders by investing in significantly undervalued and/or high potential opportunities in the mineral exploration and development sector. The Company’s key strategic objective is to ensure the distribution to shareholders of major returns achieved from disposals. Metal Tiger has two investment divisions, Direct Equities and Direct Projects.
The Direct Equities division invests in undervalued natural resource companies listed on AIM, the ASX and the TSX. Through the trading of equities and warrants, Metal Tiger seeks to generate cash for investment in the Direct Projects division.
Metal Tiger’s Direct Projects division is focused on the development of its key project interests in Botswana, Spain and Thailand. In Botswana, Metal Tiger, through its 12.5% interest in MOD Resources Limited and related JV, has a growing interest in the large and highly prospective Kalahari copper/silver belt. In Spain, the Company has tungsten and gold interests in the highly mineralised Extremadura region. In Thailand, Metal Tiger has interests in two potentially near-production stage lead/zinc/silver mines as well as licences, applications and critical historical data covering antimony, copper, gold, lead, zinc and silver opportunities.
The Company actively assesses new investment opportunities on an on-going basis and has access to a diverse pipeline of new opportunities in the natural resources and mining sectors. For pipeline opportunities deemed sufficiently attractive, Metal Tiger may invest in the project or entity by buying publicly listed shares, by financing privately and/or by entering into a joint venture.
Background information on the T3 Project
The T3 Project is located on the Kalahari Copper Belt in northern Botswana and is a Copper/Silver Project. T3 is located within the central part of the T3 Dome Complex (approximately 1,000km2), which is the focus of rapidly increasing exploration activity undertaken by MOD. Two significant resources have been discovered to date within the T3 Dome: T1 (Mahumo deposit 100% MOD) and T3 (100% MOD).
The T3 Deposit was discovered in March 2016 when a reverse circulation (“RC”) drill hole intersected 52m @ 2.0% Cu and 32g/t Ag from shallow depth. The maiden T3 JORC (2012) compliant Mineral Resource Estimate was announced on 26 September 2016 with the first Resource upgrade announced on 24 August 2017. The results of a Scoping Study for an open pit mine at T3 with a 2Mtpa processing plant, an indicative mine life of 10 years and an average production rate of 21,800tpa of copper and 665,000oz pa of silver was released on 6 December 2016. Work on a Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) commenced in January 2017 and additional deeper copper mineralisation was discovered below the T3 Resource in February 2017.
The Phase 2 drilling at the T3 Copper/Silver Deposit commenced on 7 August 2017, with approval granted for the recommencement of both diamond core (“DC”) and RC drilling at the T3 Project and its vicinity, through to December 2018 (which has subsequently been extended to December 2020). This included 90 DC drill holes designed to infill the Resource and test for possible extensions. The objective of the infill programme is to increase geological confidence and upgrade categorisation of the T3 Resource. The programme also included grid drilling to investigate the potential for an underground Resource down-dip and along strike from the planned open-pit, and to investigate geophysical targets. Drilling approval has been granted for the wider T3 Dome with the acceptance of the T3 Dome EMP announced on 3 April 2018.
The results of the T3 Open Pit Pre-Feasibility Study were announced on 31 January 2018; the revised and upgraded T3 Copper/Silver Deposit Mineral Resource Estimate was announced on 2 July 2018; and a Resource re-classification announced on 16 July 2018.
The T3 Open Pit Feasibility Study, towards a decision to mine, is currently underway.
Outside of the T3 Project licence area, Tshukudu Exploration, the Metal Tiger (30%) and MOD (70%) joint venture, continues to conduct regional exploration on the highly prospective Kalahari Copper Belt.