With a mining lease application underway and a scoping study that shows excellent economics, Impact Minerals’ game-changing, advanced Lake Hope high-purity alumina project makes for a compelling investment case.
Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) is an exploration and development mining company focused on discovering and developing new resource projects within Australia. Lake Hope, a transformational acquisition by the company and its current flagship asset, is a high-purity alumina (HPA) project in Impact’s home territory of Western Australia, a tier-one jurisdiction.
This advanced-stage project allows the company to fast-track the asset toward development, firmly establishing the company on the road to production and increasing shareholder value.
HPA is a high-value product with various uses in several industries that are key to the transition to a low-carbon world. It is mainly used in LED lighting, micro-LED screens, and ceramic-coated separators in lithium-ion batteries. Both these markets are forecast to grow dramatically over the next decade, and a looming supply shortage is predicted for 2026.
HPA is also necessary for producing synthetic sapphire and scratch-resistant glass. With these ever-widening applications for HPA, demand for this resource is expected to grow from US$3.18 billion to US$12.21 billion by 2030 with a compounded annual growth rate of about 20 percent.
Lake Hope is the company’s current focus as it moves towards production, and where a very shallow, high-grade resource of HPA precursor material has been identified in the top two meters of a dry salt lake. The deposit has unique physical and chemical properties that will allow for inexpensive digging and mining, with transportation to a processing facility off-site in an established industrial area. This will accelerate the approvals processes required to get into production.
With a mining lease application pending, Impact aims to bring Lake Hope, which contains almost 1 million tons of potential HPA, into production when the forecast average price for 4N HPA (99.99 percent Al2O3) and related products is about US$20,000 per ton. The ‘4N’ designation indicates the purity grade, making it suitable for high-tech end uses.
Outstanding economics from the latest scoping study released by the company shows Lake Hope’s potential to be the lowest-cost producer of HPA globally by up to 50 percent.
Lake Hope has a maiden mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 3.5 million tons at 25.1 percent alumina (Al2O3) for a contained 880,000 tons of alumina. The company also received heritage clearances for the entire Lake Hope deposit further de-risking the project and providing another critical component in the company’s application for a mining lease.
Impact completed a bulk sampling and test pits program at the Lake Hope project in December 2023, and later reached a key milestone by producing HPA greater than 99.99 percent (4N) purity from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope.
In February 2024, a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays was identified. Impact produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 from a low-temperature leach (LTL) process. The LTL process may lower the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process which underpinned the recent scoping study. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study in parallel with the sulphate process at marginal extra cost to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
A comparison of the LTL process and the sulphate process
The company is well funded to finance the pre-feasibility study at the Lake Hope High Purity Alumina project and exploration activities at the Arkun battery minerals project.
Impact Minerals has been awarded a $2.87 million grant for the commercialisation of its innovative process to produce High Purity Alumina (HPA) from the Lake Hope deposit. The grant is under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program which fosters short-term, industry-led research collaborations. The grant is part of an estimated $6.4 million research and development project to be completed within three years and designed to provide Impact with the relevant information required to complete a definitive feasibility. A key component of the grant funding will be to construct a pilot plant, which is a key goal for 2025, and this will provide consistent material for off-take and qualification trials.
Impact Minerals was also one of the inaugural cohort of seven companies selected to be part of the prestigious BHP Xplor program. BHP Xplor, an accelerator program introduced by BHP in August 2022, is designed to help provide participants with the opportunity to accelerate their growth and the potential to establish a long-term partnership with BHP and its global network of partners.
The BHP Xplor funding was used to identify new target areas for copper and other energy metals around the Broken Hill area in New South Wales, eastern Australia, where Impact has been quietly adding to its ground position for several years.
Additionally, the company is exploring its large Arkun battery metals project, also in Western Australia which covers nearly 2,900 square kilometres. Three new exploration licence applications were submitted recently immediately north of the Arkun project along trend from the recently discovered REE soil geochemistry anomalies at Hyperion, Swordfish and Horseshoe, and the Caligula copper anomaly. These anomalies require drill testing which will occur in 2024 and is an exciting development in the emerging mineral province of southwest WA.
A strong management team with over 50 years of combined industry experience leads the company. With a mining and exploration geology degree, Dr. Mike Jones, managing director, launched a long career consulting and leading mining organizations. Peter Unsworth, the non-executive chairman, has more than 35 years of experience in multiple financial sectors, such as securities industries and wealth management. Paul Ingram, a non-executive director, has led several mining companies since 2003. Impact Minerals has the experience and expertise to lead the company to success.
Impact Minerals’ Lake Hope HPA project is in Western Australia, a tier-one mining jurisdiction. HPA is a crucial component in many new and emerging technologies, creating ongoing demand for high-grade sources. The Lake Hope project is the company’s flagship as it moves toward production.
The scoping study was underpinned by a sulphuric acid process allowing the company to achieve a new milestone by producing HPA with purity of more than than 99.99 percent (4N) from the metallurgical processing of lake clays acquired from Lake Hope. The company further identified a new proprietary metallurgical process for producing HPA from the lake clays. Known as the low-temperature leach (LTL) process, this also produced 99.99 percent (4N) Al2O3 and has the potential to lower even further the capital and operating costs to produce HPA compared to the sulphate process. The LTL process will be included in the ongoing pre-feasibility study along with the sulphate process to determine the best processing route to HPA. The PFS is due to be completed in late 2024.
The Broken Hill project has a significant land position of 815 square kilometers and hosts multiple targets with the potential for high-grade copper. Broken Hill is located in New South Wales, Australia, an area known for its prolific silver-lead-zinc mining operations and the giant Broken Hill deposit.
The Arkun project is a 2,900-square-kilometer nickel, copper and gold project located in the emerging Ni-Cu-PGE province near the world-class Julimar Ni-Cu-PGE deposit and surrounded by Anglo American Corporation, which secured its ground holding shortly after Impact secured its asset. Anglo-American is one of the world’s top ten mining companies, and their presence in the region brings confidence in the project’s potential.
Peter Unsworth, formerly a chartered accountant, has over 35 years of experience in the corporate finance, investment and securities industries and a wealth of management experience with public and private companies. A former executive director with a leading Western Australian stockbroking company, Unsworth has been a director of several public exploration and mining companies. He recently completed a long time serving as chairman of the Western Australian Government-owned Gold Corporation (operator of The Perth Mint). Unsworth is the founding chairman of Impact Minerals.
Dr. Mike Jones is the founding managing director of Impact Minerals Limited, which was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in November 2006. Reporting to the board of directors, he is responsible for the company's performance as it moves towards production at its Lake Hope High Purity Alumina Project and also for implementing strategies to explore and maximize the value of the company's other extensive tenement holdings.
Since listing, he has helped raise more than $60 million to help fund the exploration of Impact’s projects and managed the company through significant adverse events, including the global financial crisis and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which affected Impact’s considerable investment in the uranium sector, a five-year global downturn in the mining sector and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paul Ingram is a geologist with extensive experience managing major mineral exploration programs for several publicly listed companies and has been involved in the mining sector for over thirty years. He has designed and implemented innovative techniques for exploration in remote areas and has managed projects in countries throughout Australia and East Asia. Ingram has been a director of the following listed companies in the past three years: Polo Resources from January 2008 to January 2011; A-Cap Resources since June 2009; Consolidated Global Investments since September 2006; Caledon Resources from February 2003 to March 2008; and Australian Pacific Coal since March 2011.
Dr. Frank Bierlein is a geologist with 30 years of experience as a consultant, researcher, lecturer and industry professional. Bierlein has held exploration and generative geology management positions with QMSD Mining, Qatar Mining, Afmeco Australia and Areva NC, and consulted for, among others, Newmont Gold, Resolute Mining, Goldfields International, Freeport McMoRan, and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He is currently a non-executive director of PNX Metals. He was previously a non-executive director of Gold Australia NL and chaired the advisory board of a Luxembourg-based private equity fund between 2014 and 2021.
Highlights
Table 1: January 2025 Rock Chip Sampling Results
Figure 1 – Example of the mineralised rock chips collected in December 2024 for analysis.
Figure 1 shows two example rock chips collected which have been interpreted to exhibit fresh sulphide and Fe oxide after sulphide in hand sample. Observations of field samples correlate well with assay results returned and Dart looks to use this to unlock additional drill targets across the Triumph Project.
Figure 2 shows the assay results relative to the Southern Corridor current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) locations. Results of historical rock chip sampling in these areas by Metal Bank and Roar Resources (ASX: MBK April 2014) include:
Figure 2 – Plan map showing completed assays of the 7 rock chip samples
Next steps
At the Triumph Gold Project, Dart intends to:
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Dart Mining NL, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G)
("B2Gold" or the "Company") announces that it has priced its previously announced offering of convertible senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "Notes") in an aggregate principal amount of US$400 million (the "Offering"). The Company has granted the initial purchasers of the Notes an option for a period of 15 days to purchase up to an additional US$60 million aggregate principal amount of Notes.
The Notes will bear cash interest semi-annually at a rate of 2.75% per annum. The initial conversion rate for the Notes will be 315.2088 common shares of B2Gold ("Shares") per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes, equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately US$3.17 per Share. The initial conversion rate represents a premium of approximately 35% relative to today's closing sale price of the Shares and is subject to adjustment in certain events.
B2Gold will have the right to redeem the Notes in certain circumstances and holders will have the right to require B2Gold to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of certain events.
The Offering is expected to close, subject to customary closing conditions, on or about January 28, 2025.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund working capital requirements and for general corporate purposes. In order to reduce interest expense, the Company will initially apply the net proceeds to pay down the outstanding balance under the Company's revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") and then subsequently use future draws on the Revolving Credit Facility to fund such working capital requirements and for general corporate purposes.
In connection with the Offering, B2Gold entered into a cash settled total return swap with respect to approximately US$50 million of Shares with one of the initial purchasers of the Notes. The total return swap is intended to give B2Gold economic exposure to its Shares during the term of the total return swap, which is expected to be approximately one month. In connection with establishing its initial hedge of the total return swap, B2Gold was advised that the total return swap counterparty or its affiliate purchased Shares at the close of trading today. Such purchases may have the effect of increasing (or reducing the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Shares. Any unwind of such hedge positions, including at settlement of the total return swap, may have the effect of decreasing (or reducing the size of any increase in) the market price of the Shares or the Notes.
The Notes and the Shares issuable upon the conversion thereof have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or qualified by a prospectus in Canada. The Notes and the Shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an applicable exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Notes will be offered only to "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). Offers and sales in Canada will be made only pursuant to exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws.
This news release is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of, the Notes or any other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.
About B2Gold
B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, the Goose Project under construction in northern Canada and numerous development and exploration projects in various countries including Mali, Colombia and Finland.
ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP.
"Clive T. Johnson"
President and Chief Executive Officer
Source: B2Gold Corp.
This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward-looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements. The Forward-looking Statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements relating to the Offering, the option to purchase additional Notes, if any, the terms of the Notes, the anticipated timing for closing of the Offering, the anticipated use of proceeds and certain statements related to the total return swap. These Forward-looking Statements are based on certain assumptions that B2Gold has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "planned", "reflecting", "will", "anticipated", "estimated" "containing", "remaining", "to be", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.
Forward-looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of B2Gold to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, without limitation, risks relating to the need to satisfy the conditions expected to be set forth in the purchase agreement for the Notes; the need to satisfy regulatory and legal requirements with respect to the Offering; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, a copy of which can be found on the Company's profile on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar. Although B2Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. B2Gold does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Investor Relations: Michael McDonald VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Development +1 604-681-8371 investor@b2gold.com Cherry DeGeer Director, Corporate Communications +1 604-681-8371 investor@b2gold.com
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO, NYSE AMERICAN: BTG, NSX: B2G)
("B2Gold" or the "Company") announces that it has priced its previously announced offering of convertible senior unsecured notes due 2030 (the "Notes") in an aggregate principal amount of US$400 million (the "Offering"). The Company has granted the initial purchasers of the Notes an option for a period of 15 days to purchase up to an additional US$60 million aggregate principal amount of Notes.
The Notes will bear cash interest semi-annually at a rate of 2.75% per annum. The initial conversion rate for the Notes will be 315.2088 common shares of B2Gold ("Shares") per US$1,000 principal amount of Notes, equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately US$3.17 per Share. The initial conversion rate represents a premium of approximately 35% relative to today's closing sale price of the Shares and is subject to adjustment in certain events.
B2Gold will have the right to redeem the Notes in certain circumstances and holders will have the right to require B2Gold to repurchase their Notes upon the occurrence of certain events.
The Offering is expected to close, subject to customary closing conditions, on or about January 28, 2025.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to fund working capital requirements and for general corporate purposes. In order to reduce interest expense, the Company will initially apply the net proceeds to pay down the outstanding balance under the Company's revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") and then subsequently use future draws on the Revolving Credit Facility to fund such working capital requirements and for general corporate purposes.
In connection with the Offering, B2Gold entered into a cash settled total return swap with respect to approximately US$50 million of Shares with one of the initial purchasers of the Notes. The total return swap is intended to give B2Gold economic exposure to its Shares during the term of the total return swap, which is expected to be approximately one month. In connection with establishing its initial hedge of the total return swap, B2Gold was advised that the total return swap counterparty or its affiliate purchased Shares at the close of trading today. Such purchases may have the effect of increasing (or reducing the size of any decrease in) the market price of the Shares. Any unwind of such hedge positions, including at settlement of the total return swap, may have the effect of decreasing (or reducing the size of any increase in) the market price of the Shares or the Notes.
The Notes and the Shares issuable upon the conversion thereof have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or qualified by a prospectus in Canada. The Notes and the Shares may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an applicable exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The Notes will be offered only to "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). Offers and sales in Canada will be made only pursuant to exemptions from the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws.
This news release is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of, the Notes or any other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.
About B2Gold
B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, the Goose Project under construction in northern Canada and numerous development and exploration projects in various countries including Mali, Colombia and Finland.
ON BEHALF OF B2GOLD CORP.
"Clive T. Johnson"
President and Chief Executive Officer
Source: B2Gold Corp.
This news release contains forward-looking statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward-looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward-looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward-looking Statements. The Forward-looking Statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements relating to the Offering, the option to purchase additional Notes, if any, the terms of the Notes, the anticipated timing for closing of the Offering, the anticipated use of proceeds and certain statements related to the total return swap. These Forward-looking Statements are based on certain assumptions that B2Gold has made in respect thereof as at the date of this news release. Often, but not always, these Forward-looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "planned", "reflecting", "will", "anticipated", "estimated" "containing", "remaining", "to be", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.
Forward-looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of B2Gold to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, without limitation, risks relating to the need to satisfy the conditions expected to be set forth in the purchase agreement for the Notes; the need to satisfy regulatory and legal requirements with respect to the Offering; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, a copy of which can be found on the Company's profile on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar. Although B2Gold has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. B2Gold does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Investor Relations: Michael McDonald VP, Investor Relations & Corporate Development +1 604-681-8371 investor@b2gold.com Cherry DeGeer Director, Corporate Communications +1 604-681-8371 investor@b2gold.com
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
