REG - Arc Minerals Limited - Acquisition of Chingola Project

ARC MineralsAnnouncement

07/04/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 8050D  Arc Minerals Limited  07 April 2025

7 April 2025 UTC 7.00am

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to
constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations
(EU) No. 596/2014 (MAR) as in force in the United Kingdom pursuant to the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the publication of this
announcement via Regulatory Information Service (RIS), this inside information
will be in the public domain.

 

Arc Minerals Ltd

('Arc' or the 'Company')

Acquisition of Chingola Project

 

Arc Minerals (LSE: ARCM), an exploration company focused on developing Tier 1
copper deposits, is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Chingola
Project in the Zambian Copperbelt, subject to the satisfaction of certain
conditions.

 

Highlights

•     Conditional acquisition of a sought-after Tier 1 Exploration
Licence in the Eastern Zambian Copperbelt

•     311km(2) licence area along trend of operating mines owned by
Vedanta and Moxico

•     Fully funded soil sampling programme to commence imminently

•     Successfully expanding Arc's existing high-quality portfolio in
Zambia and Botswana

 

Acquisition of Chingola Project

Arc Minerals has entered into a binding  agreement to acquire the Chingola
Project (Licence 38113-HQ-LEL) in the Zambian Copperbelt. Under the terms of
the agreement, Arc's 100% owned Zambian subsidiary, Foreland Minerals Limited,
will purchase the entire interest in the licence from Brxton Construction
Limited. The agreement is subject to certain customary conditions such as the
completion of satisfactory due diligence and the receipt of necessary consents
and approvals for the transfer.  The consideration for the acquisition
comprises an initial cash payment of USD 50,000 and further staged payments,
subject to specific exploration milestones and regulatory approvals, as
follows:

 

(i)          $25,000 in ordinary shares of Arc Minerals Ltd based on the
preceding 20-day volume weighted average price ("Acquisition Shares"), due
upon full satisfaction or waiver by Arc of all conditions precedent
("Completion") ("Completion Payment");

(ii)       $100,000 in cash and $150,000 in Acquisition Shares on the
earlier of the commencement of a drilling programme or 24 months after
Completion ("First Instalment");

(iii)     $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in Acquisition Shares falling due
within 10 business days of establishing an economic JORC-compliant 500kt+ Cu
resource ("Second Instalment");

(iv)      $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in Acquisition Shares falling due
within 10 business days of completing and announcing a successful definitive
feasibility study; and

(v)          A 2% net smelter royalty, capped at $5M, with a right of
first refusal in favour of Arc pursuant to a royalty agreement to be entered
into on or before Completion.

 

A further announcement will be made when the conditions are satisfied, or
waived and the acquisition completes.

 

Nick von Schirnding, Executive Chairman of Arc Minerals, commented:

 

"The acquisition of the Chingola Project is another important step in Arc's
strategy to expand its presence in the Zambian Copperbelt. We have pursued
this asset for the past c.18 months in a highly competitive environment; being
located in the north-eastern part of the copper belt is very attractive, with
historically higher grades than in the north-west. We will start a
comprehensive soil sampling programme imminently, which is fully funded, and
we look forward to reporting back to shareholders on our initial findings.
Separately, we are in the process of finalising the upcoming drill programme
at the Anglo JV and preparations are underway at site."

 

About the Chingola Project License

 

The 38113-HQ-LEL exploration license was granted on 24 August 2024 and is
initially valid for four years and can be renewed twice for periods of up to
three years each, with a maximum tenure of 10 years.

 

The license area (311km(2)) principally surrounds the Katembula and Chisangwa
Domes in the Eastern Zambian Copperbelt, which are basement complex rocks
outcropping in the Western and Eastern Parts of the license area respectively,
rimmed by Roan Group Formations (Figure 1.). The Chingola Project is located
in close proximity to existing and well-known operating mines including
Nchanga (Vedanta) and Mimbula (Moxico) (Figure 2.).

 

Regional-scale structures interpreted to be growth faults trend through the
license along with the occurrence of a synclinal feature, which could be
significant given that many Copperbelt mines such as Nkana and Mufulira are
associated with synclines indicating the potential of a Tier 1 project.

 

 

Figure 1. Geologocal Map showing the principal lithologies of the Chingola
Project along with the 311km(2) exploration license and distance to known
copper mines.

 

Figure 2. The Chigola Project 38113-HQ-LEL 311km2 exploration license in
relation to existing copper mines

 

Additional Information

There are no profits attaching to the licence and it has a negligible book
value due to it being an exploration asset (Brxton Construction Limited
accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024, unauditted).

For further information contact:

 Arc Minerals Ltd                                         info@arcminerals.com

 Nick von Schirnding (Executive Chairman)

 Zeus Capital Ltd (Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker)      Tel: +44 (0) 20 3829 5000

 Katy Mitchell/Harry Ansell

 Shard Capital Partners LLP (Joint Broker)                Tel: +44 (0) 20 7186 9952

 Damon Heath

 

For more information, visit www.arcminerals.com (http://www.arcminerals.com/)
.

 

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on the
Company's current expectations and estimates. Forward-looking statements are
frequently characterised by words such as "plan", "expect", "project",
"intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "suggest", "indicate" and other
similar words or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will"
occur. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to
differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results implied or
expressed in such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among
others: the actual results of current exploration activities; conclusions of
economic evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be
refined; possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates; accidents, labour
disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining
governmental approvals or financing; and fluctuations in metal prices. There
may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as
anticipated, estimated or intended. Any forward-looking statement speaks only
as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by
applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to
update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or results or otherwise. Forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be
put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

 

Background on the Joint Venture with a subsidiary of Anglo American

 

Arc Minerals has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with a subsidiary of
Anglo American on its Zambian Copper Project (ZPC) comprising a number of
licenses covering circa 870km(2) ha in the North Western Province, in the
Domes region of the Zambian Copperbelt near world-class mines such as First
Quantum Minerals' Sentinel and Kansanshi copper mines and Barrick's Lumwana
mine.

 

The license areas are located approximately 900 km from Lusaka, in Mwinilunga,
North Western Province, and is well within the trending arm of the major
geological structure known as the Lufilian Arc (Copperbelt), on the western
flank of the Kabompo Dome.

 

The Copperbelt is home to all the major copper mines in Zambia and these
licenses represent one of the last dome-related areas in Zambia yet to be
explored in any detail.

 

Under the agreement, Anglo American can an earn-in on the ZCP by making a
number of project expenditures and assume operator ship of the project. The
details of the agreement are set out below:

·    Phase 1 - Anglo will pay $14.5M in staged cash payments to Unico
Minerals Ltd (67% owned by Arc) and invest up to $24m in exploration
expenditures (total $38.5M) within three years and 180 days of the signing of
the Agreement (RNS 20.04.23) to secure a 51% interest in ZCP.

·   Phase 2 - Anglo may elect to increase its interest in the ZCP to 60% by
investing a further $20M (total $58.5M) within two years of the completion of
Phase 1.

·   Phase 3 - Anglo may elect to increase its interest in the ZCP to 70% by
investing a further $30M (total $88.5M) within two years of the completion of
Phase 2.

 

**ENDS**

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