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ECR Minerals Increases Shareholding in Danglay Gold Project From 25% to 70%
ECR MINERALS plc
(“ECR Minerals”, “ECR” or the “Company”)
ECR Minerals increases shareholding in Danglay Gold Project from 25% to 70%
ECR Minerals plc (LON: ECR), the gold exploration and development company
focused on Australia, is pleased to announce that following an agreement with
Philippines based company Cordillera Tiger Gold Resources, Inc. (“Cordillera
Tiger”, “Cordillera”), in which ECR has a 25% shareholding, the
Cordillera Chairman & Vice President Ludevico Estacio has agreed to sell
his shares (1,499,996 in total) to ECR Minerals.
The consideration for the additional 1,499,996 shares in Cordillera is
1,499,996.00 Philippine pesos (approx £22,000), which has been paid for in
cash. Following this acquisition, ECR hold 2,333,329 Ordinary Shares in
Cordillera representing 70% of its issued share capital.
ECR Chairman David Tang commented: “We are delighted to have the opportunity
to acquire a majority stake in the Danglay Gold project from an existing
shareholder, alongside whom we have worked over the years. We have already
invested £1.2 million into the Danglay Gold Project license EP-006 to date,
and while ECR’s priority and focus is on the continued development of our
Australian assets, we believe today’s acquisition adds value to the ECR
asset portfolio given the continued improvement in the political climate for
the minerals industry in the Philippines.”
ECR CEO Andrew Haythorpe added: “Although I have yet to visit the
Philippines and view the Danglay project first hand, I am very much aware that
not only did Cordillera renew license EP-006 in July 2021 for a further two
years, but alongside Cordillera, ECR engaged in a Community Development
Programme in the Danglay area to foodpack assistance to families affected by
COVID19.”
“I look forward to reporting further developments at Danglay to our
shareholders, and I also look forward to working with Adam Jones and the
geology team here on the ground in Australia to bring shareholders the latest
developments and results from drilling campaigns at Creswick and
Bailieston.”
Danglay Project Background
In July 2021, Cordillera Tiger successfully renewed Exploration License EP-006
at the Danglay gold project for a further two years. This licence is located
in an established gold and copper mining district in the north of the
Philippines.
Most recently ECR has been engaged in a Community Development Programme in the
Danglay area. ECR, in the name of Cordillera, has provided foodpack
assistance, helping to get rice, canned meat & fish delivered to families
affected by COVID19 in the Danglay region.
As reported in the Annual Report on March 23rd 2021, ECR was at that stage
entitled to a 25% interest in the Danglay gold project in the Philippines,
which is held by Philippines corporation Cordillera Tiger Gold Resources, Inc.
under an Exploration Permit. The issuance of the 25% shareholding in
Cordillera Tiger to the Company had been delayed since 2016, largely due to a
court case filed by an individual who is a minority shareholder and former
director of Cordillera Tiger. This matter was successfully resolved (see
announcement dated July 30(th) 2021)
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The completion of today’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in
Cordillera Tiger is timely. The ECR Directors believe the political climate
for the minerals industry in the Philippines is improving and considers that
the Danglay gold project has potential for further exploration to build upon
the existing inferred mineral resource estimate of 63,500 ounces of gold at
1.55 g/t gold. This resource was reported by ECR in 2015 to the Canadian
NI43-101 standard (see announcement dated 15 December 2015), based on
exploration carried out at Danglay by ECR during 2014 and 2015. In addition to
the resource, an NI43-101 target for further exploration (conceptual potential
quantity and grade of mineralisation expressed as ranges) of 95,000 to 170,000
ounces of gold at 5 to 7.5 g/t was reported.
The Directors recognise that this resource statement is not prepared to a
standard currently recognised by AIM and accordingly this information is
provided for guidance purposes only and is subject to further work,
verification and updating. In addition, targets for further exploration are
not mineral resource estimates, are conceptual in nature, are used where there
has been insufficient exploration to define the target as a mineral resource,
and where it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the target
being delineated as a mineral resource.
In the year to December 2021, Cordillera Tiger Gold Resources Inc recorded no
revenues or profits, and a deferred mine exploration cost of 27,800,747
Philippine pesos (approx £406,000) (audited).
REVIEW OF ANNOUNCEMENT BY QUALIFIED PERSON
This announcement has been reviewed by Adam Jones, a director of ECR Minerals
plc. Adam Jones is a professional geologist and is a Member of the Australian
Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG). He is a qualified person as that term is
defined by the AIM Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies.
MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) No. 596/2014
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
is now considered to be in the public domain.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
ECR Minerals plc Tel: +44 (0) 20 7929 1010
David Tang, Non-Executive Chairman
Andrew Haythorpe, CEO
Email: info@ecrminerals.com (mailto:info@ecrminerals.com)
Website: www.ecrminerals.com
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WH Ireland Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 1666
Nominated Adviser
Katy Mitchell / Andrew de Andrade
SI Capital Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1483 413500
Broker
Nick Emerson
Novum Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7399 9425
Broker
Jon Belliss
Blytheweigh Tel: +44 (0) 207 138 3204
Public Relations
Tim Blythe
ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC
ECR Minerals is a mineral exploration and development company. ECR’s wholly
owned Australian subsidiary Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd (“MGA”) has
100% ownership of the Bailieston and Creswick gold projects in central
Victoria, Australia, has eight licence applications outstanding including two
licence applications lodged in eastern Victoria. (Tambo gold project). MGA is
currently drilling at both the Bailieston (EL5433) and Creswick (EL6148)
projects and has an experienced exploration team with significant local
knowledge in the Victoria Goldfields and wider region.
https://mercatorgold.com.au/
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ECR also owns 100% of an Australian subsidiary LUX Exploration Pty Ltd
(“LUX”) which has three licence applications covering 900 km2 covering a
relatively unexplored area in Queensland, Australia.
https://luxexploration.com/
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Following the sale of the Avoca, Moormbool and Timor gold projects in
Victoria, Australia to Fosterville South Exploration Ltd (TSX-V: FSX) and the
subsequent spin-out of the Avoca and Timor projects to Leviathan Gold Ltd
(TSX-V: LVX), Mercator Gold Australia Pty Limited has the right to receive up
to A$2 million in payments subject to future resource estimation or production
from projects sold to Fosterville South Exploration Limited.
ECR holds a 70% interest in the Danglay gold project; an advanced exploration
project located in a prolific gold and copper mining district in the north of
the Philippines, which has a 43-101 compliant resource. ECR also holds a
royalty on the SLM gold project in La Rioja Province, Argentina and can
potentially receive up to US$2.7 million in aggregate across all licences.
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