RE: Contango Potential4 Oct 2021 19:59
OContango Holdings Plc ('Contango' or the 'Company')
25 August 2021
Statement Regarding Share Price
Contango Holdings Plc, the London listed natural resource development company, notes the recent share price movement and press commentary with respect to a potential offtake deal with Afrochine, the Zimbabwean subsidiary of Tsingshan Group. Non-Disclosure Agreements limit Contango's ability to directly comment on individual discussions but the Company can confirm it is in discussions with two of the largest stainless-steel producers in the world, as well as several other interested parties, and expects to be in a position to provide a full update in the near term.
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As previously reported the Potential Offtake Partner has a sizeable footprint in Zimbabwe, with plans to construct a US$1bn carbon steel plant in the country and is currently in the process of constructing several coke batteries in the Hwange region of Zimbabwe.
Contango is pleased to advise a productive site visit recently took place at Lubu with senior members of the Potential Offtake Partner in attendance. Since the site visit discussions have continued to make good progress, with an agreement now reached between Contango and the Potential Offtake Partner on the next steps to advance the Project.
Contango will now focus on extracting bulk samples of the high value coking and metallurgical coals found in the 1A Lower and MSU seams. Although close to surface, this will be treated as an underground operation, like those previously mined around Hwange Colliery, enabling the Company to focus specifically on the high value product of particular interest to the Potential Offtake Partner for its newly built coke batteries, expected to be commissioned later this month.
Given the increasing likelihood of a positive outcome with the Potential Offtake Partner, Contango will shortly approve the appointment of a mining engineer, who will be charged with identifying the best areas for underground mining, specifically looking at fresh coal characteristics and strength importance, needed to determine mine depth cut-off. In addition, liaising with Contango's technical team, the engineer will also help select the best excavation position for a 4m x 4m shaft, from which the bulk sample will be taken.
Completion of the shaft and collection of the approximate 150 tonnes bulk sample is expected to take approximately 45 days. The bulk samples will then be transferred to Hwange, where it will be washed by the Potential Offtake Partner's plant before being run through its laboratory and coke batteries at the Potential Offtake Partner's cost.