23 Jun 2010 07:00
June 23 2010
Origo Partners PLC
Investments in Mongolian exploration companies
Origo Partners Plc ("Origo") is pleased to announce that it has strengthened its presence in Mongolia by completing investments in two Mongolian based exploration companies following its successful placing to raise US$30 million on 11 June 2010. Both companies have exploration licenses in areas where significant mineral occurrences have already been identified and are led by teams with experience in identifying and developing Mongolian mineral assets.
The two transactions announced today comprise:
·; an agreement to invest up to US$5 million for a 23% equity interest in Bumbat Consolidated Ltd ("BCL"), a Mongolian exploration company focused on coal, iron ore, copper and gold.
·; the acquisition of a 10% equity position and an option to acquire a 70% interest in Huremtiin Hyar LLC ("HH"), a Mongolian copper and gold exploration company.
The investments in BCL and HH are a continuation of Origo's strategy of investing in Mongolian exploration companies with exploration licenses in prospective areas and proven management teams. Mongolia, which benefits from a vast base of natural resources, is well positioned to supply China's growing demand for natural resources and has been subject to limited geological exploration, with less than 25% of the country's landmass mapped and explored for mineral resources.
Following Origo's acquisition in November last year of a 21% stake in Gobi Coal & Energy Ltd, a company with significant coal resources in the south-west part of Mongolia, Origo's Mongolian office, supported by in-house experts in coal and base metals has extensively reviewed Mongolian resource-exploration opportunities, with the investments in BCL and HH having been short-listed and now brought to a conclusion.
Chris Rynning, CEO of Origo said, "Our investments in BCL and HH are the result of our extensive efforts to generate, evaluate and deliver a pipeline of investment opportunities in promising Mongolian exploration and pre-production companies. Both BCL and HH have a number of high-potential exploration licenses in Mongolia as well as attractive acquisition opportunities. We remain convinced that Mongolia's unique geographical and geological position provides some of the best natural resource investment opportunities currently available to international investors. Our presence on the ground and strong financial position following our recent fundraising gives a significant advantage in securing these investments as we continue to focus on the country in the coming months."
About BCL
BCL holds 14 exploration licenses in Mongolia's highly prospective south-west Gobi region covering a total area of 189,000 hectares. A number of significant coal, iron ore and copper and gold deposits are located nearby including Gobi Coal & Energy's Shinejinst and Zeegt coal deposits and Rio Tinto's Altai Nuurs coal joint venture.
BCL's licenses primarily contain copper and gold occurrences and include a 25.8 hectare license 20km along strike from the Zeegt coal basin where aeromagnetic results indicate a continuation of the same geological structure. In addition, BCL has identified a number of other opportunities to invest in or acquire prospecting rights over, covering potential coal, gold, copper and oil occurences.
Under the terms of the transaction, Origo has subscribed for US$1 million of common stock for a 11.3% equity interest in BCL and obtained the right to invest up to an additional US$4 million for 23% stake in BCL. BCL is in the process of raising an additional US$5 million in equity financing from third party investors at the same average valuation as Origo's investments, should it exercise its right to invest in full. This transaction is expected to close by the end of June. BCL will use the proceeds of this new equity financing to fund further exploration work on existing licenses and for new acquisitions.
About HH
HH owns two exploration licenses covering 14,000 hectares in an area known as the Baruun Hundlun located in the south west of Mongolia, 180km from the Chinese border. The licenses occupy known gold-copper mineralisation zones identified during geological surveys carried out by the Soviets in the 1950s.
Exploration work by HH to date at the Red Hill prospect has found surface grades of 0.01-28.9 g/t Au, associated with 1-283 g/t Ag and 0.17-3.72% Cu. The results of HH's geophysical surveys indicate a potentially rich deposit and preliminary shallow drilling in 2010 has confirmed zones of gold mineralization.
Under the terms of the transaction, Origo has agreed to invest US$300,000 for a 10% equity stake in HH. Origo has further been granted an option to invest an additional US$3.5 million in order to increase its fully-diluted equity holding in HH to 70%. The proceeds of the investment will be dedicated towards a drilling program on HH's current licences.
For further information about Origo please visit www.origoplc.com or contact:
| Origo Partners plc Chris Rynning (chris@origoplc.com)
Niklas Ponnert (niklas@origoplc.com)
|
+86 1390 124 6417
+86 1351 106 1672 |
| Nominated Adviser and Broker Liberum Capital Limited Simon Atkinson / Ellen Francis
| +44 (0)20 3100 2223 |
| Public Relations: Aura Financial Andy Mills / Nina Legge | +44 (0)20 7321 0000 |
Notes to editors:
Origo Partners Plc:
·; Origo is an established private equity investor and strategic consultancy business, which provides its shareholders with exposure to growth opportunities and private equity returns based on the China growth story.
·; Origo's business model is to generate capital gains from private equity investment in growth companies from which it also generates fees for consultancy services related to further fundraisings, M&A and strategic development.
·; Origo signed a memorandum of understanding with GLG Partners LP in March 2008 to explore asset management and advisory opportunities in China, India and other markets.
·; Origo has a significant portfolio of investments in a range of industrial sectors, including metals and mining, agriculture, renewable energy/clean tech and technology, telecom and media ("TMT").