The next focusIR Investor Webinar takes places on 14th May with guest speakers from Blue Whale Growth Fund, Taseko Mines, Kavango Resources and CQS Natural Resources fund. Please register here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksPetra Diamonds Regulatory News (PDL)

Share Price Information for Petra Diamonds (PDL)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 42.00
Bid: 42.00
Ask: 44.00
Change: -0.45 (-1.06%)
Spread: 2.00 (4.762%)
Open: 42.00
High: 43.10
Low: 42.00
Prev. Close: 42.45
PDL Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Improved resilience through capital deferrals

1 Nov 2023 07:00

RNS Number : 9491R
Petra Diamonds Limited
01 November 2023
 

01 November 2023

LSE: PDL

 

Petra Diamonds Limited

("Petra" or "the Company")

 

Improved resilience through capital deferrals and reduction in operating and group expenditure

 

Petra announces steps taken to provide further financial flexibility should prevailing market conditions continue if diamond prices remain weaker-for-longer.

 

Richard Duffy, Chief Executive Officer of Petra, commented:

 

"Actions announced today in response to the diamond market weakness are aimed at ensuring Petra remains resilient and able to withstand weaker-for-longer market conditions. While diamond inventories remain elevated in both rough and polished goods, we are confident that the discipline shown by diamond producers as well as the Indian diamond import moratorium to mid-December will lead to a recovery in pricing once demand strength returns. Through adapting our cost base and deferring two of our capital projects, we are targeting cash savings of up to US$75m by June 2024 whilst minimising the impact of these deferrals and aiming to deliver increased production into a stronger pricing environment. We will continue to maintain our flexibility to respond to market conditions safely and responsibly, through our enhanced operating model and flexible sales approach."

 

Petra believes the steps recently introduced by the diamond industry will curb declining diamond prices through rebalancing inventory levels across the pipeline. Notwithstanding this, the Company is taking immediate and prudent steps to provide further financial flexibility and preserve the Company's short to medium term liquidity as well as increase its headroom and flexibility until such time as the market has sufficiently stabilised. Through these actions, the Company expects to be able to continue to meet all its obligations should a weaker-for-longer diamond market scenario persist.

 

Amendments to capital spend

Certain amendments and deferrals to capital programmes have been approved for immediate implementation which are expected to reduce Petra's extension capex for FY 2024 by up to US$65 million. These include:

· At Cullinan Mine:

The deferral of the C-Cut extension project until the end of June 2024.

The partial deferral of the CC1E project until the end of June 2024, with approximately half of the development crews continuing to develop the 813 and 833 Levels of the Sub-Level Cave (SLC) to ensure higher-grade ore is brought into production from the end of June 2024 onwards.

· At Finsch:

The deferral of the 3-Level SLC extension project until the end of June 2024.

The 78-Level Phase II project will continue as planned to bring these production areas online during FY 2024 to supplement production from the existing SLC which is nearing its end of life.

· The deferral of US$3-5 million of sustaining capex against the FY 2024 guidance.

· Delaying delivery of equipment on order given the pause in execution of the development programmes outlined above.

· The deferral of feasibility studies related to future capital investment opportunities and trade-off studies at all operations.

 

During this period of reduced development activity, the Company will assess further value-engineering opportunities for its capital development programmes aimed at improving efficiencies and/or lowering overall costs, whilst undertaking re-planning work that looks to minimise the impact of these deferrals on the Company and its growth profile. Although the deferred programmes are currently expected to restart from July 2024, the Company retains the flexibility to restart the deferred programmes earlier should market conditions improve.

 

Reduction in operating and Group expenditure

Further to the capital deferrals outlined above, the Company has identified operating and group cost savings of US$7-10 million against the FY 2024 guidance.

 

 

Increasing headroom and flexibility

As previously announced, Management is in discussions with Absa Bank to increase the Company's existing ZAR1 billion Revolving Credit Facility by up to ZAR750 million (c. US$40 million) to provide additional operational and sales flexibility in the event of protracted market weakness. An in-principle decision is expected during November 2023.

 

Guidance

Production guidance for FY 2024 is maintained, although is now expected to be towards the lower end of the guidance range of 2.9 to 3.2 Mcts. The impact of the project deferrals on production and capex guidance for FY 2025 and FY 2026 will be provided on a mine-by-mine basis once the value-engineering and re-planning work has been completed. We expect there will be a reduction in current production guidance for these two years at a reduced cost base. We expect to communicate this, together with our Interim Results announcement, in February 2024 and will provide further information on the potential of Petra's assets at the Company's Capital Markets Day, now anticipated in Q4 FY 2024.

This announcement includes inside information as defined in Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014 and is being released on behalf of Petra by the Company Secretary.

 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Investor Relations, London Telephone: +44 20 7494 8203

Patrick Pittaway investorrelations@petradiamonds.com

Julia Stone

Kelsey Traynor

Financial PR (Camarco)

Gordon Poole Telephone: +44 20 3757 4980

Owen Roberts petradiamonds@camarco.co.uk

Elfie Kent

 

 

About Petra Diamonds Limited

Petra Diamonds is a leading independent diamond mining group and a supplier of gem quality rough diamonds to the international market. The Company's portfolio incorporates interests in three underground mines in South Africa (Finsch and Cullinan Mine) and one open pit mine in Tanzania (Williamson). The Koffiefontein mine is currently on care and maintenance in preparation for closure.

 

Petra's strategy is to focus on value rather than volume production by optimising recoveries from its high-quality asset base in order to maximise their efficiency and profitability. The Group has a significant resource base which supports the potential for long-life operations.

 

Petra strives to conduct all operations according to the highest ethical standards and only operates in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. The Company aims to generate tangible value for each of its stakeholders, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of its host countries and supporting long-term sustainable operations to the benefit of its employees, partners and communities.

 

Petra is quoted with a premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker 'PDL'. The Company's loan notes due in 2026 are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and admitted to trading on the Global Exchange Market. For more information, visit www.petradiamonds.com.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.
 
END
 
 
MSCFDMEFFEDSEIS
Date   Source Headline
23rd Apr 20187:00 amRNSQ3 FY2018 Trading Update
13th Apr 20188:39 amRNSNotification of Major Holdings
10th Apr 20184:59 pmRNSNotification of Major Holdings
10th Apr 20189:10 amRNSFinalisation of Covenant Changes
28th Feb 20183:51 pmRNSTotal Voting Rights
20th Feb 201810:47 amRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
19th Feb 20187:00 amRNSInterim Results
19th Feb 20187:00 amRNSDirectorate Change
5th Feb 20187:00 amRNSPublication of Corporate Presentation
2nd Feb 20188:46 amRNSPublication of Cullinan Site Visit Presentation
1st Feb 20182:55 pmRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
1st Feb 20189:27 amRNSPublication of Finsch Site Visit Presentation
29th Jan 20187:00 amRNSH1 FY 2018 Trading Update
8th Jan 20187:00 amRNSNotification of H1 FY 2018 Trading Update
29th Dec 20177:00 amRNSBlock Listing Six Monthly Return
19th Dec 20177:00 amRNSFY 2017 Payments to Governments Report
8th Dec 20179:12 amRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
7th Dec 20179:23 amRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
30th Nov 201710:19 amRNSTotal Voting Rights
24th Nov 20171:30 pmRNSResults of Annual General Meeting
3rd Nov 20171:32 pmRNSDirector Share Awards
3rd Nov 20171:31 pmRNSDirector Share Vesting
3rd Nov 20171:30 pmRNSVesting of Share Awards
31st Oct 20171:28 pmRNSTotal Voting Rights
30th Oct 20177:00 amRNSPublication of Sustainability Report
23rd Oct 20177:00 amRNSQ1 FY 2018 Trading Update
16th Oct 20177:00 amRNSAnnual Report and Notice of AGM
10th Oct 20177:00 amRNSNotification of Q1 FY 2018 Trading Update
9th Oct 20177:00 amRNSUpdate re. Bank Facility Covenants
29th Sep 20173:55 pmRNSNotification of Major Holdings
29th Sep 20172:39 pmRNSUpdate on Labour Relations in South Africa
28th Sep 20174:10 pmRNSUpdate on Labour Relations in South Africa
27th Sep 20174:20 pmRNSUpdate on Operations in Tanzania
21st Sep 20173:40 pmRNSUpdate on Labour Disruptions in South Africa
21st Sep 20179:01 amRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
19th Sep 20178:16 amRNSIndustrial Action in South Africa
18th Sep 20177:00 amRNSFY2017 Preliminary Results
11th Sep 20177:00 amRNSUpdate re. Operations in Tanzania
8th Sep 20171:02 pmRNSAmendment to Covenant Measurement
17th Aug 20178:41 amRNSNotification of Major Holdings
8th Aug 201711:37 amRNSNOTIFICATION OF MAJOR HOLDINGS
24th Jul 20177:00 amRNSFY 2017 Trading Update and FY 2018 Guidance
3rd Jul 20177:00 amRNSBlock Listing Six Monthly Return
28th Jun 20177:00 amRNSMarket Update
22nd Jun 201712:00 pmRNSTotal Voting Rights
20th Jun 20178:30 amRNSTR-1: Notification Of Major Interest In Shares
15th Jun 20174:10 pmRNSTR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES
31st May 20177:00 amRNSTotal Voting Rights
24th May 20172:12 pmRNSTR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES
19th May 20172:45 pmRNSNotification of Transaction of Director / PDMR

Due to London Stock Exchange licensing terms, we stipulate that you must be a private investor. We apologise for the inconvenience.

To access our Live RNS you must confirm you are a private investor by using the button below.

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.

Quickpicks are a member only feature

Login to your account

Don't have an account? Click here to register.