The next focusIR Investor Webinar takes places on 14th May with guest speakers from WS 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 picksRed Rock Resources Regulatory News (RRR)

Share Price Information for Red Rock Resources (RRR)

London Stock Exchange
Share Price is delayed by 15 minutes
Get Live Data
Share Price: 0.0475
Bid: 0.045
Ask: 0.05
Change: -0.0005 (-1.04%)
Spread: 0.005 (11.111%)
Open: 0.0475
High: 0.0475
Low: 0.0475
Prev. Close: 0.048
RRR Live PriceLast checked at -

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Update on Steelmin Investment

8 Sep 2017 07:00

RNS Number : 1700Q
Red Rock Resources plc
08 September 2017
 

Red Rock Resources PLC

("Red Rock" or the "Company")

Update on Steelmin Investment

 

08 Sept 2017

 

Further to the announcements of 23 June and 3 July 2017, Red Rock Resources Plc, the natural resource development company with interests in gold, manganese and oil production, announces an update in relation to its investment in Steelmin Limited ("Steelmin")

Highlights:

o Red Rock has now been issued an additional 1% of Steelmin bringing its total interest to 17%

o Major components ordered and scheduled to be delivered and installed between October and early to mid-December

o The on-site team has expanded from 45 to 70 with an eventual planned workforce of 150

o Offsite team training of management to create corporate culture to begin mid-October

 

Under the terms of the Loan, an 8 month secured loan note of €3,874,560, announced on 23 June 2017, Red Rock received as partial consideration for the Loan 16% of the fully diluted equity of Steelmin, which would increase by 1% if the Loan was not fully repaid by 1 September 2017 and a further 1% each month until April 2018, 0.9% in May, 1.1% in June, and then 1% per month up to a maximum holding of 30%.

Andrew Bell, Chairman of Red Rock comments: "A great deal of progress has occurred since we invested just over two months ago, and the project appears to be on track and under budget. The sustained rise in Asian ferrosilicon prices has begun to feed through to the European market, which is another positive factor. We look forward to taking key investors and advisors on a field visit in early October when the final phase of works will be under way."

 

Steelmin - Background

 

The Steelmin plant and facility is located in central Bosnia, 104 kilometres north west of Sarajevo. The complex, formerly part of Electrobosna, was originally built in the 1970s by Elkem, a major silicon and alloy producer based in Norway, and was one of the largest and best known producers of ferrosilicon and silicon metal in Europe. It was closed down in 1992 due to the Bosnian War, was then privatised and the six furnaces were sold off in two separate parts in 2000. The plant was brought back online until finally being shuttered again in 2004 due to increasing exports pressure from Chinese producers.

 

Anti-dumping regulations have since been implemented by the European Commission; which significantly reduced both Chinese and Russian exports into Europe, allowing prices to stabilize and rise over time. The second, smaller, facility split off from the original is now being operated by the Italian ferro-alloy producer Metalleghe, and has been successfully producing next to Steelmin's plant for the past 12 years.

 

Steelmin controls furnaces IV and V from the original Electrobosna complex. Furnace V has a 48MVA installed power Elkem furnace, and is connected to two chimneys on the roof of the production hall. Furnace IV, the smaller of the two, has a 30 MVA Tagliaferri furnace with three chimneys, preventing the emission of gases in ambient air to comply with EU regulatory requirements. Given its larger total capacity Steelmin has decided to bring furnace V on initially and then move to recommission furnace IV later in 2018.

 

Current activity is aimed at completing the rehabilitation of the plant and furnace V this year and starting production.

 

In addition to the two furnaces, the facility in Jajce houses a filtration plant, warehouse storage for raw materials, pouring and dispatch hall as well as a plant for process water recirculation.

 

Steelmin intends to produce ferrosilicon containing 75% silicon and 25% iron, a product primarily used as a deoxidising agent and to add electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance to steel. A by-product of ferrosilicon production will be microsilica, which is a dust used in the manufacture of speciality concretes in the construction industry as well as in advanced refractories and ceramics. Furnace V is expected to produce 29,000t of ferrosilicon per annum as well as 5,800t of microsilica.

 

Over time Steelmin is expected to produce both ferrosilicon as well as additional silicon alloys that offer higher margins and additional upside.

 

European ferrosilicon production depends critically on access to cheap power (locally generated hydroelectric power in the case of Jajce) since this is up to half the cost of production. Prices are historically driven by steel production levels, the level of Chinese pricing and production allowed into Europe, as well as the associated export and anti-dumping tariffs. Since late 2016 overall Chinese export prices have risen, positively impacting European produce prices. Key input costs such as metallurgical coal are also closely correlated to realized ferrosilicon prices.

 

EU supplies of ferrosilicon are generally heavily constrained, with 70% coming from Norway and Iceland and few if any new producers coming online. Given Bosnia's ideal location closer to key steel customers in Germany, Austria and Northern Italy, Steelmin is well poised to service these major markets.

 

Steelmin currently projects operating revenues of €35m in its first full year of operations with gross margins expected to come in around 33%. These figures assume production of 85 tonnes per day over 339 days a year and a Ferrosilicon selling price of €1,200/t (current pricing c€1,350/t).

 

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Bell 0207 747 9990 Chairman Red Rock Resources Plc

Scott Kaintz 0207 747 9990 Director Red Rock Resources Plc

Roland Cornish/ Rosalind Hill Abrahams 0207 628 3396 NOMAD Beaumont Cornish Limited

Neil Badger 0129 351 7744 Broker Dowgate Capital Stockbrokers Ltd

 

Glossary

 

Ferrosilicon: ferrosilicon produced at Steelmin contains 75% silicon, and is primarily used as a deoxidising agent in steel production, adding electrical conductivity and corrosion-resistance properties to steel

 

Microsilica: a by-product of silicon and ferrosilicon production, used in the construction industry for its added strength and abrasion resistance

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
 
END
 
 
MSCDMGGLRNGGNZM
Date   Source Headline
29th Apr 20248:19 amRNSUpdate
22nd Apr 20247:00 amRNSIssue of Equity, Directors' Dealings and TVR
11th Apr 20247:00 amRNSIssue of Equity
5th Apr 20247:00 amRNSDRC and Gold Assets Update
28th Mar 20247:00 amRNSHalf-year Report
13th Mar 20247:59 amRNSConditional agreement, Australian gold subsidiary
6th Mar 20247:00 amRNSDRC and Gold Assets Update
27th Feb 20247:00 amRNSCo-operation in Next Phase at Bilbale
20th Feb 20243:26 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
19th Feb 20247:00 amRNSResult of AGM
14th Feb 202412:21 pmRNSDRC and Australia Gold Asset Update
7th Feb 20246:10 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
5th Feb 20243:45 pmRNSDRC Arbitration Process Continues
2nd Feb 202410:24 amRNSAppointment of Consultant
24th Jan 20242:03 pmRNSReplacement: West African Gold Licences Update
24th Jan 20247:00 amRNSCentral and West African Assets
19th Jan 20247:00 amRNSNotice of AGM
20th Dec 20237:00 amRNSFinal Results
15th Dec 20232:05 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
14th Dec 20237:00 amRNSIssue of Equity, Total Voting Rights
12th Dec 20231:27 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
11th Dec 20234:53 pmRNSIssue of Equity and Update
28th Nov 20237:00 amRNSWest African Gold Licences - Update
17th Nov 20235:25 pmRNSResult of Meeting
15th Nov 20232:09 pmRNSLithium Update - Exports
14th Nov 20233:03 pmRNSAsset review - current developments
1st Nov 202312:07 pmRNSNotice of GM
19th Oct 202312:00 pmRNSConvertible Loan Note Issue: first tranche closing
13th Oct 20233:12 pmRNSCentral Africa Update and comment on share price
20th Sep 20237:00 amRNSLithium Samples - Zimbabwe
4th Sep 20236:28 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
31st Aug 20235:54 pmRNSTotal Voting Rights
22nd Aug 20233:50 pmRNSExercise of Convertible Loan Notes, TVR
18th Aug 20234:08 pmRNSLithium Update - Zimbabwe
7th Aug 20237:00 amRNSConvertible Loan Notes extension, conversion, TVR
2nd Aug 20232:21 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
3rd Jul 20233:37 pmRNSLithium Update - Zimbabwe
3rd Jul 20232:34 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
30th Jun 20234:03 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
22nd Jun 20237:00 amRNSIssue of Equity and Total Voting Rights
21st Jun 20234:00 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
21st Jun 202310:16 amRNSIssue of Equity and Total Voting Rights
20th Jun 20233:49 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
19th Jun 20231:29 pmRNSResult of AGM
19th Jun 202312:30 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
16th Jun 20234:00 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
16th Jun 20232:57 pmRNSGrant of First Cote D'Ivoire Licence
15th Jun 202312:00 pmRNSLithium Update
2nd Jun 20233:27 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
2nd Jun 20232:48 pmRNSNotice of General Meeting

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.