If you would like to ask our webinar guest speakers from WS Blue Whale Growth Fund, Taseko Mines, Kavango Resources and CQS Natural Resources fund a question please submit them 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 Limited Investment

3 Jul 2017 11:19

RNS Number : 8254J
Red Rock Resources plc
03 July 2017
 

Red Rock Resources PLC

("Red Rock" or the "Company")

Update on Steelmin Limited Investment

Financing Completed

 

03 July 2017

Red Rock Resources Plc, the natural resource development company with interests in gold, manganese and oil production, announces, further to the announcement on 23rd June 2017, that it has closed the second tranche of the transactions under which it will fund Steelmin Limited ("Steelmin") to complete the refurbishment and recommissioning of a ferrosilicon smelter in Jajce, Bosnia, and acquire an interest in Steelmin.

Highlights:

o Red Rock was issued on 23 June 2017 an 8 month secured loan note for €3,848,000 (as restated to account for final administrative calculations) by Steelmin ("Loan"), bearing interest at 13% p.a. and extendable for a further 8 months for a fee

 

o First tranche of the Loan amounting to €2,737,712.96 was paid to Steelmin last week and second tranche amounting to €956,687 has now been paid

 

o To fund the Loan, Red Rock borrowed $4,230,750 (now adjusted to $4,400,000) on a secured basis for a term of one year bearing interest at 13% p.a. with a renewal option for a further 8 months for a fee (the "Note")

 

o First tranche of the Note, amounting to $3,069,250 net, was received by Red Rock last week, and balance of $1,143,230 has now been received as a second tranche

 

Andrew Bell, Chairman of Red Rock comments: "Since the first tranche payment was made last week, Steelmin has made progress in ordering long lead time items in order to meet its targeted date of production. We will continue to monitor and report on progress as we move towards production."

 

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 for several years but Chinese dumping and ownership disputes led to its closure in 2004.

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 has refurbished and is preparing to restart Furnace V which has a 48MVA installed power Elkem furnace, and is connected to two chimneys on the roof of the production hall. Furnace IV has a 30 MVA Tagliaferri furnace with three chimneys, and will be reopened later.

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 currently has a team of 45 people on-site led by engineers who were involved with the original plant from commissioning. Steelmin stands to benefit from experienced local labour with 20+ years of experience, at a fraction of typical cost of these skills in Europe. With proximity and abundant access to raw materials including quartz deposits, Steelmin has secured contracts for most of the materials required for production, as well as letter of intent, from major steel producers within Europe.

Refurbishment of the second furnace is expected to begin later in 2018. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has expressed interest to partner with Steelmin once in production, through the provision of debt for the refurbishment of the second furnace.

Power remains the most significant input cost to ferrosilicon production and this is provided by abundant and economical hydro-power available across the region. Furnace feedstock such as quartz is also sourced from the region. The filtration plant refurbishment has been completed and ensures that all outputs of gases will comply with EU regulations.

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. Currently ferrosilicon trades between €1280-1350 a ton and the estimated price of microsilica is €200 a ton.

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 begun to rise, 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.

 

 

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

Jason Robertson 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
 
 
UPDDBLFXDQFEBBL
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.