Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.

Less Ads, More Data, More Tools Register for FREE

Pin to quick picksWRES.L Regulatory News (WRES)

  • There is currently no data for WRES

Watchlists are a member only feature

Login to your account

Alerts are a premium feature

Login to your account

Ongoing Operations and Covid-19 Response

16 Mar 2020 08:30

RNS Number : 2442G
W Resources PLC
16 March 2020
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 March 2020

 

W Resources Plc

("W" or the "Company")

Ongoing Operations and Covid-19 Response

W Resources Plc (AIM:WRES), the tungsten, tin and gold mining company with assets in Spain and Portugal, announces an update on measures to protect the safety of its people and ongoing operations in Spain and Portugal in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mining and plant operations at La Parrilla and mining operations at Régua continue with stringent procedures implemented to safeguard personnel and ensure full compliance with the newly implemented State of Emergency in both Spain and Portugal to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Update on Spanish State of Emergency and Extremadura

On 14 March Spain's Prime Minister declared a national State of Emergency. The key measures imposed by the Spanish Government are:

- Circulation of persons and vehicles is restricted only to certain uses linked to health, food, banking, refuelling, work, or any force majeure.

- The Spanish Government can direct companies to produce goods and require employees to attend work, if justified to protect the health of the public.

- All recreational and sport centres are closed (including bars, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and museums).

- Public transport services will be reduced by 50%.

- The availability of transport for goods will be guaranteed.

- Import of goods will continue.

- Energy and gas supplies will be guaranteed.

These measures are being put in place for a period of 15 days; however this period can be extended with the approval of the Spanish Parliament.

The Extremadura Region, where W Resources operates, is one of the less affected areas in Spain. At present, there are some 100 reported cases of infection in the region. With no areas showing a heavy concentration of cases save for a small village which is subject to quarantine at present. The region's low population density and the large distances between big cities has helped to reduce the speed of transmission.

The confinement measures implemented in Spain since Sunday 15 March are strict and W Resources and its operations are in full compliance with all such measures.

La Parrilla Ramp-up Operations Continue

The Company does not expect any direct impact from these measures on its Spanish operations. Transport to work is allowed, and supply of goods and energy is guaranteed. The main resources required to continue operations are energy (explosives, fuel, gas) and personnel. W should not expect disruption to energy supplies and the Company is taking decisive steps to protect personnel.

No W Resources personnel or contractors have been diagnosed as having contracted Coronavirus and the Company has stringent safety and screening processes in place. To protect the safety of personnel, continue operations and in order to comply with general Spanish Government recommendations the Company has taken the following actions over the last two weeks to:

1. Ensure that all personnel who can work from home do so, minimising visits to La Parrilla site. Any person with a cold or any symptoms is required under Spanish law and Company procedure to self-isolate.

2. To the greatest extent possible, ensure shift separation (usually 15-17 people per 7 day, 12 hour shift) to allow a degree of isolation in the event that an employee on any given shift contracts the virus.

3. Restrict any travel from outside Extremadura into La Parrilla, unless strictly necessary.

4. Restrict commercial or professional visits to La Parrilla to those strictly required for the continuity of business.

5. Put in place all the measures needed to minimise or eliminate contact between personnel or contractors that may lead to a potential transmission of the virus.

Portugal

The Portuguese government has also declared a State of Emergency and the specific provisions are expected to be outlined this week. To date Portugal has had a low number of reported cases (approximately 170), no reported deaths (World Health Organisation latest report) and has taken strong preventative action.

Mining operations at Régua in Portugal have a small number of geology and contract mining personnel in attendance. In Portugal, the Company has taken steps to:

1. Ensure working at home for all personnel who can do so.

2. Limit travel from outside the area.

3. Continue modular plant engineering and procurement remotely and suspend any plant construction activities until the situation is resolved.

4. Evaluate suspension of adit mining operations in a safe and orderly way.

5. Request (in light of the extraordinary circumstances) an extension of the trial mine license period for a further 12-18 months. The Company expects this to be approved.

W's main priorities are its personnel and contractors. While mining operations continue, we will continue to review the situation throughout the week and follow advice from the Portuguese Government, amending measures where necessary. Engineering and procurement is continuing remotely.

Michael Masterman, Chairman of W, commented: "It is a very challenging time for Spain and Portugal and the markets in general. Our priority is the safety and health of our personnel and we have worked hard at both our operational sites in La Parrilla and Régua to implement strong and stringent procedures. Ramp-up operations continue at La Parrilla and mining operations at Régua in compliance with the new State of Emergency in both Spain and Portugal. We continue a proactive review of steps to protect our team and in a safe and sensible way continue operations. European Tungsten APT prices are in line with budget at US$240/mtu while LME Tin prices are 10% lower at US$16,000 per tonne in line with falls in LME prices."

A full update on quarterly production for the March quarter will be provided in April 2020.

Enquiries:

W Resources Plc

Michael Masterman

T: +44 (0) 20 7193 7463

www.wresources.com

Grant Thornton UK LLP

Colin Aaronson / Seamus Fricker

T: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100

Joint Broker

Turner Pope Investments (TPI) Ltd

Andy Thacker / Zoe Alexander

T: +44 (0) 203 657 0050

www.turnerpope.com

Joint Broker

Alternative Resource Capital / Shard Capital

Alex Wood

T:+44 (0) 207 186 9004

www.altrescap.com

Damon Heath

T:+44 (0) 207 186 9952

www.shardcapital.com

Alma PR

Justine James

M: +44 (0) 7525 324431

wres@almapr.co.uk

 

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.
 
END
 
 
MSCVQLBFBXLLBBB
Date   Source Headline
20th Nov 20187:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Commences Tungsten Tin Production
12th Nov 20184:40 pmRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
12th Nov 20184:35 pmRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
15th Oct 20187:53 amRNSNew Website
1st Oct 201811:30 amRNSHansource Investments Reinstated
18th Sep 20187:00 amRNSHigh Grade Tungsten Intersections at Regua
17th Sep 20187:00 amRNSNon-Executive Director Appointments
13th Sep 20187:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Project Update
10th Sep 20187:00 amRNSHalf-year Report to 30 June 2018
5th Sep 20187:00 amRNSRio Tinto & Lundin Mining Execs Strengthen Team
8th Aug 20185:33 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
31st Jul 20187:06 amRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
13th Jul 20187:00 amRNSThick Gold intersections and high grades
29th Jun 201811:30 amRNSResult of AGM
27th Jun 20187:00 amRNSSteelwork & Equipment Deliveries at La Parrilla
7th Jun 20187:00 amRNSHigh-grade Tungsten at Tarouca
1st Jun 20187:00 amRNSNotice of AGM
1st Jun 20187:00 amRNSFinal Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2017
31st May 201811:30 amRNSReplacement: Final Draw Down Completes US$35m
30th May 20187:00 amRNSFinal Draw Down Completes US$35m BlackRock Funding
17th May 20187:00 amRNSUpdated Presentation - May 2018
3rd May 201812:26 pmRNSHansource Investments Limited
1st May 20187:13 amRNSS?o Martinho Drilling Programme Commences
26th Apr 20187:00 amRNSCompletion of Tarouca RC Drilling Programme
18th Apr 20187:00 amRNSInvestor Presentation - 14 May
17th Apr 20188:46 amRNSTungsten, Copper and Gold Update
5th Apr 20188:52 amRNSPlacing to Raise £1.5 million
3rd Apr 20187:44 amRNSEarthworks Commence at La Parrilla
28th Mar 20187:00 amRNSEUR5.3m Grant Awarded for Development- La Parrilla
27th Feb 20187:00 amRNSRegua Land Purchase Clears Last Hurdle for Develop
23rd Feb 20187:00 amRNSMajor Offtake Agreements
21st Feb 201811:29 amRNSExercise of Warrants
16th Feb 20187:00 amRNSUS$35m Loan Facility Finalised with BlackRock
1st Feb 20187:00 amRNSFinancing update - La Parrilla term loan
17th Jan 20182:30 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
10th Jan 20187:00 amRNSConcentrator Contract awarded
12th Dec 20177:00 amRNSFinancing Update: US$30m Term Loan
31st Oct 20177:00 amRNSHolding(s) in Company
6th Oct 20177:00 amRNSPlacing to Director to Raise an Additional £100k
5th Oct 20178:13 amRNSEquity fundraising
27th Sep 201712:25 pmRNSHalf Year Results for the Six Months Ended 30 June
27th Sep 20178:57 amRNSIssue of Shares
20th Sep 20177:00 amRNSTarouca Exploration Licence Extension Approved
14th Sep 20174:08 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
12th Sep 20177:00 amRNSInvestor Event - 19 September 2017
25th Aug 20175:35 pmRNSFinancial Investment Decision Report and Presentat
25th Aug 201711:01 amRNSFinancial Investment Decision Report & Debt Update
7th Aug 20177:00 amRNSCrusher Contract Awarded to Metso
21st Jul 20179:54 amRNSChange of Registered Office Address
26th Jun 201712:58 pmRNSResults of Annual 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.