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
7th Oct 201511:02 amRNSCAA / Portalegre Licence Expanded
30th Sep 20159:00 amRNSHalf Yearly Report
29th Sep 201511:01 amRNSLa Parrilla FTM Development Update
9th Sep 20159:17 amRNSHolding(s) in Company
26th Aug 20152:49 pmRNSChanges to Significant Shareholders
10th Aug 20157:00 amRNSRégua drilling update
14th Jul 20157:00 amRNSEnvironmental Approval for La Parrilla
10th Jul 20157:00 amRNSFast Track Mine Infill Drilling Advances
26th Jun 201511:11 amRNSPlacing and Appointment of Broker
19th Jun 20151:30 pmRNSResult of AGM
16th Jun 20157:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Definition Study Completed
5th Jun 20157:00 amRNSFast Track Mine Infill Drilling Advances
26th May 20157:01 amRNSNotice of AGM
22nd May 20157:00 amRNSFinal Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2014
12th May 20157:00 amRNSUpdate on CAA / Portalegre
28th Apr 20157:00 amRNSExcellent Drilling Results Continue at Regua
13th Apr 20159:51 amRNSBergen Facility Fully Repaid
26th Mar 20152:17 pmRNSAdditional Placing of 200,000 GBP
20th Mar 20158:39 amRNSCorrection: Repayment of Bergen Facility
20th Mar 20157:00 amRNSRepayment of Bergen Facility and Placing
9th Mar 20159:28 amRNSRegua Project Update
13th Feb 201510:59 amRNSLa Parrilla Mine and Tailings Update
6th Feb 20159:25 amRNSChanges to Significant Shareholders
20th Jan 20151:09 pmRNSPlacing to Raise £1.4m
29th Dec 201412:31 pmRNSDirector Dealing
24th Dec 201411:11 amRNSIssue of Equity
24th Dec 20147:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Operations and Development Update
18th Dec 20147:00 amRNSDirectorate Change
15th Dec 20147:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Mine Connects to Spanish Grid
4th Dec 20147:00 amRNSCAA / Portalegre Drilling Campaign Commences
24th Nov 20147:00 amRNSRegua Development Campaign Commences
19th Nov 20147:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Tailings Plant Improvement Update
4th Nov 20147:00 amRNSDirector Dealing
30th Oct 20147:00 amRNSStrong Trenching Exploration Results
27th Oct 20147:00 amRNSBergen First Closing Completed
22nd Oct 20147:00 amRNSTrading and operations update
16th Oct 201410:56 amRNSConvertible security & private placement facility
30th Sep 20147:00 amRNSInterim results to 30 June 2014
17th Sep 20147:00 amRNSTarouca Drilling Programme Completion
15th Sep 20141:15 pmRNSLa Parrilla Tailings Update
8th Sep 201410:43 amRNSLa Parrilla mine development plan
11th Aug 20147:00 amRNSFirst Tungsten Shipment Cash Proceeds
8th Aug 20145:20 pmRNSDirector Shareholding
29th Jul 20141:35 pmRNSPlacing to raise £1.2 million
28th Jul 20147:00 amRNSTarouca Drilling Update
10th Jul 20147:00 amRNSProduction Ramp-up at La Parrilla Tailings
27th Jun 20143:32 pmRNSShare transfer
23rd Jun 20147:00 amRNSTrial Mining Licence Awarded at Régua
20th Jun 201412:41 pmRNSResult of AGM
27th May 20144:44 pmRNSNotice of AGM

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.