Chris Heminway, Exec-Chair at Time To ACT, explains why now is the right time for the Group to IPO. 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

Statement re. Suspension

5 Apr 2022 07:40

RNS Number : 2919H
W Resources PLC
05 April 2022
 

 

 

 

 

 

5 April 2022

 

W Resources Plc

("W" or the "Company"

La Parrilla and Funding Update

Temporary Suspension of Trading in Ordinary Shares

W Resources Plc (AIM:WRES), the tungsten, tin and gold mining company with assets in Spain and Portugal, announces that the operating and commercial conditions in Spain at the La Parrilla mine continue to be extraordinarily challenging.

Key challenges:

· The recent Spanish truck drivers dispute has stopped delivery of critical spare parts to the La Parrilla mine and the collection of tungsten and tin concentrate shipments.

· Liquefied Natural Gas ("LNG") prices for delivery to the mine remain at highly inflated levels of up to seven times higher than the average monthly charges in 2021 and previous years.

As a result the Board has no option but to temporarily suspend production and operations at La Parrilla, due to shortage of key spare parts and the very high LNG prices that place an excessive cost burden on the mine. The Board has assessed that it is best to wait for a stabilisation in prices prior to recommencing operations. The Company is also investigating the possibility of LNG price support with its offtake partner and customers which would enable an earlier resumption of production.

The Board notes that similar shut downs have been initiated in Spain by many other small and medium sized businesses including the major steel plant operators.

During the shutdown period the Company is applying for Spanish government support under the Expediente de Regulación Temporal de Empleo ("ERTE") employment retention programme and it is confident this support will be received.

The Company's plans to reduce the dependence on LNG continue to be expedited including options for solar power and also an electricity grid connection upgrade.

Separately, the Company has also been informed that the Dirección General de Industria, Energía y Minas of Extremadura has challenged the W group's authorisations to operate. The Company will be appealing this challenge and has been advised by its lawyers that it can continue to operate pending resolution of the appeal. The Company is confident of a successful outcome.

 

Financing and Financial Position Update

The suspension of operations places significant financial pressure on the Company's subsidiary in Spain, Iberian Resources Spain ("IRS") which has very limited cash. W Resources has drawn US$2.5m from the expanded US$5.5m facility provided by one or more funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. and/or its affiliates ("BlackRock") as announced on 2 March 2022. In light of the above mentioned events, the Company is in discussions with BlackRock regarding the timing of incremental drawdowns.

In addition, the Company is currently in discussion with a supplier who has an outstanding balance of approximately €1m and is proposing a payment plan with this supplier. If this is agreed then IRS will be in a position to undertake certain operational activities which are expected to generate a similar amount for IRS.

The Company believes that utilisation of its funding facilities in full and resolution of the supplier dispute will enable the Company to continue operating for approximately three to four months in the absence of the re-commencement of mining operations at La Parrilla. However, resolution of both these is required as a matter of urgency given the effect of the suspension of mining operations and associated revenues on W's cash position.

In light of the considerable uncertainty over the timing of cashflows from its borrowing facilities and elsewhere, the Company has requested a suspension of its shares on AIM pending clarification of its financial position.

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the retained EU law version of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (the "UK MAR") which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The information is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of the UK MAR. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

Enquiries:

W Resources Plc

Paul Hailes

investor@wresources.com

www.wresources.com

Grant Thornton UK LLP

Colin Aaronson / Harrison Clarke / Samuel Littler

T: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100

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.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
 
 
SRSEAKLSEDDAEEA
Date   Source Headline
14th Apr 20217:30 amRNSHolding(s) in Company
14th Apr 20217:00 amRNSQ1 2021 Production Report
8th Apr 202111:26 amRNSAtlas Conversion Notice & Total Voting Rights
31st Mar 202110:22 amRNSResult of General Meeting & Total Voting Rights
22nd Mar 20211:00 pmRNSAtlas Conversion Notice
17th Mar 202111:00 amRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
17th Mar 20219:05 amRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
17th Mar 20219:00 amRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
15th Mar 20212:06 pmRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
15th Mar 20212:01 pmRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
15th Mar 202112:19 pmRNSDirector/PDMR Shareholding
8th Mar 20217:00 amRNSCapital Reorganisation & Notice of General Meeting
3rd Mar 20217:21 amRNSLa Parrilla Update
10th Feb 20218:09 amRNSDirectorate Change
29th Jan 202111:05 amRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
29th Jan 202111:00 amRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
28th Jan 20217:00 amRNSAtlas Conversion Notice
26th Jan 20218:01 amRNSIssue of Shares to a Director and Others
25th Jan 20217:00 amRNSManagement Team Update
21st Jan 20217:00 amRNSQ4 2020 Production Report
15th Jan 20217:51 amRNSExtremadura Grant Update & Loan Facility Extension
11th Jan 20217:00 amRNS£500k Atlas Facility Drawdown & Conversion Notice
22nd Dec 20207:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Update
15th Dec 202011:21 amRNSWarrant Date Extension
7th Dec 20207:00 amRNSIssue of Equity
27th Nov 20201:05 pmRNSLa Parrilla Update - Replacement
26th Nov 20207:00 amRNSLa Parrilla Update
18th Nov 20207:00 amRNSExecutive Director and CFO Appointment
21st Oct 20207:00 amRNSQ3 Production Report
9th Oct 202011:18 amRNSIssue of Shares to Creditors
8th Oct 20207:02 amRNSBlackRock Additional US$7m Loan Facility
30th Sep 20207:00 amRNSHalf-year Report to 30 June 2020
1st Sep 20209:10 amRNSBlackRock Amendment Update
26th Aug 20209:11 amRNSAtlas Facility and La Parrilla Update
5th Aug 20208:54 amRNS£500,000 Atlas Facility Drawdown
23rd Jul 20202:05 pmRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
23rd Jul 20202:00 pmRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
23rd Jul 20207:00 amRNSJune 2020 Quarterly Production Report
22nd Jul 20209:19 amRNSSpanish Bank Loan Facilities
30th Jun 202011:59 amRNSResult of AGM
8th Jun 202012:58 pmRNSHolding(s) in Company
2nd Jun 20202:04 pmRNSNotice of AGM and Annual Report
1st Jun 20207:35 amRNSFinal Results
17th Apr 20208:00 amRNSMarch 2020 Quarterly Production Report
1st Apr 20202:05 pmRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
1st Apr 20202:00 pmRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
1st Apr 202011:06 amRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn
1st Apr 202011:00 amRNSPrice Monitoring Extension
30th Mar 20203:26 pmRNSFinancing, La Parrilla and Spain COVID-19 Update
25th Mar 20204:41 pmRNSSecond Price Monitoring Extn

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.