Phoenix Copper Limited / Ticker: PXC / Sector: Mining

30 March 2022

Phoenix Copper Limited

('Phoenix' or the 'Company')

 Update re Proposed Fundraising  

Phoenix Copper Ltd (AIM: PXC, OTCQX ADR: PXCLY), the AIM quoted USA focused base and precious metals emerging producer and exploration company, provides a further update regarding the proposed fundraising the Company first referred to in the announcement dated 11 February 2022.

The Company confirms it is in the process of engaging a syndicate of US based broker-dealers to work with the Company and its existing brokers and advisers to execute a proposed placement of non-dilutive loan notes (the "Loan Notes") to finance the construction and development of the Empire Open Pit Copper Mine in Idaho, USA ("Empire") (the "Proposed Fundraise").

The Company expects to raise a minimum of $60 million via the issue of Loan Notes to institutional and other investors.

It is intended that the Loan Notes will be US dollar denominated, will be non-convertible and be repayable after 10 years. It is also proposed that the Loan Notes will pay a semi-annual coupon equivalent to the higher of a fixed interest coupon or a coupon calculated as a royalty on the net smelter return revenue received from production and sales at Empire. The Company also proposes to seek admission to trading of the Loan Notes on a recognised securities market.

There can be no certainty that the Proposed Fundraise will proceed, or that the final terms agreed with investors will be consistent with those set out in this announcement. However, upon publication of this announcement the Directors consider the Company to have exited the previously announced "close period".

Further announcements regarding the Proposed Fundraise will be made as soon as practicable.

Contacts

For further information please visit https://phoenixcopperlimited.com   or contact:

Notes

Phoenix Copper Limited is a USA focused, base and precious metals emerging producer and exploration company, initially targeting copper and zinc production from an open pit mine.

Phoenix's primary operations are focused near Mackay, Idaho in the Alder Creek mining district, at the 80% owned Empire Mine property, which historically produced copper at grades of up to 8%, as well as gold, silver, zinc and tungsten, from an underground mine. 

Since 2017, Phoenix has carried our extensive drill programmes which have defined a NI 43-101 compliant PEA (preliminary economic assessment) for an open pit heap leach solvent extraction and electrowinning ("SX-EW") mine, which was updated in October 2020. The contained metal in all NI 43-101 compliant categories of resources, Measured, Indicated and Inferred, stand at 129,641 tonnes of copper, 355,523 ounces of gold, 10,133,772 ounces of silver and 58,440 tonnes of zinc. Phoenix updated its economic model in February 2021 to include the processing of all contained metals through a two phased approach.

In addition to Empire, the district includes the historic Horseshoe, White Knob and Blue Bird Mines, past producers of copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead and tungsten from underground mines. A new discovery at Red Star, 330 metres northwest of the Empire Mine proposed open pit, has revealed high grade silver / lead sulphide ore, and from three shallow exploration drill holes a maiden resource of 103,000 tonnes containing 173.4 g/tonne silver, 0.85 g/tonne gold and 3.85% lead (1.6 million ounces silver equivalent) was reported in an NI 43-101 technical report published in May 2019. Additionally, the district includes Navarre Creek, a volcanic hosted precious metals target in a 14.48 sq km area. The Company's total land package at Empire comprises 8,034 acres (32.51 sq kms).

At Empire, it is estimated that less than 1% of the potential ore system has been explored to date and, accordingly, there is significant opportunity to increase the resource through phased exploration. The stated aim of the Company is to fund this phased exploration through free cashflow generated by its initial mine. A Plan of Operations in respect of the initial open pit mine was filed with the relevant regulatory authorities in June 2021.

Phoenix also has two wholly owned cobalt properties on the Idaho Cobalt Belt to the north of Empire. An Earn-In Agreement has been signed with Electra Battery Metals (formerly First Cobalt Corporation), Toronto, in respect of one of those properties.

Phoenix is listed on London's AIM (PXC), and trades on New York's OTCQX Market (PXCLF and PXCLY (ADRs)). More details on the Company, its assets and its objectives can be found on PXC's website at https://phoenixcopperlimited.com.