21 September 2018
Savannah Resources Plc
Additional Mining Lease Application Submitted
Heavy Mineral Sands Project - Mozambique
HIGHLIGHTS:
· Additional Mining Lease application submitted by Matilda Minerals Lda. (a subsidiary of Savannah) over an area of 119km², which covers a defined Mineral Resource Estimate of 65Mt (the 'Application')
· The Application covers an area that is contiguous to two pending Rio Tinto Mining Lease applications previously submitted in the name of Mutamba Minerals Sands S.A.
· This is part of the consolidation of Savannah's and Rio Tinto's mineral sands projects in Mozambique under the Consortium Agreement (the 'Consortium')
· Once granted, the total area of the three adjoining Mining Leases will be 399km²
· Mining Leases are generally awarded for a term of 25 years and can be renewed at the end of their terms
· The Ministry has six months from the date of submission to respond to the Application
Savannah Resources plc (AIM: SAV, FWB: AFM and SWB: SAV) ('Savannah' or 'the Company'), is pleased to announce that the Application has been submitted to the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy in Mozambique (the 'Ministry') for an additional Mining Lease in the name of its wholly owned subsidiary, Matilda Minerals Lda. (Figure 1). This Application is the final Mining Lease application to be lodged that is covered by the Consortium with Rio Tinto for the Mutamba Heavy Minerals Sands Project in Mozambique ('Mutamba'). To view the press release with the illustrative maps and diagrams please use the following link:
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4709B_1-2018-9-20.pdf
David Archer, Savannah's Chief Executive Officer said, "The submission of the Application is the last outstanding leasing matter for the Consortium and we are delighted to have now completed the full round of applications. Matilda Minerals Limitada is our wholly owned subsidiary and is also the official operator of Mutamba Minerals Sand's venture. Mutamba Minerals Sand's Mining Lease applications continue to be evaluated by the Government and it is hoped that these will be issued within the time limits established by Mozambican law. Due to the complexity of the analysis of the process and the number of Government entities involved in the appraisal of the applications, the Government always reserves the right to request additional clarifications that may result in short delays.
"Meanwhile, the scoping phase of the Pre-Feasibility Study for the Mutamba project is progressing well with anticipated completion in Q1 2019 and given that the demand for global titanium feedstocks continues to grow, we believe we are extremely well placed to take full advantage of an expanding market."
Mining Lease Application Submission
The Application (Figure 1) has been submitted over the area of EL 3617L in the districts of Inharrime and Jangamo in the name of Matilda Minerals Lda., a wholly owned subsidiary of Savannah Resources Limited. The Application covers a total area of 11,948 hectares.
Matilda Minerals Lda. is the Operator of the Mutamba Project (Figure 2) for which the Mining Lease applications comprise of the adjacent Jangamo application (118km²) and the Dongane / Ravene application (161km²), totalling 399km2. The applications are separate to the Chilubane application (138km²).
The Ministry has six months, from the date of submission, to respond to applications. Mining Leases are generally awarded for a term of 25 years and can be renewed at the end of their terms.
Savannah is the operator of the Mutamba Project with a 20% interest in a Consortium with Rio Tinto, which covers the projects. Savannah can increase its interest to 35% upon delivery of a Pre-Feasibility Study, which is currently underway, and to 51% upon delivery of a Feasibility Study.
Figure 1. Location Map showing the position of the Matilda Minerals Mining Lease Application - see PDF
Figure 2. Location Map showing the Matilda Minerals and Mutamba Mining Lease Applications - See PDF
Regulatory Information and Competent Person
The information in this announcement that relates to exploration results is based upon information compiled by Mr Dale Ferguson, Technical Director of Savannah Resources Limited. Mr Ferguson is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the December 2012 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves" (JORC Code). Mr Ferguson consents to the inclusion in the report of the matters based upon the information in the form and context in which it appears.
This Announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Regulation (EU) 596/2014.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit www.savannahresources.com or contact:
David Archer |
Savannah Resources plc |
Tel: +44 20 7117 2489 |
David Hignell / Dugald J. Carlean (Nominated Adviser) |
Northland Capital Partners Ltd |
Tel: +44 20 3861 6625 |
Christopher Raggett / Camille Gochez (Broker) |
finnCap Ltd |
Tel: +44 20 7220 0500 |
Grant Barker (Equity Adviser) |
Whitman Howard |
Tel: +44 020 7659 1225 |
Charlotte Page / Lottie Wadham (Financial PR) |
St Brides Partners Ltd |
Tel: +44 20 7236 1177 |
About Savannah
Savannah is a diversified resources group (AIM: SAV) with a portfolio of energy metals projects - lithium in Portugal and copper in Oman - together with the world-class Mutamba Heavy Mineral Sands Project in Mozambique, which is being developed in a consortium with the global major Rio Tinto. The Board is committed to serving the interests of its shareholders and to delivering outcomes that will improve the lives of our staff and the communities we work with.
The Company is listed and regulated on AIM and the Company's ordinary shares are also available on the Quotation Board of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB) under the symbol FWB: AFM, and the Börse Stuttgart (SWB) under the ticker "SAV".
