Future project reporting

Sirius Minerals Plc ("Sirius" or the "Company") provides an update on the future reporting of updates for its North Yorkshire polyhalite project (the "Project") following the successful completion of its Stage 1 Financing in late 2016.

Going forward the Company will provide general development and construction updates to the market on a quarterly basis. For the coming twelve months these are expected to be released at the following times:

· Week commencing 27 March 2017;
· Week commencing 26 June 2017;
· Week commencing 25 September 2017, and;
· Week commencing 8 January 2018.

These will be in addition to updates on key Project milestones, as they occur. In addition, the Company will regularly update its investor presentation, other content on its website (www.siriusminerals.com) and social media channels, as the Project develops.

Current activities

A number of works required to deliver the Project have already begun and more are due to commence shortly. These are all in-line with the Project schedule, as detailed in the Company's investor presentation.

Highway works required as part of the development ramp-up are currently due to commence on 30 January 2017. This enabling work includes improvements to the junctions of site access roads and other minor local highways improvements. This work is expected to be complete by 7 April 2017.

Site investigation works including further geotechnical studies have been underway since the end of 2016. An additional drilling rig, similar to that used during the Company's exploration campaign, is expected on site at the end of February 2017 in order to gather more detailed information for the upcoming shaft sinking. The full site preparation phase is expected to commence on schedule in Q2 this year, as previously announced.

In addition to the above activities a significant amount of detailed engineering, design and commercial work is underway across all aspects of the Project.

Regulatory information

For the purposes of MAR and Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1055, this announcement is being made on behalf of the Company by Gareth Edmunds, External Affairs Director.

Cazenove summary today:
" Geological & geographical setting unlock competitive advantage – we believe there is a high likelihood that reserves will be extended which will underpin a mine life potentially greater than 100 years. Furthermore, the orebody is amenable to low-cost, bulk mining methods which we expect to drive steady-state EBITDA margins ~74%.
 Project economics are supportive under JPM forecasts – JPM base case forecasts with production of 13Mtpa yields an IRR of 17% (real, 2017) with returns resilient even under more bearish assumptions. However, we believe there are further opportunities to refine capital operating metrics which could materially improve the investment case. For example, a "high volume high margin" scenario would increase the IRR to a very attractive ~32%
 Equity valuations are attractive – We calculate a base case DCF of £0.97/sh.,& a range of £0.41-1.61/sh. using a multiples (EV/EBITDA) approach. Using the DCF, it would mean the current stock price is trading at less than 0.2x P/NPV, implying SXX is the cheapest within our coverage universe.
 Financing risks have diminished – Following the Stage 1 financing package (announced Nov’16), we believe SXX is fully capitalised for project spend until H1’19. This has eased pressure on the immediacy to commit Stage 2 funding (fully debt funded, expected in 2018), although we still forecast that funding will be tight between 2023-‘25 as: (i) production ramps up, and (ii) the convertible bond is repaid.
 Development has derisked materially – Shaft sinking and cavern boring for the conveyor system present a technically challenging development that is more acute given that the Project sits within the North York Moors National Park. However, all necessary approvals have been obtained to start construction (and for production up to 13Mtpa) and key components of the Project have been assessed by independent consultants which should mitigate development risk.
 Leveraged to late-cycle commodities – SXX will mine and market polyhalite, which is a naturally occurring fertiliser that contains four macronutrients which are required for plant growth. As such, the long-term outlook for the company is tied to favourable underlying trends such as population growth, urbanisation and increasing wealth.

JP Morgan Cazenove Overweight 18.13 - 40.00 Initiates/Starts

30p by the time you get back from your hols skinny?! :o)

We can but hope!

Total holding for CQS (UK) LLP has gone above 5%

StockMarketWire.com
Sirius Minerals has recorded a FY pretax loss of £23.4m, from a loss of £7.5m booked for the nine months to Dec. 31, 2015. Most of the losses were linked to administrative expenses and finance costs.

The company also said it planned to apply for admission to listing of its shares on London Stock Exchange's main market, and gave notice of intended cancellation of trading of its AIM listing.

Directors said they believed a premium listing would support the long-term strategy of the company by providing it with a more appropriate platform for growth.

A main market listing was also in keeping with the nationally significant nature of the company's North Yorkshire polyhalite project and its market capitalisation, which as of the date of this announcement was in excess of £700m.

"In addition, the company directors believe that admission will raise the company's global profile, increase its trading liquidity and provide the company with a greater range of potential investors for its ordinary shares."

Referring to the development of its North Yorkshire polyhalite project in Q1 2017, Sirius managing director Chris Fraser said good progress was being made with the development of the Woodsmith Mine and associated infrastructure.

Having successfully secured around £1bn in November 2016 in the company's Stage 1 financing, he said Sirius was pleased to be progressing in line with schedule and budget.

28 Mar Shore Capital Buy 20.88 - - Reiterates

28 Mar Liberum Capital Buy 20.88 60.00 60.00 Retains

Also from yesterday - Sirius Minerals: Buy, buy, buy

Bought some this morning as Share price has gone over downtrend line

A good move today on early volume.

Last week report ............

Sirius Minerals is FTSE 250 bound and is already seeing a boost ahead of AIM exit - broker - 04 Apr 2017

Tracker funds will be obliged to take Sirius Minerals shares as the British mine developer is included into main market indices.

Sirius Minerals is progressively moving its project towards to production
Sirius Minerals PLC (LON:SXX) is well positioned to become a FTSE 250 company and there are signs that ‘basket’ investors are already buying in, so says Shore Capital.

The stockbroker today repeated a ‘buy’ recommendation on the British mine developer following last week’s confirmation that it would be moving onto London’s main market from AIM at the end of this month.

“Assuming its market cap remains at around the current level, Sirius should be well positioned to be considered for inclusion in the FTSE 250 index during the June 2017 rebalancing process,” Shore Capital analyst Yuen Low said in a note.

“That said, we note that even inclusion in the All Share index would result in the relevant tracker funds being obligated to invest in the company.

“We believe that Sirius is already benefiting: we think that the recent sharp rise in the share price is occurring in anticipation.”

Low highlights that even though the company’s fertiliser mine, in North Yorkshire, remains in the development phase investments in Sirius Minerals shares will be “progressively derisked” as the project advances, thus investors will “enjoy significant value uplift” along the way.

He also noted recent communications from the company that suggest there may be some new positive developments for the project.

“In any major construction project, keeping to schedule can be tricky – unsurprisingly, this is a common concern voiced by investors that we speak to,” the analyst said.

“We were therefore intrigued to learn from Sirius’s Q1 2017 project update that the company is considering opportunities to ‘accelerate components of the shaft and tunnel spend’.

“In response to a query we made, Sirius explained that it had included in its 2017 budget ‘some activities’ (which we understand to be associated with engineering design) that were originally scheduled for 2018, so that it could exploit any opportunities to get more of these said activities done earlier than previously planned.

“From our point of view, any (significant) work that can be brought forward should have a positive de-risking impact, in that it would hopefully add to the ‘time buffers’ available to cater for potential over-runs.”

Shore Capital models a risked net present value between 65p and 82.5p per share for Sirius, depending upon the nature and make-up of the project’s Phase 2 financing – suggesting very significant upside from the current price of around 21p.

http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/175910/sirius-minerals-is-ftse-250-bound-and-is-already-seeing-a-boost-ahead-of-aim-exit-broker-175910.html

Time for a top up I think!

Huge volume today on the BREAKOUT

Kim
I'm on these and topped up early yesterday looking good..

Will get a boost when entering the 250 in June.

Hi Driver, yes there is a good chance they will move to the 250 in June, Tracker Funds will be buying and after the transfer to the main market at the end of this month SXX should be flying higher. Nothing is guaranteed until the well known lady sings though!

200 MA beckons.

I feel a yeeeeehaaa coming on!

another rising day up to 23.875p + 0.675p

very strong on the order book bid side and only 185K left at offer 24p

DEPTH
142 v 62

Here's what needs to happen for Sirius to double

http://www.iii.co.uk/articles/405488/heres-what-needs-happen-sirius-double?utm_campaign=Afternoon%20update%2012/4/17&utm_content=1012526025962&utm_medium=email&utm_source=SmartFocus