28 September 2018
Eurasia Mining plc (AIM: EUA)
Interim report for the six months ended 30 June 2018
Eurasia Mining plc, the platinum and gold production company, announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2018.
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
The first six months of 2018 have been very busy for the company, with the full commissioning of the first washplant at the mine at West Kytlim and attaining the final stage of the mining licence application at Monchetundra.
In March 2018 a new contractor, Techstroy, was appointed and immediately started site preparation work. Actual mining of stockpiled ore at Malaya Sosnovka open pit commenced in April 2018 and the first platinum was produced in early May 2018. Production up to the end of the reporting period of end June 2018 was well ahead of management expectations with 76kg produced of our target for the first half of 2018 of 50kg. As already announced, production proceeded to Kluchiki open pit in August 2018 and at the time of writing, in late September, we have achieved circa 150% of our internal production targets for the entire 2018, with two months still remaining in the season. We believe this represents a major outperformance of our initial production targets. We recognise Techstroy's efficient operation that has served us well to date, and look to our continued partnership through 2019 and beyond.
At Monchetundra, the technical approvals were received in June 2018 and the documentation is now with the Prime Minister's office. We are hopeful that the permit will be signed shortly.
At the time of writing, in late September 2018, we are pleased to confirm that all our loans have been discharged and the Company is debt free. I would like to acknowledge the help of our advisers in this regard, particularly First Equity from the time of their appointment as our broker and subsequently Optiva Securities. The Company is now in a much stronger position, with robust plans in place for future development and steady annual production foreseeable each year at West Kytlim. Coupled with the planned development of a mine at Monchetundra, we can anticipate a significant step-up for Eurasia and its shareholders.
Christian Schaffalitzky
Executive Chairman
OPERATIONS UPDATE
West Kytlim Platinum and Gold mine, Ural Mountains, Russia.
At the time of writing (19 September 2018) the total amount of raw platinum produced from both areas mined at West Kytlim, Malaya Sosnovka and Kluchiki, was 141.5kg (4,549 ounces). Total average raw platinum grade for the period stands at circa 1g/m3.
Malaya Sosnovka Open Pit
The Company continues to break new ground at the West Kytlim Project which attained industrial scale production in May 2018 of this year at the Malaya Sosnovka open pit and had already attained full year production guidance by late July 2018. Mining has now proceeded to Kluchiki open pit where work has been ongoing since August.
West Kytlim is the world's second largest alluvial platinum and gold mine (after Konder in Russia) and is contracted to Techstroy, a qualified and experienced alluvial operator. Eurasia has developed the project from grass roots exploration, through successive feasibility studies and reserve approvals to the issue of a mining permit. Mining commenced at industrial scale in May of 2018 at Malaya Sosnovka open pit within the 21.4km2 license area.
The flow sheet for processing gravels, as redesigned in early 2018 utilises a trommel as the main tool for washing and disintegration to produce a sluice concentrate. This is then further upgraded to a raw platinum black sand concentrate at the on-site laboratory operated by staff from Eurasia's subsidiary Kosvinsky Kamen. Shipments of platinum concentrate to the Ekaterinburg precious metals refinery are ongoing, commensurate with payments from sale of Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium and Gold.
Kluchiki open pit
Kluchiki open pit occurs within a few kilometres of the Malaya Sosnovka Area, downstream in the Tylai river system.
Reserves and resources of 319kg raw platinum were identified in the area and achieved state approvals as part of the feasibility study approved in early 2014 (see RNS dated 22 April 2014).
A full team of personnel continue to operate onsite including up to 22 people from Eurasia's contractor Techstroy and up to 8 people from Eurasia's subsidiary Kosvinsky Kamen. Appropriate standards of health and safety are observed on the mine site, no significant incidents involving personal injury have occurred at the site. The mine is in a remote area, 20km from the nearest settlement at Kytlim, a small village of several hundred people. Precautions are taken with regard to safety of mine product, though risk to mine security is considered very low. Corporate and social responsibilities are managed in line with the Company's newly adopted Quoted Company's Alliance Corporate Governance Code 2018. Appropriate environmental management policies are adhered to as prescribed by Russian Subsoil Regulations.
MONCHETUNDRA
Monchetundra is Eurasia's 80% owned ca. 2 million-ounce PGM (Reserve + Resource) project near the town of Monchegorsk on the Kola Peninsula. The project is in late stage feasibility and a mining license application has advanced to Ministerial level having already attained all necessary approvals through federal agents as prescribed under standard Russian subsoil permitting regulations.
In August 2018 the Company was notified that a recalculation of the one-time payment was to be undertaken by Rosnedra, as the mining license application was now more than 6 months old. This is considered a positive step towards a successful conclusion to the process. The one-time payment is a compensation paid to the state for the exploitation of a resource, calculated on a per deposit basis by Rosnedra, and payable over the initial years of the life of the project.
Further details and background to the Monchetundra Project:
Eurasia was issued a discovery certificate in July 2017. This certificate vouchsafes mining rights for the reserves and resources at two open pits, namely Loipishnune and West Nittis. A mining license application proceeded directly.
Currently, state approved reserves and resources within the Monchetundra Project comprise Russian standard C1 and C2 categories of 55.9 tonnes palladium equivalent (predominantly palladium) at two open-pittable locations, West Nittis and Loipishnune. These open pits also contain significant gold and base metal credits including 28,124 tonnes of copper and 30,410 tonnes of nickel.
Engineering Procurement Construction and Financing (EPCF) Contract
An EPCF contract to develop the mine at Monchetundra is already in place with Sinosteel, a state owned Chinese engineering group focused on mining, which was signed in October 2016 (see announcement dated 10 October 2016). The contract provides for Sinosteel to undertake the mine and processing plant construction and commissioning on a turnkey, commercial arms-length basis. 85 per cent (or US$149,600,000) of the contract value has been arranged as debt-based by Sinosteel - this element of plant construction costs will remain on the Sinosteel balance sheet until such time as the plant is operating at full capacity and to designed specification.
The EPCF also includes a sub contract to be awarded to Eurasia's subsidiary Terskaya Mining Company, to cover initial development work at the Loipishnune open pit. This sub-contract, in the amount of US$50m can be drawn down on award of the mining permit.
Other assets and interests.
Work continues at the Semenovsky Tailings Project, Republic of Bashkiria, where a bulk sample has recently been collected for testing at a nearby gold plant. The Company also maintains an active interest in development at the Kamushanovsky Uranium Project which has recently secured new investment. Further updates on these projects will follow when a commercial interest for Eurasia is secured.
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