CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwired – May 2, 2017) – BACANORA MINERALS LTD. (“Bacanora” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:BCN)(AIM:BCN), the Canadian and London listed lithium exploration and development company focused on building an international lithium group, is pleased to announce the issue of 12,333,261 new common shares of no par value (“New Common Shares”) to Hanwa Co., LTD (“Hanwa”), a leading Japan-based global trading company and one of the larger traders of battery chemicals in the Asian region. The New Common Shares represent 10.0% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Company and are being issued at a price of 82.5 pence (approximately C$1.37)1 per share to raise approximately £10,175,000 (approximately C$16,896,000) for Bacanora pursuant to the Company’s offtake agreement with Hanwa for battery grade lithium carbonate at its Sonora lithium project in Mexico (for details regarding the offtake agreement, please refer to the Company’s news release dated 10 April 2017).
The equity placing to Hanwa was completed in reliance upon exemptions from applicable prospectus and registration requirements. Accordingly, any trades of securities issued under the placing that occur in Alberta or to a purchaser in Alberta would be subject to a hold period equal to four months and one day from the date of issuance (being September 3, 2017). Trades of securities occurring through the CREST system among non-Alberta residents will not be subject to this restriction. All of the shares acquired by Hanwa under the placing will be deposited under the CREST system.
ABOUT BACANORA:
Bacanora is a Canadian and London listed lithium exploration and development company (TSX VENTURE:BCN)(AIM:BCN). The Company is exploring for, and developing a pipeline of international lithium projects, with a primary focus on the Sonora Lithium Project. The Company’s operations are based in Hermosillo in northern Mexico. The Company is led by a team with lithium expertise and proven mine development, construction and operations experience.
The Sonora Lithium Project, which consists of ten mining concession areas covering approximately 100 thousand hectares in the northeast of Sonora State. The Company, through drilling and exploration work to date, has established an Indicated Mineral Resource (in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”)) of 4.5 million tonnes (LCE2) and 2.7 million tonnes Inferred.3 A Pre-Feasibility Study completed in Q1 20164 established Probable Mineral Reserve (in accordance with NI 43-101) of 2.1 million tonnes LCE and demonstrated the economics associated with becoming a 35,000 tpa lithium carbonate and 50,000 tpa SOP producer in Mexico.
In addition to the Sonora Lithium Project, the Company also has a 50% interest in the Zinnwald Lithium Project in southern Saxony, Germany. The Zinnwald Lithium Project is located in a granite hosted Sn/W/Li belt that has been mined historically for tin, tungsten and lithium at different times over the past 300 years. The strategic location of the Zinnwald Lithium Project allows immediate access to the German automotive and downstream lithium chemical industries.
Reader Advisory
Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate” and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.
Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: commodity price volatility; general economic conditions in Canada, the United States, Mexico and globally; industry conditions, governmental regulation, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, capital, skilled personnel and supplies; changes in tax laws; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.
The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
1 Based upon a foreign exchange rate of £1.00 = CAD$1.66 (being the rate on the date of execution of the Company’s offtake agreement with Hanwa).
2 LCE = lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) equivalent; determined by multiplying Li value in percent by 5.324 to get an equivalent Li2CO3 value in per cent. Use of LCE is to provide data comparable with industry reports and assumes complete conversion of lithium in clays with no recovery or process losses.
3 See Amended Mineral Resource Estimate for the Sonora Lithium Project, Mexico, April 2016. The lead author of the amended report is Mr. Martin Pittuck (MSc., C.Eng., FGS, MIMMM) of SRK Consulting (UK) Limited (‘SRK’). A copy of this report is available under Bacanora’s corporate profile at www.sedar.com.
4 See Technical Report on the Pre-Feasibility Study for the Sonora Lithium Project, Mexico, 15 April 2016. The authors of the PFS are Ausenco Limited, SRK and Independent Mining Consultants Inc. A copy of this report is available under Bacanora’s corporate profile at www.sedar.com.
Peter Secker
CEO
info@bacanoraminerals.com
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP, Nomad
Sandy Jamieson/Liam Murray
+44 (0) 20 7213 0880
Numis Securities Ltd, Broker
John Prior/James Black/Paul Gillam
+44 (0) 20 7260 1000
St Brides Partners, Financial PR Adviser
Elisabeth Cowell/ Frank Buhagiar
+44 (0) 20 7236 1177