Τα κοιτάσματα ΒΑ Χαλκιδικής πιο κοντά στην παραγωγική εκμετάλλευση

Η μεταλλευτική εταιρία Ελληνικός Χρυσός Α.Ε. ανακοίνωσε πρόσφατα την οικονομική συνεργασία με την Qatar Holding LLC με αναφορά στην εξόρυξη των πολυμεταλλικών κοιτασμάτων ΒΑ Χαλκιδικής με επίκεντρο την μεταλλουργία χρυσού. Η συμφωνία πραγματοποιήθηκε παρουσία του πρωθυπουργού γεγονός που σηματοδοτεί την απόφαση της χώρας να αξιοποιήσει τα συγκριτικά της πλεονεκτήματα στην βάση της αναπτυξιακής σταθερότητας που εξασφαλίζει η βιωσιμότητα του ορυκτού πλούτου.

European Goldfields Limited (TSX / AIM: EGU) (“European Goldfields” or the “Company”) announced recently that it has agreed heads of terms (“Heads of Terms”) with Qatar Holding LLC (“Qatar Holding”) for the provision of a US$600 million 7 year Senior Secured Loan Facility with Equity Participation (the “Facility”). Pursuant to the Heads of Terms, the Facility will be structured as a US$600 million 7 year loan at an interest margin of 7% above 6-month Libor per annum and will be repayable in 8 equal installments commencing in 2015 (the “Facility Agreement”). The loan will be secured over the Company’s Greek assets, including a pledge of the shares of all intermediate holding companies, and will contain certain informational and financial covenants. The Equity Participation feature of the Facility will encompass the issuance to Qatar Holding of warrants (the “Warrants”) for the purchase of 40,444,913 shares in the Company at a strike price of C$9.08 per share (equivalent to the 5 day VWAP on the TSX). The Facility will be used primarily for the development of the Company’s Skouries and Olympias gold projects in Greece, for which the Environmental Permit was recently granted, as well as general corporate purposes. The Company also proposes to offer unsecured loan notes with warrants for US$150 million (the “Loan Notes”) to be made available to existing shareholders on the same economic terms as the Facility. These Loan Notes will be listed on an international exchange and will include the normal terms and conditions for such an instrument. The aggregate proceeds of US$750 million from the Facility and the Loan Notes are expected to fully finance the Company’s entire project portfolio. The Company has also been advised that in two separate transactions, Qatar Holding has acquired from Aktor Construction International Limited (“Aktor”) and Mr. Dimitrios Koutras collectively, an aggregate 18,202,687 shares at C$10 per share (representing 9.9% of the undiluted share capital of the Company) and has entered into a call option agreement allowing it to acquire a further 9,373,390 shares in the Company at a price of C$13 per share. As a result and prior to the exercise of the call option, Aktor now holds 22,447,246 shares (representing 12.2% of the undiluted share capital of the Company) and Mr. Koutras holds 5,521,387 shares (representing 3.0% of the undiluted share capital of the Company). The Facility and related issuance of warrants are subject to exclusivity, definitive documentation and shareholder and regulatory approval.