16 May 2024
NOTICE OF RESOLUTION TO
APPOINT ADMINISTRATORS AND SUSPENSION OF TRADING IN THE
COMPANY'S SHARES
As announced on 15 April 2024,
Horizonte Minerals Plc (AIM/TSX:
HZM) ("Horizonte" or the "Company") has been unable to
secure interest in the full financing needed to complete its 100%
owned Araguaia Nickel Project ("Araguaia" or the "Project"). After
a period of discussions with secured creditors, and existing and
new potential investors on alternative scenarios with a view to a
potential restructuring solution to attempt to achieve the best
possible recovery for the Company's creditors while minimising
potential liabilities, the Board has now regrettably concluded that
Horizonte should be placed into administration in order to seek to
preserve the value of the business for creditors and other
stakeholders. Accordingly, the Board has resolved to appoint Geoff
Rowley and Chad Griffin of FRP Advisory as administrators and is in
the process of making such appointment.
In light of the above, the Company
has requested a suspension of trading in its ordinary shares on AIM
with effect from 7.30am on 16 May 2024 and TSX with effect from
6.00pm on 15 May 2024. The Final Results for the year ending 31
December 2023 will not be released.
Following consultation with the
Company's Brazilian legal counsel, the injunction (Brazilian
Precautionary Measure) granted to the Company's Brazilian
subsidiary Araguaia Níquel Metais Ltda ("ANML") which was
previously expected to end on 15 May 2024 will now end on 24 May
2024. The injunction provides a 60-day stay period against the
enforcement of debt and certain security held by senior lenders and
creditors, in order to negotiate and work on a restructuring plan
to be approved by its creditors.
As previously announced, discussions
with secured creditors, and existing and new potential investors on
alternative scenarios will continue to be held at ANML with a view
to a potential restructuring solution to attempt to achieve some
recovery value for the Company's creditors. These include raising
financing at the subsidiary level, or disposing of the Araguaia
project whilst in care and maintenance, thereby maintaining the
prospect of the project as a going concern, liquidation of the
assets of the project, or the consideration of other options
available under Brazilian laws to attempt to achieve the best
possible recovery to the Company's creditors while minimising
potential liabilities.
Resignation of Nominated Adviser
Consequently, Peel Hunt LLP has
informed the Company of its intention to resign as Nominated
Adviser and Broker to Horizonte with immediate effect on the
appointment of administrators. Pursuant to AIM Rule 1, if a
replacement Nominated Adviser is not appointed within one month
from the resignation of the current Nominated Adviser, the
admission of the Company's shares to trading on AIM will be
cancelled. The Company has no current intention of appointing a
replacement Nominated Adviser.
This announcement contains inside
information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation
596/2014, as retained in the UK pursuant to the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018.
For
further information, visit www.horizonteminerals.com
or
contact:
Horizonte Minerals plc
Patrick Chambers (Head of
IR)
|
info@horizonteminerals.com
+44 (0) 203 356 2901
|
Peel
Hunt LLP (Nominated Adviser & Joint Broker)
Ross Allister
David McKeown
|
+44 (0)20 7418 8900
|
BMO
(Joint Broker)
Thomas Rider
Pascal Lussier Duquette
Andrew Cameron
|
+44 (0) 20 7236 1010
|
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
INFORMATION
Except for statements of historical
fact relating to the Company, certain information contained in this
press release constitutes "forward-looking information" under
Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information
includes, but is not limited to, the ability of the Company to
complete any planned acquisition of equipment, statements with
respect to the potential of the Company's current or future
property mineral projects; the ability of the Company to complete a
positive feasibility study regarding the second RKEF line at
Araguaia on time, or at all, the ability of the Company to complete
a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho Project on
time, or at all, the success of exploration and mining activities;
cost and timing of future exploration, production and development;
the costs and timing for delivery of the equipment to be purchased,
the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the ability of
the Company to achieve its goals in respect of growing its mineral
resources; the realization of mineral resource and reserve
estimates and achieving production in accordance with the Company's
potential production profile or at all. Generally, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is
expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts",
"intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes",
or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain
actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or
"will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking
information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates,
analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience
and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected
developments, as well as other factors that management believes to
be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that
such statements are made, and are inherently subject to known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the
actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of
the Company to be materially different from those expressed or
implied by such forward-looking information, including but not
limited to risks related to: the inability of the Company to
complete any planned acquisition of equipment on time or at all,
the ability of the Company to complete a positive feasibility study
regarding the implementation of a second RKEF line at Araguaia on
the timeline contemplated or at all, the ability of the Company to
complete a positive feasibility study regarding the Vermelho
Project on the timeline contemplated or at all, exploration and
mining risks, competition from competitors with greater capital;
the Company's lack of experience with respect to development-stage
mining operations; fluctuations in metal prices; uninsured risks;
environmental and other regulatory requirements; exploration,
mining and other licences; the Company's future payment
obligations; potential disputes with respect to the Company's title
to, and the area of, its mining concessions; the Company's
dependence on its ability to obtain sufficient financing in the
future; the Company's dependence on its relationships with third
parties; the Company's joint ventures; the potential of currency
fluctuations and political or economic instability in countries in
which the Company operates; currency exchange fluctuations; the
Company's ability to manage its growth effectively; the trading
market for the ordinary shares of the Company; uncertainty with
respect to the Company's plans to continue to develop its
operations and new projects; the Company's dependence on key
personnel; possible conflicts of interest of directors and officers
of the Company, and various risks associated with the legal and
regulatory framework within which the Company operates, together
with the risks identified and disclosed in the Company's disclosure
record available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at
www.sedar.com, including without limitation, the annual information
form of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the
Araguaia and Vermelho Technical Reports available on the Company's
website https://horizonteminerals.com/. Although management of the
Company has attempted to identify important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in
forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause
results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can
be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as
actual results and future events could differ materially from those
anticipated in such statements.