Antucoya West Clawback Removal
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
Chile’s star in copper-gold
ESTRELLA RESOURCES LIMITED
ACN 151 155 207
AUSTRALIAN REGISTERED OFFICE:
Level 51 MLC Centre 19-29 Martin Place
Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
14 October 2014
Estrella signs Memorandum of Understanding with
SQM to remove the 49% claw back from the Antucoya
West prospect.
Email: admin@estrellaresources.com.au
HIGHLIGHTS
CHILE OFFICE:
Santa Beatriz 294
Providencia, Santiago, Chile
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with SQM to remove 49% claw back for
the Antucoya West prospect.
Estrella will hold 100% rights to explore Antucoya West for base and precious metals.
A total of 5,200 hectares will be signed up under a new 4 year Option Agreement for
Antucoya West, which is immediately adjacent to Antofogasta Minerals’(LON:ANTO)
USD$1.9B, Antucoya mine development.
New arrangement greatly improves Estrella’s ability to attract third party investors.
ESR
ASX CODE: ESR
For further information please contact:
Dr. Jason Berton MAusIMM
Managing Director
Contact Details:
1.
Email: admin@estrellaresources.com.au
Estrella Resources Limited (ASX:ESR) (Estrella or the Company) is pleased to
announce that it has signed a MoU for a 4 year Option Agreement with SQM de Chile
S.A (SQM) to acquire 100% interest in all metal discoveries in the Antucoya West
Prospect (Antucoya West or Project) located in Region II of Chile (see Figure 1),
immediately west of the Antucoya mine development (owned by Antofagasta
Minerals LON:ANTO).
Introduction
Antucoya West is a significant porphyry exploration prospect discovered by Estrella
within the Altair Project since 15 February 2013, when the Altair Project was signed
up under a 5 year Option Agreement with SQM (see ASX announcement 18 February
2013). All prospects within the Altair Project are subject to a 49% clawback by SQ,
however. this new MOU will result in removal of the 49% claw back for the Antocoya
West Prospect under a new 4 year Option Agreement contract, which is to be
finalised within 45 days.
As part of the transaction, SQM will be issued 4.9% of Estrella shares. These shares
will be subject to a three month escrow. Estrella sees this as a great vote of
confidence by SQM in Estrella’s exploration progress to date and a strengthening of
the long-term relationship with SQM.
www.estrellaresources.com.au
AUSTRALIA | CHILE
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Figure 1: Estrella’s Altair Project (which includes Antucoya West) lies
within a well-established mining district in northern Chile; close to
infrastructure and close to the Chilean coastline.
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AUSTRALIA | CHILE
ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Figure 2: The Altair Project is situated close to the coast in Region II, northern Chile.
2.
Locality of Antucoya West
Antucoya West lies immediately west of Antofagasta Minerals’ (LON: ANTO) Antucoya mine development (USD 1.9B
Capex) (not Estrella owned). Estrella will separate 5,200 hectares (see Figure 3) from the current Altair Option
Agreement, which will form the new Antucoya West Option Agreement to be signed within the next 45 days.
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ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Figure 3: Antucoya West prospect lies immediately adjacent to Antofagasta Minerals’ Antucoya mine
development and 30 km from the Chilean coast.
3.
Prospectivity of Antucoya West
Since entering the Altair Option Agreement (15 February 2013) Estrella has progressed exploration at Antucoya West
from early greenfields stage to identification of multiple drill ready porphyry targets (see Figure 4). Estrella’s
exploration work that has led to this stage includes:
Airborne magnetic data acquisition and processing.
Ground Vector Induced Polarisation (VIP) and Elecctrical Resistivity surveys.
Electrical Resistivity and Magnetotelluric (MT) inversion modelling.
Ground mapping and surface geochemical assessment.
38 shallow depth (max 20 metres) reverse circulation (RC) drill holes to penetrate the ‘caliche’ gravel cover,
which successfully detected anomalous copper mineralisation (up to 0.15% Cu). (See ASX announcement; 5
August 2014).
AUSTRALIA | CHILE
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ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Porphyry Target
- mineralised
Dacite
Porphyry target
Figure 4: Antucoya West has multiple porphyry targets situated along the Buey Muerto Fault zone (BMZ)
which also hosts the Antucoya Porphyry project (not Estrella owned).
4.
Terms
Estrella has signed a MoU to enter into a 4 year Option Agreement with SQM for the Antucoya West prospect. The
MOU will now be converted into a formal, binding Option Agreement. Under the Option Agreement, Estrella will be
required to pay SQM an option fee over a 4 year period. The option fee is based on the total hectares in annual
instalments detailed in Table 1.
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ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
Table 1: Option Fee Rate
Milestone Date
Rate (USD per ha)
Signing of the Option Agreement
10
Month 12
25
Month 24
50
Month 36
100
Month 48
200
Subject to the terms of the Option Agreement, Estrella will have the right to earn 100% of any metals found within the
Antucoya West prospect. SQM will be entitled to an annual royalty stream payable on revenue, based on a sliding scale
depending on the LME metal copper and gold prices. The copper and gold metal prices will be indexed to the annual
United States (US) consumer price index (CPI) as published by the US Department of Labour Statistics. The royalty scale
will remain unchanged from the Altair Option Agreement (and previously announced).
During the term of the Antucoya West Option Agreement, ESR is required to meet the minimum expenditure
requirements for the area held under option. These expenditures include all exploration, mining study and
development work to be undertaken on the Project. The minimum expenditure shall be based on a dollar per hectare
rate for any area held at each milestone date. Table 2 details the required minimum expenditure payments.
Table 2: Minimum Expenditure
Milestone Date
Expenditure Rate (USD per ha)
Month 12
100
Month 24
200
Month 36
400
Month 48
600
Non-metallic minerals such as nitrates, iodine and lithium are not part of the transaction and SQM will maintain at all
times a 100% interest in these non-metallic minerals.
SQM will also be issued with a 4.9% shareholding in Estrella on entering the Antucoya West Option Agreement. These
shares will be subject of a three months escrow. The Antucoya West MOU, although not formally binding in its own
right, is anticipated to be replaced by the formal, binding option Agreement within 45 days.
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ASX ANNOUNCEMENT
5.
Comment
Estrella’s Managing Director, Dr. Jason Berton said”
“The removal of the 49% claw back from the Antucoya West prospect is a welcome progression in the status of the
prospect; it provides the market with certainty about the projects’ equity distribution and Estrella is grateful to SQM for
bringing forward their decision not to exercise the claw back. Estrella is now in an excellent position to seek third party
interest to invest in the Antucoya West prospect.
Estrella is also very pleased that SQM will now hold equity in Estrella because it signals the growing strength of our
strategic relationship with SQM.”
Competent Person’s Statement
Exploration information in this announcement is based upon and fairly represents, information, supporting documentation and work
undertaken by Dr. Jason Berton, the Managing Director and a full-time employee of Estrella Resources Limited whom is a Member of
the Australasian Institute of Metallurgy and Mining (AusIMM). Dr Berton has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of
mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a ‘Competent Person’
as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’
(JORC Code). Dr Berton consents to the inclusion in this presentation of the statements based on his information and context in
which they appear. Estrella is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the Antucoya West project that has
not previously been released to the market.
About Estrella Resources
Estrella Resources Limited is an ASX listed, Chilean focused
copper-gold exploration company. Estrella has a number of
exploration projects in Chile. With a highly experienced board, a
strong operational and management team and a sole focus on
Chilean copper and gold projects, the Company is well positioned
to develop its projects and add value for shareholders.
Directors and Management
Independent Non-Executive
Chairman:
-Robert Thomson
Independent Non-Executive
Director:
-Julian Bavin
ESTRELLA RESOURCES LIMITED
ACN 151 155 207
ASX CODE: ESR
ORDINARY FULLY PAID SHARES:
108,278,728
UNLISTED OPTIONS:
8,780,000
Managing Director
-Dr. Jason Berton
Company Secretary
-Heath Roberts
AUSTRALIA | CHILE
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