8th Nov 2013 07:00
Uranium Resources plc / Market: AIM / Epic: URA / Sector: Exploration
8 November 2013
Uranium Resources plc ('Uranium Resources') or ('the Company')
Final Results and Notice of AGM
Uranium Resources plc, the AIM listed uranium exploration and development company, announces its results for the year ended 30 June 2013 and gives notice of its Annual General Meeting ('AGM') to be held at the offices of Sprecher Grier Halberstam LLP, 5th Floor, One America Square, Crosswall, London EC3N 2SG on 5th December 2013 at 11.00 am.
The Company also confirms that its annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2013 will be posted to shareholders on the 11 November 2013, together with the Notice of AGM and will be available on the Company's website at the same time.
Highlights
· Progress being made on all fronts as Uranium Resources establish itself as a successful uranium exploration vehicle focussed on projects which are amendable to in-situ recovery
· Maiden uranium resource for its flagship Mtonya project 60 km south world-class Mkuju River deposit being developed by Uranium One
· In-fill and step-out drilling programme to test the deeper redox tiers, extend the current resource along strike, and develop district targets along the 36 km long Mtonya Redox Corridor
· Mineralogy studies unequivocally supports the uranium roll-front exploration model for Mtonya
· Mtonya mineralisation is thought to be amenable to the least expensive methods of in situ recovery - extraction method used to produce the majority of the world's mined uranium
· Development of regional targets and prospect on-going including Ruhuhu Basin - mineralisation similar to Paladin's Kayelekera deposit
· Positive uranium pricing dynamic going forward
· Cornerstone investor Estes Limited remains a strong supporter of the project
Uranium Resources Managing Director, Alex Gostevskikh, said, "We continue to make progress on defining what we believe to be a world-class roll front uranium basin. With a maiden resource based on a small part of the licence area and proof-of-concept mineralogy studies, we believe we have a regional mineralised roll-front feature that can be developed through in-situ recovery. We are assessing all options on how to advance our flagship project including corporate transactions and as a result remain excited about the development of our predictive discovery."
MANAGING DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
This has been a period of great progress and challenge for Uranium Resources. In May 2013, the Company announced a maiden uranium resource for its flagship Mtonya project ('Mtonya' or 'the Project'). The project achieved its major milestone in one of the most challenging times for the uranium industry as uncertainty continues to enwrap some of the developed nations' nuclear power industry. Nonetheless, the Board continues to be enthusiastic about the potential of Mtonya because of the strong nuclear fuel market fundamentals, continued growth in Asian power generation, and finite supplies of secondary uranium and economically viable resources.
Further to developing a maiden resource at Mtonya, the Company entered into a loan agreement with Estes Limited ('Estes'), its cornerstone investor and strong supporter of the project. This agreement provides the Company with a US$1 million bridge funding as we explore the opportunities to finance an expansion drilling campaign.
In line with our strategy to build a leading uranium exploration and development company focussed on projects which are amendable to in-situ recovery ('ISR'), we continue to identify and assess new resource opportunities which complement our investment criteria.
Mtonya
The Company's 100%-owned flagship Mtonya project is located approximately 60km south of the world-class Mkuju River deposit, which is owned by ARMZ and operated by Uranium One, and has an indicated and measured resource of 93.3 Mlb U3O8 grading 257 ppm U308.
The Company's exploration model is based on the well-substantiated premise that the neighbouring Mkuju River project is a small segment of a regional mineralised roll-front feature, most of which has no surface exposure. We believe Mkuju River is part of a regional roll-front that was uplifted along a regional normal fault and eroded, forming narrow, thin, and disconnected pods and lenses of uranium ore that are dominated by secondary uranium minerals such as metaautunite and metauranocircite. The near-surface uranium mineralisation at Mtonya remains a valid exploration target, but its significance is viewed as less of a priority in comparison to the deep mineralisation that may yield a substantially larger world-class deposit, which is amenable to ISR.
The completion of the 26,485 m resource-definition drilling programme in 2012 allowed the Company to delineate a maiden CIM-compliant Inferred Resource of 2.014 Mlb U3O8 grading 255 ppm U3O8. On a 250x50 m grid the resource drilling remains fairly coarse and significant upside potential remains untested along strike of the roll-front feature and at depth. Volumetrically, only 1/6 of prospective lithologies have been systematically drilled at Mtonya.
The Company has completed an in-house study of mineralogy (optical and scanning electron microscope studies of thin-polished sections with mineralised material), which demonstrated that the uranium mineralisation below the water table comprises uraninite and coffinite. This conclusion unequivocally supports the uranium roll-front exploration model for Mtonya. The study has also shown that the host rock contains less than 5% of carbonate minerals, signifying that the Mtonya mineralisation may be amenable to the least expensive methods of ISR.
The Company is now designing an extensive in-fill and step-out drilling programme, which will test the deeper redox tiers and attempt to extend the known uranium mineralisation along strike. The size of the drilling programme to be undertaken will be announced in due course. The planned programme includes both diamond and reverse-circulation (RC) drilling and pump and metallurgical testwork on the Mtonya sandstone.
Lukimwa
The Lukimwa prospect is located approximately 28km southwest of Mtonya. This prospect forms a part of the 36-kilometre long Mtonya redox corridor and is thought to be the southwestern extension of the Mtonya roll-front. The exploration programme for Mtonya includes a limited number of prospecting drillholes at Lukimwa.
Ruhuhu Basin
The Company is planning a limited reconnaissance and target-generation programme on its licences in the Ruhuhu basin, southwestern Tanzania, 150 km northwest of the Mtonya deposit. The Company's current land holdings in the Ruhuhu span approximately 27,920 hectares and are situated within the section of the basin which is viewed to have the best potential.
The Karoo sediments of the Ruhuhu Basin comprise organic-rich post-glacial lacustrine shales and coal seams within arkosic sandstone. This combination of lithologies and structural settings is thought to be favourable for hosting mineralisation similar to Paladin's Kayelekera deposit, albeit with ISR amenability. Discovered in the early 1980s, the Kayelekera deposit is located in northern Malawi and occurs in the Permian Karoo arkose sandstone of the North Rukuru basin. The original measured and indicated resource at Kayelekera was stated at 30 million pounds U3O8 grading 0.089% U3O8 (Paladin Energy Ltd., 2007). The data compiled by the Company for the Ruhuhu basin indicate persuasive similarities between the architecture and lithological composition of the North Rukuru and Ruhuhu basins and suggest that the Company's methodology may prove successful for discovering uranium mineralisation amenable to ISR in the Ruhuhu basin. The Company is completing an exhaustive data compilation and plans a limited reconnaissance programme for the focus area.
Other regional licenced areas
The Company is establishing itself as a uranium-focused exploration company and we view Mtonya as our priority project. We are also confident that new exploration opportunities will be generated on our other licensed areas.
Financial Results
Uranium Resources is at the exploration stage of its development. It is not producing revenue and as such I am reporting a pre-tax loss of $1,074,000 for the year ended 30 June 2013 (2012: loss $2,110,000) including an impairment charge of $327,000 (2012: $Nil) and $Nil (2012: $1,721,000) in respect of share based payments.
During the latter part of the financial year the Company implemented a strategy to conserve its cash by reducing the Group's overhead, whilst part of the effect of this reduction can be seen in the 2013 results, the majority of the benefit will be reported in 2014.
Funding and going concern
In March 2013 the Company announced that it had entered into a US$1 million loan facility agreement ('the Loan') with its major shareholder and strategic investor Estes Limited. The Loan, which is unsecured, available for a period of 18 months and bears interest at LIBOR, will be used to fund working capital requirements.
At the 30 June 2013 the Company had drawn down $550,000 against this facility. Estes continues to show its support in providing this flexible funding option to the Company. The Group plans to continue its work programme in the next twelve months and beyond as it develops and evaluates its Uranium project pipeline. The undrawn funds available from the loan facility, in conjunction with the Group's current cash resources do not provide the Group with sufficient available resources to meet all of its commitments for the next twelve months, the Group will therefore need to raise additional funds.
The Directors remain confident that Mtonya's potential, together with the Group's historic track record of raising additional funds and the interest being shown from potential partners, will enable the Group to fully finance its obligations beyond a period of at least twelve months from the date of this report, including meeting future capital and working capital requirements and also settling the Estes loan facility, which is due for repayment in full on or before 15 September 2014.
Outlook
In the past year, Uranium Resources advanced its predictive discovery at Mtonya to a resource stage. The Company's ability to fund further exploration has been affected by adverse uranium market conditions but the Board is of a view that these difficulties shall be overcome in 2014. In order to finance the 2014 programme, the Company is reviewing a number of strategic alternatives including, but not limited to, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and mergers or other corporate transactions to enhance shareholder value.
Major shareholder Estes continues to be supportive of the Company and, at this stage, has indicated it intends to invest alongside a suitable strategic investor. The Company will provide further updates in due course.
The Company has a made great progress with its Mtonya project - advancing it from a grassroots exploration opportunity to a resource stage. This was made possible by applying solid geoscience and by the professionalism of our personnel. The Board believes that these factors will continue to play a crucial role in unlocking Mtonya's potential and return value to our shareholders.
Alex Gostevskikh
Managing Director
For further information please visit www.uraniumresources.co.uk or contact:
Alex Gostevskikh | Uranium Resources plc | Tel: +44 (0) 7997 713377 |
Ross Warner | Uranium Resources plc | Tel: +44 (0) 7760 487769 |
Samantha Harrison | RFC Ambrian Limited | Tel: +44 (0) 20 3440 6800 |
Hugo de Salis | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
Felicity Edwards | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
About Uranium Resources
Uranium Resources plc is an AIM listed exploration and development company. It is the Company's strategy to advance its existing assets and strengthen its portfolio via opportunistic acquisition. Uranium Resources is advancing its uranium assets in the highly prospective Luwegu Basin, Southern Tanzania where it is exploring for roll-front deposits amenable to in-situ recovery.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
2013 US$'000 |
2012 US$'000
| |||
Notes | ||||
Administrative expenses Impairment of exploration assets Share-based payments |
4
|
(687) (327) - |
(788) - (1,721) | |
Group operating loss |
(1,014) |
(2,509) | ||
Interest payable and foreign exchange losses | (61) | - | ||
Interest receivable and foreign exchange gains | 1 | 399 | ||
Loss before taxation |
(1,074) |
(2,110) | ||
Taxation | - | - | ||
Loss for the year | (1,074) | (2,110) | ||
Other comprehensive income | ||||
Exchange differences on translating foreign operations | 41 | (231) | ||
Total comprehensive loss attributable to the equity holders of the parent | (1,033) | (2,341) | ||
Loss per share (cents) | ||||
Basic and Diluted | 3 | (0.14) | (0.34) | |
The results shown above related entirely to continuing operations and are attributable to equity shareholders of the Company.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS AT 30 JUNE 2013
2013 | 2012 | |||
Notes | US$'000 | US$'000
| ||
Assets | ||||
Non-current assets | ||||
Exploration and evaluation assets | 4 | 17,217 | 14,226 | |
Current assets | ||||
Receivables | 2 | 53 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents | 96 | 4,288 | ||
98 | 4,341 | |||
Total Assets |
17,315 |
18,567 | ||
Liabilities | ||||
Non-current liabilities | ||||
Borrowings | 5 | (550) | - | |
Current liabilities | ||||
Trade and other payables | (96) | (865) | ||
Total Liabilities | (646) | (865) | ||
Net Assets |
16,669 |
17,702 | ||
Equity | ||||
Capital and reserves attributable to equity holders | ||||
Share capital | 1,206 | 1,206 | ||
Share premium | 21,713 | 21,713 | ||
Foreign exchange reserve | (294) | (335) | ||
Retained losses | (5,956) | (4,882) | ||
Total Equity |
|
16,669 |
17,702 |
COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS AT 30 JUNE 2013
2013 | 2012 | |||
Notes | US$'000 | US$'000
| ||
Assets | ||||
Non-current assets | ||||
Investments in subsidiaries | 17,512 | 13,812 | ||
Current assets | ||||
Receivables | 2 | 4 | ||
Cash and cash equivalents | 70 | 3,977 | ||
72 | 3,981 | |||
Total Assets |
17,584 |
17,793 | ||
Liabilities | ||||
Non-current liabilities | ||||
Borrowings | 5 | (550) | - | |
Current liabilities | ||||
Trade and other payables | (83) | (64) | ||
Total Liabilities | (633) | (64) | ||
Net Assets |
16,951 |
17,729 | ||
Equity | ||||
Capital and reserves attributable to equity holders | ||||
Share capital | 1,206 | 1,206 | ||
Share premium | 21,713 | 21,713 | ||
Foreign exchange reserve | (947) | (505) | ||
Retained losses | (5,021) | (4,685) | ||
Total Equity |
|
16,951 |
17,729 |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
Share capital | Share premium | Foreign currency translation reserve | Retained losses | Total equity |
| |
| ||||||
US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 |
| |
| ||||||
At 1 July 2011 | 946 | 15,743 | (104) | (4,493) | 12,092 |
|
| ||||||
Total comprehensive income | - | - | (231) | (2,110) | (2,341) |
|
| ||||||
Transactions with owners: |
| |||||
Share based payments | - | - | - | 1,721 | 1,721 |
|
Issue of share capital | 260 | 5,983 | - | - | 6,243 |
|
Cost of share issue | - | (13) | - | - | (13) |
|
Total transactions with owners | 260 | 5,970 | - | 1,721 | 7,951 |
|
At 30 June 2012 | 1,206 | 21,713 | (335) | (4,882) | 17,702 |
|
Total comprehensive income | - | - | 41 | (1,074) | (1,033) | |
At 30 June 2013 | 1,206 | 21,713 | (294) | (5,956) | 16,669 |
|
Company statement of changes in equity
Share capital | Share premium | Foreign currency translation reserve | Retained losses | Total equity |
| |
| ||||||
US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 |
| |
| ||||||
At 1 July 2011 | 946 | 15,743 | (102) | (4,470) | 12,117 |
|
| ||||||
Total comprehensive income | - | - | (403) | (1,936) | (2,339) |
|
| ||||||
Transactions with owners: |
| |||||
Share based payments | - | - | - | 1,721 | 1,721 |
|
Issue of share capital | 260 | 5,983 | - | - | 6,243 |
|
Cost of share issue | - | (13) | - | - | (13) |
|
Total transactions with owners | 260 | 5,970 | - | 1,721 | 7,951 |
|
At 30 June 2012 | 1,206 | 21,713 | (505) | (4,685) | 17,729 |
|
Total comprehensive income | - | - | (442) | (336) | (778) | |
At 30 June 2013 | 1,206 | 21,713 | (947) | (5,021) | 16,951 |
|
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
2013 | 2012 | ||
US$'000 | US$'000
| ||
Cash flows from operating activities | |||
Loss for the year | (1,074) | (2,110) | |
Share-based payments charge | - | 1,721 | |
Impairment of exploration and evaluation assets | 327 | - | |
Interest income | (1) | (3) | |
Foreign exchange loss/(gain) | 61 | (396) | |
Decrease/(increase) in receivables | 51 | (33) | |
Decrease in payables | (24) | (37) | |
Net cash used in operating activities | (660) | (858) | |
Investing activities | |||
Funds used for exploration and evaluation | (3,969) | (5,619) | |
Interest received | 1 | 3 | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (3,968) | (5,616) | |
Financing activities | |||
Borrowings | 550 | - | |
Cash proceeds from issue of shares | - | 6,243 | |
Share issue costs paid | - | (13) | |
Net cash inflow from financing | 550 | 6,230 | |
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents | (4,078) | (244) | |
Foreign exchange movements on cash | (114) | 395 | |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year | 4,288 | 4,137 | |
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year | 96 | 4,288 | |
COMPANY STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
2013 | 2012 | ||
US$'000 | US$'000
| ||
Cash flows from operating activities | |||
Loss for the year | (336) | (1,936) | |
Share-based payments charge | - | 1,721 | |
Interest income | (1) | (3) | |
Foreign exchange gain | (290) | (396) | |
Decrease in receivables | 2 | 13 | |
Increase/(decrease) in payables | 19 | (3) | |
Net cash used in operating activities | (606) | (604) | |
Investing activities | |||
Investments and loans granted to subsidiaries | (3,738) | (6,156) | |
Interest received | 1 | 3 | |
Net cash used in investing activities | (3,737) | (6,153) | |
Financing activities | |||
Borrowings | 550 | - | |
Cash proceeds from issue of shares | - | 6,243 | |
Share issue costs paid | - | (13) | |
Net cash inflow from financing | 550 | 6,230 | |
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents | (3,793) | (527) | |
Foreign exchange retranslation | (114) | 396 | |
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year | 3,977 | 4,108 | |
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year | 70 | 3,977 | |
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2013
1.1 Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below. The policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated. Both the parent company financial statements and the Group financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards IFRSs and IFRIC interpretations, issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) as endorsed for use in the EU ('IFRSs') and those parts of the Companies Act 2006 that are applicable to companies that prepare their financial statements under IFRS.
The financial information for the years ended 30 June 2013 and 30 June 2012 does not constitute statutory accounts as defined by section 435 of the Companies Act 2006 but is extracted from the audited accounts for those years. The 30 June 2012 accounts have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The 30 June 2013 accounts will be delivered to Companies House within the statutory filing deadline. The auditor's report on those financial statements was and did not contain a statement under s498 (2) - (3) of Companies Act 2006.
1.2 Going concern
In March 2013 the company announced that it had entered into a US$1 million loan facility agreement ('the Loan') with its major shareholder and strategic investor Estes Limited ('Estes'). The Loan, which is unsecured, available for a period of 18 months and bears interest at LIBOR, will be used to fund working capital requirements.
At the 30 June 2013 the Company had drawn down $550,000 against this facility. Estes continues to show its support in providing this flexible funding option to the Company. The Group plans to continue its work programme in the next twelve months and beyond as it develops and evaluates its Uranium project pipeline. The undrawn funds available from the loan facility, in conjunction with the Group's current cash resources do not provide the Group with sufficient available resources to meet all of its commitments for the next twelve months, the Group will therefore need to raise additional funds.
The Directors remain confident that Mtonya's potential, together with the Group's historic track record of raising additional funds and the interest being shown from potential partners, will enable the Group to fully finance its obligations beyond a period of at least twelve months from the date of this report, including meeting future capital and working capital requirements and also settling the Estes loan facility, which is due for repayment in full on or before 15 September 2014.
2. Segmental reporting
Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision‑maker. The chief operating decision‑maker, who is responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the operating segment and that make strategic decisions, has been identified as the Board of Directors.
The Group had no operating revenue during the period.
The Group operates in one segment, the exploration and evaluation of uranium. The Parent Company operates a head office based in the United Kingdom which incurred certain administration and corporate costs. The Group's operations span two countries, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
Segment results | Segment results | |||
2013 | 2012 | |||
US$'000 | US$'000 | |||
Uranium (Tanzania) | (80) | (153) | ||
Administration and Corporate (UK) | (607) | (2,356) | ||
Uranium (Tanzania) Impairment | (327) | - | ||
Total operating loss of all segments | (1,014) | (2,509) | ||
Finance expense | (61) | - | ||
Finance income | 1 | 399 | ||
Loss before and after tax | (1,074) | (2,110) |
The Group's share based payment charge is included within the United Kingdom ('UK') segment result. The Group's depreciation, amortisation and capital expenditure is incurred entirely within the Tanzanian segment.
Segment assets and liabilities | Non-Current Assets | Non-Current Liabilities | ||
| 2013 US$'000 | 2012 US$'000 | 2013 US$'000 | 2012 US$'000 |
Uranium (Tanzania) | 17,217 | 14,226 | - | - |
Administration and Corporate (UK) | - | - | 550 | - |
Total of all segments | 17,217 | 14,226 | 550 | - |
Total Assets | Total Liabilities | |||
Segment assets and liabilities
| 2013 US$'000 | 2012 US$'000 | 2013 US$'000 | 2012 US$'000 |
Uranium (Tanzania) | 17,243 | 14,586 | 13 | 68 |
Administration and Corporate (UK) | 72 | 3,981 | 633 | 797 |
Total of all segments | 17,315 | 18,567 | 646 | 865 |
3. Loss per share
The basic loss per ordinary share is 0.14 cents (2012: 0.34 cents) and has been calculated using the loss for the financial year of US$1,074,000 (2012: loss US$ 2,110,000) and the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue of 745,493,750 (2012: 623,265,651).
The diluted loss per share has been kept the same as the basic loss per share as the conversion of share options decreases the basic loss per share, thus being anti-dilutive. Details of potentially diluted shares are discussed in note 15.
4. Exploration and evaluation assets
Group | Exploration |
and evaluation | |
expenditure | |
Cost and net book value | US$'000 |
At 1 July 2011 | 7,704 |
Additions | 6,522 |
At 30 June 2012 | 14,226 |
Additions | 3,318 |
Impairment | (327) |
At 30 June 2013 | 17,217 |
The Group's intangible asset consists entirely of capitalised exploration and evaluation expenditure. The exploration and evaluation ("E&E") asset represents costs incurred in relation to the Group's Tanzanian licences. These amounts have not been written off to the statement of comprehensive income as exploration expenses because commercial reserves have not yet been established nor has the determination process been completed.
In accordance with the Group's accounting policy, the Group's exploration and evaluation assets are reviewed for impairment when there have been circumstances suggesting that there has been the possibility of an impairment. After a strategic review the board have elected to allow a number of unprospective licences to lapse and to revert to the government. Accordingly the directors have reviewed the impairments required on each of the exploration and evaluation projects and the carried value for each of the condemned projects has been impaired in full in the current period. The total impairment charge for the period is $327,323 (31 December 2011 and 30 June 2012: $Nil). The remaining carried value relates entirely to the Company's flagship project Mtonya.
The outcome of ongoing exploration and evaluation, and therefore whether the carrying value of E&E assets will ultimately be recovered, is inherently uncertain. The Directors have assessed the value of the remaining uranium exploration and evaluation expenditure , and in their opinion, no further impairment is necessary. This assessment includes a review of the expiry dates of licenses and the likelihood of their renewal.
5. Borrowings - non current
2013 | 2012 | |||
Group | Company | Group | Company | |
US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | US$'000 | |
Borrowings in period | 550 | 550 | - | - |
Borrowings carried forward | 550 | 550 | - | - |
6. Events after the year end date
There were no significant events after the year end.
7. Related party transactions
Key management of the Group are considered to be the Directors of the Company. There are no transactions with the Directors other than the above, and their remuneration and interests in shares and share options. The remuneration of individual Directors is shown in the Directors' Report of the full financial statements.
Estes Limited, the Company's ultimate controlling party, provided a loan facility during the period. As at 30 June 2013 the outstanding balance and the maximum outstanding during the year was $550,000 (2012: $Nil). Further details of the loan facility are included in note 5.
8. Ultimate controlling party
As at 30 June 2013 the Company's ultimate controlling party is Estes Limited who own 56.0% of the
Company's issued share capital. Details of transactions with Estes are disclosed above.
Related Shares:
Uranium Resources Plc