28th Oct 2016 15:15
KAZ MINERALS PLC 6TH FLOOR CARDINAL PLACE 100 VICTORIA STREET LONDON SW1E 5JL Tel: +44 (0) 20 7901 7800
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28 October 2016
PRE-EXPORT FINANCE FACILITY COVENANT WAIVER
KAZ Minerals PLC ("KAZ Minerals" or "the Group") announces that a waiver of the Net Debt to EBITDA financial covenant in the Group's PXF facility due to be tested as at 31 December 2016 has been approved. The covenant is next due to be tested as at 30 June 2017.
The Group continues to enjoy strong support from its lenders and plans to resume discussions with the PXF bank syndicate over a longer term refinancing of the facility in early 2017, after release of the 2016 financial statements.
A similar waiver request has also been issued to Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited in respect of the Group's $50 million revolving credit facility and a formal response is expected shortly.
For further information please contact:
KAZ Minerals PLC | ||
Chris Bucknall | Investor Relations, London | Tel: +44 20 7901 7882 |
Anna Mallere | Investor Relations, London | Tel: +44 20 7901 7814 |
Maksut Zhapabayev | Corporate Communications, Almaty | Tel: +7 727 244 03 53 |
Instinctif Partners | ||
David Simonson | Tel: +44 20 7457 2020 |
REGISTERED OFFICE
6th Floor, Cardinal Place, 100 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5JL, United Kingdom.
NOTES TO EDITORS
KAZ Minerals PLC ("KAZ Minerals" or "the Group") is a high growth copper company focused on large scale, low cost, open pit mining in Kazakhstan. It operates four mines and three concentrators in the East Region of Kazakhstan, the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, the Bozshakol open pit copper mine in the Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan and the SX/EW plant at Aktogay. In 2015, total copper cathode output from the East Region and Bozymchak was 81 kt with by-products of 94 kt of zinc in concentrate, 3,135 koz of silver and 35 koz of gold bar.
The Group's major growth projects at Bozshakol and Aktogay are expected to deliver one of the highest growth rates in the industry and transform KAZ Minerals into a company dominated by world class, open pit copper mines.
Bozshakol is a first quartile asset on the global cost curve and will have an annual ore processing capacity of 30 million tonnes when fully ramped up, with a mine life of 40 years at a copper grade of 0.36%. The mine and processing facilities will produce 100 kt of copper cathode equivalent and 120 koz of gold in concentrate per year over the first 10 years of operations.
The Aktogay project is a large scale, open pit development similar to Bozshakol, with a mine life of more than 50 years and average copper grades of 0.37% (oxide) and 0.33% (sulphide). Aktogay commenced production of copper cathode from oxide ore in December 2015, and the production of copper in concentrate from sulphide ore is expected to begin in the first half of 2017. The sulphide concentrator will have an annual ore processing capacity of 25 million tonnes when fully ramped up. Aktogay is competitively positioned on the global cost curve and will produce an average of 90 kt of copper cathode equivalent from sulphide ore and 15 kt of copper cathode from oxide ore per year over the first 10 years of operations.
KAZ Minerals is listed on the London Stock Exchange, the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and employs around 12,000 people, principally in Kazakhstan.
Related Shares:
KAZ.L