PERTH, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - Jan. 30, 2014) - Bannerman Resources Limited (ASX:BMN)(TSX:BAN)(NAMIBIAN:BMN) ("Bannerman") is pleased to announce highlights from its December 2013 Quarterly Activities Report released today. The full report is available on Bannerman's website at www.bannermanresources.com and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).
During the December 2013 quarter, Bannerman Resources Limited (ASX:BMN)(TSX:BAN)(NAMIBIAN:BMN) maintained its focus on cash preservation and activities that will enable fast tracking a commitment to the development of the Etango Project in a rising uranium price environment.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Shareholders approved the agreement reached with major shareholder Resource Capital Fund IV LP ("RCF") to extend the maturity of the existing A$8 million convertible note from 31 March 2014 to 30 September 2016.
- Environmental permitting of the pilot plant program has been reinitiated.
- Consensus amongst specialist uranium industry analysts regarding looming supply shortfall and that a uranium price of at least US$70/lb required to incentivise new supply.
- Cash outflow for the quarter was A$517,000.
- The cash balance was A$2.6 million as at 31 December 2013.
The extension of the RCF convertible note by 2 1/2 years on favourable terms and the decision to advance the pilot plant program in 2014 are two key steps in positioning Bannerman for what is becoming viewed as the year of uranium.
The uranium supply side looks increasingly vulnerable with two Rio Tinto affiliates experiencing major processing disruptions due to plant failures, maintenance shutdowns at Areva mines in Niger being extended beyond their planned duration and Kazatomprom announcing the deferment of further production expansions until the uranium price recovers. By contrast, routine reports on the ongoing progress of 71 new nuclear reactors currently under construction signal the impending near to medium term growth in demand.
There is growing awareness, including consensus amongst specialist uranium industry investment analysts, that a looming supply shortfall will require a uranium price of at least US$70/lb to incentivize new supply. However, as highlighted in previous Bannerman quarterly activity reports, a key contributor to the impending supply deficit is the number of years it will take to bring new significant projects into production due to the lengthy technical, permitting and construction timeframes involved.
In that context, it is noteworthy that the Etango Project Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ("ESIA") completed in 2012 confirmed the project economics and pathway to development.
In a nutshell, Bannerman's advanced Etango Project remains one of the very few globally significant uranium projects that can realistically be brought into production in the medium term.
Importantly we continue to focus on conserving cash in the current adverse capital markets, whilst positioning Bannerman to fast track the development of the Etango Project as the uranium price strengthens.
Bannerman shareholders are well placed to capitalise on the widely anticipated recovery in the uranium market.
Len Jubber, Chief Executive Officer
About Bannerman - Bannerman Resources Limited is an exploration and development company with uranium interests in Namibia, a southern African country which is a premier uranium mining jurisdiction. Bannerman's principal asset is its 80%-owned Etango Project situated southwest of Rio Tinto's Rössing uranium mine and CGNPC's Husab Project currently under construction and to the west of Paladin Energy's Langer-Heinrich mine. Etango is one of the world's largest undeveloped uranium deposits. Bannerman is focused on the development of a large open pit uranium operation at Etango. More information is available on Bannerman's website at www.bannermanresources.com.
Technical Disclosures
Certain disclosures in this report, including management's assessment of Bannerman's plans and projects, constitute forward looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to Bannerman's operation as a mineral development company that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Full descriptions of these risks can be found in Bannerman's various statutory reports, including its Annual Information Form available on the SEDAR website, sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Bannerman expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Mineral Resources that are not Ore Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
Bannerman Resources Limited ("Bannerman") manages its drilling and assaying activities in accordance with industry standard quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) procedures. Samples are collected by Bannerman personnel and prepared in accordance with specified procedures at the relevant assay laboratories. Drill samples were analysed for uranium by the Bureau Veritas Laboratory in Swakopmund, Namibia. Bureau Veritas is an International Laboratory Group with operations in 140 countries, including Ultratrace and Amdel in Australia. Assay QA/QC involves the use of assay standards (sourced from African Mineral Standards (AMIS) in Johannesburg, made from Bannerman pulp rejects and cross-checked through umpire laboratories for which the round robin reports are available), field duplicates, blanks and barren quartz flushes. A third party "umpire" laboratory (Genalysis in Perth) is used to cross-check and validate approximately 5% of the assay results in accordance with standard procedures. Sample coarse rejects are retained and approximately 5% of samples are re-submitted for further assay verification. All sample pulps, half-core and rock-chip samples are retained at Bannerman's Goanikontes Warehouse Facility (GWS) on site.
The information in this report relating to the Ore Reserves of the Etango Project is based on information compiled or reviewed by Mr Harry Warries, a full time employee of Coffey Mining Pty Ltd. Mr Warries is a Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposits under consideration and to the activity which is being undertaken 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", and is an independent consultant to Bannerman and a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101. Mr Warries consents, and provides corporate consent for Coffey Mining Pty Ltd, to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.
The information in this report was prepared and first disclosed under the 2004 JORC Code. It has not been updated since to comply with the 2012 JORC Code on the basis that the information has not materially changed since it was last reported.
ABN 34 113 017 128