Oyu Tolgoi notified of Government of Mongolia's cancellation of Power Sector Cooperation Agreement
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - February 15, 2018) - Turquoise Hill today announced that Oyu Tolgoi has received notification the Government of Mongolia (Government) has canceled the Power Sector Cooperation Agreement (PSCA), which was signed in 2014. The Government's cancellation, under Section 1.3 of the PSCA, indicates that the Tavan Tolgoi power project is no longer a viable option.
In August 2014, the Government of Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi signed the PSCA for the exploration of a Tavan Tolgoi-based independent power producer. The agreement provided a framework for long-term strategic cooperation between the Mongolian Government and Oyu Tolgoi to deliver a comprehensive energy plan for the South Gobi region. Participation in the PSCA met Oyu Tolgoi's obligation in the 2009 Oyu Tolgoi Investment Agreement (Investment Agreement) to establish a long-term power supply within Mongolia four years from the commencement of commercial production. As a result of the Government's cancellation, effective February 15, 2018 long-term power for Oyu Tolgoi must be domestically sourced within four years.
Oyu Tolgoi, Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto are committed to fulfilling all requirements under the Investment Agreement and are continuing to evaluate all viable power options, including construction of an Oyu Tolgoi based power plant. A final decision on the outcome, cost or financing of a permanent domestic power supply has not been concluded at this time.
The cost of a power solution for Oyu Tolgoi is not included in the Company's $5.3 billion expansion capital project estimate for the development of Hugo North Lift 1.
Domestically-sourced power for Oyu Tolgoi is addressed in Chapter Seven (Infrastructure) of the Investment Agreement.
Follow us on Twitter @TurquoiseHillRe
Forward-looking statements
Forward-looking statements made herein, including statements relating to matters that are not historical facts and statements of the Company's beliefs, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events which will or may occur in the future, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements and information relate to future events or future performance, reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and are typically identified by words such as "anticipate", "could", "should", "expect", "seek", "may", "intend", "likely", "plan", "estimate", "will", "believe" and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook. These include, but are not limited to, statements respecting anticipated business activities, planned expenditures, corporate strategies, and other statements that are not historical facts.
Forward-looking statements and information are made based upon certain assumptions and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements or information. There can be no assurance that such statements or information will prove to be accurate. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of copper, gold and silver, anticipated capital and operating costs, anticipated future production and cash flows, and the status of the Company's relationship and interaction with the Government of Mongolia on the continued development of Oyu Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi LLC internal governance. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and information include, among others, copper, gold and silver price volatility; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; development plans for processing resources; matters relating to proposed exploration or expansion; mining operational and development risks; litigation risks; regulatory restrictions (including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability); Oyu Tolgoi LLC's ability to deliver a domestic power source for the Oyu Tolgoi project within the required contractual time frames; communications with local stakeholders and community relations; activities, actions or assessments by governmental authorities; events or circumstances that may affect the Company's ability to deliver its products in a timely manner; currency fluctuations; the speculative nature of mineral exploration; the global economic climate; dilution; share price volatility; competition; loss of key employees; additional funding requirements, including in respect of the development or construction of a power plant for the Oyu Tolgoi project; capital and operating costs, including with respect to the development of additional deposits and processing facilities; and defective title to mineral claims or property. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. All such forward-looking statements and information are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company's management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements or information.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, which contribute to the possibility that the predicted outcomes will not occur. Events or circumstances could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those estimated or projected and expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements are included in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's Annual Information Form dated as of March 23, 2017 in respect of the year ended December 31, 2016 (the "AIF").
Readers are further cautioned that the list of factors enumerated in the "Risk Factors" section of the AIF that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions with respect to the Company, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events.
Contact
Contact
Investors and Media
Tony Shaffer
+ 1 604 648 3934
tony.shaffer@turquoisehill.com