Denarius Metals Announces First Quarter 2023 Results
Toronto, May 30, 2023 - Denarius Metals Corp. (TSXV: DSLV) (OTCQX: DNRSF) ("Denarius Metals" or "the Company") announced today that it has filed its unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the three months ended March 31, 2023. These documents can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All financial figures contained herein are expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise noted.
Denarius Metals completed a Rights Offering in March 2023 and then followed up in early April with a Private Placement, raising total gross proceeds of CA$15.7 million (equivalent to approximately $11.6 million) that will be used to continue its exploration drilling campaigns, metallurgical testing and other technical work at its flagship Lomero Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Southern Spain, to meet its obligations under the Definitive Agreement related to the Toral Project in Northern Spain and for working capital and general corporate purposes. As at March 31, 2023, the Company's cash position was $5.8 million. On April 4, 2023, the Company added an additional $5.5 million to its cash position when it closed its Private Placement.
The Company used a total of $3.4 million of its cash in the first quarter of 2023 to continue its investing activities related to its expenditures on its exploration and evaluation assets and related plant and equipment, up from a total of $2.2 million in the first quarter of 2022.
In February 2023, the Company completed the Phase 2 surface validation and in-fill drilling program at its Lomero Project which had commenced in October 2022. Comprised of 42 drill holes, mainly in-fill holes, totaling approximately 13,225 meters, the Phase 2 drill assays validated the lateral and horizontal continuity of the massive sulphide and semi-massive sulphide mineralized lenses and confirmed the presence of higher-grade mineralized zones within the broader resource envelope. For the balance of 2023, activities at the Lomero Project will be focused on completion of a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") that will incorporate an updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE") based on the Phases 1 and 2 drill assays, additional engineering studies to support the future development of the project and execution of the planned 6,000 meters greenfield drilling program aimed at increasing the tonnage of the MRE update.
At the Toral Project, the first rig arrived on site and commenced drilling in March 2023 as part of a 12-month work program agreed to with Europa Metals Ltd. ("Europa") pursuant to the Company's arrangement to acquire an initial 51% ownership interest in the project. The current drilling program, which is supported by a second rig that arrived on site and commenced drilling in April, comprises 11 planned drill holes for a total of up to 7,000 meters comprising a combination of confirmatory and in-fill drilling within the Toral Project's known indicated resource area outlined to date. On May 19, 2023, Europa announced the first assay results from this drilling program which displayed a thick, well mineralized intersection in keeping with the existing holes in the area.
In March 2023, the Company released a maiden Inferred MRE for its Zancudo Project in Colombia of 2.8 million tonnes grading 6.5 g/t gold and 112 g/t silver totaling 0.6 million ounces of gold and 10.0 million ounces of silver. This initial MRE confirms the historically significant high gold-silver grade potential of this project, as it remains open for further expansion in all directions. In addition, mineralization still exists outside the estimated block, but further exploration will be needed to improve the geological confidence to a sufficient level to define Mineral Resources.
The Company is making solid progress advancing the preparatory work at its the Zancudo Project with access road construction, site preparations and permitting all underway. The Company expects to start up mining operations later this year with a local contract miner targeting the existing mine workings and veins of the historic producing Independencia Mine while the Company carries out in-fill drilling to upgrade the current MRE and for mine planning purposes. The Company's investment to start up operations at the Zancudo Project is initially being funded by the approximately $2.2 million cash payment received from Aris Mining Corporation in February 2023 in connection with the mutual agreement to terminate the license agreement at the Guia Antigua Project in Colombia.
In April 2023, the Company announced it was successful in its work over the last year to receive approval from the Mining Department in Huelva for a three-year extension of the Rubia Permit at its Lomero Project and the granting of an initial three-year permit for the neighboring Palomarejo exploration area, which is on trend and has a similar geological setting as the Company's Lomero-Poyatos deposit.
The Company reported a net loss for the first quarter of 2023 of $3.1 million ($0.11 per share), including a $1.9 million non-cash loss related to the Company's termination of the Guia Antigua Project license as noted above, compared with a net loss of $0.8 million (0.04 per share) in the first quarter last year.
About Denarius Metals
Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts, with its principal focus on the Lomero Project in Spain. The Company signed a definitive option agreement with Europa Metals Ltd. in November 2022 pursuant to which Europa has granted Denarius Metals two options to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Toral Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain. The Company's 100%-owned Zancudo Project in Colombia provides an opportunity to develop near-term production and cash flow through local contract miners and long-term growth through exploration.
Additional information on Denarius Metals can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to anticipated business plans or strategies, including exploration programs, expected exploration results and Mineral Resource estimates. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius Metals to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated April 21, 2023 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius Metals disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
For Further Information, Contact:
Michael Davies
Chief Financial Officer
(416) 360-4653
investors@denariusmetals.com
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