24 June 2024
Savannah Resources
Plc
(AIM: SAV, FWB: SAV and SWB:
SAV) ('Savannah', or the
'Company')
Chairman
and Chairman Elect AGM Statements
Savannah hosts its Annual General
Meeting ('AGM') today at 10:00 BST at Druces LLP, Salisbury House,
London Wall, London, EC2M 5PS (Exchange Meeting Room). Ahead of the
AGM, the Company is providing the following statements from its
current Chairman and Chairman-Elect.
Chairman's AGM Statement
In the period between the
publication of our Annual Report and the AGM last year, Savannah
passed two very important milestones. The award of the DIA for our
Barroso Lithium Project (the 'Project'), a key endorsement from
Portugal's environmental regulator, and the publication of a new,
highly positive, Scoping Study. Those milestones laid the
foundation for a successful fundraise last July which has allowed
us to make meaningful progress since then on the Project's
Definitive Feasibility Study, remaining Environmental Licence
process, and with expanding our team at all levels.
This year, the interim period
between the Annual Report and AGM has again been marked by an
equally important development, Savannah's new strategic partnership
with AMG Critical Materials N.V. ('AMG'). This partnership not only
provides Savannah with the financing it needs to take the Project
through to a Final Investment Decision, but potentially all the
finance required to build the Project as well. Furthermore, it
pairs us with an established spodumene concentrate producer,
capable of providing valuable technical insight to Savannah as we
continue with our Project's development, backed by our replenished
cash reserves which now stand at over £21m. AMG's lithium business
is also undertaking significant development itself, expanding into
lithium chemical production in Europe from the new plant it is
commissioning in Germany. The proposed offtake which we are
negotiating with AMG (following the offtake heads of terms
agreement executed on 19 June 2024), initially covering 45ktpa of
spodumene with the potential to rise to 90ktpa if a satisfactory
full financing package for the Project is provided, also ensures
that Savannah and AMG will be contributing towards the targets set
for domestic extraction and processing of lithium in the 2023
European Critical Raw Materials Act.
As shareholders will be aware the
90ktpa of offtake represents just under half of our targeted annual
production from the Project. Hence, Savannah has been able
potentially to obtain full financing for the Project and still
retain the majority of our offtake to sell to an additional
customer or into the open market once in production. I believe our
deal team have performed exceptionally well to secure the
partnership with AMG and still leave us with further commercial
optionality for the future. This is particularly true, bearing in
mind the negative backdrop that persisted in the lithium industry
in the second half of 2023 and into 2024, with lithium prices
falling and weak sentiment in the sector.
With the AMG partnership in place, I
believe all the framework components for the Project's development
are now present. From this position, Savannah can complete the
current assessment and licencing phase of the Project and continue
to grow its team in preparation for the Project's construction. Our
team can also maintain and increase its engagement with local and
national stakeholders in Portugal. Significant progress has been
made under Emanuel Proença's leadership on this front, establishing
Savannah as a recognised brand within Portugal. Now we must ensure
that the Company's responsible approach and commitment to long term
socio-economic benefits for stakeholders are fully appreciated by
all.
As announced earlier today, today's
AGM marks my last official duty as Chairman of Savannah after 9
years in the role. During that time Savannah has navigated an often
challenging path, covering projects in different countries focused
on different commodities, as well as dealing with the COVID
pandemic and a highly turbulent period in global politics and
economics. Throughout all my time with Savannah, its team has
remained focused on the task at hand and has worked extremely hard
to get our Company to this exciting point in its
evolution.
I am delighted to pass on the baton
of Chairmanship to Rick Anthon. With significant experience in the
mining sector, and the lithium industry in particular, he has all
the qualifications and attributes needed by Savannah in the next
phase of its development of the Project. Further key appointments
are also planned, as Savannah continues to build out its team with
project development and production in mind.
I take this opportunity to thank all
of Savannah's staff and directors, past and present, who I have
worked with for all their efforts and commitment. Along with the
continued support of our shareholders, the efforts made by the team
have led Savannah to this exciting point today. My particular
thanks and good wishes today go to Mary Jo Jacobi and James Leahy,
my fellow directors, who are also stepping down from the Board
following today's AGM, effective 25 June 2024.
As I take my place among the ranks
of Savannah shareholders, I sincerely believe that an exciting and
highly rewarding time lies ahead for the Company. For the first
time, Savannah has the financing framework in place which allows it
to move forward with great confidence, assured that its long term
goals can be achieved. I wish Savannah the very best for the future
and look forward to watching the Company flourish and the Barroso
Lithium Project becoming a key source of this critical material for
Europe's energy transition.
Matthew King
Chairman-Elect's AGM Statement
I am delighted to be joining
Savannah at this time in the Company's evolution and to be part of
the growing team which will take the Barroso Lithium Project
through development and into production. My thanks go to Matthew
and all our team members who have helped bring Savannah to this
very exciting point. I am really looking forward to working with my
new colleagues and helping the Company achieve its goals of
becoming a responsible European lithium producer, generating value
for shareholders and sharing the socio-economic benefits generated
by the Project with its stakeholders.
As shareholders will have observed,
new individuals, including myself, have joined the Board and
management group recently to ensure that the Company has the
appropriate team to execute the opportunity which is available. At
Board level, our team now has significant mining sector experience
ranging right through from exploration to mine development and
large-scale sector transactions. In addition, our lithium sector
knowledge will be further enhanced by the incoming director from
our new largest shareholder, AMG, who we look forward to welcoming
onboard in due course. There is also significant depth on the Board
now in terms of Portuguese business experience, which is
supplemented with broader international business experience and
substantial knowledge of international capital markets.
Among the executive and wider team,
the recent focus has been on adding Portuguese talent, including
offering opportunities to people from the area surrounding the
Project, to ensure that Savannah has the in-country skills it needs
at all levels to progress this Project. Going forward, this focus
will continue and be complemented by strengthening the team with
the technical personnel required to develop and deliver the
Project.
To echo Matthew's comments, I
believe that Savannah and its shareholders can now look forward
with great confidence to an exciting future for the
Company.
Rick Anthon
Regulatory Information
This Announcement contains inside
information for the purposes of the UK version of the market abuse
regulation (EU No. 596/2014) as it forms part of United Kingdom
domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
("UK MAR").
Savannah - Enabling Europe's energy
transition.
**ENDS**
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For further information please
visit www.savannahresources.com or
contact:
Savannah Resources PLC
Emanuel Proença, CEO
|
Tel: +44 20 7117 2489
|
SP
Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Advisor & Joint
Broker)
David Hignell / Charlie Bouverat
(Corporate Finance)
Grant Barker /Abigail Wayne (Sales
& Broking)
|
Tel: +44 20 3470 0470
|
SCP
Resource Finance (Joint Broker)
|
Tel: +44 204 548 1765
|
Filipe Martins / Chris
Tonkin
|
|
|
|
Camarco (Financial PR)
Gordon Poole / Emily Hall / Nuthara
Bandara
|
Tel: +44 20 3757 4980
|
|
|
LPM
(Portugal Media Relations)
Herminio Santos / Jorge Coelho /
Margarida Pinheiro
|
Tel: +351 218 508 110
|
About Savannah
Savannah Resources is a mineral
resource development company and the sole owner of the Barroso
Lithium Project in northern Portugal, the largest battery grade
spodumene lithium resource outlined to date in Europe.
Through the Barroso Lithium Project
(the 'Project'), Savannah will help Portugal to play an important
role in providing a long-term, locally sourced, lithium raw
material supply for Europe's rapidly developing lithium battery
value chain. After the Environmental Licence was granted in May
2023 and the Scoping Study confirmed the economic potential of the
Project in June 2023, production is now targeted and on track to
begin in 2026. At that stage, Savannah will start producing enough
lithium (contained in c.190,000tpa of spodumene concentrate) for
approximately half a million vehicle battery packs per year, equal
to a significant portion of the European Commission's Critical Raw
Material Act goal of a minimum 10% of European endogenous lithium
production set for 2030. Savannah is focused on the responsible
development and operation of the Barroso Lithium Project so that
its impact on the environment is minimised and the socio-economic
benefits that it can bring to all its stakeholders are
maximised.
In June 2024, Savannah entered a
strategic partnership with AMG Critical Materials N.V., the global
critical materials business and established lithium market
participant. AMG has invested GBP 16m in Savannah in exchange for a
15.8% stake in the Company and a 5 year, 45ktpa spodumene offtake
agreement. This investment alongside existing cash provides
Savannah with the finance required to take the Project to a Final
Investment Decision point. AMG can increase its offtake to 90ktpa
for 10 years if it provides an acceptable full project funding
solution for the Project's construction.
The Company is listed and regulated
on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM)
and the Company's ordinary shares are also available on the
Quotation Board of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB) under the
symbol FWB: SAV, and the Börse Stuttgart (SWB) under the ticker
"SAV".