Nov 28 2013
MagIndustries Corp. is pleased to report that it is progressing well with the implementation of its proposed 1.2 million tonnes per annum Mengo Potash Project (the "Project") in the Republic of Congo (the "ROC").
The Company has reported on the progress of its application to the China Development Bank ("CDB") which has resulted in a Letter of Commitment (LOC) from China Development Bank, China's lead policy bank, related to a major component of Project funding (see the Company's Press Release of November 21, 2013).
The Company has achieved important Project milestones in other respects. On the technical front, MagIndustries recently released the "Update of the NI 43-101 Technical Report for MagMinerals Mengo Permit Area, Kouilou Region, Republic of Congo" (the "Update", press released November 14, 2013). The Update reported cost estimates and an economic analysis of the Project which, in the view of MagIndustries management, are highly competitive relative to other proposed potash developments. For the 1.2 mtpy Project, the initial capital expenditure ("CAPEX") is estimated at US$1.270 billion, or approximately US$1,000 per tonne of capacity. Estimated CAPEX includes costs for the solution mining brine field, evaporation and crystallisation plant including all related utilities and infrastructure, gas and water supply, product transportation to the port site, drying and compaction, product storage and a ship loading facility on a dedicated jetty.
The annual operating expenditures ("OPEX") for full production have been estimated at US$131.8 million annually for the production of 1.2 mtpy of a K60 product. These operating costs include estimates for labour, maintenance power generation, consumables, diesel, product transport and electricity. In addition, sustaining CAPEX has been estimated for the operation at US$4.6 million. Combined OPEX and sustaining CAPEX equate to approximately US$114/tonne of KCl. Relative to a projected potash price of US$380 per tonne FOB Pointe Noire, ROC in 2016, when production is targeted to start, the implied gross operating margin for the Project is approximately 70%.
As reported in the Update, the economic analysis calculated a Net Present Value (NPV) of US$1.263 billion before tax and US$1.002 billion after tax, using a nominal discount rate of 10%, The Internal Rate of Return is 21.6% before tax and 20.6% after tax, indicating strong economic viability. Payback is achieved within Year 10 of the Project (or Year 8 of production) considering discounted cash flows. Relative to the net cash flows from operations in 2018, assumed for the purposes of the Technical Report to be the first full year of production at 1.2 million tpy after a two year ramp up period, payback is approximately four years (CAPEX/Cash Flow from Operations at Full Production).
We have also entered into key contractual arrangements and achieved major milestones on the ground:
- March 18, 2013 - the Company signed the indicative terms and conditions of a contract with Project general contractor East China Construction and Engineering company ( ECEC);
- March 13-18, 2013 - organizational meetings between the Company and ECEC resulting in project management documents such as management plan, construction plan, general process plan, coordination process, documents management regulations, quality plan, Health Safety and Environmental (HSE) management and application plan, procurement plan, and construction management and application plans;
- March 18, 2013 - ECEC appointed China Wuyi Co., Ltd. as sub-contractor for civil engineering;
- June 12, 2013 - a shipment of 4,900 tonnes of materials and construction equipment organized by ECEC arrived in the ROC;
- July 9, 2013 - MagIndustries signed a definitive general contract with ECEC;
- July 15, 2013 - an inauguration ceremony for the Project was held in the ROC with senior Congolese and Chinese government officials in attendance;
- July 20, 2013 - first pile driver was assembled to begin the process of driving approximately 12,000 piles to stabilize the ground under the Project building sites;
- August 10, 2013 - completed field-leveling of main installation sites;
- August 16, 2013 - preliminary design review of potash shipping jetty was completed;
- September 16, 2013 - pile foundation for the construction of the Project's thermal power station was completed;
- October 21, 2013 - a dedicated quarry to supply gravel for the construction of the Project was put into operation.