25 October 2024
Successful Completion of A$10
million Equity Placing
Atlantic Lithium raises A$10
million to advance flagship Ewoyaa Lithium Project towards
FID
Atlantic Lithium Limited (AIM: ALL, ASX: A11, GSE:
ALLGH, OTCQX: ALLIF, "Atlantic Lithium" or the "Company"),
the Africa-focused lithium exploration and
development company targeting the delivery of Ghana's first lithium
mine, is pleased to announce the successful completion of
its institutional placement ("Equity Placing"), as announced on 24
October 2024 on AIM and 25 October 2024 on the ASX ("Launch
Announcement"), raising a total of A$10 million (£5.1
million/US$6.7 million) at a price of A$0.23 (equivalent to 11.73
pence) per New Share ("Issue Price"). A total of 43,478,261 new fully
paid ordinary shares of no-par value each in the Company will be
issued ("New Shares").
As part of the Equity Placing, Assore International
Holdings Limited ("Assore"), the Company's largest shareholder, has
conditionally subscribed for US$5.0 million (A$7.5 million/£3.9
million) (the "Assore Participation") through the allotment of
32,775,013 New Shares at the Issue Price. Atlantic Lithium
Executive Chairman Neil Herbert, Chief Executive Officer Keith
Muller and Non-executive Director Edward Koranteng (the
"Participating Directors") have also conditionally subscribed for
1,260,870 New Shares at the Issue Price, equating to an aggregate
of A$290,000 (the "Director Participation").
The Assore Participation and Director Participation
are conditional on shareholder approval at the Company's upcoming
Annual General Meeting ("AGM"). On the basis that Assore's
participation is approved at the upcoming AGM, Assore will hold
30.56% of the Company's issued share capital.
Proceeds of the Equity Placing will be used to
contribute to the funding of the Company's flagship Ewoyaa Lithium
Project ("Ewoyaa" or the "Project") in Ghana towards the Project
Final Investment Decision ("Project FID"), including undertaking an
optimisation and technical refinement of the Ewoyaa Definitive
Feasibility Study and the completion of activities related to
permitting and operating requirements prior to breaking ground at
the Project, and for working capital purposes.
Canaccord Genuity (Australia) Limited ("Canaccord")
acted as Lead Manager ("Lead Manager") to the Equity Placement.
Wilsons Advisory & Stockbroking acted as Co-Manager
("Co-Manager").
Commenting, Neil
Herbert, Executive Chairman of Atlantic Lithium,
said:
"We
are pleased to have raised A$10 million in an Equity Placing led by the Company's
largest shareholder, Assore, and supported by existing, new
institutional shareholders and Participating Directors.
"The successful Placing, undertaken in a challenging market
environment for lithium companies, demonstrates strong support for
the Project from existing and prospective shareholders. Assore has
proven to be a hugely supportive shareholder and partner since the
Company's admission to AIM and, through its participation in the
Equity Placing, has demonstrated its ongoing belief in the success
of the Project.
"With the proceeds allocated to completing key activities to
advance Ewoyaa towards Project FID, the Placing puts the Company on
firm footing to achieve its ambitions of delivering commercial
production of spodumene in Ghana.
"We
look forward to providing further updates on our progress in due
course."
Related Party
Transactions
For ASX Listing Rule 10.11 purposes, the Assore
Participation and Director Participation are conditional on
shareholder approval to be sought at the upcoming AGM. In the case
of Assore, as it is a substantial holder holding greater than 10%
(currently it has a relevant interest in 27.56% of the voting
shares in the Company) and has a relevant agreement to nominate
directors to the Company (Kieran Daly and Christelle van der Merwe;
the "Assore Nominee Directors"), shareholder approval for the
Assore Participation is required pursuant to ASX Listing Rule
10.11.3. In the case of the Participating Directors, as they are
directors and related parties of the Company, shareholder approval
for the Director Participation is required pursuant to ASX Listing
Rule 10.11.1.
Assore is a Substantial Shareholder of the Company as
defined by the AIM Rules for Companies, holding 27.56% of the
Company's issued share capital prior to the Equity Placing. As a
Substantial Shareholder, Assore's participation in the Equity
Placing is deemed to be a related party transaction for the
purposes of AIM Rule 13.
As the Participating Directors are directors of the
Company, the proposed Director Participation in the Equity Placing
is deemed to be a related party transaction for the purposes of AIM
Rule 13.
The directors of the Company, other than the
Participating Directors and the Assore Nominee Directors, having
consulted with the Company's nominated adviser, SP Angel Corporate
Finance LLP, consider that the terms of the Assore Participation
and Director Participation in the Equity Placing are fair and
reasonable insofar as shareholders of the Company are
concerned.
Allotment and Admission
Allotment for New Shares (on AIM, ASX and the GSE)
will take place in two tranches:
·
Tranche 1 is the unconditional allotment
of 9,442,378 New Shares to all investors excluding Assore and the
Participating Directors ("Tranche 1 Shares").
·
Tranche 2 is the allotment of 34,035,883
New Shares to Assore and the Participating Directors, which is
conditional on shareholder approval at the upcoming AGM ("Tranche 2
Shares").
Applications will be made to the London Stock
Exchange and the Australian Securities Exchange for admission of
the Tranche 1 Shares to trading on AIM and the ASX, expected to
take place at 8:00 a.m. London time on 30 October 2024 on AIM and
10:00 a.m. on 30 October 2024 Sydney time on the ASX.
Subject to receipt of requisite shareholder approval,
a further application will be made to the London Stock Exchange and
the Australian Securities Exchange for admission of the Tranche 2
Shares to trading on AIM and the ASX, expected to take place at
8:00 a.m. London time on 6 December 2024 on AIM and 10:00 a.m. on 6
December 2024 Sydney time on the ASX.
An application will be made to the GSE for admission
to trading of the Tranche 1 and Tranche 2 Shares in due
course.
Revised Shareholdings Following Equity
Placing
Following the issue of Tranche 1 and Tranche 2
Shares, the revised shareholdings of Assore and the Participating
Directors will be as follows:
|
Current Shareholding (Prior to Equity
Placing)
|
Percentage of Issued Share Capital after
Tranche 1 Shares issued1
|
Subscription for Tranche 2 Shares
|
Resultant Shareholding after Tranche 2 Shares
issued2
|
Percentage of enlarged Issued Share
Capital2
|
Assore International
Holdings Limited
|
179,025,852
(27.56%)
|
25.83%
|
32,775,013
|
211,800,865
|
30.56%
|
Neil
Herbert
|
8,106,305
(1.25%)
|
1.17%
|
565,217
|
8,671,522
|
1.25%
|
Keith
Muller
|
200,000
(0.03%)
|
0.03%
|
565,217
|
765,217
|
0.11%
|
Edward
Koranteng
|
Nil
(0.00%)
|
0.00%
|
130,435
|
130,435
|
0.02%
|
1 Following
issue of Tranche 1 Shares
2 Following
issue of Tranche 2 Shares
Total Voting Rights
Following admission of the Tranche 1 Shares, there
will be 659,111,431 Ordinary Shares in issue carrying voting rights
admitted to trading (on AIM, ASX and the GSE). This figure may be
used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by
which they will determine if they are required to notify their
interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company under
the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.
Following approval of the Tranche 2 Shares at the
upcoming AGM, the Company will confirm the revised figure to be
used by shareholders.
Exchange Rates
The exchange rates used in the announcement are as
follows (as at 23 October 2024):
· AUD - USD: 0.67
· AUD - GBP: 0.51
· USD - GBP: 0.77
Unless otherwise specified, all defined and
capitalised terms have the same meaning as set out in the Company's
Launch Announcement, released on 24 October 2024 on AIM and 25
October 2024 on the ASX.
The information
contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to
constitute inside information as stipulated under the market abuse
regulation (EU) no. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law
pursuant to the European Union (withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended.
Upon the publication of this announcement via a regulatory
information service, this information is considered to be in the
public domain.
Authorised for release by Amanda Harsas, Finance
Director and Company Secretary, Atlantic Lithium Limited.
For any further information, please
contact:
Atlantic Lithium Limited
Neil Herbert (Executive Chairman)
Amanda Harsas (Finance Director and Company
Secretary)
|
www.atlanticlithium.com.au
|
|
IR@atlanticlithium.com.au
|
|
Tel: +61 2 8072
0640
|
SP
Angel Corporate Finance LLP
Nominated Adviser
Jeff Keating
Charlie Bouverat
Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470
|
Yellow Jersey PR Limited
Charles
Goodwin
Bessie
Elliot atlantic@yellowjerseypr.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 3004
9512
|
Canaccord Genuity Limited
Financial Adviser:
Raj Khatri (UK) /
Duncan St John, Christian
Calabrese (Australia)
Corporate Broking:
James
Asensio
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523
4500
|
|
Notes to Editors:
About Atlantic
Lithium
www.atlanticlithium.com.au
Atlantic Lithium is an AIM, ASX, GSE and OTCQX-listed
lithium company advancing its flagship project, the Ewoyaa Lithium
Project, a significant lithium spodumene pegmatite discovery in
Ghana, through to production to become the country's first
lithium-producing mine.
The Definitive Feasibility Study for the Project
indicates the production of 3.6Mt of spodumene concentrate over a
12-year mine life, making it one of the largest spodumene
concentrate mines in the world.
The Project, which was awarded a Mining Lease in
October 2023, is being developed under an earn-in agreement with
Piedmont Lithium Inc.
Atlantic Lithium holds a portfolio of lithium projects
within 509km2 and 771km2 of granted and
under-application tenure across Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire
respectively, which, in addition to the Project, comprises
significantly under-explored, highly prospective licences.