Name of the Project
Buck Creek coal mine complex project.

Location
The Buck Creek mine complex is located in the Western Kentucky region of the Illinois basin, which is one of the most prolific coal-producing regions in the US.

Project Owner/s
Paringa Resources.

Project Description
The coal mining complex includes the staged, modular development of the 2.8-million-tonne-a-year Poplar Grove and 3.8-million-tonne-a-year Cypress mines.

An expanded bankable feasibility study (BFS) completed on Poplar Grove in March has incorporated a second coal seam to the mine – the Western Kentucky No 11 (WK 11) coal seam – resulting in a 56% increase in mine production to 2.8-million tonnes a year. The original BFS, which included the Western Kentucky No 9 (WK 9) coal seam, considered a 1.8-million-tonne-a-year operation.

Access to the WK 9 seam will be through a low-cost boxcut excavation followed by three decline drifts excavated using continuous mining equipment.

Paringa will access the WK 11 seam from the northern limb of Poplar Grove’s mine plan by 2020 through an incline, excavated using continuous mining equipment.

In 2033, Paringa will access the WK 11 seam from the southern limb of Poplar Grove’s mine plan.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The combined net present value (NPV) of both mines, at an 8% discount rate, has been estimated at $655-million. On a standalone basis, the NPV of the projected cash flows from the initial Poplar Grove mine has been estimated at $310-million at an 8% discount rate, with an internal rate of return of 42%.

Capital Expenditure
The expanded BFS has estimated total capital expenditure (capex) for the initial construction of Poplar Grove at $44.7-million. Capital for construction of the WK 11 incline and vertical shafts is estimated at $15.8-million, which will be funded from Poplar Grove’s operating cashflow.

Capex at the Cypress mine has been estimated at $101.8-million.

Planned Start /End Date
Construction of the Poplar Grove mine started in August 2017. First coal is expected 12 months from the start of construction.

Latest Developments
Paringa Resources has entered into a royalty finance and entitlement offer to raise funds to ramp up production at its Poplar Grove mine.

The company has entered into a term sheet to grant a royalty to Tribeca Gold Resources Credit to raise an initial $9-million, and will conduct a one-for-four pro-rata accelerated nonrenounceable entitlement offer to raise a further $8.1-million.

Under the proposed royalty financing, Tribeca will be granted a 2% gross revenue royalty over Paringa’s Buck Creek coal mining complex in exchange for $9-million.

The royalty financing will be subject to a minimum $5-million capital raise by Paringa.

The proposed royalty financing term sheet also provides for amendments to the existing term loan facility with Tribeca, to resize the second tranche of the facility from $16-million to $10-million, and to ensure that the previously announced termination of Paringa’s supply agreement with Big Rivers Electric Corporation, and the issues arising from the funding gap, do not result in any events of default under the term loan facility.

Meanwhile, the entitlement offer will be priced at 7c a share, with eligible shareholders able to subscribe for one new share for every four shares held.

The issue price represents a 15.7% discount to Paringa’s last closing price and a 14.2% discount to the ten-day volume weighted average share price.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
The project remains on track.

Contact Details for Project Information
Paringa Resources, MD and CEO Grant Quasha, tel +61 8 9322 6322 or email gquasha@paringaresources.com.