Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc
Transaction to sell solar plant
(NYSE AMERICAN: CMCL; AIM: CMCL; VFEX: CMCL)
St Helier, October 1, 2024 - Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc ("Caledonia" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a conditional sale agreement for the entire issued share capital of its Zimbabwe subsidiary, Caledonia Mining Services (Private) Limited ("CMS"), which owns and operates the 12.2MWac solar plant that supplies power to Blanket Mine. CMS is to be sold to CrossBoundary Energy Holdings ("CBE") for $22.35 million, payable in cash, and the power generation of the solar plant will continue to be sold to Blanket Mine by way of a power purchase agreement.
Highlights
· Upon completion of the sale, Caledonia will realise a profit on the $14.3 million construction cost by selling the plant for $22.35 million.
· Completion of the sale will return capital to Caledonia at a key moment in the Company's growth trajectory.
· Caledonia will retain the exclusive energy off take, ensuring approximately a fifth of Blanket Mine's daily electricity requirement continues to be met by renewable power.
· CBE has been invited to tender for an expansion of the solar plant to deliver further renewable energy to Blanket Mine.
The construction of the solar plant was initially financed by a registered offering of Caledonia's shares in the US in 2020 and this raised $13 million through the issue of 597,963 shares.
Since commissioning in February 2023, the solar plant has generated over 47,350Mwh of power, and profits attributable to the solar plant for the year ended December 31, 2023 were $728,023. The power generated from the solar plant has significantly reduced the use of diesel generators and grid power at Blanket Mine, ensuring approximately a fifth of the mine's daily electricity needs are met by solar power. The plant will continue to supply Blanket Mine under an exclusive power purchase agreement.
The sales consideration will be reinvested in Caledonia's other projects that are expected to yield a higher return to our shareholders and will have the added benefit of focussing management's attention on our core business of gold mining and exploration.
CrossBoundary Energy is a leading developer, owner and operator of distributed renewable energy solutions for businesses across Africa, providing cheaper and cleaner energy through power purchase and lease agreements. CBE provides tailored, fully financed renewable energy solutions to its corporate customers allowing them to avoid upfront capital expenditure and technical risks, whilst still benefitting from cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power. Through close collaboration with its partners, CBE provides renewable energy solutions that adapt to the needs of their clients including designing, building, financing, and maintaining renewable energy installations.
CBE was launched by the CrossBoundary Group, a mission-driven investment firm, in 2015 as Sub-Saharan Africa's first provider of fully financed commercial-industrial solar solutions. It currently operates in over fourteen African countries and has a large portfolio of renewable energy infrastructure projects across the continent. In addition to mining, CBE's clients include leading local manufacturers and multinational corporations such as Diageo, Heineken, and Unilever. Completion of the purchase is subject to various conditions precedent, including obtaining local regulatory approvals and the installation of some upgraded equipment, which are anticipated to take a few months to satisfy.
Commenting on the announcement, Mark Learmonth, Chief Executive Officer, said:
"We are pleased to have signed this agreement to sell the solar plant which, upon completion, will enable us to redeploy capital to our core business of mining.
"Whilst the sale will generate an immediate profit for the Company, more importantly we have identified an experienced partner in CBE which brings vast expertise in delivering and running renewable energy projects.
"We look forward to developing a strong relationship with CBE - we are already working with them to deliver a meaningful extension to the plant, and we will be considering renewable energy solutions at our other development projects in due course."
Matthew Tilleard, Managing Partner at CrossBoundary Energy, said:
"CrossBoundary Energy's mission is to provide affordable, clean power solutions to underserved markets, and we achieve this by deploying capital into energy projects that enable businesses to focus on their core operations. Our partnership with Caledonia demonstrates the efficacy of this model for the mining sector, benefiting the mine's operations and ultimately enabling sustainable mining. We look forward to pursuing these acquisitions with miners across the continent."
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