Lundin
Mining to sell silver production from its Portuguese mines to Silverstone
June 6, 2007 (TSX: LUN; SSE: LUMI;
AMEX: LMC) Lundin Mining Corporation (“Lundin Mining” or the
“Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into
an agreement with Silverstone Resources Corp (“Silverstone”)
(TSX.V: SST) to deliver silver production from its Neves-Corvo and Aljustrel
mines to Silverstone. The agreement is
subject to regulatory approval.
Under this agreement, Lundin Mining
will receive an up front cash payment from Silverstone of US $42.5 million,
together with 15.4 million Silverstone common shares and 4,256,250 Silverstone
special warrants which are convertible into Silverstone common shares at no
additional cost. The Silverstone common shares and special warrants issued to
Lundin Mining are subject to a four-month hold period. Lundin Mining will also
receive cash payments upon delivery of its silver production to Silverstone in
an amount equal to the lesser of (a) US$3.90 per ounce of silver (subject to a
1% annual inflationary adjustment after three years and yearly thereafter) and
(b) the then prevailing market price per ounce of silver.
Each
Silverstone special warrant may be exercised into one Silverstone common share
at a deemed price of C$2.42 per common share at no additional consideration at
any time provided that: (a) the common shares issued pursuant to such exercise
would not result in Lundin Mining owning, together with any other common shares
under its ownership, control or direction, 20% or more of the issued and
outstanding common shares immediately after giving effect to such issuance; or
(b) the shareholders of Silverstone, other than Lundin Mining, pass a
resolution at a meeting of Silverstone’s shareholders approving any exercise
that would result in Lundin Mining owning 20% or more of the issued and
outstanding common shares of Silverstone.
Silver
production at the Neves-Corvo mine, located in southern Portugal, annually
produces approximately 0.5 million ounces of silver contained in copper
concentrate while the Aljustrel mine, scheduled to begin production in
September 2007 is expected to produce approximately 1.2 million ounces of
silver in lead concentrate when full production of the Feitais ore body is
reached in 2009.
Silverstone
is a silver mining company with 100% of its revenue from silver production.
Silverstone expects to have 2007 silver sales of approximately 1.0
million ounces and increasing to 3 million ounces by late 2009. More
information is available at: www.silverstonecorp.com.
Jo�o Carr�lo, Executive Vice
President and COO of Lundin Mining, commented, "As we continue to explore
the group’s significant organic growth potential, the Company is
currently investigating several opportunities to increase production at both of
our operations in Portugal.
At Neves-Corvo the life of mine business plan is being reviewed with the aim of
optimizing the exploitation of its substantial copper and zinc resources by increasing
future metal production at the mine. As the Aljustrel mine prepares to commence
production in September 2007, management is considering alternatives that would
significantly augment production levels by including additional resources into
the mine plan. The agreement to sell the silver production, which for
Lundin Mining is a by product, allows us to focus on and develop our core
metals."
Lundin Mining is a rapidly growing, mid-tier
mining company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and mining
of base metal deposits internationally. In addition to the Neves-Corvo mine in Portugal, the Company operates the Zinkgruvan
and Storliden mines in Sweden
and the Galmoy mine in Ireland
For
further information, please contact:
Catarina Ihre, Manager, Investor Relations:
+46-70-607-9263
Sophia Shane, Investor Relations, North America: 1-604-689-7842
Certain of the
statements made and information contained herein is “forward-looking
information” within the meaning of the Ontario
Securities Act or “forward-looking statements” within the meaning
of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties
which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in
the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks and
uncertainties relating to foreign currency fluctuations; risks inherent in
mining including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or
unexpected geological formations, ground control problems and flooding; risks
associated with the estimation of mineral resources and reserves and the
geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that future
exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the
companies’ expectations; the potential for and effects of labour disputes
or other unanticipated difficulties with or shortages of labour or
interruptions in production; actual ore mined varying from estimates of grade,
tonnage, dilution and metallurgical and other characteristics; the inherent
uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected
costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations; uncertain political and
economic environments; changes in laws or policies, foreign taxation, delays or
the inability to obtain necessary governmental permits; and other risks and
uncertainties, including those described under Risk Factors Relating to the
Company’s Business in the Company’s Annual Information Form and in
each management discussion and analysis. Forward-looking information is in
addition based on various assumptions including, without limitation, the
expectations and beliefs of management, the assumed long term price of copper
and zinc; that the companies can access financing, appropriate equipment and
sufficient labour and that the political environment where the Companies
operate will continue to support the development and operation of mining
projects. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or
should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary
materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Accordingly,
readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.