Amendment and Rescheduling of Senior Debt Facility
Amendment and Rescheduling of Senior Debt
Facility
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 2, 2023) - Thor Explorations Ltd. (TSXV: THX)
("
Thor
" or the "
Company
") is pleased to announce that is has amended and restated the terms of the
balance of its senior debt facility held with Africa Finance Corporation (the "
AFC
").
Background
On 15 April 2020, the Company's wholly owned subsidiary Segilola Resources Operating Limited
("SROL") and the AFC (together the "Parties") entered into a USD54 million senior debt facility (the
"Project Facility") for the construction of the Segilola gold mine located in Osun State, Nigeria.
The Segilola gold mine started ramping up production in Q4 2021. Full commercial production was
achieved at the beginning of 2022 with total annual production of 98,008 ounces ("oz") of gold in the full
year 2022; the first full calendar year of operations. As at 31 December 2022, SROL had repaid or
cancelled USD25.6 million of the Project Facility, reducing the facility outstanding to USD28.4 million.
Following SROL's successful transition from project to operations, the Parties engaged in discussions to
revise the Project Facility with the objective of supporting the growth strategy of the Company.
Amendment and Restatement Agreement
On 31 January 2023, the Parties entered into an agreement amending the terms of the Project Facility.
The amendments primarily relate to the removal or relaxation of the more restrictive terms and conditions
of the Project Facility, resulting in a more flexible facility.
The amended facility removes the project finance cash sweep requirement, releases restrictions on
bank accounts and allows for free distributions from SROL (subject to a 20% distribution sweep to the
Project Facility), as well as releasing the Company from restrictions regarding acquisitions, distribution
of dividends and certain indebtedness covenants.
In addition, the amortization schedule of the facility has been re-scheduled to reduce debt repayments in
2023, so that free cashflow generated from Segilola can be used to fund growth opportunities, including
advancing the Company's Douta project, accelerating exploration and new business opportunities. The
repayment schedule is weighted to 2024.
Updated AFC Project Facility repayment schedule
Repayment
date
Repayment
instalment (%)
Repayment
amount ($)
$
%
Cancelled
1,346,167
25,566,930
46%
Paid
2.5%
1,316,346
25.0%
13,163,458
17.5%
9,214,421
1.0%
526,538
31-Mar-23
1.0%
526,538
28,433,070
54%
30-Jun-23
1.0%
526,538
30-Sep-23
1.5%
789,808
31-Dec-23
7.5%
3,949,038
31-Mar-24
14.0%
7,371,537
30-Jun-24
14.0%
7,371,537
30-Sep-24
7.5%
3,949,038
31-Dec-24
7.5%
3,949,038
100.0%
54,000,000
Segun Lawson, President & CEO, stated:
"We are pleased to have restated our senior debt facility which frees up Segilola's cash flow for the
Company to continue to implement its growth strategy and deliver value to its shareholders. I would like
to thank the AFC for their continued strong support of Thor. The amended facility provides a stable
enabling environment for us and is aligned with the next stage of our growth strategy, and I look forward
to updating the market on our progress in the coming weeks."
Further details can be found on the Company's website:
www.thorexpl.com
.
About Thor Explorations
Thor Explorations Ltd. is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration,
development and production of mineral properties located in Nigeria, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Thor
Explorations holds a 100% interest in the Segilola Gold Project located in Osun State, Nigeria and has a
70% economic interest in the Douta Gold Project located in south-eastern Senegal. Thor Explorations
trades on AIM and the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "THX".
THOR EXPLORATIONS LTD.
Segun Lawson
President & CEO
For further information please contact:
Investor Relations
Ibu Lawson
Email:
Canaccord Genuity (Nominated Adviser & Broker)
Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / James Asensio / Thomas Diehl
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7523 8000
Hannam & Partners (Broker)
Andrew Chubb / Matt Hasson / Jay Ashfield / Franck Nganou
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7907 8500
Fig House Communications (Investor Relations)
Tel: +1 416 822 6483
Email:
BlytheRay (Financial PR)
Tim Blythe / Megan Ray / Said Izagaren
Tel: +44 207 138 3203
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SERVICES
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