Orocobre Limited
(ASX: ORE, TSX: ORL) (Orocobre or the
Company) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a
definitive agreement
(the Agreement) pursuant to
which Orocobre will acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding
shares of Advantage Lithium Corp.
(Advantage) (TSX Venture:
AAL) (OTCQX: AVLIF) that it does not already own.
This transaction (the
Transaction) will allow Orocobre to continue to develop
the Olaroz/Cauchari basin in a cost-effective manner that will
optimise extraction of the resource to the benefit of shareholders,
local communities, the Provincial and National governments of
Argentina, and other stakeholders.
Orocobre shareholders will gain exposure to the
4.8 million tonnes (Mt) of Measured and Indicated Resources and 1.5
Mt of Inferred Resources (expressed as lithium carbonate
equivalent) at Cauchari developed by the Advantage and Orocobre
joint venture as detailed in the Orocobre ASX Release dated 7 March
2019.
The Transaction further consolidates Orocobre’s
leading position within the region as a low-cost producer of
lithium chemicals. Orocobre will also acquire Advantage’s
exploration properties including those at Antofalla and
Incahuasi.
Integration of Cauchari with Olaroz enables
Orocobre to deliver optimal basin management and maximises the long
term productive capacity of the Olaroz/Cauchari basin. The
development of Cauchari will be considered within future plans for
the Olaroz Lithium Facility.
The Transaction does not trigger any need for
additional financing for the ongoing development of the Olaroz and
Cauchari basins currently being undertaken by Orocobre and its
joint venture partners.
The Transaction
Under the terms of the Agreement Advantage
shareholders will receive 0.142 shares of Orocobre per Advantage
share. Based on the closing price of Orocobre shares on the ASX of
A$3.291 this equates to a value of approximately C$0.422 per
Advantage share.
Orocobre is currently the largest shareholder of
Advantage with 34.7% of Advantage’s issued shares.
The Transaction will be completed through a Plan
of Arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British
Columbia) (the Arrangement). The Arrangement is
subject to approval by the Supreme Court of British Columbia and
requires approval of at least 66.66% of the votes cast by Advantage
shareholders. The Arrangement also requires approval of a simple
majority of the votes cast by Advantage shareholders, excluding for
this purpose the votes attaching to the Advantage shares owned by
Orocobre and certain other persons required to be excluded under
Canadian securities laws.
If approved, the Arrangement will allow Orocobre
to acquire 100% of Advantage shares that it does not already own
and will see Orocobre issue approximately 15.1 million shares which
in turn will increase the total issued shares of Orocobre by 5.8%.
Orocobre intends to utilise its 15% placement capacity to complete
the Transaction without shareholder approval.
Directors, officers, and certain key Advantage
shareholders representing an aggregate of approximately 11.55% of
the issued and outstanding Advantage shares have signed support
agreements to vote their respective shares in favour of the
Arrangement.
Orocobre Managing Director and CEO Mr. Martín
Pérez de Solay commented, “The Advantage team led by David Sidoo,
Callum Grant and Miguel Peral have been hugely successful in
progressing the Cauchari project from exploration to
pre-development and this transaction is an exciting opportunity for
both Orocobre and Advantage shareholders to consolidate on the
achievements to date. For Advantage shareholders, they can now be
part of something bigger without the challenges junior companies
face when moving from exploration to development and onto
production. For Orocobre shareholders, we will consolidate our
position in the Olaroz/Cauchari basin which will give us
significant flexibility as we deliver additional growth to our
existing business.”
Boards of Directors’
Recommendations
The Board of Directors of Orocobre has approved
the Transaction. The Board of Directors of Advantage (excluding
Orocobre related Directors) has also approved the Transaction and
has recommended to its shareholders that they vote their Advantage
shares in favour of the Arrangement.
Further Details
The Arrangement will be implemented through a
Plan of Arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British
Columbia) through which Advantage will become a wholly owned
subsidiary of Orocobre. Advantage shareholders will receive
Orocobre shares based on 0.142 shares of Orocobre per Advantage
share.
The Agreement is dated 18 February 2020 and
contains representations and warranties for the benefit of each of
Orocobre and Advantage. The Agreement also contains a number of
conditions to completion of the Arrangement that are customary in
comparable transactions of this nature. These conditions must be
satisfied or waived by one or both of Orocobre and Advantage at or
prior to the closing of the Arrangement, and include: receipt of
the requisite approvals from the holders of Advantage shares;
receipt of all necessary regulatory, stock exchange and court
approvals; shareholders of Advantage not having exercised their
dissent rights in connection with the Arrangement in connection
with more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Advantage; no
material adverse effect having occurred in respect of Advantage; no
law in effect making the Arrangement illegal or otherwise
prohibiting Advantage or Orocobre from consummating the
Arrangement; and the satisfaction of certain other closing
conditions customary for a transaction of this nature.
The Agreement includes a non-solicitation
covenant on the part of Advantage (subject to customary
fiduciary-out provisions). In the event of a superior proposal,
Orocobre has the right to either match such superior proposal or
receive a termination fee in the amount of C$1,000,000.
Details of the Arrangement, including a summary
of the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, will be
disclosed in a management information circular of Advantage, which
will be mailed to holders of Advantage shares, and will also be
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
It is expected that a general and special
meeting of holders of Advantage shares (the
Meeting) to approve the proposed Arrangement will be held
in April 2020 and, if approved at the Meeting and all other
conditions precedent are satisfied or waived, including approval by
the court, it is expected that the Arrangement would close
approximately one week thereafter.
Advisors
PI Financial Corp. is acting as financial
advisor to Orocobre, and McCarthy Tétrault LLP is acting as legal
advisor to Orocobre in connection with the Transaction.
This announcement is for informational purposes
only and does not constitute an offer to purchase, a solicitation
of an offer to sell any shares or a solicitation of a proxy.
Robert Hubbard |
Martín Pérez de Solay |
Chairman |
Managing Director |
For more information please contact:
Andrew BarberChief Investor Relations Officer
Orocobre LimitedT: +61 7 3720 9088M: +61 418 783 701E:
abarber@orocobre.comW:
www.orocobre.com
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About Orocobre LimitedOrocobre
Limited (Orocobre) is a dynamic global lithium carbonate producer
and an established producer of boron. Orocobre is dual listed on
the Australia and Toronto Stock Exchanges (ASX: ORE), (TSX: ORL).
Orocobre’s operations include its Olaroz Lithium Facility in
Northern Argentina, Borax Argentina, an established Argentine boron
minerals and refined chemicals producer and a 34.7% interest in
Advantage Lithium. The Company has commenced an expansion at Olaroz
and construction of the Naraha Lithium Hydroxide Plant in Japan.
For further information, please visit www.orocobre.com.
1 Closing price of Orocobre shares on ASX as at close of trading
on 18 February 2020.2 Using an exchange rate of A$1.00 to
C$0.8897.
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