Bluestone Announces US$30 million Bridge Loan to Advance the Cerro Blanco Gold Project

2022-03-14 / @newswire

 

VANCOUVER, BC, March 14, 2022 /CNW/ - Bluestone Resources Inc. (TSXV:BSR) (OTCQB:BBSRF) ("Bluestone" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has established a US$30,000,000 loan (the "Loan") with Zebra Holdings and Investments S.à.r.l, and Lorito Holdings S.à.r.l (the "Lender").

The Loan will provide for the drawdown of funds by the Company in tranches of not less than $1,000,000. Proceeds will be primarily used for general corporate purposes and to advance the Cerro Blanco gold project through engineering and permit approval.

Peter Hemstead, CFO, commented, "We are pleased to have the support from the Lundin Family as we advance the Cerro Blanco Project through engineering and design and invest in local project readiness initiatives. The Cerro Blanco Project will generate significant benefits to Guatemala and our stakeholders over the life of mine, and the Loan shows the commitment from the Lundin Group to develop the Project in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. The bridge loan will also provide us with the ability to advance and optimize a comprehensive financing package for the construction of the project."

In consideration for the Loan, the Company has issued 150,000 common shares of the Company (the "Initial Shares") and will issue an additional 4,000 common shares per month (pro-rated for partial months) for each $1,000,000 of the principal amount outstanding under the Loan from time to time up to March 11, 2023 (the "Maturity Date"), the number of such common shares to be calculated as of the last day of each month up to the Maturity Date (the "Additional Shares" and together with the Initial Shares, the "Bonus Shares"). The issuance of the Bonus Shares to the Lender is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All Bonus Shares issued to the Lender will be subject to a four-month hold period under applicable securities law.

As the Lender and its affiliates have beneficial ownership of, or control or direction over, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the common shares of the Company, the issuance of the Bonus Shares will be a "related party transaction" under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The issuance of the Bonus Shares will be exempt from the formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to section 5.5(b), as the Company's shares are not listed on a specified market, and from the minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 pursuant to sections 5.7(1)(a), as neither the fair market value of the Bonus Shares to be issued nor the consideration to be received for those shares exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization, and 5.7(1)(f) as the Loan does not have an equity or voting component and is on reasonable commercial terms that are not less advantageous to the Company than if the Loan were obtained from an arm's length party.

About Bluestone Resources
Bluestone Resources is a Canadian-based precious metals exploration and development company focused on opportunities in Guatemala. The Company's flagship asset is the Cerro Blanco Gold Project, a near surface mine development project located in Southern Guatemala in the department of Jutiapa. The Company released the results of a Feasibility Study for the Project, outlining an asset capable of producing over 300 koz/yr at head grades of +2.0 g/t gold. The Project will produce 2.6 million ounces of gold over the life of mine at an all-in sustaining cost of $629/oz (as defined per World Gold Council guidelines, less corporate general and administration costs) over an initial 14-year mine life. The Company trades under the symbol "BSR" on the TSX Venture Exchange and "BBSRF" on the OTCQB.

On Behalf of Bluestone Resources Inc.

"Jack Lundin"

Jack Lundin | Chief Executive Officer & Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events, or developments that Bluestone Resources Inc. ("Bluestone" or the "Company") believes, expects, or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, without limitation: the use of proceeds from the Loan; final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange; the estimated gold production volume per year from the Project; life of mine gold production amounts; average all-in sustaining costs ("AISC"); and length of initial mine life.

All forward-looking statements are made based on Bluestone's current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by Bluestone and information currently available to Bluestone. Generally, these assumptions include, among others: the presence of and continuity of metals at the Cerro Blanco Project at estimated grades; the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at estimated prices and within estimated delivery times; currency exchange rates; metals sales prices and exchange rates assumed; appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in economic analyses; tax rates and royalty rates applicable to the proposed mining operations; the availability of acceptable financing; the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); anticipated mining losses and dilution; success in realizing proposed operations; and anticipated timelines for community consultations and the impact of those consultations on the regulatory approval process.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results of Bluestone to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and, even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Bluestone. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: potential changes to the mining method and the current development strategy; risks and uncertainties related to expected production rates; timing and amount of production and total costs of production; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain, amend, or maintain necessary licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining development activities; risks and uncertainties related to the accuracy of mineral resource estimates and estimates of future production, future cash flow, total costs of production, and diminishing quantities or grades of mineral resources; changes in Project parameters as plans continue to be refined; title matters; risks associated with geopolitical uncertainty and political and economic instability in Guatemala; risks related to global epidemics or pandemics and other health crises, including the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); risks and uncertainties related to interruptions in production; risks related to Project working conditions, accidents or labour disputes; the possibility that future exploration, development, or mining results will not be consistent with Bluestone's expectations; uncertain political and economic environments and relationships with local communities and governmental authorities; risks relating to variations in the mineral content and grade within the mineral identified as mineral resources from that predicted; variations in rates of recovery and extraction; developments in world metals markets; and risks related to fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates. For a further discussion of risks relevant to Bluestone, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020, available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made, and except as may be required by applicable securities laws, Bluestone disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Although Bluestone believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to their inherent uncertainty. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Performance Measures
The Company has included a non-Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") measure in this news release that is not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), being AISC per payable ounce of gold sold. Non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and, therefore, they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The Company believes that these measures, in addition to measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the underlying performance of the Company and to compare it to information reported by other companies. The non-GAAP measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. These measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under GAAP, and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

All-in sustaining costs
The Company believes that AISC more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold. The Company calculates AISC as the sum of refining costs, third party royalties, site operating costs, sustaining capital costs, and closure capital costs all divided by the gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce amount. Other companies may calculate this measure differently as a result of differences in underlying principles and policies applied. Differences may also arise due to a different definition of sustaining versus non-sustaining capital.

AISC reconciliation
AISC and costs are calculated based on the definitions published by the World Gold Council ("WGC") (a market development organization for the gold industry comprised of and funded by 18 gold mining companies from around the world). The WGC is not a regulatory organization.

SOURCE Bluestone Resources Inc.

Cision View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2022/14/c4873.html

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