Cornish Metals plc - CORNISH METALS ANNOUNCES £52 MILLION CREDIT FACILITY WITH STRATEGIC SHAREHOLDERS
CORNISH METALS ANNOUNCES £52 MILLION CREDIT FACILITY WITH STRATEGIC SHAREHOLDERS
15 May 2026
Cornish Metals plc (AIM: TIN) (“Cornish Metals” or the “Company”), is pleased to announce that, further
to the Company's announcement of 7 May 2026 in respect of the successful placement of US$210 million
of Nordic bonds (the "Bonds"), it has entered into secured credit facilities with each of the National Wealth
Fund Limited (the “National Wealth Fund”) and Vision Blue Resources Limited (“Vision Blue”) totalling up
to approximately £52 million (the “Facilities”) to support the continued development of its wholly-owned
South Crofty tin project in Cornwall, United Kingdom.
The proceeds of the Facilities are expected to be used as follows:
• Up to approximately £16 million will be used to credit the escrow account which has been set up
in connection with the Bonds and is to be funded as a condition to issuance of the Bonds;
• for underground mine development and shaft refurbishment;
• for surface facilities and infrastructure;
• for the Company’s general operating and corporate purposes.
Don Turvey, CEO of Cornish Metals commented:
“This funding provides the Company with the financial runway to progress through to the final investment
decision for the South Crofty project while continuing to advance and derisk the project by maintaining the
high level of activities across site. It also signals the National Wealth Fund’s and Vision Blue’s continued
support for Cornish Metals and our goal to restart tin mining in Cornwall, providing a sustainable supply
of this critical mineral to the West. As part of the project financing process, the Company has been
engaging with investment parties, including strategic offtakers and institutional investors, interested in
financing the development of South Crofty, and we are pleased with the level of interest we are receiving,
further highlighting the significance of this project. We thank the National Wealth Fund and Vision Blue
for their continued support.”
Related Party Transactions
The National Wealth Fund and Vision Blue are each a Substantial Shareholder (as defined by the AIM Rules
for Companies) of Cornish Metals, holding 28.45% and 29.08%, respectively, of the Company’s issued
share capital.
The facility which the Company has entered into with the National Wealth Fund (the "NWF Facility") is
deemed to constitute a related party transaction for the purpose of AIM Rule 13. The Company's
independent directors for the purposes of the NWF Facility, being all Directors other than James Whiteside
(being the National Wealth Fund's appointed Director) having consulted with SP Angel Corporate Finance
2
LLP, the Company's nominated adviser, consider that the terms of the NWF Facility are fair and reasonable
insofar as shareholders are concerned.
The facility which the Company has entered into with Vision Blue (the "Vision Blue Facility") is deemed to
constitute a related party transaction for the purpose of AIM Rule 13. The Company's independent
directors for the purposes of the Vision Blue Facility, being all Directors other than Tony Trahar (being
Vision Blue's appointed Director) having consulted with SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP, the Company's
nominated adviser, consider that the terms of the Vision Blue Facility are fair and reasonable insofar as
shareholders are concerned.
In accordance with the AIM Rules (Schedule 4), the following information regarding the Facilities is
provided below:
Principal (total): £35,000,000 (National Wealth Fund) and US$22,750,000 (Vision Blue)
• Tranche 1: Committed facility of £21,100,000 (National Wealth Fund)
and US$13,700,000 (Vision Blue)
• Tranche 2: Uncommitted facility (to be requested by the Company if
required and made available at the Lenders' discretion) of
£13,900,000 (National Wealth Fund) and US$9,050,000 (Vision Blue)
Lenders: National Wealth Fund Limited and Vision Blue Resources Limited
Borrower: Cornish Metals plc
Guarantors: Cornish Metal Holdings Limited and South Crofty Limited
Term: Six months from the date of the Agreement
Interest: 13% p.a. to be capitalised, compounding daily
Arrangement fee: 1.65% on funding of each tranche
Security: Fixed and floating charges over assets of the Borrower and Guarantors except
mineral titles and assets in the UK which are already pledged as security
Repayment: On the repayment date (being the date falling six months from the date of
entry into the Agreement), repayment of the full principal amount and
accrued interest up to and including the date of payment
Mandatory
Prepayment
Facilities to be repaid within 10 Business Days of a Qualifying Equity Raise
(being any issue of equity securities in the Company other than in respect of
employee share options or specific agreements already in force)
Conditions: The Conditions Precedent, Representations and Warranties, Undertakings
and Events of Default are all standard for a transaction of this nature. In
addition to existing reporting requirements to the National Wealth Fund and
Vision Blue, the Company is required to hold a monthly technical forum to
3
which Lenders are invited to discuss Project developments and to instigate a
fortnightly capital forum.
ABOUT CORNISH METALS
Cornish Metals is a mineral exploration and development company that is advancing the South Crofty
critical mineral project towards production. South Crofty:
• is a historical underground tin mine located in Cornwall, United Kingdom and benefits from
existing mine infrastructure including multiple shafts that can be used for future operations;
• is the highest grade known tin Mineral Resource not in production with significant near-mine and
regional Mineral Resource potential;
• is permitted to commence underground mining (valid to 2071), construct a new processing facility
and for all necessary site infrastructure;
• is expected to produce approximately 4,700 tonnes of tin-in-concentrate annually in the first five
years of full production at lowest-quartile all-in sustaining costs over an initial 14-year mine life;
• will be a low environmental impact underground mine with zero surface tailings;
• would be potentially the first primary producer of tin in Europe or North America. Tin is a Critical
Mineral as defined by the UK, American, and Canadian governments as it is used in almost all
electronic devices and electrical infrastructure. Approximately two-thirds of the tin mined today
comes from China, Myanmar and Indonesia;
• benefits from strong local community, regional and national government support with a growing
team of skilled people, local to Cornwall, and could generate over 300 direct jobs;
• is an opportunity for a secure domestic supply of tin in the UK supporting a low carbon economy.
ENDS
Engage with us directly at our investor hub. Sign up at: https://investors.cornishmetals.com/link/PbqBor
For additional information please contact:
Cornish Metals Fawzi Hanano
Emily Allhusen
investors@cornishmetals.com
info@cornishmetals.com
Tel: +44 1209 715 777
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
(Nominated Adviser)
Richard Morrison
Charlie Bouverat
Adam Cowl
Tel: +44 203 470 0470
Berenberg
(Joint Broker)
Jennifer Lee
Ivan Briechle
Tel: +44 20 3753 3040
Peel Hunt
(Joint Broker)
Ross Allister
David McKeown
Tel: +44 20 7418 8900
4
BlytheRay
(Financial PR)
Tim Blythe
Megan Ray
Said Izagaren
cornishmetals@blytheray.com
Tel: +44 207 138 3204
Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure
The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information
pursuant to Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended.
Share your feedback
Discover