Imperial Metals Corporation (the “Company”) (TSX:III) announces that its board of directors, subject to regulatory and legal approvals, has approved an agreement to borrow $30 million from Edco Capital Corporation (“Edco”) by means of an unsecured loan at an interest rate of 12% per annum and maturing in six months from date of issue (the “Loan”), with an arrangement fee of 1% of the principal of the Loan payable in cash. Edco is owned by N. Murray Edwards, a significant shareholder of the Company. The proceeds of the Loan will be used to support the ongoing ramp up of production at the Company’s Red Chris mine and provide working capital for the Company.
The board of directors has also approved the Company undertaking a rights offering of approximately $80 million to shareholders, debentureholders and warrantholders (“Rightholders”) subject to definitive terms and conditions as well as approvals from the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) and securities regulatory authorities. The rights offering will be for units comprised of a combination of common shares and convertible debentures. Proceeds of the rights offering will be used to repay the Loan, to support the ongoing ramp up of production at the Red Chris mine, to fund the restart of operations at the Company’s Mount Polley mine and to provide working capital for the Company. The rights offering will proceed after the Company has obtained an extension of the completion date under the Senior Credit Facility to a date which is reasonably expected to follow the successful completion of the ramp up of production at the Company’s Red Chris mine.
Rightholders will be able to subscribe for more than their proportionate share of units should not all Rightholders take up their pro rata share and the Company expects the rights will trade through the facilities of the TSX.
Edco, its affiliates, and The Fairholme Partnership, LP, significant Rightholders collectively holding approximately 56% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares, 69.5% of the outstanding debentures and 100% of the outstanding warrants, have advised that their current intention is that they will subscribe for their proportionate share of units and, in exchange for a fee of 3% of the subscription proceeds in respect of all rights not owned by them, back stop the rights offering such that they will purchase all units not otherwise purchased pursuant to the exercise of rights by other Rightholders. All directors of the Company have agreed to participate in the rights offering.