HIGHLIGHTS
Project Claps 60% complete and generated approx. EUR 120k in first half of 2024
CASA about to enter into full production with next phase targeting production capacity up to 4,000 tonnes of pellets per month
Heads of Agreement with EEG to develop Leatherwood Project in Kentucky
Raising of £450,000 in the period, with a further $600,000 committed
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER STATEMENT
I am pleased to present the interim financial results of the Group for the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024.
The Group has made excellent progress in the first 6 months of the year, continuing the development of key business opportunites with the addition of some new exciting prospects, which are developing reasonably fast and will contribute to meeting the year end target.
Project CLAPS (“Clean Land And Power System") in Italy (started on 1 August 2023), is progressing well and reached approx 60% completion, with CoalTech Limited working alongside its Italian partner ISS International S.p.A ("ISS“) on the development of a highly innovative solution that will be demonstrated by the mobile agglomeration plant prototype for the conversion of coal dust into pellets, which is the ultimate deliverables of this initiative.
The mobile test unit, fully automated, will include a fines preparation section, a transformation section into pellets and a drying section in order to obtain a final product that can be used at industrial scale as a green technology.
Applications for the technology will target opportunities such as the one offered in the area formely know as ex-ILVA in Taranto (the largest steel plant in Europe and one of the largest in the world) and the ENEL coal thermal power plant located in Cerano (Brindisi), where large volume of fines deposits are stockpiled in covered and uncovered areas, still generating significant challenges for the Apulia Region from an environmental point of view. Similar opportunities to the Company, although at smaller scale, could also be available in the Sulcis area in Sardinia.
The project has already started generating approximately EUR 120,000 in the first half of 2024 and is expected to bring approximately EUR 300,000 during the coming 12 months.
A full-fledged R&D laboratory has been developed and will be operative within the coming 3-4 weeks. An EPC contractor has been already appointed for the construction of the mobile test unit and Company is busy sourcing the main equipments (pelletising and dryer), which will be assigned to the EPC contractor for the completion of the construction and commissioning / start-up of the plant.
The Group's subsidiary in South Africa, Coal Agglomeration South Africa (Pty) Ltd (“CASA”), is about to commence full scale production of pellets, which will be sold in bulk to industrial customers and in bags, under the CASA trademark, Chisa’Mina, to the retail market, based on districtution agreement currently under finalisation. CASA is busy developing a robust supply chain that will enable reaching different areas through a network of selected distributors, that can support the next phase of the project, which will see ramping up production up to a target output of 4,000 tonnes per month at full production with a significant positive impact on the profitability and the cash flow of the business.
CASA is also developing a dedicated line of business, using anthracite as opposed to coal and further update will be provided in due course.
The Group's subsidiary in Delaware (US), Coal Tech LLC, is holding advanced discussion with Environmental Energy Group (EEG) to develop an integrated solution addressing and resolving the challenges posed by the large number of tailing ponds present in US. The implementation of the integrated solution will be most likely handled by a new entity, to be established between the Parties. EGG and CoalTech have finalised a Heads Of Agreement to define the principle terms of their cooperation and a timeline for the execution of this first project, and are now starting discussion about the incorporatation of a joint venture to move the project forward.
EEG is a company that has designed portable equipment specifically designed to recover coal tailings currently stockpiled in ponds submerged in water. EEG already owns some coal waste impoundments that are constructed for the permanent disposal of waste coal, rock, and related material as a by-product of coal mining. There are approximately 17,000 tailing Ponds in US.
The Leatherwood Project consist of 12 million tonnes of recoverable coal from a 200 ft average depth. The plant will have an initial capacity of 10-15,000 tonnes/month which will be increased at later stage by an expansion of the initial plant of by adding another unit, possible of a larger capacity.
Discussion are also ongoing for projects in Poland and Colombia and further announcements will be made in due course as this opportunity materialises.
We are pleased to report that during the first 6 months of the year, the Company has successfully raised £450,000 to support the continuing growth of the Group. Additional $600,000 funding has already been finalised, with funds that should become available to Company within 3-4 weeks, in return of equity in the subsidiary ChisaMina (Pty) Ltd, currently under formation in South Africa.
The Directors are also confident in the ability to improve the financial outlook of the Company by reducing a significant portion of debts, which is due to related party associated with the two major shareholders. Since the beginning of the year, a total debt of £759,658 has been converted to ordinary shares, thus reducing the Group’s liability.
Furthermore, the Company issued unsecured Convertible Loan Note to Contax Partners Inc. (one of the two main shareholders) amounting to £551,032, in lieu of the settlement of cross-recharges from Contax Partners Inc. (and its subsidiaries), and once converted to ordinary shares will further reduce the overall liability of the Group.
It is also worth noting that the Company has been working with Reyl & Cie (“REYL”), a subsidiary of Intesa SanPaolo Group, with significant ESG commitment together with a world-class position in Social Impact and strong focus on climate business, to structure the issuance of one or several tranches of a Shariah compliant trust certificate (the “Trust Certificates” or “Sukuk”). An arrangement agreement has been signed in August 2024.
Structuring the Sukuk, will provide the Company with an additional opportunity to provide the funding required to implement various projects in different geographical areas, such as but not limited to, Indonesia and South Africa.
FINANCIALS
The Group’s interim consolidated financial results for the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 show a loss after taxation of £232,907.
The financial information for the six months period ended 30 June 2024 has not been reviewed by the Company’s external auditors.
OUTLOOK
The Directors are pleased with the progress made in this period and looks forward with optimism, based upon the potential of an extensive and solid pipeline of opportunities. It is worth reiterating that the strategy of CoalTech is to secure long term, large scale customer relationships with whom it would develop one or more full scale plants and with long term offtake arrangements. Securing one such customer would be transformative, with any such project likely to have a capital project value well in excess of $10 million and involve the processing of large scale fines deposit or tailings, typically over one million tonnes. Different arrangements with clients will result in ongoing revenue streams through profit share and royalty agreements for CIA.
Such prospects are of course conditional upon and dependant upon the Company raising further funding. We continue to seek new investment funding and discussions are currently ongoing with potential investors. We will advise shareholders as these opportunities develop.
