Orsu Enters into Agreement to Increase its Share in Karchiga Project to 94.75 per cent
Orsu Metals Corporation (the “Company” or “Orsu”) (TSX:OSU, AIM:OSU), the London-based precious and base metals exploration and development company, is pleased to announce that today it signed a binding sale and purchase agreement to acquire a further 24.73 per cent interest in the Karchiga Project (as described below) by purchasing the remaining outstanding shares of Eildon Enterprises Limited (“Eildon”), a company registered in the British Virgin Islands which is the owner of a 94.75 per cent interest in GRK MLD LLC (“MLD”). MLD is the holder of the exploration and production contract relating to the Karchiga volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit in Kazakhstan granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (Competent Authority) of the Republic of Kazakhstan on February 28, 2007 and valid until February 28, 2022 (the “Karchiga Project”).
Orsu currently owns 73.9 per cent of the share capital of Eildon (representing 70.02 per cent in MLD), and following the completion of the sale, Orsu will own 100 per cent of Eildon (representing 94.75 per cent of MLD and its interest in the Karchiga Project). The sale is subject to certain conditions, such as receipt of all necessary regulatory consents, including from the required authorities in Kazakhstan. The Company anticipates completing the proposed acquisition during Q3 2010. The purchase price of the remaining 26.1 per cent interest in Eildon is US$6,187,500 to be satisfied entirely in cash at closing of the acquisition.
Commenting on the purchase, Dr. Sergey V. Kurzin, Executive Chairman of Orsu stated: “The consolidation of the ownership of the Karchiga Project, the most advanced project of the Company, into Orsu reflects the Company’s confidence in the recently completed mineral resource calculation and independent audit of the mineral resources for the deposit. The Company intends to fast-track the Karchiga Project towards the completion of a feasibility study by early 2011.”
The Karchiga deposit is located in the northeast of Kazakhstan within the mid-Palaeozoic Rudny Altai terrain which hosts numerous world class volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, including the Leninogorsk (also known as Ridder-Sokolnoye), Zyryanovsk, and Maleevskoye deposits. A National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the Karchiga deposit entitled “Updated Report on the Karchiga Property held by Orsu Metals Corporation, Kazakhstan” and dated March 22, 2010 (the “Karchiga Report”), which includes the updated mineral resource estimates referred to above, was prepared by Wardell Armstrong International and is available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com).
