Queenstake Announces Closing of US$10 Million Private Placement from Newmont
April 13 2006 - 9:50AM
PR Newswire (US)
DENVER, April 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Queenstake Resources
Ltd. (Amex: QEE; TSX: QRL) has closed its equity private placement
with Newmont Canada Limited (Newmont), a subsidiary of Newmont
Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM; TSX: NMC), whereby Newmont purchased
28.51 million Queenstake common shares at Cdn$0.41 per share for
gross proceeds of US$10 million. With this purchase, Newmont owns
approximately 4.9% of Queenstake's basic outstanding common shares.
As part of the private placement, Newmont received warrants that
can be exercised to acquire up to 28.51 million common shares of
Queenstake at a price of Cdn$0.55 for a four-year period, which
would generate Cdn$15.7 million in cash if exercised. In addition,
affiliates of Newmont are conveying three of their Nevada
exploration properties, including the Shwin Ranch project along the
Cortez-Battle Mountain Trend, to Queenstake. Another affiliate of
Newmont is selling concentrates and ore from its Nevada operations
to Queenstake for processing at its Jerritt Canyon roasting and
milling facility in Northeastern Nevada. The contract calls for the
purchase of approximately 500,000 tons of concentrates and ore per
year over two years. Ore purchases with Newmont may continue for up
to three more years if Queenstake has the spare processing
capacity. Dorian L. (Dusty) Nicol, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Queenstake, said, "We are pleased to have closed this
significant transaction. The timely closing allows us to
immediately optimize utilization of our Jerritt Canyon milling and
roasting facility. It also allows us to accelerate exploration
early in the field season." Net proceeds from the private placement
will be used to fund exploration and for other corporate purposes.
Queenstake was advised in this transaction by Blackmont Capital
Inc. and will pay advisory fees in connection with the transaction.
The securities referenced herein have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may
not be offered or sold in the United States, unless an exemption
from registration is available. After a contractual six-month
holding period, the shares held by Newmont may be freely traded in
Canada. Queenstake Resources Ltd. is a gold mining and exploration
company based in Denver, Colorado. Its principal asset is the
wholly owned Jerritt Canyon mining operations and district in
Nevada. Jerritt Canyon has produced over seven million ounces of
gold from open pit and underground mines since 1981. Current
production at the property is from underground mines. The Jerritt
Canyon District comprises 119 square miles (308 square kilometers)
of geologically prospective ground and represents one of the
largest contiguous exploration properties in Nevada. For further
information call: Wendy Yang 303-297-1557 ext. 105 800-276-6070
Email -- web -- http://www.queenstake.com/ Cautionary Statement --
This news release contains "Forward-Looking Statements" within the
meaning of applicable Canadian securities regulations and Section
21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included
in this release, and Queenstake's future plans are forward-looking
statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Such
forward-looking statements include, without limitation, estimates
and projections of future gold production, processing rates and
cash operating costs. Forward-looking statements are subject to
risks, uncertainties and other factors, including gold and other
commodity price volatility, operational risks, mine development,
production and cost estimate risks and other risks which are
described in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form
filed on SEDAR (http://www.sedar.com/) and Annual Report on Form
40-F on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC;
http://www.sec.gov/) as well as the Company's other regulatory
filings. Although the Company has attempted to identify important
factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to
differ materially from those described in forward-looking
statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events
or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There
can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to
be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly,
readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking
statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise. DATASOURCE: Queenstake
Resources Ltd. CONTACT: Wendy Yang of Queenstake Resources Ltd.,
+1-303-297-1557, ext. 105, or +1-800-276-6070, Web site:
http://www.queenstake.com/
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