BlackGold signs MOU with lender on proposed convertible bonds

By Romel S. Gurky

SGX-listed coal firm BlackGold Natural Resources Limited said it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on November 30 with an undisclosed lender, which is an international financial institution with established presence in Hong Kong and a rapidly expanding network across the globe, pursuant to which the company intends to raise up to S$20 million by way of the issuance of convertible bonds.

The company said in a statement on Thursday that the convertible bonds will be used to finance acquisition of its equity interest in an ongoing cooperation project for the development, construction, operation and maintenance of a 2 x 300 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia (called the Riau-1 Project).

This follows an earlier announcement released on September 18, in relation to BlackGold signing a Heads of Agreement with various parties to form a new consortium for the Riau-1 Project.

Subject to successful completion of: i) satisfactory due diligence; ii) the incorporation of the joint venture company for the purposes of the Riau-1 Project by China Huadian Engineering Co., Ltd. (CHEC), PT Pembangkitan Jawa-Bali (PJB) and the company; and iii) the Riau-1 Project signing the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), BlackGold and the lender will enter into a definitive agreement or term sheet for the proposed issuance of the convertible bonds, the statement said.

The statement added that the MOU shall be valid until February 23, 2018, before which the consortium, of which BlackGold is a part, must complete the signing of the PPA with PLN.

The conversion price will be the sum of: i) the volume weighted average price (VWAP) at date of the definitive agreement(s) to be entered into by the parties in respect of the transaction; and ii) 50 percent of the last 30 trading days' VWAP before the date of such definitive agreement(s). The convertible bonds will have a 36-month maturity period from the drawdown date.

SAC Capital Private Limited has been appointed as the placement agent for the convertible bonds.

"We are delighted to sign this MOU together with such a prestigious securities company and greatly appreciate the support offered by the Lender during these early stages of the Riau-1 Project. BlackGold will continue to build relationships with new private investors to broaden our existing investor pool," said Philip Rickard, BlackGold's Chief Executive Officer. "This is a testament to the confidence our investors have in us as a company, our story and our vision. It is truly an encouragement to see individuals and companies share our mission and believe in our initiatives to be part of Indonesia's power generation future."

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak