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| Timminco Announces Solar Silicon Operational Review by PHOTON Consulting
| | TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 8, 2008) - Timminco Limited ("Timminco") (TSX:TIM) today announced that it has received an operational review report from PHOTON Consulting on its solar grade silicon business located at Becancour, Quebec, based on a one-day facility visit by a PHOTON Consulting team in early May, 2008. Timminco commissioned the report to support due diligence efforts for strategic discussions beyond normal supplier-customer relationships that are ongoing with potential partners. The PHOTON Consulting team was given full access to the solar grade silicon production facility and to information relating to accounting procedures, R&D efforts, human resource needs, intellectual property and technical processes that they requested to prepare their report.
"Operations and processes have potential for massive growth and, possibly, for reshaping the silicon industry", declared Michael Rogol Managing Director of PHOTON Consulting. "The equipment is very impressive, very low-cost, beyond poly-scale. In interviews, several customers have reported cell efficiencies above 14% and some above 15% utilizing 100% (unblended) solar grade silicon from Becancour."
A conference call with Michael Rogol of PHOTON Consulting will take place on Wednesday May 14,2008 to discuss the conclusions of the report. An executive summary of the report will be made available on Timminco's website at www.timminco.com prior to the conference call. Details of the conference call will be released under a separate release.
ABOUT TIMMINCO
Timminco is a leader in the production and marketing of lightweight metals, specializing in solar grade silicon for the rapidly growing solar photovoltaic energy industry. Using its proprietary technology, Timminco processes metallurgical grade silicon into low cost solar grade silicon for use in the manufacture of solar cells. Timminco also produces silicon metal, magnesium extrusions and other specialty metals for use in a broad range of industrial applications serving the aluminum, chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics and automotive industries.
CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This news release contains "forward-looking information", as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning Timminco's future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "believes", "anticipates", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "plans" and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "will", "could", "would" or "might" "be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In this news release, such information includes statements attributed to Michael Rogol of PHOTON Consulting. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Timminco operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies.
Timminco cautions that forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Timminco's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information, including, but not limited to, limited history with the solar grade silicon business; expansion of the solar grade silicon business generally; production capacity expansion at the Becancour facilities; protection of intellectual property rights; increasing and maintaining the purity of solar grade silicon; long-term contracts for supplying solar grade silicon; selling prices for solar grade silicon; price volatility for silicon metal; pricing and availability of raw materials for the silicon businesses; dependence upon power supply for silicon metal production; the cost of solar grade silicon production; price volatility for magnesium metal; magnesium supply chain interruptions; dependence upon key customers of magnesium extruded products; manufacturing cost reduction initiatives; financing requirements for capital expenditures; limitations under existing credit facilities; foreign currency exchange; dependence upon key executives and employees; customer concentration; completion and integration of potential acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures; risks with foreign operations and suppliers; environmental, health and safety laws and liabilities; equipment failures; transportation disruptions; conflicts of interest; intellectual property infringement claims; new regulatory requirements; labour disputes; and changes in tax laws. These factors are discussed in greater detail in Timminco's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2007, which is available via the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com . Although Timminco has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this news release is made as of the date of this news release and Timminco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.
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