Universal Bioenergy Announces it Closes Acquisition of Whitesburg Coal Mine in Deal Valued at $264 Million
February 28 2012 - 12:04PM
Universal Bioenergy Inc., (OTCMarkets:UBRG), a publicly traded
independent diversified energy company, is pleased to announce that
it has closed the transaction for the acquisition of a 40% stake in
the Whitesburg Friday Branch Mine LLC, a producer and provider of
thermal steam coal in eastern Kentucky in a deal valued at over
$264 million over the next five years. Formal notification of the
closed transaction is pending filing with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission on Form 8-K, which will include a copy of the
definitive agreement.
The Company will now rapidly expand into the coal energy market
sector now that it has completed this acquisition. Thermal/Steam
non-coking coal is used as a primary source of energy for coal
fired powered plant electric generation. Universal and Whitesburg
will mine, produce and market "Thermal/Steam" coal to sale to
its electric utility customers for power generation The
Whitesburg mining operations are the surface and high wall mining
type and does not include any underground mining. Whitesburg
owns the leases for the coal mineral rights, has the mining permits
from the State of Kentucky and expects to start full mining
production in March 2012. The deal is projected to generate over
$264 million in estimated revenues for the Company over the next 5
years.
Domestic and global demand for coal continues to
grow. According to the American Coal Foundation, 9 out of
every 10 tons of coal mined in the United States today is used to
generate electricity, and more than half of the electricity used in
this country is coal generated electricity. The U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) says coal as a fuel source for
electricity generation will increase 25% by 2035 in the United
States. Overall, the EIA predicts that coal will remain the
dominate fuel source for electricity generation, growing to about
11,000 terawatt hours from its current level of about 8,000.
Universal's President Vince M. Guest states, "This acquisition
marks a major milestone for us, as it gives us a diverse energy
product portfolio including natural gas, propane, oil and coal. We
believe this acquisition will help position us to up-list to
NASDAQ, and take advantage of our other acquisition targets in the
energy industry. Under the terms of the agreement, Universal will
market the coal, and the mine is projected to generate an estimated
$264 million in gross revenues for Universal over the next 5 years.
That's an average of $52.80 million in sales annually, in
additional to our estimated $71.74 million in sales for
2011. The potential earnings to be generated from this
acquisition is estimated at $5 to $8 million annually for Universal
alone. Although we cannot guarantee an actual valuation,
according to industry valuation standards using average P/E ratios
from Standard & Poor's, at a multiple of 15 times earnings, a
valuation of $75 to $120 million dollars is an estimate
of the potential additional market capitalization value
of this acquisition alone to Universal."
About Universal Bioenergy Inc.
Founded in 2004, Universal Bioenergy Inc., is a publicly traded
independent diversified energy company that produces and markets
natural gas, petroleum, coal and propane. We market energy
resources to the largest public utilities, electric power producers
and local gas distribution companies in the U.S., that serve
millions of commercial, industrial and residential customers. We
are also engaged in the acquisition and development of existing or
recently discovered oil and gas fields, leases and surface coal
mines. For more information visit www.universalbioenergy.com
The Universal Bioenergy Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6784
Safe Harbor Statement - There are matters
discussed in this media information that are forward looking
statements within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act
of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. Such
statements are only forecasts and actual events or results may
differ materially from those discussed. For a discussion of
important factors which could cause actual results to differ from
the forward looking statements, refer to Universal Bioenergy Inc.'s
most recent annual report and accounts and other SEC filings. The
company undertakes no obligation to update publicly, or revise,
forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except to the extent legally
required.
CONTACT: Media Relations:
Solomon Ali
949-559-5017