JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) − Platinum companies Sylvania and Aquarius on Friday announced that they would join forces to examine the feasibility of extracting and processing platinum-group metals (PGMs) ore in a part of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex.

The companies would set up a feasibility committee to study the viability of mining PGMs at Sylvania’s Everest North deposit and thereafter treating and concentrating the PGMs at Aquarius’ Everest South metallurgical plant to produce saleable PGM concentrate.

The committee would also compile an application for a mining right for Everest North.

If the outcomes show that mining would be viable, the two miners would form a 50:50 joint venture (JV) to roll-out the project.

Aquarius would make 27 000 t/m of its processing capacity at the Everest South plant available to the JV. If all goes well, the partners planned to sell the PGM concentrate to Impala Refining Services.

Sylvania CEO Terry McConnachie said that while the company was essentially giving away half its ore resource, the agreement would vastly reduce the capital expenditure bill for Sylvania.

“The area has further resource potential for PGMs and we are delighted that by signing this agreement we are now in a position to re-examine the feasibility study with our new partners, Aquarius Platinum,” he added.

The JV would appoint Aquarius Platinum South Africa as contract miner to carry out mining at Everest North.

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