Listed Mining Companies
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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – About 1 000 oz of four-element platinum-group metal (PGM) output would be lost at ASX- and Aim-listed Platinum Australia’s Smokey Hills mine, in South Africa, as a result of a power interruption.
The platinum-miner on Friday reported that the main control panel at the mine had suffered damage as a result of a direct lightning strike earlier in the week.
The milling and floatation sections of the processing plant would not be operational for three to four days until site generated power could be restored, resulting in the loss of PGM production.
The company noted, however, that the mine and the crushing section of the plant were unaffected by the power outage, as these were operating on power from the national electricity grid.
Power utility Eskom currently provided the Smokey Hills operation with about 50% of its required power through a temporary facility, with the balance being generated by an on-site generator plant.
A permanent connection to the national grid was under construction and would likely be completed by March or April this year, Platinum Australia stated.
