JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Mineral sands miner Sierra Rutile achieved a strong second-quarter performance, lifting its rutile output by 28% quarter-on-quarter and reducing its direct operating cash costs by 16% quarter-on-quarter.
The Aim-listed miner produced 29 933 t of rutile in the three months to June 30, compared with the 23 342 t produced in the three months to March 31.
Direct operating cash costs decreased from $630/t in the first quarter of the year to $527/t in the quarter under review.
Sierra Rutile remained confident of meeting its full-year rutile production target of 120 000 t to 130 000 t.
The Lanti Dry Mine would, in the near term, transition to higher-grades areas, which was expected to “significantly” increase rutile production relative to that produced in the first half of the year.
The miner also expected to meet its full-year ilmenite production target of 30 000 t to 35 000 t.
Ilmenite output had decreased by 68% quarter-on-quarter to 4 117 t for the three months to June 30, in line with expectations.
Given the high ilmenite production of 12 803 t in the first quarter of the year, the company did not need as much output to meet its sales plan for the second quarter and had stockpiled a stream of unfinished ilmenite concentrate for processing later in the year.