JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Integrated resource group Tharisa delivered another robust performance in the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, with 1.3-million tonnes of material milled, resulting in production of 38 200 oz of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and gold (6E) platinum group metals (PGMs), at a recovery of 82.2%, which exceeds targeted recoveries of 80%.
Chrome production totalled 366 700 t, 85 500 t of which are specialty grades, at a recovery of 66.3%, which exceeded the targeted recovery of 65%.
The performance brought 6E PGM production for the first half of the 2018 financial year to 77 000 oz, up 11.4% from the 69 100 oz produced in the first half of the 2017 financial year. Chrome concentrates output increased by 15% year-on-year to 732 500 t, from the 636 800 t produced in the prior comparable period.
For the full 2018 financial year, Tharisa expects to produce 150 000 oz of 6E PGMs and 1.4-million tonnes of chrome concentrates, of which 350 000 t will be specialty grade chrome concentrates.
Tharisa’s near-term focus is on advancing its Vision 2020 projects, which are aimed at increasing production to 200 000 oz/y of PGMs and two-million tonnes a year of chrome concentrates by 2020.
Further improvements in production are expected as the Vision 2020 optimisation projects come on stream during the fourth quarter of the current financial year and the first quarter of the 2019 financial year.
The introduction of an additional crusher circuit at the Genesis plant will be commissioned in July.
The R90-million ($7.4-million) project is aimed at increasing the Genesis plant’s throughput by 15% or about 180 000 t/y, targeting an increase in the higher-value specialty chrome grade production by adding about 24 000 t/y of chemical-grade chrome concentrate and about 18 000 t/y of foundry-grade chrome concentrate.