JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Platinum group metals (PGMs) processor Sylvania Platinum’s dump operations produced 12 033 oz of PGMs in the fourth quarter ended June 30, the highest quarterly output in the 2013 financial year.

This also represented a 14% increase on the 10 583 oz produced in the quarter ended March 31.

The higher output was the result of improved plant running times, specifically at the company’s two Mooinooi operations.

The Mooinooi dump operation produced 1 669 oz in the quarter, compared with 885 oz in the March quarter, while the Mooinooi run-of-mine operation produced 1 225 oz of PGMs in the quarter, compared with 878 oz in the previous quarter.

Sylvania has identified further initiatives to improve the tonnage throughput rates at the two operations. This would include building an intermediate mill feed stockpile, the construction of which would, if approved by the board, start in the next six months.

Further, the Millsell operation delivered 1 993 oz of PGMs in the quarter, 23% more than the 1 621 oz produced in the March quarter.

The Steelpoort plant produced 1 725 oz in the quarter, down marginally on the previous quarter’s 1 816 oz, while the Lannex operation delivered 1 905 oz of PGMs, compared with 1 599 oz in the quarter before.

Sylvania’s Doornbosch plant produced 2 348 oz in the quarter, compared with 2 358 oz in the March quarter.

The Tweefontein plant delivered 1 168 oz in the quarter, which was 18% lower than the previous quarter’s 1 427 oz. The company noted that power supply problems and a seven-day shutdown as a result of the main electrical feeder cable being damaged, had negatively impacted on plant running times, stability and throughput capacity.

Meanwhile, Sylvania reported that the volatile metal prices and exchange rates in the first nine months of the 2013 financial year had resulted in revenue before smelting charges dropping from R10 132/oz in the third quarter to R9 035/oz in the fourth.

Overall, the revenue per ounce dropped from R8 993/oz in the third quarter to R7 916/oz in the quarter under review. 

While the company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) remained positive in both US dollar and rand terms, the rand Ebitda of R17.4-million was R9.1-million lower than in the previous quarter.  

Production cash costs for the quarter amounted to R6 439/oz, or $642/oz, compared with R6 450/oz, or $721/oz, in the previous quarter.