Precious and battery metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater has declared a maiden lithium mineral resource of 78 500 t of lithium oxide and a maiden zinc mineral reserve of 1.02-billion pounds.

The lithium and zinc resources were acquired as part of Sibanye's entry into the green metals sector, with the lithium resource the result of the company's interest in Finnish mining and chemical company Keliber and its interest in the Rhyolite Ridge project, in the US, in a joint venture with ASX-listed Ioneer.

In terms of the zinc reserves, Sibanye holds a 19.90% interest in the New Century tailings retreatment operation in Australia.

Meanwhile, Sibanye reports that its US platinum group metals (PGMs) operations recorded minor increases of 3.1% and 1.5% in its mineral resources and its mineral reserves, respectively.

The US PGMs mineral resources now amount to 89.6-million ounces of platinum and palladium (2E) and mineral reserves to 27.3-million ounces of 2E.

Further, Sibanye recorded a year-on-year reduction in both mineral reserves and mineral resources for the South African PGM operations, as well as for the Cooke gold operation as a result of a change in the basis of accounting for minority holdings from the effective accounting interest in mineral properties basis to the effective legal interest.

The South African PGM operations have mineral resources of 174.7-million ounces of platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold (4E) and mineral reserves of 32.2-million ounces of 4E.

The South African gold mineral resources decreased by 7% to 74.6-million ounces and the mineral reserves by 15.9% to 13.1-million ounces.

The decrease was primarily as a result of depletion and the exclusion of the De Bron Merriespruit project mineral reserves, pending an updated feasibility study, and partly offset by an increase in secondary reef mineral reserves owing to successful exploration outcomes at Driefontein.