Eastplats delivered 490.9 oz of PGMs in April

11th May 2021 By: Tasneem Bulbulia - Senior Contributing Editor Online

Platinum group metals (PGMs) producer Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) in April dispatched 199.8 dry tonnes of PGM concentrates, containing 490.9 oz of PGMs, under its offtake agreement with Impala Platinum.

This marks the first full month of PGMs production following the recent completion of the reconfiguration and optimisation of the small-scale PGM circuit (Circuit D) at the Crocodile River mine (CRM), in South Africa.

The company completed the process upgrades to ensure the consistent production of at least 200 t a month of PGM concentrates from Circuit D.

All concentrates produced reached the satisfactory quality requirements under the offtake agreement.

“Circuit D’s first full month of production is an important breakthrough for the company.

“It not only created a new revenue stream in addition to the company’s chrome production, but will also assist and accelerate the recommissioning of the PGM Main Circuit, which is expected to add a further 600 t to 800 t a month of PGM concentrates from September, a significant boost to the company’s operation and revenue growth,” Eastplats CEO and president Diana Hu says.

Eastplats has also commissioned a life-of-mine design and schedule on the Zandfontein vertical shaft as the first step in evaluating and planning the restart of underground mining at CRM.

The work is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.