eBusiness Weekly
Enacy Mapakame
Anglo American Platinum Limited’s local unit, Unki Mine’s platinum group of metals (PGM) production for the third quarter to September 2020, rose 12 percent to 60,000 ounces compared to same period last year, boosting overall group performance.
During the period under review, platinum production at Unki increased by 14 to 27,000 ounces while palladium production increased by 10 percent to 23,600 ounces.
The strong performance at Unki, together with other units – Mogalakwena and Motololo was, however, partly offset by lower volume from Amandelbult whose production went down 12 percent to 204,800 ounces.
Resultantly, Anglo group’s total PGM production from own managed mines increased 1 percent to 652,000 ounces. Platinum production however decreased by 1 percent to 295,100 ounces while palladium production increased 6 percent to 238,600 ounces.
During the period under review, the group reached 94 percent of its normal operating levels at its own mined operations at the end of the quarter following disturbances caused by Covid 19 outbreak.
According the Anglo, the impact of COVID-19 on the business continued during the period under review and PGM ounces lost for the quarter amounted to 119,000 ounces, bringing the year to date total to 712,000 ounces.
“The most notable impact in Q3 was at our joint operations, where 55,000 ounces (mined and purchase of concentrate) were lost. A further 52,000 ounces were lost from our third party metal providers and to a lesser extent at Amandelbult where we lost 5,000 PGM ounces. Mototolo lost 6,800 PGM ounces due to COVID-19 for the quarter but exceeded the prior quarter output, ” said the group in an update for the quarter under review.
Joint operations PGM production (mined and purchase of concentrate) decreased by 23 percent to 190,600 ounces largely due to the impact of Covid-19 and the safety stoppage at Modikwa.
As a result, overall total PGM production of 1,112,900 ounces decreased 2 percent against prior year largely due to lower production predominantly from the joint operations of Modikwa and Kroondal, as well as lower production from Amandelbult.
Figures from the group also show that refined PGM production – owned decreased by 14 percent to 1,020,700 ounces and this was principally due to interruptions at the Anglo Converter Plant (ACP), offset marginally by increased throughput.
PGM sales volumes from production decreased 16 percent to 884,900 ounces due to lower refined production, and the rebuild of refined inventory.
“From a production perspective, we have managed to reach 94 percent of normal capacity by the end of the quarter from our own-managed mines, with Mogalakwena, Unki and Mototolo delivering strong performances.
“Refined production continues to be interrupted by water leaks at the Anglo Converter Plant’s Phase B unit. We have put increased monitoring in place at the Phase B unit to ensure an ongoing safe operating environment for our employees and will continue to take all appropriate measures to keep people safe while we wait for the main Phase A unit to restart. We have made significant progress with the Phase A unit and remain on track to commission it before the end of the year, ” said Anglo group chief executive officer Natascha Viljoen.
Despite the challenges experienced year to date, the group has increased full production guidance to between 3, 6 million and 3, 8 million PGM ounces (previously 3, 1 million and 3, 6 million PGM ounces).
