The run-of-mine (ROM) UG2 ore processing resulted in production of metallurgical chrome concentrates as a by-product. Credit: Nordroden/Shutterstock.

Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) has started commissioning of its platinum group metals (PGM) processing plant at the Crocodile River Mine (CRM) in South Africa.

The facility, which processes ROM) UG2 ore from the Zandfontein underground operations, is set to ramp up production over the next two years.

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The company has already processed approximately 22,000 tonnes (t) of ROM ore in September 2024, yielding a concentrate with around 1,300oz of PGM 6E metals.

This concentrate was delivered to Impala Platinum under an existing offtake agreement.

In October, Eastplats expects to process 30,000t of ROM ore, which is expected to produce between 2,000 and 2,500oz of PGM 6E metals.

By the end of 2024, Eastplats’ Zandfontein underground operations are on track to produce 40,000t of ROM ore per month. It plans to increase production to 70,000t per month by the end of 2025.

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In addition to PGMs, the processing of ROM UG2 ore has resulted in the production of metallurgical chrome concentrates as a by-product.

While Eastplats will continue to recover chrome from historical tailings at the CRM, this project is expected to wind down in early 2025.

Following the conclusion of the chrome recovery project, the company plans to complete the second phase of its tailings storage facility programme, which aims to recover chrome and PGMs from tailings generated by the Zandfontein underground operations.

By 2026, Eastplats expects PGM revenue to constitute 65% or more of its total revenue.

Eastplats CEO and president Wanjin Yang said: “We are excited to announce the commissioning of our PGM processing facility at the Crocodile River Mine.

“This operational milestone marks our transition from a tailings storage facility chrome recovery operation to a growing PGM concentrate and metallurgical chrome concentrate producer, and we look forward to reporting PGM and metallurgical chrome revenues from the Zandfontein underground section as ROM ore tonnages ramp up.”

In March 2024, the initial phase of the Zandfontein underground section of Eastplats’ CRM in South Africa was fully commissioned.