Eastplats Commissions New PGMs Processing Facility at Crocodile River Mine

Eastplats

Eastern Platinum (Eastplats), a leading South African producer of platinum group metals (PGMs), announced the successful commissioning of its new PGMs processing plant at the Crocodile River Mine, located within the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for Eastplats as it transitions from a tailings storage facility chrome recovery operation to a comprehensive PGMs concentrate and metallurgical chrome concentrate producer.

Enhanced Production Capabilities

According to Eastplats' CEO, Wanjin Yang, the company’s strategic shift aims to capitalize on the lucrative PGMs market by expanding its output capabilities. By the start of October, the company had blasted 75,000 tons of run-of-mine (ROM) ore, processing 22,000 tons in September alone. This effort resulted in approximately 1,300 ounces of 6E PGMs, which include platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and gold. The concentrate was then delivered to Impala Platinum, a South African PGMs producer, under an existing offtake agreement facilitated through Eastplats' subsidiary, Barplats Mines.

The Crocodile River Mine, situated in the Bushveld Complex, is in an area known for containing a significant portion of the world’s PGMs-bearing ore. As part of its long-term plan, Eastplats intends to ramp up production at the Zandfontein underground operations. By the end of 2023, the site is projected to produce 40,000 tons of ore per month, with a targeted increase to 70,000 tons per month by the close of 2025. The new facility boasts an annual capacity to process up to 1,000,000 tons of ore, enhancing Eastplats' ability to meet growing demand.

In total, Eastplats expects to blast and process 185,000 tons of ROM ore from Zandfontein by the end of the year, solidifying its position as a key player in the PGMs sector. This development not only reflects the company’s expansion ambitions but also signals the growing importance of PGMs production within the region.