Rapidly rising half-year output from Northam Platinum’s Eland mine marred by tragedy

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In a voluntary production update, Northam Platinum has reported burgeoning half-year performance from the ramping-up platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome Eland mine.
Eland's chrome concentrate production soared by 113.1% to 115 387 t in the six months to the end of last year, the first half of Northam's 2025 financial year (H1 FY25) compared with the 54 146 t in H1 FY24 and its PGM concentrate output was also a good 15.1% up at 37 488 oz compared with H1 FY24's 32 574 oz.
But tragically, the mine's exceptional performance has been marred by two fatal accidents, the first involving a barring incident that occurred during shotcreting operations in a development tunnel, and the second involving a conveyor belt engineering incident occurring during a maintenance procedure.
Despite these events and the resultant stoppages, Northam reported in a Stock Exchange News Service announcement that stoping production remains on target and run-of-mine upper group two (UG2) ore milled has increased. Together with the benefit of concentrator upgrades, this has led to improved recoveries and consequently higher production of both PGM and chrome.
Northam has three main mines in South Africa located at Zondereinde in Limpopo, Booysendal in Mpumalanga and at Eland in North West.
Its integrated activities extend from underground mining through to concentrating, smelting and base metal removal. Precious metal refining is outsourced.
Since inception, Northam's precious metals have been refined by Heraeus Deutschland in terms of a toll refining agreement.
With the recent expansion of output Northam has recently contracted Johnson Matthey's precious metals services to diversify its refining capacity.
In total, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Northam produced 3.7% more refined PGM produced from own operations and 7.5% more chrome concentrate in the six months.
The Zondereinde mine's equivalent refined metal production was up 3.1% at 165 076 four element (4E) ounces for H1 FY25 and PGM concentrate production from own operations at Booysendal was 2.7% higher at 256 759 oz.
Chrome concentrate production at Zondereinde was a 5.5%-higher 242 402 t but a 6.3%-lower 358 833 t at Booysendal.
The group continues to grow PGM production from own operations towards a goal of a million 4E ounces a year, whilst preferentially targeting mechanised mining from quality UG2 orebodies, and concurrently reducing overall risk profile through operational, geographical, metallurgical and revenue diversification.
The focus on mining of chrome-linked UG2 ore has helped to reinforce a lower-end cost curve benefit.
PGM production from Zondereinde remains on target, despite a stoppage during November because of a failure of a primary Eskom feed substation. Chrome concentrate production has benefitted from increased UG2 milling and further incremental improvements in chrome recovery. The commissioning of 3 Shaft, where development and equipping continues, is expected to improve production and efficiencies at Zondereinde.
Booysendal's above-target PGM production once again demonstrates the intrinsic quality of this operation where preferential milling of Merensky ore as a singular intervention to reduce stockpiles that were built up over time has temporarily reduced chrome output, Mining Weekly can report.