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Jubilee Metals CEO Leon Coetzer. Picture: FINANCIAL MAIL
Jubilee Metals CEO Leon Coetzer. Picture: FINANCIAL MAIL

Jubilee Metals has revised upwards its 2025 production guidance for chrome concentrate and platinum group metals (PGMs) after reporting a strong third quarter.

Its chrome concentrate production guidance has been revised to 1.85-million tonnes from 1.65-million tonnes, while PGM production is expected to rise to 38,000oz from 36,000oz.

In an operational update for the group’s SA operations, CEO Leon Coetzer attributed the increased chrome guidance to the successful implementation of the Thutse project in partnership with the resource owner.

“Our Inyoni PGM plant continues to operate at full capacity and improved input PGM grades, together with the recently announced joint partnership agreement to process excess PGM feedstock, have increased the original guidance by just under 6% to 38,000oz PGM,” he said.

The group said in April it had entered into a joint partnership agreement to commence the processing of surplus PGM feedstock.

“The PGM joint partnership agreement, which targets the processing of the increasing PGM feedstocks due to our expanding chrome operations, affords us the opportunity to expand our PGM production capacity by an approximate 30% without the need of spending any capital.”

Chrome concentrate production for the third quarter was up 10.7% to 452,561 tonnes. Year-to-date production for the nine months to end-March reached 1,427-million tonnes, up 26.7% from the previous year.

The PGM production of 6E (platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and gold) was up 34% in the third quarter to 11,171oz, with year-to-date output at 29,606oz, up 3.6%.

Earlier this week Jubilee named ANC veteran Mathews Phosa as its new board chair after Ollie Oliveira announced his retirement.

Under Oliveira’s tenure, Jubilee grew its presence in Zambia’s copper mining sector through strategic deal making, such as its partnership with Abu Dhabi’s International Resources Holding in December 2023, which helped the company secure one of the largest waste rock assets in Zambia.

Copper is expected to play a critical role in industrialisation, the electrification of the automotive sector and growth of data centres, and demand for the metal is underpinned by structural economic development and the green energy transition.

Through the Zambian expansion, Jubilee increased its annual copper output from 2,269 tonnes in the year to end-June 2022 to 3,422 tonnes in the 2024 financial year.

With Jacob Webster

MackenzieJ@arena.africa

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