Wrap Text
Cold Commissioning of Vulcan Fine Chrome Beneficiation Plant Commences
Tharisa plc
(Incorporated in the Republic of Cyprus with limited liability)
(Registration number HE223412)
JSE share code: THA
LSE share code: THS
A2X share code: THA
ISIN: CY0103562118
LEI: 213800WW4YWMVVZIJM90
('Tharisa' or the 'Company')
COLD COMMISSIONING OF VULCAN FINE CHROME BENEFICIATION PLANT COMMENCES
Arxo Metals commercialises ultra-fine chrome recovery technology
Tharisa, the platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome co-producer dual-listed on the Johannesburg and
London stock exchanges, today announces that cold commissioning of its Vulcan utra-fine chrome
recovery and beneficiation plant (“Vulcan”) has commenced.
The timetable to completion of the new US$55 million (~ZAR1 billion) plant remains firmly on track with
initial saleable production due before calendar year end.
Once fully commissioned, Tharisa Mine is expected to materially increase its chrome recoveries from
~62% to ~82% resulting in increased chrome production of approximately 20% at low incremental unit
operating costs and driving Tharisa further down the cost curve. The plant, which will process live tailings
produced by the independent Voyager and Genesis plants, will ensure further beneficiation of the
Company’s chrome production at the Tharisa Mine, while reducing unit output of carbon emissions,
aligned with Tharisa’s recently announced decarbonisation plan.
Whilst some final elements of the construction process remain to be completed, Tharisa’s engineering
team has commenced cold commissioning, with comprehensive testing of the entire circuit, to be
completed prior to chrome tailings material entering the plant. Of the total capex, over 90% was procured
locally in South Africa, with up to 1 000 contractors locally sourced and over 100 new permanent jobs
created.
Vulcan is the first large scale plant to produce chrome concentrates from chrome ultra-fines, consolidating
Tharisa’s position as a key participant in the beneficiation of chrome production. The concept of Vulcan
was developed entirely by Arxo Metals Proprietary Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company
and housing Tharisa’s in-house R&D team, to extract the ultra-fine chrome from tailings.
With Tharisa Mine near Rustenburg having a 14-year remaining open pit life and a further 40 years
underground, Vulcan will ensure maximum value extraction and beneficiation of the chrome ore. The
Tharisa Mine has 860 Mt in mineral resource containing 172 Mt in contained Cr2O3 and 42.8m oz PGMs*.
Internally funded by Tharisa, Vulcan recommenced construction in October 2020, after the lifting of
restrictions by the South African government during the height of wave 1 of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Phoevos Pouroulis, CEO of Tharisa, commented:
“Commissioning of the Vulcan plant perfectly exemplifies two Tharisa philosophies: challenging convention
through innovation and delivering on our promise of maximising value through beneficiation of every cube
mined. Vulcan provides the Company with the ability to further beneficiate our product whilst staying on
track to meet our decarbonisation targets, thanks to the dedicated work from Arxo Metals, that has not
only delivered the Vulcan process but has also delivered further beneficiation opportunities, including
metal alloys and PGM products using non-conventional methodologies. I am particularly proud of the team
having achieved this milestone, safely, despite South Africa going through a second and even more hard
hitting third wave which saw hundreds of man-hours lost due to COVID-19 infections. Vulcan is an
important part of our sustainable growth strategy and ensures that Tharisa continues to drive sustainable
returns for all of our stakeholders, while simultaneously pushing us even lower on the cost curve.”
Paphos, Cyprus
5 October 2021
*Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Statement in 2020 annual report pages 50-55
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Connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter to get further news and updates about our business.
Investor relations contacts:
Ilja Graulich (Head of Investor Relations and Communications)
+27 11 996 3500
+27 83 604 0820
igraulich@tharisa.com
Financial PR contacts:
Bobby Morse / Augustine Chipungu / James Husband
+44 207 466 5000
tharisa@buchanan.uk.com
Broker contacts:
Peel Hunt LLP (UK Joint Broker)
Ross Allister / David McKeown / Alexander Allen
+44 207 7418 8900
BMO Capital Markets Limited (UK Joint Broker)
Thomas Rider / Pascal Lussier Duquette / Nick Macann
+44 207 236 1010
Berenberg (UK Joint Broker)
Matthew Armitt / Jennifer Wyllie / Varun Talwar / Detlir Elezi
+44 203 207 7800
Nedbank Limited (acting through its Corporate and Investment Banking division) (RSA Broker)
Carlyle Whittaker
+27 11 294 0061
About Tharisa
Tharisa is an integrated resource group critical to the energy transition and decarbonisation of economies.
It incorporates mining, processing, exploration and the beneficiation, marketing, sales and logistics of
PGMs and chrome concentrates, using innovation and technology as enablers. Its principal asset is the
Tharisa Mine located in the South-Western Limb of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. The mechanised
mine has a 14-year open pit life and the ability to extend operations underground by at least an additional
40 years. Tharisa also owns Salene Chrome, a development stage, low cost, open pit asset, located
adjacent to the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe. Tharisa plc is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE:
THA) and the Main Board of the London Stock Exchange (LSE: THS)
Date: 05-10-2021 07:05:00
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