(Adds details)
HARARE, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Anglo American Platinum reported on Thursday a fall of 25% in refined platinum
group metal (PGM) output in 2022, due to the delayed Polokwane
smelter rebuild, power outages, as well as lower mine production
and grades.
The Johannesburg-listed Amplats said refined PGM production
from its operations was 3.831,1 million ounces in 2022, down
from 5.138,4 million ounces the previous year.
The miner said its refined PGM production guidance for 2023
was unchanged, between 3.6 million and 4 million ounces, subject
to the impact of Eskom power cuts.
The miner said the rebuild of the Polokwane smelter was
delayed in October 2022 due to the delivery of sub-standard
materials for furnace construction, and was completed in
December 2022.
South Africa's state-owned power utility Eskom has been
implementing extended electricity cuts due to frequent
breakdowns at its ageing thermal plants, affecting key sectors
of Africa's most advanced economy, including mining.
Amplats said a combination of the delayed smelter
rebuild and power cuts had resulted in a year-end build-up in
work-
in-progress inventory of about 100,000 PGM ounces.
(Reporting by Nelson Banya; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and
Clarence Fernandez)
