STAFF WRITER
ANDRADA mine Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Anthony Viljoen says they have increased ore processing in the last quarter at their Uis mine by 7 percent.
The real value increase saw the company processing ore totalling 254 745 tonnes on a year on year review.
The company said the improvement was driven by plant enhancements implemented under the Continuous Improvement 2 programme and the Dense Media Separation circuit (DMS) modifications.
Andrada said their processing throughput rose to an average of 142 tonnes per hour for the last quarter.
Viljoen said construction of the new jig plant at UIs tin mine is advancing well and the company is focused on improving operations, capital deployment, and developing a diversified critical minerals portfolio.
Commenting on the company’s operational update recently Viljoen said the front-end crushing circuit delivered to Uis is assisting to put fabrication of key components underway.
“Andrada continues to demonstrate strong operational momentum and strategic progress across all areas of the business, reinforcing our role as a key enabler in the development of Namibia’s critical minerals sector,” he said.
Viljoen said the company experienced solid performance improvements at the Uis operation supported by enhancements from the Continuous Improvement 2 programme, which includes upgrades to the DMS circuit.
“These modifications drove an increase in processing rates and tin production, highlighting the growing efficiency and reliability of our operations. Production of our increasingly valuable byproduct tantalum improved notably, reinforcing our multi-mineral offering.
“Operational Cost performance improved overall, driven by ongoing pro-active cost-reduction initiatives that are expected to enhance cashflows over the course of the year. This includes the completion of a group-wide corporate restructuring, which is expected to further rationalise the cost base and strengthen overall profitability,”he said.
Tin production
Andrada said despite the slightly lower grade , the increased ore throughput contributed to a 11% and 7% year on year respectively while quarter on quarter increase in tin concentrate production reached 405 tonnes for the Quarter.
“As a result, contained tin production increased to 238 tonnes. The plant’s utilisation rate improved, largely due to reduced maintenance-related downtime and further efficiency gains achieved through the CI2 programme,” the company said.
Andrada added that construction of the new jig plant is progressing well, marking a significant milestone in the Company’s tin expansion strategy.
“The front-end crushing circuit has been successfully delivered and commissioned at Uis. Other components of the plant are currently either under fabrication or enroute to Uis and civil work has been completed,” they said.
Initial production is targeted to commence in the second half of the 2025 calendar year.
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