Anglo American Platinum expects to reach full capacity by end-2020 following the rebuild and recommissioning of the Anglo Converter Plant Phase A unit at its Waterval smelter in Rustenburg 10 months after an explosion forced the South African major to declare force majeure.
CEO Natascha Viljoen says the first converter matte is ready for dispatch to Amplats’ base metals refinery for further processing.
Completion of the work some 6 months earlier than expected and stable restart has enabled Amplats to upgrade its FY2020 refined PGM production guidance to 2.6-2.7Moz, from about 2.5Moz previously.
Sales volumes have also been upgraded to 2.8Moz, including the draw-down of minor metal refined inventories.
Waterval smelter output has also been affected this year by cautionary safety shutdowns of the ACP Phase B unit, which is now scheduled for a full rebuild in 2021.