Northam opens smelter complex expansion at Zondereinde

NORTHAM Platinum formally opened the smelter complex expansion at its Zondereinde near Thabazimbi in South Africa’s Limpopo province.

The smelter is the fruit of a partnership with German technology group Heraeus South Africa which contributed €20m (R291m) to the expansion in return for an agreement from Northam that it make 40% of its refined precious metals for sale to Heraeus, among other conditions including an extension of the two parties 30-year partnership.

“Today we are celebrating the fruits of a mutually beneficial, long-standing business partnership between our companies,” said Paul Dunne, CEO of Northam Platinum. He said  the addition of a second furnace at Zondereinde was critical because it supported the expansion programme at Booysendal and immediately raised the group’s processing capacity to more than one million platinum group metal ounces.