RE: 2019 - The Bushveld Minerals Year Review31 Dec 2019 11:55
Page 5 of 16
15th May brought the Vametco Q1 Update
Fortune Mojapelo, CEO of Bushveld Minerals Limited, commented:
"We ended the quarter on a very strong note, with the best monthly production output from Vametco in more than 21 months. This reflects the initial work completed under the Transformation Programme, announced earlier this year, which resulted in improvements in several key areas of the flow sheet, including scheduling, feed grade and overall plant recoveries.
"Furthermore, as part of the Transformation Programme we have undertaken several changes within the leadership team at Vametco, including the appointment of Bertina Symonds as Vametco's General Manager. In addition, Lyndon Williams, previously Vametco's COO, has been appointed as Group Vanadium Specialist in support of operations integration and technical support to the Group's product marketing initiatives; and William Steinberg, previously Vametco's Works Manager, has been appointed as the new Chief Transformational Officer, responsible for driving the operations improvement programme.
"As the Company's revenue and earnings generator and thus engine for growth it is imperative that Vametco operates to its full potential. It is for this reason that we initiated the Transformation Programme, designed to ensure that we maximise production throughput, minimise costs on the back of the improvements implemented by our motivated and fully engaged workforce.
"We are pleased to provide 2019 production guidance for Vametco of 2,800 mtV to 2,900 mtV, which reflects continued expected improvements under the Transformation Programme and represents an overall production increase of between 9 and 13 per cent on the previous year. This does not include any contribution from the proposed acquisition of the Vanchem plant, which we anticipate to complete as soon as July and no later than October.
"We are confident of steadily delivering on Vametco's productivity targets and, with the recently announced conditional acquisition of the Vanchem vanadium project for US$68 million, Bushveld Minerals is on a clear path to achieving its long term capacity target of 10,000 mtV of annual production capacity. These initiatives will significantly enhance our competitive position in the Vanadium market over the coming years."
22nd May brings exciting news from Vametco on the ore reserves 1.284 million tonnes of V205 combination indicated and inferred!
Fortune Mojapelo, CEO of Bushveld Minerals Limited, commented:
"Following a significant amount of exploration work, including drilling to greater depths, as well as a reinterpretation of the geological model to include the cut-off grade of the magnetite, we have been able to report a significant increase in Ore Reserves and grade from the 2017 estimate.
"The conversion of additional Indicated Mineral Resources to Probable Ore Reserves, plus the larger pit shell, means we have added significant increased production life at Vametco.