Jubilee Platinum plc is a mining exploration and development company with a primary focus on platinum group elements (PGE). Jubilee also has various operational exposures to ferroalloys and chromite. Through recent acquisitions, the Company has added PGE and ferroalloy smelting and refining to its capability.
Jubilee’s corporate mission in the metals industry is straightforward. The Company aims to create an integrated mine-to-metals company with a primary focus on platinum. This mission is based on modern and thoroughly-proven smelting technology to process the Company’s own and other’s high-chrome PGE concentrates and, importantly, to improve mining environments by reprocessing mine tailings dumped by other miners.
The Company’s prime asset in South Africa is the Tjate platinum project, in which it has a 63% beneficial interest. The project’s exploration area is judged to host the world’s largest undeveloped block of defined platinum ore, covering some 5,140 hectares to a potential target of some 65 million oz (41 million oz attributable) of PGEs and gold, net of geological losses.
In October 2009, Jubilee acquired Braemore Resources plc, which holds an exclusive licence to the ConRoast process for the smelting of high chrome-bearing PGE concentrates and has acquired extensive process development expertise. Jubilee’s first goal is to complete the establishment of commercial ConRoast operations to recover platinum group metals from difficult-to-treat concentrates, residues and tailings. The ConRoast plant is being established at the recently acquired and strategically located ferroalloy smelting facility in Middelburg.
Jubilee has secured its own medium-term platinum concentrates for its Middelburg smelter facilities through the acquisition of Chemstof (Pty) Ltd, a South African chromite producer. The acquisition will allow Jubilee to process stockpiled and current PGE-rich chromite tailings, providing ConRoast with a ready supply of own platinum concentrate for processing. This strengthens the Company’s stated strategy of unlocking the value of platinum in chromite resources through its exclusive right to the ConRoast process, adding further to Jubilee’s competitive edge.
Jubilee is in early stage exploration in Madagascar, where it is undertaking a limited exploratory drilling programme on the Ambodilafa project.
In Australia, Jubilee is evaluating a pre flotation and atmospheric leaching process facility to recover nickel from the tailings of the Leinster mine in Western Australia. The Company has rights through a tailings supply agreement with BHP-Billiton (BHPB) to test and, if appropriate, to process nickel tailings from BHPB’s Leinster mine and conditionally thereafter, from its Kambalda and Mount Keith operations.
Jubilee is dedicated to sustainable and socially responsible development and, as a company, ensures its projects adhere to the highest environmental standards. The Company is also a firm proponent for the role of foreign direct investment as a key form of social development in developing African countries.