Jubilee Metals, a diversified metals producer with operations in South Africa and Zambia, has successfully commenced operations at its Roan upgrade project in Zambia. This development enhances the processing capacity and flexibility of the Roan plant, specifically in its milling and flotation sections, positioning the facility to handle a maximum of 13,000 tonnes of copper per annum.
Jubilee is actively involved in copper production in Zambia, alongside its chrome and platinum group metals (PGM) operations in South Africa. The recent upgrade at the Roan plant represents a significant milestone in Jubilee’s strategy to expand its overall operational capacity. This upgrade complements the ongoing Sable refinery project, which, together with Roan, aims to achieve a combined processing capacity of 25,000 tonnes of copper annually within the next year.
Leon Coetzer, CEO of Jubilee, expressed his optimism about the progress, noting the team’s dedicated efforts to reach this stage. He highlighted the strategic importance of the upgraded Roan and Sable facilities, which provide Jubilee with substantial processing flexibility. This flexibility enables the company to aggressively pursue and extract copper resources that are typically considered too complex or uneconomical by traditional methods.
Jubilee’s copper strategy focuses on three key resource categories: previously processed materials such as tailings, discarded low-grade materials, previously mined materials, and open-pit mining of near-surface copper reefs. The abundance of these resources in Zambia offers Jubilee ample opportunity to further scale its operations through targeted acquisitions.
The company has made notable progress, including the recent completion of civil, mechanical, and electrical systems at Roan, allowing the ramp-up of production. Initially, the Roan plant is processing previously mined materials, which are upgraded at the source before being transformed into saleable copper concentrate. This concentrate will be refined at Sable until its capacity is fully dedicated to new open-pit operations, after which excess Roan concentrate may be sold on the open market.
Jubilee is also considering expanding the Roan operation to include downstream refining, depending on future capital allocation. With the targeted combined processing capacity of approximately 25,000 tonnes per annum, including an expanded Sable at 16,000 tonnes per annum, Jubilee is well-positioned to meet its growth objectives.
In addition to its copper ventures, Jubilee continues to expand its chrome and PGM operations in South Africa. The company has secured chrome tolling agreements extended until February 2027, ensuring a steady processing feed capacity of 2.4 million tonnes of chrome annually. Moreover, the construction of a second chrome processing module at Thutse is on track, expected to boost Jubilee’s production capacity to 300,000 tonnes of chrome concentrates per year.
Jubilee’s continued success in its chrome business is attributed to its renowned processing and operational capabilities, which have earned industry recognition. The company remains focused on its core business of processing third-party chrome ore at its Windsor and Inyoni operations in South Africa, maintaining a strong position in the metals market.
Jubilee Metals’ strategic upgrades and expansions across its operations in Zambia and South Africa are setting the stage for significant growth in both copper and chrome production, reinforcing its position as a key player in the metals industry.
Jubilee Metals Group plc (LON:JLP) is a diversified metal recovery business with a world-class portfolio of projects in South Africa and Zambia. The Company’s expanding multi-project portfolio across South Africa and Zambia provides exposure to a broad commodity basket including Platinum Group Metals, chrome, lead, zinc, vanadium, copper and cobalt.
