Jubilee Metals Group’s Project Roan delivers first copper material to the Sable Refinery

Jubilee Metals Group plc (LON:JLP), the AIM and Altx traded metals processing company, has announced an update on progress at its copper operations in Zambia, specifically the first copper concentrate for refining at Jubilee’s Sable Refinery from Project Roan which has been delivered on schedule.

Highlights:

·    Project Roan commences with the production of intermediate copper concentrate for refining at Jubilee’s Sable Refinery

·    Project Roan completes Phase 1 of 3 Phases to allow early production of intermediate copper concentrate while construction of Phases 2 and 3 remain on target

·    Sable Refinery is fully operational and ready to refine product received from Project Roan – targeting an additional 240 tonnes of copper units and stepping up to 400 tonnes of copper units per month at completion of Phase 2

·    Phase 2 of Project Roan targets to commence commissioning during early Q3 2021 to produce a higher-grade intermediate copper concentrate to further increase the production of copper units prior to the completion of Phase 3 expected during Q1 2022.

·    In addition, the Sable Refinery has concluded a long-term offtake agreement for third party Run-Of-Mine (“ROM”) copper containing material targeting to ramp-up to an additional 150 tonnes of copper units per month by June 2021

·    Copper prices continue to be buoyant trading at just under $10 000 per tonne at the time of writing and with current operating margins, early earnings from copper and cobalt production are set to increase

·    Completion of the design work for Project Elephant progressing and remains on track to enter the execution phase for the project by August 2021

Leon Coetzer, CEO of Jubilee, commented: “The successful delivery on time of copper concentrate from Project Roan to the fully operational Sable Refinery is the first major step in our commitment to achieve our targeted production of 25 000 tonnes per annum of copper within the next four years, and taking a leading role in the processing of surface tailings in Zambia.              

“Project Roan is the first of three copper processing facilities that we target to implement to achieve this goal. Completion of Phase 1 on schedule demonstrates our team’s ability to deliver on our goals in a new jurisdiction. It provides me with great confidence that we will see significant success as our copper strategy is further implemented. 

“Alongside the continued performance of our South African PGM operations, the targeted significant ramp up of our copper operation in Zambia is expected to further improve on Jubilee’s recently published record interim results for the six-month period to 31 December 2020, generating long term, quality earnings.

“Looking ahead to next steps, I am confident of the completion of Phase 2 of Project Roan on time during Q3 2021, which will further increase the copper concentrate being delivered to the Sable Refinery.  With Project Elephant progressing simultaneously and on track to enter the execution phase of the project by August this year, I look forward with confidence to update shareholders as we progress.”             

Project Roan Update

As previously announced, during 2020, Jubilee entered into joint venture agreements to secure rights to process over 300 million tonnes of copper and cobalt containing tailings in Zambia. The copper and cobalt tailings are located in three central locations named Project Roan, Project Elephant 1 and Project Elephant 2.

Jubilee targets to construct a processing facility at each of the three locations. The extent of the processing facilities is determined by the refining capacity at its Sable Refinery, currently limited to 14 000 tonnes per annum.  Jubilee has a set target to expand its access to refining capacity, to achieve a targeted 25 000 tonnes of copper units per annum. 

The first of the processing facilities has entered its construction phase at Project Roan, which targets an annual production rate of 10 000 tonnes of equivalent copper units.  The processing facility will be commissioned over three phases to accelerate the delivery of copper units for further refining to Jubilee’s Sable Refinery. On a slightly revised timetable due to heavy rains in the region early in 2021, Phase 1 has been achieved on schedule and delivery of the first copper units to the Sable Refinery has taken place.  Phase 1 targets the delivery of an additional 240 tonnes of copper units per month which will result in the first significant increase in production at the Sable Refinery. Phase 2 which is expected to be completed during Q3 targets a further increase in production to 400 tonnes of copper units per month.  The Sable Refinery is fully operational and ready to commence refining of Project Roan’s material and the delivery of this initial intermediate copper concentrate will significantly and rapidly add to the already achieved early earnings of £ 1.8 million (ZAR 39 million) from production during the first phase.

Looking forward, Phase 2 of Project Roan is targeted for commissioning during Q3 2021 which will further increase the amount and quality of intermediate copper concentrate delivered to the Sable Refinery for processing.

The continuing rebound in the copper price is seeing it at a near 10-year high at the time of writing with analysts predicting further significant growth over the next 12-24 months driven by several long-term trends. An increased environmental agenda globally and electrification are at the centre of this with the proliferation of electric vehicles, the increased use of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and increased consumption of electronics.

Long-term Offtake Agreement

In addition to Project Roan’s Phase 1 commissioning, Jubilee has entered into a long-term offtake agreement and the Sable Refinery is expecting to start receiving third party copper containing ROM material. Under the terms of this agreement the third-party ROM material will be ramped up to reach 150 tonnes per month of delivered copper units by June 2021.

Project Elephant Update

The completion of the design work for the Company’s second copper processing facility, Project Elephant, whereby Jubilee has secured the rights to approximately 150 million tonnes of copper containing surface tailings, is progressing well and remains on track to enter the execution phase for the project by August 2021. Project Elephant targets to reach the production of 12 000 copper units per annum in addition to Project Roan by the end of 2022.

Click to view all articles for the EPIC:
Or click to view the full company profile:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Jubilee Metals Group Plc

More articles like this

Jubilee Metals Group plc

London copper near 8-week high

London copper prices rose to their highest in nearly eight weeks on a softer dollar and hopes of improving demand after Chinese officials promised support to the country’s property sector. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 advanced 0.8%

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Jubilee Metals Group New Corporate Presentation

Jubilee Metals Group PLC (LON:JLP/AltX: JBL), a diversified leader in metals processing with operations in Africa, has announced that the Company’s new corporate presentation is now available to view and download. Jubilee Metals Group is a diversified metal recovery business

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Jubilee on track to meet guidance with strong Q1 performance

Johannesburg and London-listed Jubilee Metals Group, which has a portfolio of assets in South Africa and Zambia, says it achieved a strong operational performance for the first quarter ended September 30, and remains on track to deliver against

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Jubilee Metals reports strong Q1 FY2024 operational performance

Jubilee Metals released its Q1 FY2024 operational report, showcasing robust performance and a positive outlook for the year. Operational Highlights: Jubilee Metals Group plc (LON:JLP) is a diversified metal recovery business with a world-class portfolio of

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Copper set for second straight weekly gain

Copper prices rose on Friday and were on track for their second straight week of gains, as a weaker dollar propped up subdued sentiment following poor economic data from top metals consumer China. Three-month copper on

Jubilee Metals Group plc

South African metals group awarded JV copper/cobalt slag project in Zambia

A diversified South African metals processing business that has expanded into Africa, on Tuesday announced that it had been awarded a copper slag project that will be executed in joint venture (JV) collaboration with a Southern African mining company. JSE AltX-listed and London Aim-quoted Jubilee

Jubilee Metals Group plc

The role of mining in the circular economy

Achieving a truly circular economy is a shared goal requiring collaboration among stakeholders from various sectors, including the copper industry and its value chain. Circular principles, already in practice at many mine sites to reduce waste

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Innovative copper, cobalt tailings treatment encouraging

The technical team of Jubilee Metals Group is innovating a waste leach circuit for the treatment of copper and cobalt tailings, as part of its Northern Refining copper strategy in Zambia. The development phase has commenced

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Jubilee Metals Group welcomes the arrival of Neal Reynolds

Jubilee Metals Group PLC (LON:JLP; Altx: JBL), a leader in diversified metals processing, with operations in Africa, has announced that it will publish its audited annual results for the year ended 30 June 2023 on Wednesday 11

Jubilee Metals Group plc

Circular Copper

A truly circular economy reduces the consumption of natural resources, energy use, waste and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Copper plays a key role in the transition to a clean and circular economy. This Transition will drive

Jubilee Metals Group plc

What is the outlook for PGM’s?

What is the outlook for platinum group metals (PGMs) in H2 2023, leading into 2024? Platinum, palladium, and rhodium all benefited from a deficit market in 2023, the bulk impact of which will be felt in