Syrah gains pace at Balama, Mozambique

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Syrah gains pace at Balama, Mozambique

9:29 CAT | 01 Nov 2021

File photo: Mining Journal

Graphite miner Syrah Resources on Thursday announced that its Balama operation, in Mozambique, had produced 25 000 t of natural graphite in the three months to September, at a C1 cost of $684/t.

Production in the September quarter was down slightly from the 29 000 t produced in the June quarter.

The miner said on Thursday that the quarter under review was constrained by container shipping market disruptions, with only 18 000 t sold and shipped, while a further 12 000 t was delayed from September to the December quarter.

Operational performance during the month of September was excellent, the miner said, with over 15 000 t of graphite produced at a C1 cash cost of $430/t, which is at the low end of the target range for Balama’s restructured cost base.

The cash costs are expected to reduce further as run-rate production increases above 15 000 t a month, as improvement initiatives are embedded in the operation.

Meanwhile, at the end of the quarter, employees at the Balama operation had increased to 512, excluding contractors, representing 95% of the planned labour contingent for the Balama operations.

Production at Balama restarted in March this year, after the operation was suspended in 2020 at the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Source: Mining Weekly