Anglo American Platinum’s refined production last year fell by 5% because of a problem at its Waterval smelter knocking out 65,000oz of platinum.
Amplats, the world’s largest miner of platinum, produced 2.335-million ounces of refined platinum last year despite a 2% increase in mined metal to 2.382-million ounces.
Refined palladium output was 8% lower at 1.464-million ounces, while rhodium production climbed 4% to 317,000oz.
The damaged furnace at Waterval has been repaired and was operating at full capacity, Amplats said on Thursday.
Amplats has also held back some refined platinum to rebuild its inventory of metal.
During the fourth quarter of last year, mined platinum in concentrate, which is fed into the smelter, increased by 2% to 610,100oz, with the opencast Mogalakwena, the jewel in the Amplats crown, increasing output by 5% to 103,400oz as grades improved.
Amplats has sold its deep-level, labour-intensive Rustenburg mine to Sibanye Gold and wants to sell its Union mine too. Amplats is focused on mechanised, low-cost mines.
"Following the restructuring at Union mine in 2016, which led to a significant reduction in labour, the mine continued to perform in line with its optimised mine plan, maintaining production at 38,100oz," Amplats said.
Quantities of purchased third-party material jumped dramatically by 86,800oz to 93,900oz, but this reflected ownership of the Rustenburg mines passing to Sibanye in November last year and concentrate purchased from the mines, as part of the sale agreement.
In Zimbabwe, the Unki mine increased fourth-quarter production by 7% to 19,900oz.
Two joint ventures with Kroondal and Royal Bafokeng Platinum’s Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine both had strong quarterly performances, while the Bokoni mine’s contribution fell by 5% to 189,500oz after two shaft closures at the end of 2015.
Bokoni is owned by Atlatsa Resources and it is an asset Amplats no longer wants to be involved in as a junior partner, indicating it wants to exit the joint venture.
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