From Tailings to Turnaround: Eastplats' Chrome Output Triples as Crocodile River Mine Delivers a Rare PGM Junior Win

Published: Jul 31, 2026 21:58

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[SMM Express] Eastern Platinum's Crocodile River Mine has completed a rare turnaround among South African PGM juniors, with chrome concentrate output climbing to 82,120 tonnes in 2025, up 353% from 18,118 tonnes in 2024. The gain came alongside a 59% rise in PGM concentrate production to 5,146 tonnes, lifting mine operating income to US$1.7 million, up 113% year-on-year, and narrowing the fourth-quarter net loss by almost 40%.

The recovery reflects Eastplats' shift from a tailings-retreatment chrome operation into a growing metallurgical chrome and PGM concentrate producer, following the 2024 commissioning of a processing facility handling UG2 run-of-mine ore from the Zandfontein underground section. That momentum carried into Q1 2026, with chrome concentrate volumes up 71.7% year-on-year, even as PGM concentrate sales to Impala Platinum continued to account for the bulk of revenue. The chrome ramp-up gives Eastplats a growing secondary exposure to stainless steel raw material markets alongside its core PGM business.

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