SMM Tin Market Morning Review (2015-5-29)

Implats’ 2010–2025 operating record shows why higher output does not always mean stronger profits. Metal prices, operating disruptions, acquisitions and currency movements shaped performance. Palladium and rhodium prices fell sharply after FY2021. FY2026 results show a recovery, but lasting strength depends on safe operations, reliable processing, disciplined costs and converting metal into cash, rather than relying on favourable prices alone.

Implats is reassessing the strategic value of its Waterberg PGM project. The company’s management recently stated that the revised Waterberg plan, following scale reduction and capital cost optimisation, is more attractive than previous versions, and the project has re-entered the group’s future growth pipeline. This development also reflects an increasingly pressing reality for South Africa’s PGM industry: projects capable of delivering incremental output at lower risk and reasonable capital intensity are becoming scarce.

A major green hydrogen project in South Africa has taken another key step forward. Hive Hydrogen South Africa announced on September 15 that it has formally awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for its approximately USD 5.8 billion green hydrogen and green ammonia project to Spanish engineering firm Técnicas Reunidas. The project, now in the late development stage, is regarded as a flagship green hydrogen initiative in South Africa and one of the key demonstration projects under the European Union’s Global Gateway programme in the country.