Aquarius Platinum's Everest mine will reach full capacity by next year, according to Mining Weekly.

General manager Hugo Höll said that the mine will begin production this month, with three million tonnes of upper group two ore being produced each year. The ore should give an output of 225,000 pgm ounces in 12 months, 134,000 of which will be platinum.

The added capacity at the plant should put Aquarius on the way to reaching its target of 600,000 ounces per year, far above the 307,000 ounces produced during 2004.

It has been estimated that the Everest mine contains 2.8 million pgm ounces and should last over a decade.

All but five per cent of the mining activities will be conducted underground, with the Shaft Sinkers-built decline already completed. The ore will be collected through wide-reef bore and pillar methods. Mr Höll said there would be a pillar loss of between ten and 30 per cent, depending on how deep the mines continue.

Announcing the launch of Everest last week, Aquarius chief executive Stuart Murray told Reuters that he is confident there are further resources around the mine which can be looked into.


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