Platinum miner Lonmin has announced plans to develop a third smelter.

Chief Executive Brad Mills has revealed that the company is looking to invest in a new smelter to reduce the burden on its Merensky smelter, which is currently the firm's sole operating smelter, reports MiningMX.

Lonmin has been having difficulty with its Number One furnace, which continues to have maintenance work carried out on it following the discovery of a leak at the smelter.

Although originally it was anticipated the maintenance would take just 40 days, Lonmin eventually opted for a rebuild that is forecast to take 135 days, causing the firm to lose some production.

With a new smelter in place, the company believes it will have capacity to deal with such problems in the future.

The Number One furnace accounted for 60 per cent of Lonmin's smelting capacity, demonstrating its importance to the company.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd