Zimplats should be able to boost its platinum output by 50 per cent as a result of the $500 million Ngezi Phase 2 expansion project, it has been confirmed.

The company is expecting to produce about 200,000 oz this year at its Zimbabwe operations, but this figure is then expected to rise to 300,000 oz when the work is completed in 2013.

However, Head of Corporate Affairs Busi Chindove told Newsday that the project will also see the firm's power demand surge by 50 per cent to 75MW, representing the size of a power station.

Zimplats has a public-private partnership deal in place with national power utility Zesa which saw a dedicated 300KVA power substation built at its headquarters in Selous in June.

But Mr Chindove could not promise that the facility will guarantee uninterrupted power supplies, claiming that the sustainability of Zesa's generation capacity will be the determining factor.

"Continuous power supply is a function of generation rather than transmission," he told the news provider.

"Therefore the project enhances transmission and ensures consistent power supply unless there is a fault on the national grid."

Zimplats saw its third-quarter output increase by five per cent to 1,016,000 tonnes, while concentrate metal content declined from 95,144 tonnes in the previous three-month period to 91,934 tonnes.

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Zimplats in expansion power shock (09/11/10)

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