Anglo American maintains production rate
Global mining conglomerate Anglo American has reported a slight increase in total production for the third quarter of 2018 ended 30th September.
According to a performance overview released by the diversified mining giant this week total production registered a slight hike of 1 percent on copper equivalent basis for the four months ended September 30, 2018. The multi-Exchanges listed global outfit operates major mining undertakings in the world’s richest deposits unearthing almost all mineral varieties from copper, platinum, iron, metallurgical coal as well as diamonds, the latter is through the world’s flagship diamond producer De Beers which Anglo owns on majority shareholding.
De Beers, 15 percent owned by Botswana Government, breaks the world most valuable diamond fields in Botswana and Namibia amongst others. Anglo American reports that De Beers’s productions volumes decreased by 5 percent to 8.7 million carats attributable to expected lower grades at the world richest diamond mine by value, Jwaneng as well as lower volumes at Venetia.
De Beers Botswana operations under the banner of the country’s flagship mining company, Debswana registered production decline of 6 percent recording 5.7 million carats during the third quarter of 2018. Anglo America says the lower production volumes were anticipated because of to the planned processing of lower grade material at Jwaneng.On a more satisfactory note Orapa regime which is a basket of Orapa plants, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines remained in line at flat figures with insignificant difference to 2017 Q3 production of 2.6 million carats.
Next door to Botswana, Anglo American also have lucrative mining interests in Namibia through another De Beers outfit, Namdeb Holdings a 50-50 venture between De beers and Government of Namibia recorded flat performance at 0.5 million carats. De Beers’ operations in South Africa recorded a production decline of 14 percent to 1.3 million carats due to a planned shutdown at Venetia to upgrade the processing plant ahead of the transition from open cut to underground operations, while Canada production increased by 5 percent to 1.2 million carats, driven by higher grades at Victor, which is approaching the end of its life.
In the overall Anglo American observes that rough diamond sales volumes amounted to 5.0 million carats, 4.6 million carats on a consolidated basis from two sales cycles in Q3 2018, compared to 6.9 million carats-6.5 million carats on a consolidated basis from two sales cycles in Q3 2017.
“Rough sales volumes were down as a result of sight holders being given the opportunity during the seventh Sight of 2018 to re-phase the allocation of some smaller, lower value rough diamonds. Rough sales revenues were broadly in line with Q3 2017,” reads the report.
On Anglo American flagship base metal mineral, copper, production volumes hit an impressive hike by 17% to 171,800 tonnes, with production increases at all operations.
Anglo notes that 23 % production increase 95,800 tonnes at Los Bronces was by enlarge driven by continued strong mine and plant performance, supported by significantly lower than usual winter snowfall and planned higher grades. For the company’s traditional revenue spinner Platinum mining operations, production increased by 4 percent to 649,000 ounces while palladium production increased by 1 percent to 410,800 ounces due to improved operational performances across the majority of the portfolio, despite the placing of unprofitable production from Bokoni on care and maintenance in Q3 2017.
Still under platinum basket own mined platinum production decreased by 7 percent to 332,900 ounces and palladium production decreased by 5 percent to 250,200 ounces due to the sale of Union mine to Siyanda Resources on 1 February 2018, after which its production was purchased as concentrate. The United Kingdom incorporated mining giant explains that excluding Union, own mined platinum production increased by 5 percent and palladium production increased by 2 percent.
Refined platinum production decreased by 19 percent to 556,200 ounces and refined palladium production decreased by 29 percent to 321,500 ounces due to a rebuild of the Mortimer smelter in Q2 2018 and its progressive ramp up in Q3 2018 as well as the Polokwane smelter furnace repair that required a full shutdown for 35 days.
Platinum sales volumes with exclusion of refined metal purchased from third parties decreased by 20 percent to 530,100 ounces and palladium sales volumes decreased by 30 percent to 324,300 ounces due to lower refined production. Still during the period under review Anglo American’s Kumba Iron ore production volumes decreased by 9 percent to 10.5 million tonnes, as planned, following rail constraints in half 1 2018, and a small decrease in plant yields as Kumba produced higher quality products to maximize the value of tonnes railed to port.
Export sales decreased by 10 percent to 9.7 million tonnes due to the scheduled refurbishment of a ship loader at the Saldanha Port that reduced loading capacity during the quarter. Total finished product stocks increased from 6.2 million tonnes at 30 June 2018 to 6.6 million tonnes at 30 September 2018, representing ~$175 million of working capital.
For its metallurgical Coal, Anglo recorded 3 percent depreciation in exports to 5.4 million tonnes, with the Grosvenor ramp up being offset by a longwall move at Moranbah, anticipated challenging geological conditions at Grasstree and lower production at Dawson. For thermal Coal production in South Africa, exports increased by 16 percent to 5.1 million tonnes, following operational improvements in the quarter and the impact of a 100-hour safety stoppage in Q3 2017, partly offset by conveyor issues at Zibulo.
While domestic thermal coal production decreased by 68 percent to 2.7 million tonnes due to the completion of the sale of the Eskom-tied operations to Seriti on 1 March 2018. Nickel output increased by 3 percent to 11,500 tonnes driven by enhanced stability arising from operational improvements implemented at Barro Alto during 2018, while Manganese ore production increased by 6 percent to 887,600 tonnes.Manganese alloy production decreased by 7 percent to 34,800 tonnes due to a planned maintenance shutdown of the furnace during the quarter.
Anglo American Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Cutifani, remarked that his company’s focus on driving efficiency and productivity across the business resulted in another strong quarter. “With volumes 1% higher than the solid operational performance seen in Q3 2017.
Production per employee has increased by 5 percent in 2018, compared to 2017, as we maintain relentless discipline on controllable costs.”
Cutifani observes that Anglo’s strong operational performance at its Copper assets which delivered a 17 percent increase in production mirrored quarter 3’s best performer, more than offsetting planned lower volumes at De Beers and the impact of rail infrastructure constraints at Kumba in the first half of the year.
Business
LLR transforms from Company to Group reporting
Botswana Stock Exchange listed diversified real estate company, Letlole La Rona Limited (“LLR” or “the Company” or “the Group”), posted its first set of group financial statements which comprise the Company and Group consolidated accounts, which show strong financial performance for the six months ended 31 December 2023, with improvements across all key metrics.
The Company commenced the financial year with the appointment of a Deputy Chairperson, Mr Mooketsi Maphane, in order to bolster its governance and enhance leadership continuity through the development of a Board and Executive Management Succession Plan.
At operational level, LLR increased its shareholding in Railpark Mall from 32.79% to 57.79% and proudly took over the management of this prime asset.
The CEO of LLR, Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng commented “During the period under review, our portfolio continued to perform strongly, with improvements across all key metrics as a result of our ongoing focus on portfolio growth and optimisation.
“We are pleased to report a successful first half of the 2024 financial year, where we managed to not only grow the portfolio through strategic acquisitions and value accretive refurbishments but also recycled capital through the disposal of Moedi House as well as the ongoing sale of section titles at Red Square Apartments. The acquisition of an additional 25% stake in JTTM Properties significantly uplifted the value of our investment portfolio to P2.0 billion at a Group level. Our investment portfolio was further differentiated by the quality of our tenant base, as demonstrated by above market occupancy levels of 99.15% and strong collections of above 100% for the period”.
The growth in contractual revenue of 9% from the prior year’s P48.0 million to the current year P52.2 million, increased income from Railpark Mall, coupled with high collection rates, has enabled the company to declare a distribution of 9.11 thebe per linked unit, which is in line with the prior year.
In line with its strategic pillars of ‘Streamlined and Expanded Botswana Portfolio’ as well as ‘Quality African Assets’, the Group continuously monitors the performance of its investments to ensure that they meet the targeted returns.
“The Group continues to explore yield accretive opportunities for balance sheet growth and funding options that can be deployed to finance that growth” further commented the CEO of LLR Ms Kamogelo Mowaneng.
Ms Mowaneng further thanked the Group’s stakeholders for their continued support and stated that they look forward to unlocking further value in the Group.
Business
Botswana’s Electricity Generation Dips 26.4%
The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has reported a significant decrease in electricity generation for the fourth quarter of 2023, with output plummeting by 26.4%. This decline is primarily attributed to operational difficulties at the Morupule B power plant, as per the latest Botswana Index of Electricity Generation (IEG) released recently.
Local electricity production saw a drastic reduction, falling from 889,535 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 654,312 MWH in the period under review. This substantial decrease is largely due to the operational challenges at the Morupule B power plant. Consequently, the need for imported electricity surged by 35.6% (136,243 MWH) from 382,426 MWH in the third quarter to 518,669 MWH in the fourth quarter. This increase was necessitated by the need to compensate for the shortfall in locally generated electricity.
Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (ZESCO) was the principal supplier of imported electricity, accounting for 43.1% of total electricity imports during the fourth quarter of 2023. Eskom followed with 21.8%, while the remaining 12.1, 10.3, 8.6, and 4.2% were sourced from Electricidade de Mozambique (EDM), Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Nampower, and Cross-border electricity markets, respectively. Cross-border electricity markets involve the supply of electricity to towns and villages along the border from neighboring countries such as Namibia and Zambia.
Distributed electricity exhibited a decrease of 7.8% (98,980 MWH), dropping from 1,271,961 MWH in the third quarter of 2023 to 1,172,981 MWH in the review quarter.
Electricity generated locally contributed 55.8% to the electricity distributed during the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease from the 74.5% contribution in the same quarter of the previous year. This signifies a decrease of 18.7 percentage points. The quarter-on-quarter comparison shows that the contribution of locally generated electricity to the distributed electricity fell by 14.2 percentage points, from 69.9% in the third quarter of 2023 to 55.8% in the fourth quarter. The Morupule A and B power stations accounted for 90.4% of the electricity generated during the fourth quarter of 2023, while Matshelagabedi and Orapa emergency power plants contributed the remaining 5.9 and 3.7% respectively.
The year-on-year analysis reveals some improvement in local electricity generation. The year-on-year perspective shows that the amount of distributed electricity increased by 8.2% (88,781 MWH), from 1,084,200 MWH in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 1,172,981 MWH in the current quarter. The trend of the Index of Electricity Generation from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 indicates an improvement in local electricity generation, despite fluctuations.
The year-on-year analysis also reveals a downward trend in the physical volume of imported electricity. The trend in the physical volume of imported electricity from the first quarter of 2013 to the fourth quarter of 2023 shows a downward trend, indicating the country’s continued effort to generate adequate electricity to meet domestic demand, has led to the decreased reliance on electricity imports.
In response to the need to increase local generation and reduce power imports, the government has initiated a new National Energy Policy. This policy is aimed at guiding the management and development of Botswana’s energy sector and encouraging investment in new and renewable energy. In the policy document, Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security Lefoko Moagi stated that the policy aims to transform Botswana from being a net energy importer to a self-sufficient nation with surplus energy for export into the region. Moagi expressed confidence that Botswana has the potential to achieve self-sufficiency in electric power supply, given the country’s readily available energy resources such as coal and renewable sources.
Business
MMG acquires Khoemacau in a transaction valued at P23Bn
MMG Limited, the Hong Kong-based mining company specializing in base metals, has successfully concluded the acquisition of Khoemacau Copper Mine, a state-of-the-art, world-class copper asset nestled in the northwest of Botswana.
On Monday, MMG announced that the acquisition of Khoemacau Mine in Botswana was finalized on 22nd March 2024. “This acquisition enriches the company’s portfolio with a top-tier, transformative growth project and signifies a monumental milestone in the Company’s journey,” MMG communicated in an official statement published on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Upon completion of the acquisition, MMG remitted to the Sellers an Aggregate Consideration of approximately US$1,734,657,000 (over P23 billion), a sum subject to potential adjustments post-Completion.
In addition to the Aggregate Consideration, MMG, in accordance with the Agreement, advanced an aggregate amount of approximately US$348,580,000 (over P4.5 billion) as the Aggregate Debt Settlement Amount, to settle certain debt balances of the Target Group (Cuprous Capital/Khoemacau).
On November 21, 2023, Khoemacau announced that the shareholders of its parent company [Cuprous Capital] had agreed to sell 100% of their interests to MMG Limited.
MMG is a global resources company that mines, explores, and develops copper and other base metals projects on four continents. The company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and has a significant shareholder, China Minmetals Corporation, which is China’s largest metals and minerals group owned by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
On December 22, 2023, Khoemacau Copper Mining (Pty) Ltd received the approval from the Minister of Minerals and Energy of Botswana regarding the transfer of a controlling interest in the Project Licenses and Prospecting Licenses associated with the Khoemacau Copper Mine, a result of the Acquisition.
The Botswana Competition & Consumer Authority (CCA) on January 29, 2024, notified the market that it had given its approval for the takeover of Khoemacau Copper Mining by MMG Limited.
On January 29, 2024, the CCA issued a merger decision to the market, stating that after conducting all necessary assessments, it was ready to proceed.
The Competition Authority affirmed that the structure of the relevant market would not significantly change upon implementation of the proposed merger as the proposed transaction is not likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition, nor endanger the continuity of service in the market of mining of copper and silver ores and the production, and sale or supply of copper concentrate in Botswana.
Furthermore, the CCA stated that the proposed merger would not have any negative impact on public interest matters in Botswana as per the provisions of section 52(2) of the Competition Act 2018.
Earlier this month, Minister of Minerals & Energy, Lefoko Maxwell Moagi, informed parliament that his Ministry was endorsing the Khoemacau acquisition by MMG Limited. He noted that not only was the company acquiring the existing operation but also committing to an expansion program that would cost over $700 million to double production, create more jobs for Batswana, and increase taxes and royalties paid to the Government.