South Africa’s Kropz Plc reported that it has made its first sale and bulk shipment of phosphate concentrate from the Elandsfontein Phosphate project. The sale and shipment comprised 33,000 mt of product, the London-based firm said in a Jan. 23 statement.
Kropz said the tons were being sold “at a discount to current market prices,” but has not disclosed where the shipment is heading, or the buyer.
The company first announced the sale in December, and at the time said it was building up stock for the shipment (GM Dec. 9, 2022).
The tons have been generated throughout the commissioning and ramp-up period at its Elandsfontein plant, where the first concentrate samples were produced in the fourth quarter of 2021 (GM March 25, 2022). Sales to smaller local customers in South Africa began last year.
The plant has a targeted design processing capacity of some 1 million mt/y, according to Kropz’s website. Product for export is transported by road and rail the 43 km to the West Coast port of Saldanha, one of Africa’s biggest ports.
Earlier this month, the company reported an update to the mineral resource estimate for the Elandsfontein Phosphate project, now providing for a proven reserve of 7.31 million mt at 10.71% P2O5.The update follows additional infill drilling, relogging of historical cores and mapping of ore exposures as intersected within the current mining horizon.
Kropz owns a majority 74% stake in the project.