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South Africa
Waterberg Project

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 Location:
85 km N from Mokopane, South Africa

  Project Contacts:
1st Floor, Platinum House 24 Sturdee Avenue Rosebank
PostNet Suite No. 81 Private Bag X12 Rooseveltpark South Africa 2129
Johannesburg
South Africa
2196
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax+27-(11)-782-4338
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  • Processing
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StagePermitting
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Rhodium
  • Gold
  • 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au)
  • Copper
  • Nickel
Mining Method
  • Sub-level stoping
  • Longhole stoping
  • Paste backfill
Processing
  • Flotation
Mine Life45 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
Latest NewsPlatinum Group Metals Ltd. Announces Mining Right Granted for Waterberg Joint Venture Palladium, Platinum, Gold and Rhodium Mine     February 3, 2021


Owners

Source: p. 39, 67
CompanyInterestOwnership
Hanwa Co. Ltd. 9.755 % Indirect
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (JOGMEC) 12.195 % Indirect
Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. 15 % Indirect
Mnombo Wethu Consultants Pty Ltd. 26 % Indirect
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (operator) 37.05 % Indirect
Waterberg Joint Venture (JV) Resources (Pty) Ltd. (Waterberg JV Resources) is a company owned by Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (PTM), Impala Platinum (IMPLATS), Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (“JOGMEC”), Hanwa Co. Ltd. (“Hanwa”) and Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd. (“Mnombo”).

Currently, PTM has a 37.05% holding in Waterberg JV Resources, Mnombo has a 26.0% holding, JOGMEC has a 12.195% holding, Hanwa has a 9.755% holding, and IMPLATS has a 15.0% holding. As a result of Platinum Group’s 49.90% ownership in Mnombo the Company has an effective interest in the Waterberg JV of 50.02%.

Deposit Type

  • Magmatic


Summary:

The mineralised layers of the Waterberg Project:
• The mineralisation is hosted by sulphides that are apparently magmatic in origin.
• The mineralised layers can be relatively thick, often greater than 10 m.

PGM mineralisation within the Bushveld package underlying the Waterberg Project is hosted in two main layers: T Zone and F Zone.

The T Zone occurs within the Main Zone just beneath the contact of the overlaying Upper Zone. Although the T Zone consists of numerous mineralised layers, three potential economical layers were identified: TZ, T1, and T0. They are composed mainly of anorthosite, pegmatoidal gabbros, pyroxenite, troctolite, harzburgite, gabbronorite, and norite.

The F Zone is hosted in a cyclic unit of olivine rich lithologies towards the base of the Main Zone towards the bottom of the Bushveld Complex. This zone consists of alternating units of harzburgite, troctolite, and pyroxenites. The F Zone is divided into the FH and FP layers. The FH layer has significantly higher volumes of olivine in contrast with the lower lying FP layer, which is predominately pyroxenite.

The mineralisation generally comprises sulphide blebs, net-textured to interstitial sulphides and disseminated sulphides within gabbronorite and norite, pyroxenite, and harzburgite.

Within the F Zone, basement topography may have played a role in the formation of higher grade and thicknesses where embayments or large-scale changes in magma flow direction may have facilitated the accumulation of magmatic sulphides. These areas are referred to as the “Super F” Zones where the sulphide mineralisation is over 40 m in thickness and within the defined areas average 3 g/t to 4 g/t 4E. Layered magmatic sulphide mineralisation is generally present at the base of the F Zone. As with the T Zone, the sub-outcrop of the F Zone unconformably abuts the base of the Waterberg Group sedimentary rocks and trends northeast from the end of the known Northern Limb and dips moderately to the northwest.

The T Zone includes several lithologically different and separate layers, which were initially recognised in the drilling. With subsequent drilling, it has become clear that the most easily identifiable and consistent are the TZ, T1, and T0 Layers.

T Zone Layering and Mineralisation
The T Zone is a unit that can be correlated and includes five identifiable layers. The three mineralised and economical potential layers are the TZ Layer, the T1 Layer, and the T0 Layer.

Upper Pegmatoidal Anorthosite
The Upper Pegmatoidal Anorthosite (UPA) has a pegmatoidal texture and is mostly anorthositic with some gabbros. This unit is generally not mineralised; however, it was found to have some sulphide mineralisation towards the top of this zone that represents the T0 mineralised unit. The mineralisation is hosted within the mafic crystals of pegmatoidal texture.

The UPA has a thickness range from 2 m to as thick as 100 m and can be correlated in more than 80% of the drill holes. It must be noted that the unit is absent in some drill holes and it also appears more mafic in some instances due to alteration of the anorthositic and gabbroic phases.

T1 Layer Mineralisation
Mineralisation within the T1 Layer is hosted in a troctolite with variations in places where troctolite grades into feldspathic harzburgite. In other localities, olivine-bearing feldspathic pyroxenite grades into feldspathic harzburgite. The 4E grade (g/t) is typically 1-7 g/t with a Pt:Pd ratio of about 1:1.7. The Cu and Ni grades are on average 0.08% and 0.05%, respectively.

The unit is mineralised with blebby to net-textured Cu-Ni sulphides (chalcopyrite / pyrite and pentlandite) with very minimal Fe sulphides (pyrrhotite). The thickness of the layer varies from 2 m to 6 m.

Lower Pegmatoidal Anorthosite and Lower Pegmatoidal Pyroxenite
The direct footwall unit of the T1 Layer can be divided into two identifiable units: Lower Pegmatoidal Anorthosite (LPA) and Lower Pegmatoidal Pyroxenite (LPP). These units have an unconformable relationship with one another as both are not always present.

LPA is the first middling unit underlying the T1 Layer. It has the same composition as the UPA but is usually thinner. The LPA thickness ranges from 0-3 m and in some drill holes it is not developed. The LPA is mineralised in some drill holes.

LPP is the second middling unit that underlies the LPA and it is predominantly composed of pegmatoidal pyroxenite. It also ranges from 0-3 m as it is not developed in other drill holes. The LPP is a TZ Layer hanging wall. Mineralisation was not identified in this unit.

TZ Layer Mineralisation
Mineralisation within the TZ Layer is hosted in Main Zone norite and gabbronorite that shows a distinctive elongated texture of milky feldspars. In some instances, the TZ gabbronorite / norite tends to grade into pyroxenite and in places into a pegmatoidal feldspathic pyroxenitic phases, with the same style of mineralisation as in the gabbronorite / norite. The high-grade zones range from 2 m to approximately 10 m in true thickness within these lithologies. Sulphide mineralisation in TZ Layer is net textured to disseminated with higher concentration of sulphides compared to the overlying T1 Layer. The 4E grade (g/t) is typically 1-6 g/t with a Pt:Pd ratio of about 1:1.7. The Cu and Ni grades are typically 0.17% and 0.09%, respectively.

F Zone Layering and Mineralisation
A thick package of norite and gabbronorite ranging from 100 m to about 450 m underlies the T Zone and overlies the F Zone.

F Zone mineralisation is hosted in a thick package of troctolite, which usually occurs as thin layers of pyroxenite and/or pegmatoidal pyroxenite and harzburgite. These layers or pulses were identified using their geochemical signatures and various elemental ratios. The initial subdivision was into a harzburgitic layer (FH) which is underlain by a pyroxenitic layer (FP).

F mineralised zone occurs in the ultramafic sequence pyroxenite and harzburgite. In the southern portion, the F zone is typically <10 m thick but in the central portion, the “Super F Zone” thickens to 60 m in true thickness, with grades of 2 to 4 g/t 4E over this interval. The mineralisation generally comprises blebs, net-textured to disseminated pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and pentlandite with accessory chromite, 70 chalcocite, and pyrite. Chromite crystals are often enclosed in silicates, while chromite itself may host sulphide inclusions and rare chromitite stringers were identified in two drill holes. Magnetite has often replaced sulphides and chromite. PGM are variable with dominant sperrylite and subordinate Pt-Pd bismuthotellurides, Au-Ag alloys, Pd arsenides, and Pt-Rh sulpharsenides.


Mining Methods

  • Sub-level stoping
  • Longhole stoping
  • Paste backfill


Summary:

The Waterberg Project will be an underground mining operation accessed via declines from surface. The mine design is based on using the sublevel longhole stoping mining method (Longhole) to extract M&I Mineral Resources contained in the T Zone and F Zone and backfilling the mined voids with paste backfill. Longhole is a highly mechanised, high productivity, and low-cost bulk mining method that uses equipment and processes widely used in the global mining industry.

The Waterberg Project mineralised zones have an overall strike length of approximately 8.8 km extending from the T Zone in the southwest to the F-North Zone in the northeast. Considering the extensive strike length and relative proximity and separation of the zones, the operation was divided into the following three mining complexes.

• The South Complex that includes T Zone and F-South
• The Central Complex that includes F-Central
• The North Complex that includes F-North, F-Boundary North, and F-Boundary South

The vertical distance between mining blocks will be 100 m. Individual longitudinal and transverse stopes will be limited to a maximum vertical height of 40 m. The maximum longitudinal stope strike length will be 20 m, while the stope width for transverse stopes will be 20 m along strike. In thicker parts of the ore, there will be a need to limit the maximum stable length of transverse stopes to 40m.

Due to the relatively shallow depth at the top elevations of the Mineral Resource, there will be a box cut and portal constructed at each complex and declines developed to access the Mineral Resource and service the operation for the LOM. Each portal will include a main service decline and a main conveyor decline.

The main service decline will be the primary access for transferring personnel and material by vehicle between surface and underground and for hauling waste rock to surface.

The main conveyor decline will be equipped with a conveyor to transfer ore to surface.


Crushing and Grinding
Flow Sheet: Source
Crusher / Mill TypeModelSizePowerQuantity
Jaw crusher 3
Cone crusher 4
Ball mill 7.21m x 10.67m 14 MW 1
Ball mill 7.21m x 10.97m 14 MW 1

Summary:

Run-of-Mine Ore Storage and Primary Crushing
The ROM from the Central Complex portal, at a top size of 450 mm, will be conveyed to a primary crushing section and crushed to less than 317 mm before being stored on an open stockpile prior to secondary and tertiary crushing. This primary crushing section will include two jaw crushers fed from vibrating grizzly feeders which will allow the undersize material to be conveyed directly to the Central Complex stockpile.

The ROM ore from the Southern portal, at a top-size of 450 mm, will be crushed to less than 317 mm in a single jaw crusher and conveyed overland to the south ROM stockpile (for stockpiling of T- South material), adjacent to the Central Complex stockpile, which will store FCentral material.

The positioning of the Central and South Complexes ROM stockpiles allow for blending of TSouth and F-Central material, as required. The ROM will be extracted at a controlled rate from these two stockpiles, in pre-determined ratios and discharged onto the overland conveying system to the secondary and tertiary screening and crushing circuit.

Tramp metal will be removed prior to crushing by means of a tramp metal magnet situated at the conveyor head end. Space provision will be made for future ROM samplers for both portals after primary crushing. Provisions will be made for dust suppression at each of the above primary crushing areas.

Screening and Cone Crushing Circuit
The blended primary crushing circuit product from the Central and South Complexes stockpiles will be conveyed to either one of two dual deck, coarse ore screens for classification into three size fractions.

• The coarse ore screen oversize product will be conveyed to either one of two secondary cone crushers for further size reduction.
• The coarse ore screen's middling product will report to the tertiary crusher feed conveyor, which in turn will convey the material to either one of the two tertiary cone crushers.
• The coarse ore screen's undersize product will report directly to the mill silo feed conveyor.

The secondary cone crusher product will report to the secondary crusher product conveyor, which in turn will convey the material back to the coarse ore screening area.

The tertiary crushing product will be conveyed to either one of two single deck, fine ore screens for classification into two size fractions.

• The fine ore screens oversize product will report to the tertiary crushing feed conveyor together with the middling product from the coarse ore screens.
• The undersize product from the fine ore screens will report to the mill silo feed conveyor together with the undersize from the coarse ore screens.

This screening and crushing circuit will be designed to produce a minus 13 mm product as feed to the mill feed silo.

Primary Milling and Classification
The primary milling circuit will consist of a 14 MW, 7.21 m × 10.67 m EGL grate discharge ball mill operating in closed circuit with a classification screen. A de-chipping and trash removal system will be provided.

The primary milled product will be pumped to a classification screen, after which the screen oversize product will be recycled back to the primary mill feed while the undersize product will gravitate to the primary rougher flotation circuit, via a sampling system.

Secondary Milling and Classification
The primary rougher tailings, as well as the primary cleaner tailings, will report to the mill discharge sump from where it will be pumped to the secondary mill classification cyclone.

The secondary milling circuit will consist of a 14 MW, 7.21m Ø × 10.97m EGL, overflow discharge, ball mill operating in reversed closed-circuit configuration with a classification cyclone cluster. The cyclone underflow product will be recycled back to the secondary mill, while the overflow product will gravitate to the secondary rougher flotation feed surge tank via a sampling system.


Processing

  • Flotation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The 4.8 Mtpa Concentrator Plant will be constructed in a single phase. The concentrate produced by the plant will be transported by road to smelters for further processing and the plant tailings will report either to a backfill plant for use as backfill material, or to the TSF.

The selected process design makes use the following key unit processes.
• ROM Handling and Storage
• Crushing and Screening
• Milling
• Flotation
• Tailings Disposal
• Concentrate Filtration and Dispatch
• Reagent Makeup and Dosing
• Air and Water Services

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameterAvg. LOM
4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) Recovery Rate, % 78.9
4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) Head Grade, g/t 3.23
4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) Concentrate Grade, g/t 79.9

Projected Production:

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. Annual
4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) Concentrate kt 155
4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) Metal in concentrate koz 420
Copper-Nickel Metal in concentrate M lbs  ......  Subscription required

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Ore tonnes mined, LOM 187,507 kt *
Annual processing capacity 4,800,000 t *
Annual mining rate 4.8 Mt of ore *
* According to 2019 study.

Reserves at September 4, 2019:
A stope cutoff grade of 2.5 g/t 4E was used for mining planning for the mineral reserves estimate.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 48,282,938 t Platinum 0.93 g/t
Proven 48,282,938 t Palladium 2.1 g/t
Proven 48,282,938 t Rhodium 0.05 g/t
Proven 48,282,938 t Gold 0.2 g/t
Proven 48,282,938 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3.28 g/t 158,387 kg
Proven 48,282,938 t Copper 0.09 %
Proven 48,282,938 t Nickel 0.19 %
Probable 139,224,118 t Platinum 0.94 g/t
Probable 139,224,118 t Palladium 2 g/t
Probable 139,224,118 t Rhodium 0.05 g/t
Probable 139,224,118 t Gold 0.21 g/t
Probable 139,224,118 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3.22 g/t 447,564 kg
Probable 139,224,118 t Copper 0.09 %
Probable 139,224,118 t Nickel 0.18 %
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Platinum 0.94 g/t
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Palladium 2.04 g/t
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Rhodium 2.04 g/t
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Gold 0.21 g/t
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3.24 g/t 605,951 kg
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Copper 0.09 %
Proven & Probable 187,507,056 t Nickel 0.18 %
Measured 80,224,706 t Platinum 0.84 g/t
Measured 80,224,706 t Palladium 2 g/t
Measured 80,224,706 t Rhodium 0.05 g/t
Measured 80,224,706 t Gold 0.18 g/t
Measured 80,224,706 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 3.07 g/t 246,500 kg
Measured 80,224,706 t Copper 0.08 %
Measured 80,224,706 t Nickel 0.18 %
Indicated 294,752,405 t Platinum 0.83 g/t
Indicated 294,752,405 t Palladium 1.87 g/t
Indicated 294,752,405 t Rhodium 0.04 g/t
Indicated 294,752,405 t Gold 0.19 g/t
Indicated 294,752,405 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.92 g/t 860,815 kg
Indicated 294,752,405 t Copper 0.08 %
Indicated 294,752,405 t Nickel 0.17 %
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Platinum 0.83 g/t
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Palladium 1.9 g/t
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Rhodium 0.04 g/t
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Gold 0.19 g/t
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.96 g/t 1,107,315 kg
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Copper 0.08 %
Measured & Indicated 374,977,111 t Nickel 0.18 %
Inferred 146,564,922 t Platinum 0.78 g/t
Inferred 146,564,922 t Palladium 1.66 g/t
Inferred 146,564,922 t Rhodium 0.04 g/t
Inferred 146,564,922 t Gold 0.21 g/t
Inferred 146,564,922 t 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) 2.69 g/t 394,830 kg
Inferred 146,564,922 t Copper 0.08 %
Inferred 146,564,922 t Nickel 0.15 %

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Credits (by-product) 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *
Site cash costs (produced) 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *
Total cash costs 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *†
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *†
All-in costs 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *†
Assumed price 4E (Pt, Pd, Rh, Au) USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Rhodium USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Palladium USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Platinum USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Nickel USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Copper USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Gold USD  ......  Subscription required *
* According to 2019 study / presentation.
† Net of By-Product.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units2019
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 23 *
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2019 study.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

2019 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Initial CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M ZAR  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 0% $M ZAR  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M ZAR  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M ZAR  ......  Subscription required
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of October 4, 2019:
HME TypeSizeQuantity
Cable bolter ....................... Subscription required
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Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameEmailRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Dec 9, 2021
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Technical Report 2018
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2016
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. Announces Mining Right Granted for Waterberg Joint Venture Palladium, Platinum, Gold and Rhodium Mine February 3, 2021
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. Reports Approval of Waterberg Definitive Feasibility Study by Joint Venture Partners December 5, 2019
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. Files Waterberg Independent Definitive Feasibility Study Technical Report October 7, 2019
Platinum Group Metals Ltd. Announces Positive Independent Definitive Feasibility Study for the Waterberg Palladium Mine September 24, 2019
Hanwa Co. Ltd. Completes Acquisition of 9.755% Interest in Waterberg Palladium Project from JOGMEC Including Metal Marketing Rights March 7, 2019
Platinum Group Metals Files Mining Right Application for the Waterberg JV PGM Project September 4, 2018

Aerial view:

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