Northam Platinum is planning to seal agreements with properties neighbouring its Booysendal development project to boost production, following a drop at its Zondereinde mine.

Output from its only operational mine fell 22.2 per cent to 250,110 4E platinum group metal (pgm) ounces in the financial year to the end of June.

It follows disruption at the mine in 2010 which the company said had a "major negative impact" on production.

Booysendal, likely to commence operations in 2013, is a key development for Northam, which expects the mine to produce 160,000 oz of platinum a year from 2014.

South African publication Business Live reports the firm wants to strike deals with its neighbours to give it more access to the UG2 reef at Booysendal.

Northam Platinum chief executive officer Glen Lewis told the news provider that the firm plans to "square off the boundaries" with ground swaps.

"Good progress has been made with reducing project risk at Booysendal following on the regulatory approvals obtained for the mine, notably a new order mining right, and a water use licence, enabling us now to fast-track the construction and development," he said in a statement accompanying the firm's annual results.

Source:

Northam mulling deals with Booysendal neighbours (18/08/11) 

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