Every Friday, SAfm’s radio anchor Sakina Kamwendo speaks to Martin Creamer, publishing editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly. Reported here is this Friday’s At the Coalface transcript:

Kamwendo: The crisis in the Middle East is highlighting South Africa’s supply chain strength.

Creamer: What is quite encouraging is that certain companies have been in position for many, many years and even though they are having obstructions in the Middle East, they are able to quickly get situations changed and get the supplies they need. A lot of them have got very good supply chain systems that have been going over decades and one of them is Omnia. It is good that Omnia is not only in fertilisers, because we need those fertilisers to grow our food, but it is also in mining explosives, because the key ingredient is ammonia. We can see that a lot of the people around the world are worried about this ammonia situation.

We hear in many presentations at the moment, they talk about ammonia, but what has happened is that Omnia has been able to get the ammonia from a different source and not have to go through the Straits, so that we are okay here. So, our plants will be good, because they will get what is needed, and also our mining explosives, which we need so critically, will also be catered for. It is just so encouraging that these multi-directional supply chains have been there for decades and they can do things even though there is an interruption in world supply.

Kamwendo:  New applications for South Africa’s platinum group metals are emerging fast from a new research centre.

Creamer: Yes, last year at the Platinum Group Metals Industry Day, they said, we’ve  formed a Palladium Center, because we can't just continue to rely on the automotive industry for demand, and vehicles is where the maximum demand is for palladium, so we’re hoping that by the next time, that is this year, when we report, we’ll have a lot more applications for platinum. It was true to the sense that you got that they would come forward because there are about 30 projects which are so encouraging. The one is using palladium in solar power. Now, we thought solar power was sorted out.

The Chinese have lowered the cost. Now the Palladium Center is coming through with palladium that can lower the cost of solar panels still further and use a material that makes you get more light, more sunlight, even though it might be a time of early sunrise, and deeper into sunset, you will still get more light because of the material used, so, it’s an amazing breakthrough. But the biggest new potential application for palladium is in microelectronics. With AI and the data centres, they are wanting to use less gold, because the gold price is so high and the palladium is coming in to fill in with the gold. You can't take the gold away totally, but still, it’s providing a market there that is potentially huge. Then there are lithium sulphur batteries.

They are able to come in at a cost lower than lithium-ion batteries with the help of palladium and end up with a product that is lighter, and which has greater density. That is great news for South Africa, because we host the biggest supply of platinum group metals and the more markets we can find, the better for our mining economy. With automotive demand changing, new market demand certainty is crucial.

Kamwendo: The revival of uranium mining in the Free State and Northern Province is showing promise.

Creamer: One of the good things about South Africa is that we have got a lot of mines on care and maintenance. You know, a lot of mines are not working, but they can be brought back fast. We saw an announcement from Neo Energy Metals coming out of London. Neo is listed in London and Neo is taking urgent steps to revive the uranium mining in the Free State, in the Beisa complex, where they want to resurrect that and make use the dormant Beatrix 4 shaft.

They have gone along to South Africa’s Sibanye-Stillwater and they’ve asked him to help them to get on site sooner so they can start working, even ahead of all the licencing happening. Then there is also in the Northern Cape another opportunity and it is both uranium and gold and both these are in demand at the moment. It’s good that we are able to go to these complexes and revive them and there is still a lot more opportunity in that. So, hopefully around the country, we’ll do that a lot more.

Kamwendo: Thanks very much. Martin Creamer is publishing, editor of Engineering News & Mining Weekly.