Tirupati Graphite PLC (LSE:TGR, OTCQX:TGRHF) said it had resumed operations in Madagascar following damage caused by the severe tropical storm Ana.
Road connectivity to its Vatomina and Sahamamy projects was disrupted, but neither mine suffered any material damage.
"We would also like to commend our in-country leadership team for their swift actions in planning for and managing the challenges of this adverse tropical storm enabling us to avoid material damage to our facilities and to re-start operations immediately," Shishir Poddar, executive chairman, said.
In the areas near the company’s projects, freshwater sources were affected, with Tirupati now drilling bore wells for local communities to mitigate risks from future storms.
Following the disruption and forecast of another storm in the next weeks, the company has lowered its expected flake graphite production to 3,200-3,500 tons from 4,000 tons for the six months to 31 March although it expects strong production growth once normal weather conditions resume.