Jubilee Metals Group PLC (AIM:JLP, JSE:JBL, OTC:JUBPF) said the cobalt refining circuit at the Sable copper and cobalt refinery in Zambia entered the commissioning phase last month.
The first trial cobalt product was produced in line with the commissioning and ramp-up schedule and commercial output is targeted to start in August, said the metals processing company.
Jubilee is seeking to integrate the Sable refinery with the newly constructed copper concentrator, Project Roan, as part of the company’s Southern Refining Strategy.
Commissioning and ramp up is progressing at Project Roan with the concentrator reaching 65% of designed capacity and the first filtered copper concentrate produced for refining at Sable, Jubilee said.
The ramp-up of the concentrator is expected to reach capacity by the end of this month, enabling it to process about 830 tonnes of copper in concentrate per month for refining at Sable.
"Reaching these significant milestones announced today put us in great stead for the financial year ahead, and beyond,” said chief executive Leon Coetzer.
"The Roan copper concentrator completes the implementation of Jubilee's Southern Refining Strategy targeted to deliver up to 12,000 tonnes of copper units per annum. This progress of the Southern Refining Strategy paves the way for the acceleration of our Northern Refining Strategy as we continue our expansion in Zambia.”