ZIMBABWE Platinum Mines Ltd (Zimplats) said this week that a new fiscal regime for the mining industry was among key requirements for the company to proceed with a promising platinum mining project. Zimplats is 51% owned by Australia’s Delta Gold. The company acquired the Zimbabwean platinum operations of Australia’s BHP Ltd in 1999 after BHP closed its troubled Hartley Platinum Mine in Zimbabwe. Zimplats’ proposed Ngezi/SMC project is forecast to produce 102 000 ounces of platinum and 85 000 ounces of palladium annually. – Reuters
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