Eastern Platinum to start chrome and PGM revenue from Zandfontein in June

Vancouver, British Columbia – Eastern Platinum report its condensed interim consolidated statements for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Below is a summary of the Company’s financial results for the first quarter of 2024 (“Q1 2024”) in comparison to the restated period in 2023 (“Restated Q1 2023”) (all amounts in USD unless specified):

• Revenue for Q1 2024 decreased to $15.7 million (Restated Q1 2023 – $18.0 million), representing a $2.3 million or -12.9% decrease.
• Mine operating income increased by $1.8 million (or 49.5%) to $5.3 million in Q1 2024 (Restated Q1 2023 – $3.5 million) while gross margin increased from 19.6% in Restated Q1 2023 to 33.7% in Q1 2024.
• Operating loss was $0.03 million in Q1 2024 compared to an operating income of $1.8 million in Restated Q1 2023.
• Net loss attributable to equity shareholders was $0.9 million ($0.00 loss per share) in Q1 2024 versus net loss attributable to equity shareholders of $0.4 million ($0.00 loss per share) in Restated Q1 2023. The decrease in Q1 2024 net income was largely attributable to the increase overall operating costs associated with the soft restart of the Zandfontein underground operations located at the Crocodile River Mine (“CRM”) in South Africa and foreign exchange losses incurred in the period due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar.
• The Company had a working capital deficit (current assets less current liabilities) of $16.7 million as at March 31, 2024 (December 31, 2023 – working capital deficit of $15.5 million) and short-term cash resources of $20.7 million (consisting of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments) (December 31, 2023 – $21.3 million)

Wanjin Yang, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eastplats commented, “We are encouraged by the first quarter results despite the challenging PGM market price environment. Our focus is on chrome recoveries from the remaining tailings resource as we approach the end of the retreatment project. We expect to start earning chrome and PGM revenue from the Zandfontein underground section at the CRM in June as we ramp up run-of-mine tonnages.”

The Company derived revenue from the processing of PGM and chrome concentrates during Q1 2024 and Q1 2023. Eastplats’ majority of revenue (approximately 93% for Q1 2024) is from chrome concentrate sales to third parties.

Eastplats owns directly and indirectly a number of PGM and chrome assets in the Republic of South Africa. All of the Company’s properties are situated on the western limb (Crocodile River Mine) and eastern limb (Kennedy’s Vale, Spitzkop, Mareesburg) of the Bushveld Complex, the geological environment that hosts approximately 80% of the world’s PGM-bearing ore.

Operations at the Crocodile River Mine currently include re-mining and processing its tailings resource from the Barplats Zandfontein tailings dam and mining and processing ore from the Zandfontein underground section to both produce PGM and chrome concentrates.