south african power problems benefit metals, page-3

The metals in question are chrome and platinum, where South Africa produces around 75% of world supply in both cases. Also palladium, where South Africa is 35% and Russia (Norilsk Nickel) is another 35% but this is declining.

If you read the quarterly you will see that they haven't ditched chromite at all.

a) They are looking to direct ship small amounts of lumpy hard rock ore that outcrops at surface. This material, being dispersed, was previously thought to be uneconomic but since then prices have doubled to around $300/t. DMCI will handle it all under the 50/50 profit sharing deal, and since it is another dig it up and put it on the boat type of operation it can easily be stopped and started in response to market conditions.

b) More importantly, they have setup a "data room" containing all the information relating to previous chromite/PGM exploration on the property and are talking to "multiple companies" about a JV.

What was ditched is the lateritic surface chromite, though I dare say that if South Africa were to completely go down the tubes it would become economic too. This is a much smaller resource than the underground but the idea was that it could have been developed much easier.

There are very few companies outside South Africa who have even a sniff of the chromite/PGM combination that RML has at Acoje.