CHAMWE KAIRA
Andrada Mining has stated in a business update for the quarter ended 31 May 2026, that tin production at Uis reached a record 286 tonnes, up 20% from 238 tonnes in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.
Tin concentrate production also reached a record 473 tonnes, a 16% year-on-year increase from 405 tonnes.
The company processed 270 069 tonnes of ore during the quarter, a 6% increase from 254 745 tonnes a year earlier, while plant processing rates rose from 142 tonnes per hour to 154 tonnes per hour. Plant recovery remained at 73%, with plant availability improving to 90%.
Andrada said the stronger production reflected continued improvements in plant stability and throughput. It added that elevated tin prices, combined with higher production and plant optimisation, are expected to support positive cash flow generation. During the quarter, tin prices ranged between US$41600 and US$57 000 per tonne.
The company also secured conditional approval for N$98 million (about £4.4 million) in strategic funding for its wholly owned subsidiary, Uis Tin Mining Company, from Bank Windhoek and the Development Bank of Namibia.
The 10-year loan facilities are intended to fund the construction and commissioning of the ore-sorting circuit at Uis, completing the funding requirements for the expansion project.
At Lithium Ridge, Andrada completed an expanded 16 500 metre drilling programme comprising 143 drill holes under its earn-in agreement with SQM Australia.
Assay results released from 34 holes have returned lithium intersections grading up to 3.46% lithium oxide (Li₂O) from near surface, together with associated tin and tantalum mineralisation.
The company said assay analysis for the remaining drill holes is expected to be completed during the third quarter of the 2027 financial year.
At the Brandberg West project, initial ore-sorting test work on historical samples indicated that more than 90% of waste material could be rejected before processing, with grade improvements of up to seven times for tin, six times for tungsten and four times for copper.
According to the company, the results point to a potential lower-capital-cost route to production while reducing future transport and milling costs.
Test work also recorded tin and tungsten recoveries exceeding 80% in multiple cases.
The company said drilling and metallurgical programmes are continuing at the project, where historical mining areas have confirmed tin, tungsten and copper mineralisation.
Chief executive officer Anthony Viljoen said the quarter marked one of the company’s strongest operational performances, supported by record tin production, progress at Lithium Ridge and encouraging ore-sorting results at Brandberg West.
