Andrada Mining CEO Anthony Viljoen says the latest quarter reflects another period of robust operational performance, underscoring the company’s emergence as one of the pre-eminent producers in the international tin market.
“Increased tin concentrate production was supported by higher recoveries and improved plant utilisation, demonstrating the resilience of our operations and the technical expertise of our team.
“The higher concentrate tonnage also enabled us to continue benefitting from the prevailing strong tin price environment,” Viljoen said.
For the quarter ended 31 August 2025, Andrada Mining Limited reported record tin concentrate production of 453 tonnes at its Uis Mine in Namibia, a 17% increase from the 388 tonnes recorded in Q2 FY2025.
Contained tin output rose 14% to 273 tonnes, supported by ore throughput growth of 12% to 272,838 tonnes and a higher tin recovery rate of 73%, compared with 69% in the previous quarter.
The Uis Mine has a long history, having originally operated between the 1950s and 1990 when it was regarded as one of the largest hard-rock tin mines in the world.
It was later acquired by AfriTin Mining (the company’s former name before rebranding to Andrada in 2022) and recommissioned in 2019 as part of Namibia’s revival of its tin industry.
Since restarting, Uis has grown into a multi-metal operation with tin as its anchor.
The company’s first-half performance reinforced the upward trend, with tin concentrate production reaching 858 tonnes, a 14% year-over-year increase.
Contained tin for the six months rose 11% to 511 tonnes.
While only eight shipments were finalised at quarter end, Andrada expects ten additional shipments to be recognised in Q3 FY2026, underpinning strong sales momentum and revenue visibility.
Tin market fundamentals provided a supportive backdrop.
Realised tin prices averaged US$33,308 per tonne for the quarter, up 4% from a year earlier, reflecting reduced global inventories and resilient industrial demand.
A milestone during the quarter was the successful completion and commissioning of the new Jig Plant at Uis, delivered on schedule and within budget. Commissioning began at the end of August, with the facility expected to enhance recoveries, increase output and reduce unit mining costs.
This plant builds on earlier capacity upgrades at Uis, including a concentrator expansion completed in 2022 that doubled processing throughput, and demonstrates the company’s step-by-step investment strategy to modernise the mine.
Andrada also confirmed that a new filter press is scheduled for completion and commissioning before the end of the third quarter, which will further improve concentrate quality and reduce costs.
The company also delivered on its diversification strategy.
Tantalum concentrate production reached 15 tonnes in the quarter, with 10 tonnes shipped to customers.
For the first half of FY2026, tantalum output climbed 12% year-on-year to 27 tonnes.
Tantalum at Uis has been produced intermittently since small-scale operations in the 1960s, but only in recent years has Andrada integrated it formally as a by-product stream, beginning shipments to customers in 2021.
Lithium Ridge exploration is advancing under the partnership with SQM Australia, with drilling, mapping and sampling programmes progressing to define the scale of spodumene-bearing pegmatites.
Lithium Ridge, located near the Erongo pegmatite belt, was added to Andrada’s portfolio in 2022 through licence acquisitions designed to secure exposure to battery metals.
The 2023 partnership with SQM, one of the world’s largest lithium producers, gave Andrada access to technical expertise and funding for staged exploration programmes.
Engagements with prospective offtakers remain active, with Andrada seeking to leverage long-term demand growth in the battery metals sector.
Cost performance reflected broader sector trends. C1 operating costs rose to US$20,090 per tonne of contained tin in the quarter, compared with US$18,901 in Q1. C2 costs excluding the Orion royalty increased to US$22,277 per tonne, while all-in sustaining costs (AISC) rose to US$27,836 per tonne.
The Orion royalty itself added US$2,953 per tonne. Despite these pressures, Viljoen said operational improvements are expected to deliver sustainable cost reductions as production volumes rise from the Jig Plant.
“The on-time, on-budget commissioning of the Jig Plant is another pivotal milestone for Andrada.
The plant is expected to boost recoveries, raise output and lower unit costs, a combination that will drive further value creation for shareholders as we scale up production,” he said.
Andrada expects the ramp-up of the Jig Plant and the completion of the filter press to accelerate production and strengthen margins.
“We are well-positioned for continued growth in the second half of the financial year. Our operational improvements provide a robust foundation for increased production which alongside the progress at Lithium Ridge, positions Andrada well to build a diversified, high-value portfolio of critical minerals to benefit from long-term structural demand growth,” Viljoen added.
