BRR Braemore Res

RNS Number:2767O
Braemore Resources PLC
19 February 2008


19 February 2008


                             Braemore Resources Plc

                         ("Braemore" or "the Company")


                       First Production results at Mintek


Braemore (AIM: BRR) announces the successful completion of the first quarter of
commercial production for the three months to December 2007 at the Mintek
Smelter in Johannesburg, South Africa. This confirms the economic potential and
operational performance of this 3MW demonstration facility.


Despite challenges with the continuity of power supply experienced during
commissioning of the smelter, some 2,764 tonnes of revert tails were processed
during the first few months of production, which generated 6,115 oz of platinum
group metals ("PGM"), with recoveries averaging 98.4%. During this period of
operation there were no Lost Time Injuries, and the sulphur dioxide (SO2)
emissions were negligible, registering below three parts per million (ppm). This
is well below the regulated 25ppm limits, confirming that the process is cleaner
and far better for the environment than traditional PGM smelting practices.


Summary of results for the quarter ended 31 December 2007:

                               Total           Oct           Nov           Dec

Tonnes Smelted                 2,764           849           943           972

Production
4E (PGM) Oz                    6,115         1,333         2,622         2,160

Recovery
Build Up Recovery 4E %         98.4%         96.6%         99.1%         99.4%



Hamish Bohannan, Managing Director of Braemore, commented: "Completion of our
first quarter's production confirms that our exclusive license for the ConRoast
process can provide emerging PGM producers with an economic alternative for
smelting their concentrates with significant levels of chrome. It further
demonstrates that the process is efficient, economical and environmentally
friendly."


"Whilst power interruptions have impacted production at Mintek during start-up,
the steady state operations have remained largely unaffected. In conjunction
with Mintek, we are evaluating alternate standby facilities. As part of our risk
mitigation for our planned 10MW start-up, we are comfortable with firm in-house
alternate power generation options which may be implemented."



For further information, please contact:
Braemore Resources Plc                  Investec Bank (UK) Limited
Mr Hamish Bohannan                      Gerard Kisbey-Green
Managing Director                       Tel: +44 20 7597 5167
Tel (Office): +61 8 9218 8833
Tel (Mobile):+61 419 234 770
Mirabaud Securities                     Parkgreen Communications
Rory Scott                              Justine Howarth / Erica Nelson
Tel: +44 20 7878 3410                   Tel +44 20 7851 7480


ENDS



Notes to Editors:


Braemore Resources Plc is a public company listed on the Alternative Investment
Market of the London Stock Exchange.


Braemore acquired all of the issued capital of Western Consolidated Nickel (Pty)
Limited ("WCN") from Atomaer in July 2005.


WCN has the sole right to conduct pilot plant test work and a Definitive
Feasibility Study on the reclamation and processing of sulphide nickel tailings
at BHP Billiton's nickel operations at Leinster.


WCN may proceed with the development and operations of commercial plants to
process sulphide nickel tailings to produce nickel products at the Leinster
Nickel Operations ("the Project") and subsequently at Kambalda and Mt Keith if
the Definitive Feasibility Study for the Project satisfies the project criteria.


Independent consultant to Braemore, CSA Australia (Pty) Limited ("CSA
Australia"), has completed a resource statement for three of the tailings
storage facilities making up the Leinster Tailings Project.  A JORC compliant
Mineral Resource estimate of 29.6 million tonnes of sulphide nickel tailings at
an average grade of 0.46% nickel has been determined, containing 135,000 tonnes
of nickel.  In addition, AMC Consultants independently estimated approximately
134.6 million tonnes of tailings containing 350,758 tonnes of nickel based on
historic mill records of the sulphide tailings at the Kambalda and Mt Keith
operations.


The Tailings Supply Agreement also provides exclusive rights to BHP Billiton to
purchase all nickel product from the Project that complies with the product
specifications.


Mick Elias of CSA Australia has reviewed the resource estimates contained
herein. He is a Chartered Professional and a Fellow of the Australasian
Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and has sufficient experience, which is
relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration,
and to the activity he is undertaking, to qualify as a Competent Person in terms
of the 'Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral
Resources and Ore Reserves' (JORC Code 2004 Edition). Mick Elias consents to the
inclusion of such information in this Report in the form and context in which it
appears. Mick Elias is a non-executive director of Braemore.


Braemore acquired control of Independence Platinum Limited ("Independence"), an
unlisted company registered in England and Wales, in December 2006.


Braemore through Independence is implementing plans to evaluate, establish and
operate independent base metals refining facilities for the smelting and
refining of sulphide concentrates containing PGMs from emerging platinum
producers in South Africa.


Braemore's South African strategy is firmly founded on its rights to the
ConRoast technology patented by Mintek, the state-owned minerals research
organisation. ConRoast is a major advancement over the older technologies used
by the major platinum majors for recovering PGM's, with significant
environmental benefits and no issues with chrome.


ConRoast is not only more cost-effective from a capital and operating cost point
of view, but it is more environmentally friendly than existing technology. The
UG2 reef and Platreef, which are increasingly being developed and mined on the
Bushveld Complex, are comparatively rich in chrome and base metals respectively.
Concentrates with high chrome levels can adversely affect the current smelting
processes.


In terms of an agreement with Mintek, Braemore has secured the exclusive
world-wide rights for seven years following the three-year construction of the
first industrial scale smelter.


Braemore's strategy is initially to build an independent 10MW ConRoast smelting
plant to serve new emerging and existing UG2 producers, who are currently
constrained due to their chrome issues in their ability to process their
concentrate through existing smelters. Braemore also intends to build further
such smelters in partnership with other mining companies. In the medium term
Braemore is also planning to build a smelter and base metals refinery for the
treatment of Platreef concentrates. A feasibility study for the first such
installation is being progressed by TWP Engineers in Johannesburg and it is
envisaged that the plant would be based on a 35MW ConRoast facility and capable
of treating up to 360,000 tonnes of concentrate a year to typically produce some
1 million ounces of PGM's as well as about 30,000 tonnes of nickel and 15,000
tonnes of copper, depending on the feedstock.


Braemore is proceeding with these implementation plans for the development and
operation of independent smelting and base metals refining facilities in South
Africa.






                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END
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