08:01 AM EST, 12/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Giyani Metals ( CATPF ) said on Friday it will delay the start of production from its manganese demonstration plant in Johannesburg to the first quarter of 2025 from the initial target of before year-end.

The company cited power outages, water supply disruption and slow progress in commissioning the control system.

Giyani said the demo plant's objective is to identify issues and improve the design, build and ramp-up of the commercial facility that will be build at its K.Hill manganese project in Botswana.

"Whilst the disruption from power and water outage has now been resolved, the ongoing learnings will be leveraged for the construction of the main plant in Botswana; fine-tuning the process now will have demonstrable operational and cost benefits when we reach construction of the main commercial plant, and puts us on firmer footing for a successful and smooth ramp-up," said Charles FitzRoy, Giyani's president and CEO. "These adjustments further endorse the strategic decision made to construct a demo plant at a 1:10 scale to the planned commercial facility, as this significantly de-risks the final project."