Petra Diamonds Limited - Q3 FY 2026 Operating Update
8 May 2026 LSE: PDL
Q3 FY 2026 Operating Update
“Q3 FY 2026 reflected steady operational performance, with Finsch performing largely to plan while Cullinan focused on recovering from weather-related disruptions as noted in our half-year results.
Sales increased to
The rand also strengthened during the quarter, averaging
Against this backdrop, Management has embarked upon an immediate cost and capital expenditure reduction assessment to preserve liquidity across the Group. We are currently reviewing the phasing of operating and capital expenditure, prioritising mining areas that offer the best near-term value, and minimizing non-core operating and capital expenditure.
At Cullinan, in addition to optimising operating and capital expenditure, we have shifted our focus on maximising production from the areas of the ore body that are known to contain high value Type-II stones, which are the Eastern areas of the C-Cut. This has already resulted in, and will continue to result in, a reduction in carats recovered from the CC1E (which is at a much higher grade and was the basis of the current mining plan and guidance). This decision has been taken to ensure the product mix at
Given the work underway to revise operating plans at the
Highlights vs Q2 FY 2026
-- LTIFR and LTIs are 0.42 and 3 respectively (Q2 FY 2026: 0.14 and 1),
while the LTIFR and LTIs are 0.28 and 6 respectively for the first 9
months of FY 2026 (first nine months of FY 2025: 0.38 and 9).
-- Ore processed reduced 4% to 1.5Mt from 1.6Mt with performance at
Cullinan Mine impacted by power interruptions due to adverse weather,
and deterioration of underground road conditions due to water ingress,
impacting machine availability and reliability. ROM grade performance at
Finsch continued to improve.
-- Revenue amounted to US$68 million (Q2 FY 2026: US$49 million ),
including proceeds from the sale of the 41.82 carat Type IIb blue stone
from our Cullinan Mine .
-- The South African Rand performance continued to exert pressure during
the quarter, averaging ZAR16 .34:US$1 (Q2 FY 2026: ZAR17 .20:US$1 ).
-- Bank loans and borrowings represent the Group’s ZAR1.75 billion (US$102
million ) revolving credit facility (RCF). As at 31 March 2026 , ZAR1.75
billion (US$102 million ) had been drawn, following a ZAR195 million
(US$11 million ) drawdown from the RCF in January 2026 .
-- Consolidated net debt increased to US$298 million as at 31 March 2026
(31 December 2025 : US$284 million ) following the draw-down on the RCF.
Operating Summary
Three months Nine months YTD
Safety,
sales and Q3 Q2 Q3 FY FY 2026
production Unit Var. 2025 FY 2025 Var.
FY 2026 FY 2026
Safety
LTIFR - 0.42 0.14 +200% 0.42 0.28 0.38 -26%
LTIs Number 3 1 +200% 3 6 9 -33%
Sales
Diamonds Carats 781,797 494,237 +58% 558,651 1,745,320 1,672,034 +4%
sold
Revenue 1 US$m 68 49 +39% 42 168 156 +8%
Production
ROM tonnes Tonnes 1,498,034 1,564,679 -4% 1,585,838 4,650,523 4,793,312 -3%
Tailings
and other Tonnes 202,315 193,850 +4% 124,703 550,920 333,330 +65%
tonnes
Total
tonnes Tonnes 1,700,349 1,758,529 -3% 1,710,541 5,201,443 5,126,642 +1%
treated
ROM Carats 549,433 579,087 -5% 563,875 1,694,270 1,649,541 +3%
diamonds
Tailings
and other Carats 57,963 54,999 +5% 45,920 156,548 159,920 -2%
diamonds
Total Carats 607,396 634,086 -4% 609,795 1,850,818 1,809,461 +1%
diamonds
1 Revenue reflects proceeds from the sale of rough diamonds and excludes revenue from profit share arrangements
Production during Q3 was steady, with Finsch delivering largely against plan, while
Furthermore, certain initiatives that were identified for increasing carat recoveries at CC1E to mitigate the impact of the weather disruptions have been put on hold in lieu of the new strategy of maximising production from the eastern parts of the C-Cut, as well as reducing cost to preserve liquidity. This, combined with maximizing production from the C-Cut (which comes at a lower grade), will therefore result in not achieving the Cullinan ROM carats guidance. Guidance for future years will be updated once the revision of Cullinan Mine’s operating plan is complete.
Review of Finsch
The Company has, over the past years, been focused on an internal restructuring that has resulted in a simpler and more streamlined business and operating model. This has included the sale of the Koffiefontein and Williamson mines, multiple labour restructuring initiatives and an optimisation and smoothing of the Group's capital development profiles.
Over the last 9-12 months, the smaller size segment has been experiencing continued weakness adding pressure to cash generation. In parallel, the rand has strengthened during the quarter, averaging
The Company is in the process of assessing the current financial situation of the Finsch mine and the related implications of its financial situation. The Company anticipates its review to be finalised during the course of
Next steps
The Company will release further announcements in due course, as appropriate.
The completion of the assessment of the financial situation of Finsch may take significantly longer than the Group currently anticipates. There can be no guarantee that the options regarding Finsch will be as currently contemplated by Management and will be implemented on the terms set out above.
The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as it forms part of
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations, London Telephone: +44 (0)7495470187
Kelsey Traynor\Julia Stone investorrelations@petradiamonds.com
About
Petra's strategy is to focus on value rather than volume production by optimising recoveries from its high-quality asset base in order to maximise their efficiency and profitability. The Group has a significant resource base which supports the potential for long-life operations.
Petra strives to conduct all operations according to the highest ethical standards and only operates in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. The Company aims to generate tangible value for each of its stakeholders, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of its host countries and supporting long-term sustainable operations to the benefit of its employees, partners and communities.
Petra is quoted on the Main Market of the
Corporate and financial summary
__________________________________________________________________________ | | | | As at 31| | As at 30 June||| | |Unit | As at 31 |December | As at 30 | ||| | | |March 2026| |September 2025| 2025 ||| | | | | 2025 | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| | | | | | | ||| | | | | | | ||| |Total cash at |US$m | 34 |55 |46 |52 ||| |bank¹ ,2 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |Diamond |US$m | 21 |- |2 |12 ||| |debtors | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |Diamond |US$m | 29 |46 |44 |26 ||| |inventories 3 | | | | | ||| | |Carats| 434,182 |608,217 |468,733 |328,689 ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |2030 Loan |US$m | 251 |246 |n/a |n/a ||| |Notes 4 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |2026 Loan |US$m | n/a |n/a |233 |226 ||| |Notes 4 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |Bank loans and|US$m | 102 |92 | 102 | 99 ||| |borrowings 5 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |Consolidated |US$m | 298 |284 |287 |261 ||| |Net Debt 6 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________||| |Bank | | | | | ||| |facilities |US$m | - |11 | - | - ||| |undrawn and | | | | | ||| |available 5 | | | | | ||| |______________|______|__________|_________|______________|______________|||
Notes:
1. The following exchange rates have been used for this announcement: average
for 9M FY 2026 US$1:ZAR17.05 (FY 2025: US$1:ZAR18.15 ); closing rate as
at 31 March 2026 US$1:ZAR16.93 (31 December 2025 US$1:ZAR16.56 ; 30
September 2025 : ZAR17.25 ; 30 June 2025 : ZAR17.75 and 31 March 2025 ZAR18.30 ).
2. The Group’s cash balances comprise unrestricted balances of US$15 million ,
and restricted cash balances of US$19 million .
3. Recorded at the lower of cost and net realisable value.
4. The 2030 Loan Notes have a carrying value of US$251 million which
represents the nominal value of US$228 million , plus fair value adjustments
at modification date in terms of IFRS 9 and net of any unamortised
transaction costs capitalised, issued following the Refinancing completed
during November 2025 .
The 2026 Loan Notes represent the gross capital of
1. Bank loans and borrowings represent amounts drawn under the Group’s
refinanced ZAR1.75 billion (US$102 million ) Revolving Credit Facility
(RCF) and comprise capital draw-down of ZAR1,750 million (US$103 million ),
net of unamortised transaction costs capitalised of ZAR55 million (US$3
million ) and includes accrued interest of ZAR32 million (US$2 million ). As
at 31 March 2026 , the full facility was drawn.
2. Consolidated Net Debt is bank loans and borrowings plus loan notes, less
total cash and diamond debtors.
Mine-by-mine tables:
Three months Nine months YTD
Unit Q3 FY Q2 FY Var. Q3 FY FY 2026 FY 2025 Var.
2026 2026 2025
Sales
Revenue US$m 50 33 +52% 23 119 100 +18%
Diamonds Carats 453,518 271,983 +67% 294,592 1,003,076 934,661 +7%
sold
Average
price per US$ 109 120 -9% 77 118 107 +10%
carat
ROM
Production
Tonnes Tonnes 953,801 1,006,998 -5% 1,000,455 2,920,057 3,197,812 -9%
treated
Diamonds Carats 294,344 321,564 -8% 294,220 902,805 939,425 -4%
produced
Grade 1 Cpht 30.9 31.9 -3% 29.4 30.9 29.4 +5%
Tailings
Production
Tonnes Tonnes 202,315 193,850 +4% 124,703 550,920 333,330 +65%
treated
Diamonds Carats 57,963 54,999 +5% 45,920 156,549 159,920 -2%
produced
Grade 1 Cpht 28.7 28.4 +1% 36.8 28.4 48.0 -41%
Total
Production
Tonnes Tonnes 1,156,116 1,200,848 -4% 1,125,158 3,470,977 3,531,142 -2%
treated
Diamonds Carats 352,307 376,563 -6% 340,140 1,059,354 1,099,345 -4%
produced
Note: 1. Petra is not able to precisely measure the ROM / tailings grade split because ore from both sources is processed through the same plant; the Company therefore back-calculates the grade with reference to resource grades.
Finsch –
Three months Nine months YTD
Unit Q3 FY Q2 FY Var. Q3 FY 2025 FY 2026 FY 2025 Var.
2026 2026
Sales
Revenue US$m 18 16 +13% 19 50 56 -11%
Diamonds Carats 328,279 222,254 +48% 264,059 742,244 737,373 +1%
sold
Average
price per US$ 56 72 -22% 72 67 76 -12%
carat
ROM
Production
Tonnes Tonnes 544,233 557,681 -2% 585,383 1,730,466 1,595,499 +8%
treated
Diamonds Carats 255,089 257,523 -1% 269,656 791,465 710,116 +11%
produced
Grade Cpht 46.9 46.2 +2% 46.1 45.7 44.5 +3%
Notes:
1. The following definitions have been used in this announcement:
a. cpht: carats per hundred tonnes
b. LTIs: lost time injuries
c. LTIFR: lost time injury frequency rate, calculated as the number of LTIs
multiplied by 200,000 and divided by the number of hours worked
d. FY: financial year ending 30 June
e. CY: calendar year ending 31 December
f. H: half of the financial year
g. ROM: run-of-mine (i.e. production from the primary orebody)
h. m: million
i. Mt: million tonnes
j. Mcts: million carats
k. kcts: thousand carats
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