June2014

Vol 10 No 6www.crown.co.za

MODERN MININGIN THIS ISSUE… Another milestone at platinum project Copper developments in Botswana Coal mine near Tete to use surface miner

www.barloworldpower.com

June 2014MODERN MINING1

CoverThe Sandvik MN220 continuous hard rock mining machine is used for mechanical cutting of mostly high value ore in low reef applications. The reef miner operates in undercutting mode which means that the chipping process of material is directed to a free surface enabling a relatively lightweight machine to operate in high compressive rock strengths. See page 18 for more on mechanisation.

PublisherJenny Warwick

EditorArthur Tassell

Advertising ManagerBennie Ventere-mail: benniev@crown.co.za

Design & LayoutDarryl James

CirculationKaren Pearson

Subscriptions:Wendy CharlesR410 (incl. Vat) per annumPostage extra outside RSA

Printed by:Shumani Printers

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

Published monthly by:Crown Publications ccP O Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008Tel: (011) 622-4770Fax: (011) 615-6108e-mail: mining@crown.co.za

Average circulation(January–March 2014)

4 374

MODERNM I N I N G

CONTENTS

MINING NEWS4 Vanguard completes heavy lift at Sentinel

5 Mill motor failure affects Mupane production

6 Husab uranium project notches up milestones

7 Ivanhoe provides update on Kamoa discovery

8 Otjikoto still on time and within budget

9 Fast work by Shaft Sinkers at Kibali

11 Concor completes long-running contract

12 Rockwell’s revenue up 39 % year-on-year

14 Copper cathode production starts at Kipoi

16 Uranium production stops at Kayelekera

18COVERPlatinum belt mechanisation on the horizon

22PLATINUMAnother milestone reached at Bakubung

26COPPER26 Copper developments in Botswana

EVENTS34 Record turnout for Botswana conference

FEATURE – EXPLORATION ANDGEOLOGY40 MSA – a front-runner in the field of

geology

46 Exploration projects in a new digital era

ARTICLES

PRODUCT NEWS48 Innovative cap lamp introduced by MSA

49 Sandvik double-pass miner a record-breaker

50 Otjikoto order to showcase gold expertise

51 Modular equipment supplied to Forbes Coal

52 Gear units designed for mill drive trains

53 Improved efficiencies from froth pump

54 Becker at the forefront of CAS technology

55 Rig designed for in-stope roof bolting

56 Booyco tablet certified for use in fiery mines

56 Cabin dumpers are strong on safety

REGULARS

36EQUIPMENTCoal mine to use Wirtgen surface miner

40

www.tenova.com

June 2014MODERN MINING3

COMMENT

If any confirmation is needed that the mining industry, both in South Africa and globally, is indeed in bad shape it can be found in PwC’s just published eleventh annual review – Mine 2014 –

of global trends in the mining industry. Based on the financial performance and position of the Top 40 mining companies worldwide by market capitalisation, Mine 2014 – which es-sentially covers 2013 – makes for depressing reading. The year is described as “one of the toughest years in memory for mining” with the Top 40’s market value declining by US$280 billion (down 23 % on the previous year) and profits sinking by 72 % to US$52 billion.

Commenting on the report, Hein Boegman, PwC Mining Industry Leader for Africa, says: “The industry is adjusting to tough times in the short-term with strategies in place to regain confidence. For example, we have seen new faces at the helm of almost half of the largest 40 mining companies in the last two years.” His colleague Dion Shango, PwC Mining Partner, adds that PwC’s analysis of the top 40 chief executives indicates that the industry is looking to leaders with operational experi-ence, who can deliver projects on schedule and within budget.

On commodity prices, Mine 2014 notes that commodities “dipped again” with double-digit decreases being not uncommon. Gold producers were hardest hit as a result of gold suffering its greatest annual decline in over 30 years. “Many commodities encountered short term demand volatility coupled with calls for restraint over projected growth rates in the next 3-5 years, although China’s expected growth remains strong in absolute and relative terms,” says the review. “At current prices, many pro-ducers are on the wrong side of the marginal cost curve, which cannot be sustained for extended periods.”

Dealing with the vexed subject of resource nationalism, Mine 2014 says that the industry continues to face ongoing geopolitical issues that threaten both planned projects and oper-ating mines in jurisdictions around the globe. It adds that “Frustrations are building within the ranks of CEOs around the challenges of operating in some emerging markets, where governments have changed laws and regula-tions with inadequate consultation, disrupting the regulatory certainty needed to support long-term investment decisions.”

An interesting point made by PwC is that Top 40 companies are less willing to take a

chance on commodities in cases where they cannot make a meaningful profit. It cites the example of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company, which has announced – or completed – divestments in a number of coun-tries, including South Africa, involving mineral sands, uranium and diamond assets.

Despite the poor trading conditions, the Top 40 companies grew production across most commodities during 2013. Compared with 2012, copper production was up 8 % to 12 Mt and iron ore up 4 % to 825 Mt. Somewhat smaller increases were recorded for coal and gold. Coal production went up by 2 % to 1 470 Mt while gold output was also up 2 % to 25 Moz. PwC says it is not clear whether these increases were a result of companies attempt-ing to reduce unit costs through economies of scale or the result of the de-bottlenecking of operations.

One might have thought that 2013 would have seen a drop in mining capex given the fact that almost half of the Top 40 companies had announced plans to cut or defer capital expen-diture. The expected decline did not occur, says PwC, and the overall total capital expen-diture actually rose by 2 % to US$130 billion during 2013. The news for the current year is not so good. Says Mine 2014: “Based on initial guidance from the Top 40, overall forecasted capital expenditure is expected to decline by approximately 11 % to US$116 billion in 2014 as capital budgets are tightened.”

According to PwC, the Top 40 appear to be moving away from greenfield projects. As evi-dence of this, it quotes Glencore Xstrata CEO Ivan Glasenberg’s comments, made in March last year: “We are afraid of greenfields. And it’s been proven: we were correct. Greenfields are risky. Greenfields do have capital overruns. Greenfields do have delays which kill the NPV on those projects.”

Finally, just who are the Top 40 mining com-panies? Looking at the list of names in Mine 2014, I find it remarkable just how many of them I hardly recognise. For example, there is Russian company Uralkali, Mexico’s Grupo México SAB de CV, Poland’s KGHM Polska Miedz Spolka Akcyjna and Canada’s Yamana Gold Inc – none of whom are exactly household names. It’s probably worth mentioning that there is only one South African company on the list – Impala Platinum. South Africa used to be one of mining’s ‘super-powers’ but clearly – and sadly – this is no longer the case.Arthur Tassell

2013 – one of the toughest years in memory for mining

“Frustrations are building within the ranks of CEOs around the challenges of operating in some emerging markets, where governments have changed laws and regulations with inadequate consultation, disrupting the regulatory certainty needed to support long-term investment decisions.”

4MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

Vanguard, South Africa’s heavy-lift spe-cialist, has just completed its heaviest strand-jacking lift to date, the heaviest lift of its type ever done in the region.

Two prefabricated conveyor trusses in excess of 1 200 tonnes each have been lifted from their assembly position at ground level to their working position at a height of approximately 50 m above the ground.

The conveyors form part of the new plant currently being constructed by First Quantum Minerals at its US$1,9 bil-lion Sentinel copper mine project near

Inferred mineral resource estimate for Kombat mineKombat Copper Inc, listed on the TSX-V, has completed its initial NI 43-101 inferred min-eral resource estimate for the Kombat mine project. The resource is put at 1,7 Mt grad-ing 1,93 % Cu and 16 g/t Ag.

Located in northern Namibia, the Kombat mine is a former producing cop-per mine that opened in 1962 and closed in 2008 with historical production of 12 Mt grading between 2,5 % and 3,0 % copper with additional credits for lead and silver. It has been mined over a strike length of 3,5 km.

The initial inferred mineral resource

estimate was defined using the existing historic surface and underground drill holes from the Asis Far West part of the Kombat property. The Kombat technical team is still reviewing the extensive histori-cal database, which now includes in excess of 7 000 drill holes, and they have identi-fied significant opportunities to increase mineral resources with additional infill and expansion drilling.

“This initial Inferred resource estimate at Asis Far West will allow us to continue with the preliminary economic studies focused on restarting the Kombat mine operation,”

comments Bill Nielsen, President and CEO of Kombat Copper. “We are very excited not only with this initial resource estimate but the number of quality exploration tar-gets we have been able to identify through the course of our data compilation of the Kombat properties.”

Kombat Copper’s plans for the remain-der of 2014 include continued focus on the Asis Far West area of the Kombat mine. Various studies on determination of pro-duction scenarios as well as estimated capital and operating costs are ongoing. Shaft, underground development and mill refurbishment studies are also being undertaken.

Vanguard in challenging heavy lift at SentinelMwinilunga in north-west Zambia.

Using four 418-ton strand jacks with an integrated computer control system, the two conveyor trusses (one 80 m and the other 67 m in length) were hoisted in a ‘syn-chronised lift’ into position. Each lift took less than a week to complete and the proj-ect was successfully completed in early May by Vanguard’s six-member on-site team.

Comments Ron Wiggill, Vanguard’s heavy lift engineer and senior project manager for the operation: “In conjunc-tion with First Quantum’s projects office

in Australia, we had – prior to the start of the onsite works – been involved in the design of the system for almost one year. In addition to the huge weight, the project was made even more challenging by the extreme tolerances to which we had to work and fit the conveyor sections.”

Vanguard is a South African company specialising in the transport, lifting, plac-ing and assembly of heavy plant across all industries. Vanguard was established 40 years ago and completed its first strand-jack lift in 2005.

One of the 1 200-ton trusses Vanguard strand-jacked into position, with a second truss about to be raised. These lifts at the Sentinel copper mine in Zambia are reportedly the heaviest of their type ever carried out in the region (photo: Vanguard).

June 2014MODERN MINING5

MINING News

Galane Gold, listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange, reports that due to a failure of the SAG mill motor at its Mupane gold mine in Botswana, mill production is expected to be at approximately 70 % of planned levels for a period of eight to 18 weeks.

The faulty motor has been replaced with an emergency spare that has 60 % of the capacity of the replaced motor. The company is currently reviewing the best option to resolve the issue. Several replacement motors have been identified which could be at site within several weeks or alternatively the faulty motor can be repaired which could take up to 18 weeks. Company management is optimistic that the 18-week estimate is conservative.

Says Ravi Sood, Galane Gold’s CEO: “The failure of our SAG mill motor is a disap-pointing setback given the improvements we have seen in the last two quarters but represents a normal course challenge in the business. We have the flexibility to adjust production during this time period to minimise the financial impact of the

Copper SX/EW workshop to be held in ChingolaCM Solutions will be hosting its second Copper SX/EW (solvent extraction and elec-trowinning) Workshop at the Protea hotel in, Chingola, Zambia, from 21-24 July 2014.

This is in direct response to a need for knowledge exchange in this highly spe-cialised area of hydrometallurgy and will help address the skills shortage in Zambian mining.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for engi-neers in the Copperbelt to take advantage of the world-class expertise of Dr Kathy Sole and Dr Frank Crundwell, who between them have over 50 years’ experience. Attendees

will practise the principles of their learn-ing through case studies and discussion groups, exposing delegates to operational knowledge from around the world,” says CM Solutions.

This event is aimed at engineers, met-allurgical staff and managers employed in copper operations in Zambia and last year attracted delegates from Chambishi, Kansanshi and BASF. No prior knowledge of SX or EW is required.

Additional information can be found at: www.cm-solutions.co.za/services/training or by e-mailing louise@cm-solutions.co.za.

Mill motor failure affects production at Mupane

The processing plant at the Mupane gold mine near Francistown in Botswana (photo: Galane Gold).

temporarily reduced mill throughput. It is envisaged that once resolved, the lost production will be made up during the

remainder of the year so the motor failure should not have a long-term economic effect on the company.”

ASX-listed Universal Coal has announced that cold commissioning of the Dense Media Separation (DMS) circuit of the wash-ing plant has successfully commenced at its Kangala coal operation near Delmas. Upon completion, the DMS plant will enable production of export quality thermal coal, which will be exported out of the Richards Bay Coal Terminal from July onwards.

With the completion of the DMS, the entire colliery will be on opex and com-pletion testing as required by project financing arrangements may commence.

Kangala is Universal Coal’s first opera-tion. The mine will be a domestic thermal coal operation supplying coal primarily to Eskom. At a capital cost of A$46,8 million, this operation is projected to supply an estimated average of A$15 million EBITDA per annum (100 %), with both costs and profit margins locked in.

Operating costs will be optimised at a low A$15 per ton over an initial eight-year life of mine at Wolvenfontein achieving an effective >80 % yield.

The operation is being run on the his-

Universal Coal starts commissioning DMS planttorically proven outsource model, with Stefanutti Stocks Mining Services supply-ing both the mining fleet and skill set to run the initial eight-year Wolvenfontein pit, operating a fleet of 60-t trucks, 85-t exca-vators and supporting equipment. The dual circuit processing facility containing a 350 t/h crushing and screening circuit and

the 200 t/h DMS washing plant is owned by the company but operated by Mineral Resource Development.

Following the Kangala project will be development of the export-focused Roodekop and Brakfontein projects sub-ject to positive feasibility studies, financing and other regulatory approvals.

6MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

The permanent new road and bridge con-necting Swakop Uranium’s Husab mine to the Namibian road network were officially opened by the Founding President of Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma, at an unveiling ceremony on 7 May 2014. The road was built at a cost of N$180 million, which includes the cost of the bridge at N$21 million.

The road from the B2 turn-off to the Husab mine is 22 km long. It travels through part of the well-known moon landscapes and is said to be one of the most beautiful drives in Namibia. The 160 m long bridge is the longest built in Namibia since the coun-try’s independence in 1990.

In his address at the opening, Dr Nujoma said the investment in the Husab mine, which constituted the largest of its kind in Namibia, was clear testimony to the strong bond of friendship and solidarity that existed between China and Namibia. He said he viewed the project as “a catalyst to enhance socio-economic development for the benefit of the communities in this region and our country as a whole.”

The Chinese ambassador to Namibia,

Husab uranium project notches up milestones

Xin Shunkang, pointed out that the total investment in the Husab project exceeded five billion US dollars, making it the largest investment made by China in Africa to date.

On the day after the opening of the road and bridge, mining operations at Husab were officially inaugurated by Namibia’s President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, who headed a guest list of VIPs, which included Dr Nujoma, Minister of Mines & Energy Isaak Katali, Ambassador Shunkang, and He Yu, Chairman of China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), which is the majority shareholder in the mine.

Located about 76 km by road from the coastal town of Swakopmund, Husab is due to be in production by the end of 2015 and will reach nameplate production by 2017.

The project officially kicked off on 18 April last year with a ground-breaking cer-emony on the mine site, with the guests at the event including Minister Katali.

As Modern Mining reported last month, the first blast on the project site was deto-nated on 12 March this year. The plan is to

ensure that a run-of-mine (ROM) stockpile will be ready for processing on completion of construction of the processing plant. The mine and process plant are designed to produce 15 million pounds of uranium oxide a year.

Swakop Uranium has also confirmed plans to build a 500 000 tonne sulphuric acid plant at the mine. Sulphuric acid is a key chemical used to recover uranium in an orebody. Construction of the sulphuric acid plant will start in the second quarter of 2014. The Husab mine is expected to uti-lise all the sulphuric acid produced at the envisaged plant. Additional acid, if needed, will be imported or sourced locally.

Swakop Uranium has started filling permanent positions well in advance of the opening of the mine as part of the Operational Readiness Programme. This will ensure that staff will be sufficiently trained and ready to hit the ground run-ning once the mine enters production.

Based on the definitive feasibility study for the project, Husab is being developed as a low-risk, conventional, large-scale load-and-haul open pit mine, feeding ore to a conventional agitated acid leach pro-cess plant. The mine has a potential life of more than 20 years.

Swakop Uranium will have an annual turnover of about N$10-billion once the Husab mine is in full production. The Husab project will furthermore contribute 5 % to Namibia’s GDP and 20 % to the country’s merchandise exports and will generate up to N$1 700 million per year in Government revenue.

It will create more than 6 000 temporary jobs during construction and about 1 600 permanent operational job opportunities. This will increase the number of people employed in Namibia's mining sector by approximately 17 %.

About to cut the ribbon at the official opening of the road and bridge are (from left) the Erongo Regional Governor Cleophas Mutjavikua, CGN Group Chairman He Yu, the Founding President of Namibia, Dr Sam Nujoma, and the Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Xin Shunkang (photo: Swakop Uranium).

Some of the massive Komatsu 960E haul trucks to be deployed at Husab were on display at the recent function celebrating the start of mining operations (photo: Swakop Uranium).

June 2014MODERN MINING7

MINING News

Robert Friedland, Executive Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, and Lars-Eric Johansson, Chief Executive Officer, have issued a summary of significant, ongoing exploration and development activi-ties at the company’s Kamoa copper discovery, located near the mining centre of Kolwezi in the DRC’s southern province of Katanga.

Friedland said the work has further confirmed that the focus of the company’s initial mine devel-opment at Kamoa will be on the high-grade Kansoko Sud area, where ongoing infill drilling since the last resource estimate was produced in 2012 has defined a thick, near-surface zone of high-grade copper sulphide mineralisation that would be amenable to treatment by a conven-tional copper flotation plant.

One of the 101 infill holes drilled in this area, for which assays were received in April 2014, inter-cepted 15,7 m (true width) of 7,04 % copper at a 1,5 % total copper cut-off.

Since issuing an updated, independent pre-liminary economic assessment (PEA) for the Kamoa project in November 2013, Ivanhoe has concentrated its exploration drilling activities on the acquisition of samples for metallurgical testing, as well as undertaking drilling on 200-m close-spaced sections in the Kansoko Sud area. Exploration drilling has been directed at infilling those areas identified as primary mining targets in the PEA.

A total of 60 of the 101 holes with assays returned since the release of the updated PEA six months ago were drilled in the Kansoko Sud area, 29 were in Kansoko Centrale, one in Kansoko Nord, nine in Kamoa Sud and two in Makalu.

Infill drilling of the initial mining area has confirmed the overall grade and thickness of the December 2012 resource estimate in these areas and has provided invaluable refinement within localised areas. While traditionally modelled on a 1 % total copper cut-off to define a selective mineralised zone, the deposit has shown that grade continuity also exists at an elevated 1,5 % total copper vertical cut-off and that a 2,0 % vertical total copper cut-off may be feasible in certain areas.

Recent work defining the selective mineralised zone (SMZ) at higher vertical cut-offs has shown that narrower, higher-grade intervals create more expansive, contiguous zones, which should improve initial mine economics.

A new base case for future engineering stud-ies is being developed using a 1,5 % total copper cut-off with a minimum 3-m mining height and a maximum mining constraint of 6 m (a single min-ing cut); incremental mineralisation above 6 m will

be included only if the grade of the incremental mineralisation exceeds 2 %. This approach was introduced for thicker intercepts to ensure ini-tial mining cuts would extract only higher-grade material.

The initial mine plan produced in the PEA focused initial mining in the shallower portion of Kansoko Sud, an area previously drilled on 400-m spacings. Since completion of the PEA, Ivanhoe has concentrated on substantially closing the distances to 100-m spacings on 200-m-spaced, east-west lines, with the goal of demonstrating grade and structural continuity of this high-grade zone at potentially elevated cut-offs. Drilling is continuing in this area; results to date are extremely encouraging and have confirmed – and in some locations exceeded – the initial results based on holes spaced 400 m apart.

During the remainder of 2014, Ivanhoe intends to continue its detailed infill programme in the ini-tial mining area to cover an area of approximately one square kilometre with a 100-m detailed grid.

In line with the phased approach to proj-ect development outlined in the 2013 updated Kamoa PEA, the Kamoa pre-feasibility study (PFS) is progressing on the basis of an initial 3 Mt/a mine and concentrator.

Preparations are underway to start the first mine-access decline at Kamoa’s Kansoko Sud area. The decline is designed to provide access to the high-grade copper resources that would be tar-geted for the planned first phase of production using the room-and-pillar mining method.

Kamoa is considered amenable to large-scale, mechanised mining using a combination of room-and-pillar and drift-and-fill methods, given the deposit’s favourable mining characteristics as derived from the December 2012 mineral resource – including its relatively undeformed, continuous mineralisation, local continuity between closely-spaced drill holes and flat-to-moderate dips.

In December 2012, a new, independent min-eral resource estimate was prepared for the Kamoa copper discovery by AMEC E&C Services, of Reno, Nevada. The new estimate ranked Kamoa as Africa’s largest, high-grade copper discovery and the world’s largest, undeveloped high-grade copper discovery.

As of January 2013, Ivanhoe Mines had dis-covered indicated mineral resources of 739 Mt grading 2,67 % copper, containing 43,5 billion pounds of copper, and inferred mineral resources of 227 Mt grading 1,96 % copper, containing 9,8 billion pounds of copper. A 1 % copper cut-off grade and a minimum vertical mining thickness of 3 m were applied in each classification.

Ivanhoe provides update on Kamoa discovery

8MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

In its report on the first quarter ended 31 March 2014, Canada’s B2Gold Corp says that construction at it open-pit Otjikoto mine in Namibia remains on time and within budget. Construction is expected to be completed and production is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Construction began in January 2013 and will continue into the fourth quar-ter of 2014 and is being managed by B2Gold’s experienced team. Excavation at the mill area is complete and a concrete batch plant is in continuous use to assist with the pouring of foundations. A total of about 15 000 m3 of concrete will be poured during construction, and a total of 13 000 m3 of concrete had been poured through March 2014.

Otjikoto still on time and within budgetThe mill and mining offices have

already been completed by a local con-tractor and the construction of all the other administration buildings is pro-gressing well. Most of the equipment and supplies to build the mill have been pur-chased and are arriving daily at site. Mill construction activities are progressing well, 9 000 m3 of concrete having been poured in this area, and six leach tanks and five CIP tanks having been erected to date. Additionally, steel is arriving daily at site and the steel workers have begun to erect steel around the mill and tank areas. The total volume of material moved from the pit area to date is approximately 6,5 Mt. In addition, the tailings impoundment has been constructed and lined. This facility is

substantially complete and will be used to capture water to start the mill in 2014.

The current mine plan is based on probable mineral reserves of 29,4 Mt at a grade of 1,42 g/t containing 1,34 Moz of gold at a stripping ratio of 5,59:1 to be mined over an initial 12-year period. The current average annual production for the first five years is estimated to be approxi-mately 141 000 ounces of gold per year at an average cash operating cost of US$524 per ounce and for the life of mine approxi-mately 112 000 ounces of gold per year at an average cash operating cost of US$689 per ounce.

However, based on the positive drill results from the Wolfshag zone to date, on January 21, 2014 B2Gold announced plans to expand the Otjikoto mine in 2015, increasing ore throughput from 2,5 Mt/a to 3 Mt/a. This increase will be achieved through the installation of a pebble crusher, additional leach tanks and mining equipment at a total cost of approximately US$15 million. Once the expansion is com-pleted at the end of 2015, B2Gold expects that the annual gold production from the main Otjikoto pit would increase to approximately 170 000 ounces per year.

The 2014 Otjikoto exploration pro-gramme is budgeted at US$8 million. The exploration drilling programme will focus primarily on infill drilling on the northern portion of the Wolfshag zone and will fur-ther test the extension of the Wolfshag zone to the south. The company antici-pates being in a position to upgrade the mineral resource classification to the indi-cated category by the end of 2014. The 2014 programme will also include metal-lurgical and geotechnical test work for the Wolfshag zone.

A very recent (early June 2014 ) view of plant erection at Otjikoto (photo: B2Gold).

Burey Gold to acquire interest in DRC gold projectASX-listed Burey Gold Limited has entered into an agreement with the founders of pri-vate registered company Amani Consulting SPRL and Nevada-based Panex Resources Incorporated (listed on the US Over the Counter securities market) to acquire a 55 % interest in two exploitation permits (constituting the Giro project) which cover 610 km2 of prospective ground in the DRC’s Orientale Province.

The tenements are located less than 30 km west of the recently-opened Kibali gold mine of Randgold Resources and

AngloGold Ashanti. Kibali has 12 Moz of gold at 4 g/t in proven and probable ore reserves and 17 Moz in measured and indi-cated mineral resources. It produced more than 110 000 oz of gold in the March 2014 quarter.

Both the Kibali and Giro projects occur within the Kilo-Moto belt, one of the world’s principal greenstone belts.

The Giro project area is underlain by highly prospective volcano-sedimentary lithologies in a similar structural and litho-logical setting to the Kibali gold deposits.

Both primary and alluvial gold was mined from two main areas, the Giro and Tora areas, during Belgian rule and today these areas are mined extensively by artisanal miners. At Giro the Belgians mined two quartz veins with a combined strike length of 500 m and elluvial gravels over an area of 700 m x 400 m where reported mined grades were 0,25 – 2 g/t Au.

The project area had not been explored for over 50 years (since the Belgian colo-nial era) with no modern exploration up to December 2013 when Panex conducted a 57-hole, 2 888 m RC drilling programme at the Giro prospect.

MINING News

Shaft Sinkers Holdings plc, the interna-tional shaft sinking and underground construction group, has reported contin-ued excellent progress on its shaft-sinking contract at the Kibali gold mine project in the DRC. The main shaft sinking is report-edly progressing very well and has reached a major milestone of 500 m, with sinking proceeding at a rate of at least 3 m per day for more than 30 continuous days.

Kibali is a joint venture between mine operator Randgold Resources (45 %), AngloGold Ashanti (45 %) and Congolese parastatal Sokimo (10 %). The project is situated near Doko, in the north-eastern Orientale Province, and Shaft Sinkers was awarded the mobilisation and vertical shaft contracts in November 2012 with an estimated total value of £82,3 million. Shaft Sinkers is confident that it will meet the overall project completion schedule for the final commissioning and hand-over of the permanent shaft in November 2017.

“We are delighted with the progress our teams are mak-ing at K ibal i ,” sa id Alon Davidov, Chief Execut ive of Shaf t Sinkers. “The very high sinking rates we are achieving are a clear example of the sub-stantial technical skills in our company.”

Mark Bristow, Chief Executive of Randgold Resources, said: “ I would like to congrat-ulate all involved at Kibali. The achievement of 30 days continuous sinking at 3 metres per day is truly world class and is contributing

Basil Read makes senior appointmentsBasil Read, the construction, mining, development and engineering group, has announced the appointment of two senior executives with immediate effect.

Khathutshelo Mapasa has been appointed as Executive Director: Mining. He has 15 years of experience with the De Beers Group, start-ing in 1999 as Senior Plant Metallurgist rising to Project Manager for De Beers’ Forevermark brand. His experience spans both interna-tional and domestic markets, having worked for De Beers in the UK and South Africa where he reportedly gained significant experience in providing strategic, operations, projects and marketing leadership in uniquely chal-lenging situations. Prior to joining Basil Read he was the Principal Process Engineer and Head of Loss Prevention, responsible for techno-economic governance and support for the De Beers Group operations and proj-ects in South Africa and Botswana.

Mapasa holds a PMD (Programme for Management Development) from Harvard Business School and a BSc Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town.

Mfezeko Gwazube has been appointed as Director: Special Projects. He has exten-sive experience in engineering consulting and the built-environment having held various roles within the private and public sector including his most recent role in the National Department of Public Works where he was responsible for the management of the Infrastructure Programme of DPW and Professional Services.

Gwazube holds a MAP (Management Advancement Programme) from Wits Business School and a BSc Construction Management (Honours) from the University of Cape Town.

Fast work by Shaft Sinkers at Kibali

Shaft headgear at the Kibali gold mine in the north-eastern DRC (photo: Randgold Resources).

greatly to our efforts at Kibali.” Major current projects being under-

taken by Shaft Sinkers include the 17 Shaft complex for Impala Platinum, Leeuwkop for Afplats (where the company is well advanced on the sinking of a 984 m deep shaft), the Styldrift project for Anglo Platinum and Royal Bafokeng Resources, the Karee 3, Hossy and Saffy projects for Lonmin, as well as Rampura Agucha for Hindustan Zinc Limited.

In respect of the No 17 shaft complex contract for Impala, Shaft Sinkers states in its recent annual report for 2013 that sinking of the Fridge shaft has been com-pleted and currently development work is being undertaken at both the ventilation and main shafts. Shaft Sinkers agreed a new contract with Impala in April 2014. Says Shaft Sinkers: “The new contract runs until 15 September 2014, after which date it will terminate if not renewed. Impala is retendering the contract and Shaft Sinkers is participating in the retender process.”

www.komatsu.co.za

June 2014MODERN MINING11

MINING News

One of the longest-running opencast mining contracts in recent company his-tory has now been completed by Concor Opencast Mining. The Impala Opencast project, located on the Western Limb of the Bushveld Complex near Rustenburg, was awarded in 2002 by Impala Platinum and mining commenced in the vicin-ity of Impala No 6 shaft, with the Concor Opencast Mining team tackling the Merenksy orebody first. In 2005 the team began mining the UG2 orebody.

The two Merensky faces were relatively small scale, while the UG2 was present on a much larger scale, with seven faces mined. These reefs ranged over a 9 km area and were mined to a depth of 35 m. Lower down, the Impala Platinum under-ground operation mined ore from its shaft systems. The opencast contract included crushing the material to less than 300 mm and its delivery to the mine’s stockpile, as well as rehabilitation of mined areas.

From inception in 2002 the contract was renewed on an annual basis until all opencast resources were depleted. Between November 2009 and December 2013 Concor Opencast Mining mined 49 340 574 bm3 of blasted overburden, 6 576 454 bm3 of topsoil and 8 871 767 tons of reef.

“This project was tightly controlled throughout its duration to mitigate the associated challenges,” says Roger Hearne, Acting GM of Concor Opencast Mining. “For example, mining took place in close proximity to both mine infrastructure and housing occupied by members of the local community. Great care had to be taken not to impact these structures and we achieved this by keeping the vibration from blasting to a minimum. In addi-tion, blasting was only carried out twice a week out of consideration for the local communities.

“At all times we also had to be careful not to hole through to the mine’s under-ground workings. For this, we depended on existing surveys and worked closely with the mine surveyor to ensure that highwall positions were correct.”

At the end of the project, the team had achieved more than five million fatality free hours and 1 196 LTI-free days, earning sev-eral Impala Platinum and Concor Opencast Mining safety awards along the way.

MDM to undertake study on Lofdal projectNamibia Rare Earths Inc, listed on the TSX, has initiated a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) on the Area 4 heavy rare earth deposit at Lofdal in north-western Namibia. MDM Engineering of South Africa has been engaged as the principal consul-tant for the report, which will provide an economic analysis of the potential viability of the current resources at Lofdal.

Ongoing metallurgical test work has achieved increased recoveries and upgrades, indicating that the targeted min-eral concentrate grade of 20 % total rare earth oxides (TREO) can be attained from low grade feed of 0,3 % TREO.

MDM Engineering will be assisted by Mine Technics of Australia for pit opti-

misation, mine planning and operations, Swinden Geoscience of Canada for geologi-cal inputs, and Digby Wells Environmental of South Africa for environmental manage-ment and planning. The PEA , expected to be completed before the end of Q3, will utilise the NI 43-101 compliant resource completed in 2012 by The MSA Group.

Namibia Rare Earths has also announced that it has engaged the services of Cutfield Freeman & Co Ltd (CF&Co) as a financial advisor to assist in exploring strategic options to maximise shareholder value for its Lofdal asset. CF&Co is a global specialist mining corporate finance house headquar-tered in London with offices in Toronto and Hong Kong.

Concor completes long-running opencast contract

A total of 240 people worked on the project site. Equipment comprised five bulk excavators for overburden removal; six smaller excavators for cleaning the ore-body and extraction of the ore; five dozers for moving overburden and top soil; 25 trucks on site; three water carts and vari-ous ancillary support plant. A static jaw crusher serviced the southern pits during the project while a mobile jaw crusher ser-viced the northern pits.

Concor Opencast Mining applied the strip mining method, with average advances of 30 m wide. The team was also responsible for the complete drilling and blasting operation in all pits. The orebody was exposed, extracted and transported to a rail siding 5 km away, where it was crushed and transported by rail to the plant for further processing. Haul road maintenance was critical to minimise wear and tear on vehicles and ensure safety.

Overburden removal at Impala Platinum.

12MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

Rockwell Diamonds Inc, listed on the TSX and JSE, has announced its results for the year ended February 28, 2014. Rockwell is focused on alluvial diamond mining in the Middle Orange River area.

During the year revenue increased 39 % year-on-year to C$45,2 million, comprising C$41,1 million from diamond sales and beneficiation income of C$4,1 million. The overall volume of gravel processed and carat production from all company-owned properties was up 28 % and 27 % year-on-year, respectively.

Commenting on the results, James Campbell, Rockwell’s CEO and President, said: “Our fiscal 2014 results are beginning to reflect the operational turnaround of the company and its core focus on the Middle Orange River (MOR) region of South Africa. Our revenue increased 39 % year-on-year to C$45,1 million, underpinned by a 52 % increase in diamond sales. These improve-ments have been consistent each quarter over the last two years, as we have now reported seven consecutive quarters of dollar denominated revenue growth.

Rockwell’s revenue up 39 % year-on-year“Rockwell reported an operating mar-

gin before amortisation and depreciation of C$6,0 million, compared to C$1,1 mil-lion in the prior year. Economies of scale as a result of operating exclusively in the MOR also emerged, as production costs for the year increased 25 % to C$39,2 mil-lion, against the 52 % improvement in the value of diamond sales. We believe that the implementation of our earthmoving vehi-cle upgrade programme should unlock further benefits as we improve the fleet overall utilisation to match our produc-tion capacity and renew the equipment to lower our maintenance expenses while improving availabilities. Equally pleasing is the positive cash flow from normal opera-tions of C$3,7 million (prior to working capital movements).”

Campbell said that from an operational perspective, these results also show that Rockwell’s MOR focus has gained trac-tion. “During fiscal 2014, we delivered two new mines, namely Saxendrift Hill Complex (SHC) and Niewejaarskraal, both funded internally from cash reserves, and

this more than doubled our MOR produc-tion capacity to 340 000 m3 per month,” he said. “Having met our short-term target to have three producing mines in the MOR, our production profile is now more flex-ible and sustainable. We are pleased too that diamond quality and the frequency of larger stones has improved as anticipated. This included the recovery of 12 stones between 50 carats and 100 carats and five plus 100-carat rough diamonds in fiscal 2014, the largest of which was a 287-carat stone, the biggest stone recovered in recorded history in the region.

“The second phase of the Niewe-jaarskraal mine was commissioned on schedule at the end of fiscal 2014 and its diamond production performance is improving. At Saxendrift, the plant con-tinues to operate consistently. Once we implement the Earthmoving Vehicle (EMV) renewal plan, the plant utilisation should improve further.

“Looking forward, we remain firmly focused on our medium term target to process 500 000 m3 per month of quality gravels,” he continued. “We are conduct-ing contiguous exploration of existing resources at the Saxendrift Extension property to increase the current life of mine, further leveraging our invested mining infrastructure at Saxendrift. We also have a focused exploration and trial mining programme at SHC to maximise the resource potential and develop con-tiguous areas. Mining at Niewejaarskraal, where the processing rate approached the monthly nameplate capacity of 100 000 m3 at fiscal year-end, is aimed at upgrading the inferred resource to the indicated level. At the same time, we con-tinue to review our options to bring the Wouterspan property to fruition, with a preference for an internally funded and phased approach.”

The plant at Rockwell’s new Niewejaarskraal mine in the Middle Orange River region(photo: Arthur Tassell).

New Chief Executive Officer for Forbes CoalForbes & Manhattan Coal Corp (Forbes Coal) has announced that Malcolm Campbell has been appointed as CEO of the company with effect from 1 May 2014.

Campbell is a Professional Certified Mining Engineer with 25 years of indus-try experience and prior, to joining the company as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2011, was COO for an exploration and development joint venture operating in Botswana. Prior to this, he spent more than 20 years with Anglo Coal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anglo American plc.

H e re ce i ve d h i s B S c i n M i n i n g

Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in 1985 and is currently a member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the South African Colliery Managers Association – having served on the Council for two terms.

Forbes Coal is a growing coal producer in Southern Africa. It holds a majority interest in two operating mines through its 100 % inter-est in Forbes Coal (Pty) Ltd, a South African company which has a 70 % interest in Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd. Zinoju holds a 100 % interest in the Magdalena bituminous mine and the Aviemore anthracite mine in South Africa.

June 2014MODERN MINING13

MINING News

Karowe recovers 13 large diamondsLucara Diamond Corp, which owns the new Karowe diamond mine in Botswana, has announced the recovery of a number of diamonds larger than 100 carats, two of which exceed 200 carats, since the start of the second quarter. Of the thirteen stones recovered, eight are gem quality diamonds.

The five largest gem quality stones weigh 259 ct, 239 ct, 153 ct (two stones) and 133 ct. Since the beginning of the second quarter, Karowe has produced 239 diamonds larger than 10,8 carats, including 27 diamonds with weights between 50 and 100 carats.

“The ongoing recovery of these large and exceptional white diamonds continues to drive increased value for Lucara and its shareholders and has established the Karowe mine as a rare source of truly exceptional diamonds,” comments William Lamb, Lucara’s President and CEO. “The ongoing recovery of such stones is encouraging for a potential third exceptional stone tender during the fourth quarter of 2014.”

Sedgman completes positive study on Bolau coal projectA-Cap Resources has announced positive results from an inde-pendent study conducted by Sedgman South Africa. A-Cap commissioned Sedgman to assess the potential for development of the Bolau coal project in Botswana covering geology, engineer-ing and marketing.

The Bolau project is located on two tenements – PLs Foley PL125/2009 and Bolau PL138/2005. A-Cap discovered coal hori-zons on the tenements that appear to be on the up dip and down dip extensions of the Sese coal project discovered by African Energy Resources in 2010.

The coal thickness averages 20 m and occurs in two seams with the upper seam at around 4 m and a lower seam of 16 m. In the dis-covery areas, the stratigraphic package dips shallowly towards the south-west at around 10 deg. The shallowest intersections in the north of PL125/2009 are in holes F0006, F0007 and F0010 which intersect the basal coal seam at between 20 and 35 m.

Based on the logged geology and the continuity of the coal horizons in the adjacent Sese project, the deposit is interpreted to host sub-bituminous thermal coal with the potential to produce both domestic and export quality coal.

“From our initial drilling results, we knew the Bolau coal proj-ect had distinct advantages because of the depth and size of the deposit,” comments A-Cap CEO Paul Thomson. “The project encir-cles tenements held by African Energy Resources (ASX: AFR) that host the Sese coal project which has a JORC-compliant inferred resource of 2,4 billion tonnes of thermal coal. While we remain focused on continuing the development of our Letlhakane ura-nium deposit, the new coal discoveries on Bolau and the higher quality coal defined at Mea give A-Cap options to develop these and add significant potential value to the company.

“In parallel, we are seeing new short to medium rail infra-structure options being put in place between the governments of Botswana and South Africa which will open up new market opportunities for us.”

14MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

New service line from Venmyn DeloitteVenmyn Deloitte has started a new service line to provide technical reviews for pri-vate-equity funds intent on investing in the mining sector.

Venmyn Deloitte is in discussions with an African mining fund to assist with these reviews, having already been involved in assisting one European private-equity fund assess African mining projects to ensure that they meet the fund’s investment criteria.

Private-equity funds are an important source of funding for the mining sector,

which competes for funding with sectors that are seen as more lucrative and less risk prone.

For private-equity funds, it is important to determine the geological potential of a particular asset along with the likely pro-duction costs and mine plan. Management capability and the desirability in the market for a particular commodity are also impor-tant considerations for investment.

Further details are available from Andy Clay on tel (+27 11) 517-4205.

Australia’s Tiger Resources has started cop-per cathode production at its Kipoi copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Cathode production com-menced on 25 May after Tiger completed construction and commissioning of its Stage 2 solvent extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) plant at Kipoi within record time.

The company expects the SX/EW plant to reach full production capacity within three months and to produce 25 000 tonnes of copper cathode in its first full 12 months of operation. Phase 2 of the SX/EW project will see a doubling of this capacity.

Tiger also continues to produce copper concentrate from its Stage 1 heavy media separation (HMS) plant at Kipoi. The HMS plant is targeting to produce 39 000 tonnes of copper in concentrate before ceasing operation early in 2015.

Tiger ’s Managing Direc tor Brad Marwood said the commencement of copper cathode production was a major milestone for the company. “Construction

Copper cathode production starts at Kipoi plant

of our SX/EW plant at Kipoi commenced in January 2013 so we are delighted that it is in production well ahead of our original start date and anticipate strong operat-ing performance from the plant,” he said. “The start of cathode production has been seven years in the planning, so to achieve an on-time-and-within-budget result is an exceptional performance.”

Tiger’s 60 %-owned Kipoi project cov-ers an area of 55 km2 and is located 75 km NNW of the city of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The project contains a 12 km sequence of mineralised Roan sediments that host at least five known deposits: Kipoi Central, Kipoi North, Kileba, Judeira and Kaminafitwe.

The feasibility study (FS) for Kipoi Stage 2 has confirmed the operation as a low-cost, high-margin project capable of producing 538 000 tonnes of copper cath-ode over 11 years, processing ore reserves from the Kipoi Central, Kileba and Kipoi North deposits and reject floats, slimes and medium grade ore stockpiles from the Stage 1 HMS operation.

It is envisaged that ore from Judeira and other deposits within the Kipoi project area, as well as the Lupoto project, will also be processed during the Stage 2 opera-tions, providing additional returns and increasing the mineral resources available as feedstock to the Stage 2 SX/EW plant.

Interior of the solvent extraction module at Kipoi. This image was taken during dry commissioning with water pumped through the mixer-settlers. Kerosene and the first PLS solution containing copper has now been loaded into the solvent extraction (photo: Tiger Resources).

Kipoi’s electrowinning tankhouse. The Kipoi Stage 2 development will have a capacity of 50 000 t/a of copper cathode when fully complete (photo: Tiger Resources).

June 2014MODERN MINING15

MINING News

Thorncliffe mine hosts visit by UK studentsGlencore’s Thorncliffe Mine recently hosted a group of United Kingdom-based univer-sity students as part of their programme to understand hard rock mining in South Africa.

The group of 23 students from Imperial College London, led by Professor Dennis Buchanan, undertook an underground mine visit at the operation, a first for some of the students who were part of the delegation.

“Each year I arrange an excursion in May to South Africa for the group MSc Metals and Energy Finance students,” says Professor Buchanan.

“In the past this has included a visit to Glencore’s Lion ferrochromium operations in the itinerary. Given that they are busy with the construction of Phase 2 of their opera-tion, we decided to visit the Thorncliffe mine. This neatly complemented the narrative of an integrated chromite operation with Thorncliffe providing chromitite directly to Lion for ferrochromium production,” he says.

Professor Buchanan says the visit pro-vided an opportunity for the students to enhance their employability in the miner-als, coal and petroleum industries and the related finance divisions of investment banks.

According to Johan Combrink, Glencore Alloys’ General Manager, Eastern Chrome Mines, the visit strengthened the ties that the company has with the University which has conducted similar visits in the past to the Lion project.

“The visit provided an opportunity to expose the students to hard rock mining. It was the first time that some of the students visited an underground operation. We hope that the visit will go a long way in assisting them gain a better understanding of how we conduct mining and also prepare them for their future careers,” he says.

Against a backdrop of waning inves-tor appetite in the South African mining industry, Murray & Roberts Cementation has set its sights on realising the potential for growth it has identified in the greater African market. This focus has led to a formal African growth strategy that has already seen a pleasing growth in the com-pany’s order book from African operations, which currently constitute about 25 % of its turnover.

“With the action in the mining indus-try moving north and the next orebodies to be exploited located in other African countries, we initiated a study to evalu-ate the potential in these countries,” Chris Sheppard, MD of Murray & Roberts Cementation, says. “This involved gain-ing an understanding of the risk, logistical constraints and potential clients in each country and has resulted in a ‘hub-and-spoke’ strategy that we believe will steadily grow our business on the continent.

“In recent times we’ve established rep-resentative offices in Ghana to serve clients in West Africa and in Zambia as a central African base, as well as an office in Maputo, Mozambique in anticipation of significant infrastructure work expected to flow from the coal mining industry in the Tete prov-ince. It’s satisfying to see that we already have three major projects in Zambia, while we are actively seeking work in the DRC, having secured an in-country partner to identify potential underground mining projects. At the same time, we’re targeting prospects in Ghana and Mauritania.”

Sheppard adds that Murray & Roberts Cementation differentiates itself through its ability to enter into internal joint ven-

tures with international sister companies in the Murray & Roberts Group, nota-bly in Australia and Canada, to add real value to projects. For example, the com-pany is poised to engage with a project in Mauritania in JV with Cementation Canada which, among other resources, has provided the necessary key personnel proficient in French.

“With the downturn in mining in Western Australia, the competition for African proj-ects from Australia has increased, while China is also making its presence felt on the continent,” he continues. “With access to trackless mining expertise from our sis-ter company in Australia, Murray & Roberts Cementation is, however, well able to compete by adding an Australian flavour to our African bids, while our competitive edge against the Chinese lies on the quality side of the equation. Access to our group’s Global Underground Mining Platform pro-vides us with world leading shaft-sinking skills out of Canada.

“We’re also differentiated by the Murray & Roberts Cementation Training Academy at Bentley Park, near Carletonville. This Mining Qualifications Authority-accredited facility is unique in the contracting space, giving our personnel the matchless oppor-tunity to learn best practice mining and shaft-sinking skills by working on full-scale mock-ups and simulators. They acquire these skills in a controlled environment free of noise, environmental hostility or the pressure of production targets.

“Ultimately, we're offering clients in the greater African mining industry a full service offering, from cradle to grave,” Sheppard concludes.

Cementation sets its sights on growth in the greater African market

16MODERN MININGJune 2014

MINING News

On 7 February 2014 Australia’s Paladin Energy advised that its Kayelekera mine in Malawi was to be placed on Care and Maintenance (C&M) status due to reasons beyond the company’s control and related to the depressed uranium prices. Paladin stated at the time that processing of ore would continue during a rundown phase until reagents and consumables on site had been depleted, anticipated to be by April/May of this year.

On 21 May, uranium production (includ-ing circuit inventory clean up) stopped at Kayelekera and the operation will now cease supplying the global uranium mar-ket, resulting in a reduction in global supply for the foreseeable future of around 3,3 Mlb U

3O

8 per annum.

“This outcome is an unfortunate but direct consequence of the continuing deterioration in the uranium price. Certain estimates now place up to 60 % of current annual global production with costs above the current spot price, which is unsustain-able,” says Paladin.

The company emphasises that it is com-mitted to maintaining the mine and its infrastructure at Kayelekera in good work-ing order to facilitate a rapid resumption of production when market conditions make it possible to do so profitably. Production at this project, it says, can now be recom-

DRA delivers study on Namibia’s Tubas Sand projectAdvanced stage uranium explorer Deep Yellow Limited (DYL) has announced the completion of a preliminary techno-economic trade-off study by DRA Mineral Projects for the Tubas Sand project, located near Swakopmund in Namibia.

The study compared five processing options representing various levels of ben-eficiation, yielding products ranging from an upgraded sand concentrate through to uranium-bearing precipitates. A physi-cal beneficiation option consisting of ore scrubbing, classification and dewatering to produce an upgraded sand concentrate for sale to existing Namibian producers has been selected as the preferred strategy.

Whilst other options remain feasible under different pricing assumptions, physi-cal beneficiation was selected due to its lower technical risk and capital expendi-

ture and shortest estimated development schedule. In addition, environmental approval from the Republic of Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism is already in place for this project under these operating conditions.

“This is a good result. We now have an independent view of the potential of the Tubas Sand project,” said DYL’s Managing Director, Greg Cochran. “The study has given us greater confidence to move the project forward and has also provided clar-ity on the operational choices to be made. We will now focus on working with DRA in planning an accelerated pre-feasibility and feasibility study with a view to com-pleting it by the middle of June 2015, depending on funding and market con-ditions. Obviously current uranium prices are both unattractive and unsustainable

so we will be looking for stronger market signals before making any commitment for development.”

The Tubas Sand deposit consists pri-marily of low grade secondary uranium mineralisation (carnotite) in well-sorted aeolian (windblown) sand which occurs immediately south of the Tubas palaeo-channel located on EPL 3496.

The project was originally held by Anglo American in the 1970s and early 1980s. Anglo successfully demonstrated that the deposit was amenable to upgrading via physical beneficiation and envisaged an offtake arrangement of upgraded sand concentrate to Rössing uranium mine.

The deposit can be mined in a shallow, low cost, free dig, truck-and-shovel opera-tion and already has full environmental clearance whilst a mining licence applica-tion has also been lodged.

Production stops at Kayelekera uranium mine

menced with minimal risk and within a short lead-time of about nine months.

Paladin has previously stated that the incentive price for operational restart, considering the looming supply shortfall, is US$70 to US$75/lb U

3O

8. It adds that it

intends to continue exploration activi-ties with the objective of identifying and delineating additional uranium resources in order to enhance the long term future of the mine.

Co m m e n t i n g o n t e c h n o l o g i c a l advances at Kayelekera, Paladin says that

The Kayelekera plant in northern Malawi ceased all production in May (photo: Paladin Energy).

in successfully establishing the first mod-ern resin-in-pulp plant for a conventional uranium mining operation, it has created a valuable technological asset. The company believes this treatment process will likely replace older, less efficient technologies currently in use, for future developments because of the distinct advantages it deliv-ers. This position has recently been further enhanced with the successful addition of nano-filtration technology (patent pend-ing) to the process, which has materially reduced operating costs.

June 2014MODERN MINING17

MINING News

Liviero completes rigorous certification processThe Liviero group, reportedly South Africa’s largest privately owned multi-disciplinary construction company, has been awarded certifica-tion and registration of its Integrated Management System based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.

“Obtaining this certification validates all of our efforts to care for people and the environment, and improve the quality, delivery and dependability of our products and services,” comments group CEO Neil Cloete. “This is a continuation of our efforts to establish ourselves as a contractor of choice and it is a significant milestone in our continuous improvement efforts.”

Elaborating on the achievement, Liviero Group SHERQ Manager Gerrit van Heerden notes that the organisation’s successful completion of the rigorous process required for the IMS certification is testament to Liviero’s unwavering drive for safe working practices, product quality and customer satisfaction.

Liviero’s Integrated Management System certification is applicable to all facets of its operations, including the provision of civil engineering, building, plant and opencast mining services.

Ivanhoe names new Executive Vice President of OperationsIvanhoe Mines has announced the appointment of Mark Farren as the company’s Executive Vice President of Operations.

Farren will assume lead responsibilities for the various engineering and development activities now underway as Ivanhoe Mines continues to advance its three principal projects in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Platreef platinum-palladium-gold-nickel-copper discovery in South Africa, and the Kamoa copper discovery and Kipushi zinc-copper mine upgrading project in the DRC.

Farren, 48, previously completed a total of 22 years, assuming pro-gressively senior responsibilities, in the South African operations of Johannesburg-based Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), culminating in his appointment as the group’s Head of Mining in 2009.

More recently, he led the development, commissioning and opera-tion of the expanded Tharisa chrome mine on the Western Limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex.

The Liviero team celebrates the certification and registration of its Integrated Man-agement System based on ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (photo: Liviero).

COVER STORY

18MODERN MININGJune 2014

After decades of mining, the most accessible orebodies have mostly been exploited and the rich veins that make the BIC the world’s most important

platinum resource are becoming deeper. Min-ers’ tasks are therefore becoming riskier and rising input costs will in future also threaten profitability.

This has not gone unnoticed by mining houses and supporting equipment suppliers, who are already working closely together to find methods of extracting the precious metals in the safest most productive manner possi-ble. While some mines have an easier route to mechanisation and have already employed new techniques, others have different geologies,

existing conventional mining footprints and altogether different challenges.

High ore dilution rateNeil McCoy, senior account manager platinum of Sandvik Mining, says that mechanisation of mines in the platinum industry is ongoing and will become a far greater part of mining operations on the Western Limb in future. Increasingly these mines will need to follow the model of counterparts on the Eastern Limb where orebodies readily lend themselves to mechanised techniques.

“Generally, the Eastern Limb has flatter, wide orebodies that allow fast rates of advance. Mechanisation under these circumstances is a cinch and has been practised at these mines for years. On the Western Limb the critical analy-sis, however, is ongoing and investigations to determine the feasibility of mechanisation are ongoing too.

“It is immediately obvious that mechanisa-tion of the Western Limb is difficult because

Platinum belt mechanisation on the horizonAn Extra Low Profile (XLP) face drill – drills of this type can be used in narrow reef orebodies up to 12 degrees.

There is a growing body of opinion that mechanised mining techniques will soon be required to reach the increasingly

complex but rich platinum deposits that remain along the Western Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC).

COVER STORY

June 2014MODERN MINING19

Platinum belt mechanisation on the horizon

less than 1,2 metres high and are inclined and uneven. The challenge therefore is to be able to follow the seam and find ways of extracting the ore at a similar or better dilution rate to conven-tional methods.

“In many instances we are ahead of the game and have developed Extra Low Profile (XLP) and long hole mining equipment that can be used in the low profile orebodies of the Western Limb. In other instances we are using cutting equipment and other specially adapted machines and techniques depending on the geology,” McCoy says.

Global research and developmentWhile there are no generic one-size-fits-all type solutions available to suit all applications, Sandvik Mining is working closely with the industry to find solutions. Research and devel-opment locally, as well as abroad, is ongoing and a number of new technologies are being investigated and tested especially to unlock the answer to the Western Limb’s dilemma.

Even while new machines are being devel-oped, another challenge is the development of skills within the area to implement and drive mechanised mining techniques. This type of mining requires more skilled and higher paid operators, but from a safety perspective one is removing people from the higher risk areas to a protected environment in the cab of a piece of equipment. Supervision skills will also need to be developed from managing tra-ditional batch-type operations to continuous operations that are made possible through the new techniques.

“A stumbling point is that mechanised mines require less workers at the face,” says McCoy.

"The challenge therefore is to be able to follow the seam and find ways of extracting the ore at a similar or better dilution rate to conventional methods."

Neil McCoy, Sandvik Mining

of the high dilution rate of waste rock and ore when using similar equipment to that used on the Eastern side. Here orebodies are generally

www.mmdsizers.com

COVER STORY

June 2014MODERN MINING21

“The facts are, however, that it removes man-power from dangerous areas and allows workers to be redeployed to safe workshops and the repair industry on surface. The support pro-cesses of a successful, profitable mechanised mine create other opportunities in other indus-tries supporting the mines that should more than make up for fewer underground jobs.”

Finding the answer“Mechanised XLP breast mining, T-Cut, long hole and mechanical cutting methods have already been trialled successfully in some Western Limb mines,” he continues. “These are indicating that they can compete favourably on a Rand per ounce basis with traditional plati-num mining methods.

“As a result most mines on the Western Limb are developing technology roadmaps that lead towards mechanisation and even automation of some mining processes. Mechanisation will

A Sandvik Low Profile (LP) electro-hydraulic long hole drilling jumbo in action at a South African mine.

allow them to meet their short, medium and long term horizons.

“Without a doubt the current horizon is to address ways of applying existing technology to suitable mining methods. Next is to opti-mise assets and look at using technology to improve methods. The third and last horizon is ultimately to look at brand-new methods and technologies that will use automated non-explosive mining methods to remove people from the working environment where possi-ble,” explains McCoy.

He concludes that the platinum industry is not unique in its requirement. If machines and new techniques that are currently being devel-oped and trialled on the Western Limb prove to be successful, it will almost undoubtedly ben-efit the local gold mining industry as well, with the potential to once again bring the country’s riches to within the profitable reach of South Africa’s miners.

22MODERN MININGJune 2014

PLATINUM

Another milestone reached at Bakubung

Pictured at a media conference at the mine are (from left) Hamlet Morule, Wesizwe’s Executive: Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations; Eddie Mohlabi, GM, Bakubung Platinum Mine; and Jacob Mothomogolo, Wesizwe’s Project Executive (photo: Arthur Tassell).

Wesizwe Platinum’s Bakubung Platinum Mine (BPM) near Sun

City has reached another key milestone with work about to start on the cutting of the first

station/level on the ventilation shaft. This level is approximately

690 m below the shaft collar and lies around 45 m above the

point where the first Merensky Reef will be intersected. To mark

the event, Wesizwe recently hosted a media visit to the mine

which allowed media repre-sentatives to view the progress

being made on the project.

June 2014MODERN MINING23

PLATINUM

Addressing the media contingent, BPM’s General Manager, Eddie Mohlabi, said that the sinking rate was slightly behind sched-ule with – as of mid-May – the

Main Shaft having being sunk to a depth of 518 m (instead of the planned 528 m) and the Ventilation Shaft at a depth of 680 m (instead of the planned 780 m). He stressed though that the shortfall was mainly historic – and partly due to the late supply of Eskom’s phase one 20 MVA power supply to the site – and that the present sinking performance was satisfactory. Moving forward, the rate of advance on the shafts is tar-geted at 58 m per month for each shaft.

He noted that the original method proposed for the execution of the 69 Level station cut had been modified due to the intersection of an unexpected fault – the ‘Surprise’ fault. This would require, among other things, the instal-lation of additional 6,5 m long rock anchors to support the shaft brow.

On the subject of safety, Mohlabi said the project was thus far fatality-free over a total of more than 530 000 shifts with the health and

Above: Members of the Bakubung project team on the 69 Level of the Ventilation Shaft.

Left: A view of the Ventilation Shaft with the developing Styldrift mine of RBPlat in the far background.

Right: The 87 m high Main Shaft steel headgear (photo: Arthur Tassell).

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Main Shaft winder house showing the double drum men and materials winder (left) and the Koepe rock winder (photo: Arthur Tassell).

safety performance “looking good” with only a few minor incidents having been reported since the end of February this year. “The team has embarked upon various campaigns to sensitise employees to work safely and this is contribut-ing positively to current trends,” he said.

The latest milestone at BPM is just one of a number of targets achieved this year, with con-tinual progress being made in the shaft sinking (being undertaken by Aveng Mining Shafts & Underground), the installation of fire suppres-sion systems and the pre-commissioning of the ventilation shaft winder. The focus of project work between now and the end of the year will be on improved shaft-sinking rates, station breakaways, station and level development and further optimisation work regarding ventilation and compressors.

Looking further ahead, 2016 will see bulk water and electricity services being commis-sioned and 2017 the conclusion of shaft sinking and the start of construction on the first mod-ule of the 260 000 tonnes/month concentrator plant. The Main Shaft will be fully completed in 2018 and the production ramp-up will then start, with full production expected by 2020.

A revised feasibility study on the plant – which will have a standard MF2 design – is currently being finalised by WorleyParsons (which is also the EPCM contractor for the overall project). However, some continued bulk sampling is planned when the Ventilation Shaft passes through the reef. This work will be used to further confirm the mill sizing.

Earlier this year, Wesizwe – which is effec-tively controlled by Chinese interests led by the Jinchuan Group – announced that it had

completed and approved an Optimisation Study which has significantly improved the business case for the mine. As we reported in our March 2014 issue, the initial 230 kt/month production level is now planned for October 2020 as opposed to December 2022, there is an 8,7 % increase in mine capacity to 250 kt/month of ROM at full capacity and steady state monthly production increases to 35 280 ounces (4E) per month or 420 000 ounces (4E) a year, a 20 % increase in the originally envisaged annual production rate. The average employee complement at steady state is expected to be reduced by 235 people to 3 135.

On the technical side, all mining will be fully or semi-mechanised (with the introduc-tion of the UG2 mechanised method envisaged in the BFS to the Merensky Reef horizon as well) and there will now be substantial use of conveyor belts for ore transport and chairlifts for people transport. New level positions and mining layouts have been introduced, the Main and Ventilation Shafts have been reduced in depth and a revised shaft pillar strategy put in place (the shaft pillar will now be mined at the end of mine life).

The shortening of the shafts has been accommodated by the removal of the large underground primary crusher chamber originally planned and by bringing level development onto reef horizons (on-reef devel-opment), resulting in a substantial reduction (around 402 000 m3) in the amount of off-reef development required.

The figures for the improved logistics result-ing from the optimisation are impressive. Horizontal and vertical rock handling capacity

June 2014MODERN MINING25

PLATINUM

Looking down the Ventila-tion Shaft, which will even-tually be sunk to a depth of 880 m.

has increased from 251 000 tonnes per month to 265 000 tonnes per month and horizontal tramming capacity is now plus 265 000 tonnes per month. Bulk shift capability has increased from 1 000 to 1 800 persons per hour. There is vehicular access to within 18 m of any work-ing place and shorter travelling distances to remote faces.

The multi-level layout and the auxiliary shaft will allow all mechanised development and stope panels to be blasted twice a day – as opposed to a single blast per day in most operating mines. The advance per blast will be increased by 10 cm through the use of longer steel. The twin haulage system enables multi-blasting to expedite critical development as may be required.

Talking to Modern Mining at the recent media visit, Wesizwe’s Project Executive, Jacob Mothomogolo, who has been intimately involved with the project since 2008, said the shortening of the shafts would allow sinking to be completed 85 days earlier than originally envisaged in the case of the Main Shaft and 72 days earlier in the case of the Ventilation Shaft. “This is primarily a function of the fact that the new mining layout allows the Main Shaft to be reduced from 1 000 m to 940 m in depth and the Ventilation Shaft from 930 m to 880 m,” he said. “At this stage, we are forecasting that sinking of the Main Shaft will be complete by October next year with the Ventilation Shaft following in November 2016, allowing us to prepare for development and commissioning of the shaft infrastructure.”

As part of the optimisation, a third shaft has been added to BPM’s infrastructure. “This will

be a 6 m diameter, 720 m deep shaft which will give extra capacity for men and materials,” said Mothomogolo. “The interesting point is that we are planning to raise bore it, which represents a very efficient approach in terms of time and money. The new shaft will only be needed towards the end of the development phase, so it will probably only go out to tender in late 2016. Shafts of this diameter have been successfully raise-bored in the past so we are quite confident that there is zero technical risk.”

Discussing labour issues, Mothomogolo said Wesizwe and its contractors were enjoy-ing great success in recruiting and training local people to work on the construction of the mine. “Around 30 % of the 700 to 800 people currently on site – the figure varies constantly – have been recruited from within a 50 km radius of the mine, with many of them from the immediate vicinity – within a 2 km radius,” he said. “Some of them are working on the demanding and highly skilled task of shaft-sinking, which bears testimony to the effectiveness of the training programmes put in place by Wesizwe and Aveng.

“Once the mine is in operation, we would hope to see the majority of employees – at least 70 % – recruited locally. BPM has a life of around 30 years and we believe it is essential that the local community take ‘ownership’ of it and benefit from its operations. We are working steadily towards this goal and believe that our employment policies, in conjunction with our very pro-active community relations strategy, will ensure Bakubung’s long-term success.”

Photos courtesy of Wesizwe (unless otherwise acknowledged)

“Once the mine is in operation, we would hope to see the majority of employees – at least 70 % – recruited locally.”

Wesizwe’s Jacob Mothomogolo

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Details of the Khoemacau (previ-ously Ghanzi) project, located in the area between Maun and Ghanzi, were provided by Jo-hannes Tsimako, Regional Man-

ager of Khoemacau Copper Mining, whose par-ent is Cupric Canyon Capital (Cupric). Owned by management and the Barclays Natural Re-source Investments division of Barclays Bank, Cupric is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and its senior executives, led by Chairman Timothy Snider and CEO Dennis Bartlett, are mainly veterans of Phelps Dodge (and its successor, Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold).

Development of Khoemacau – which was acquired by Cupric when it took over Hana Mining in February last year – is being headed by Sam Rasmussen, who is Cupric’s CEO Africa. He is also from the Phelps Dodge sta-ble and his experience includes stints as GM of the Los Bronces copper mine in Chile and the Tenke-Fungurume copper mine in Katanga

in the DRC. Assisting him as Project Director for Khoemacau is Rob Dey, a very experienced South African engineer who spent many years with Impala Platinum where he was Group Engineering Manager.

Tsimako told his audience that Cupric was fast-tracking the Khoemacau project and said the feasibility study would be completed by September this year, with the mining licence application being submitted in the same month. Subject to the granting of the licence, construc-tion of the mine could start during 2015 with first production expected in 2017. He said the project team, mainly based in Botswana, cur-rently comprised approximately 60 people and that the ‘on-boarding of operational staff’ (the mine will have around 700 employees) had already started.

Cupric’s tenements extend over a distance of over 100 km between Maun and Ghanzi but the focus of the feasibility study, as Tsimako explained, is just two small areas known as

Copper in Botswana – false starts but huge potential

A drill rig working in the Khoemacau project area in Ngamiland (photo: Khoemacau Copper Mining).

The Botswana Resource Sector Conference held in Gaborone on 10 and 11 June had speakers presenting on diamonds, coal and even iron ore but perhaps the most interesting presentations were

on copper. Botswana’s experience with the metal has been mixed with the two new copper mines opened over the past several years having both experienced ramp-up problems. There are signs,

however, that these operations are getting back on track. In addition, a brand new underground mine – Khoemacau – is planned for the so-called ‘Kalahari Copperbelt’ in Ngamiland, with construction very likely to start in early 2015. Modern Mining’s Editor, Arthur Tassell, attended the conference –

which will be the subject of further coverage next month – and filed this report.

June 2014MODERN MINING27

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Copper in Botswana – false starts but huge potential

The roughly 60-strong Khoemacau project team (photo: Khoemacau Copper Mining).

Khoemacau Copper Mining’s tenements in the Kalahari Copperbelt. The proposed new underground mine will be located at Zone 5.

Zone 5, which will be developed as an under-ground mine, and North East Fold, which will probably be an open-pit operation. Zone 5 is sit-uated a few kilometres to the east of the Boseto copper mine of Australia’s Discovery Metals while North East Fold lies some considerable distance (more than 50 km) to the south-west.

Zone 5 will be developed as a sub-level open-stoping operation accessed by two declines at 1:7 which open to four declines at longer strike lengths. The mine will be served by a 3,6 Mt/a concentrator treating ore with a 1,60 % Cu and 60 g/t Ag grade. Expected

recoveries are 85 % for copper and 80 % for sil-ver. Around 50 000 t/a of copper in concentrate will be produced for export. While the time-line for development of an open-pit at North East Fold has not yet been established, Modern Mining’s understanding is that it is at least 10 years away.

Mine design for the underground mine is being undertaken by Australian mining con-sultancy Mining Plus while the plant design is being handled by Sedgman (which designed and built the concentrator at the neighbouring Boseto operation). No figure for the estimated

Boseto

28MODERN MININGJune 2014

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capex has been published by Cupric but a figure in the range of US$350 million to US$400 mil-lion seems likely.

Tsimako noted in his presentation that Khoemacau – the name apparently means ‘Hills of the People” and was suggested by local school-children – will have a total power requirement of 22 MVA, supplied initially by diesel gensets but with grid power expected by 2017 or 2018. The water requirement is 10 000 m3 a day and this will be supplied by a sustainable wellfield which has been identi-fied – the downside being that it is 80 km away. To provide reliable access, a 50 km gravel road will have to be constructed to connect with the A3 which links Francistown and Maun.

Boseto on the mend?Interestingly, Cupric’s decision to exploit the sulphide ores of the Kalahari Copperbelt via an initial underground operation is being vin-dicated by the decision of Discovery Metals Limited (DML) to go underground at its trou-bled Boseto mine which was officially opened in September 2012 and is currently an open-pit operation. DML now has a new CEO/COO in

Khoemacau’s proposed underground mine will utilise a sub-level open stoping mining method (footwall view).

Members of the Discovery Metals Limited team are seen here at the conference in Gaborone. They are (from left): Bob Fulker, CEO/COO; Mokwena Morulane, Coun-try Manager; Christian Heili, Project Feasibility Manager; Shirley Tjirokohe, Office Administrator; Reuben Molosiwa, GIS Engineer; and Fred Nhiwatiwa, Business Development Manager Af-rica (photo: Arthur Tassell).

the person of Bob Fulker (who joined DML in November last year) and is in what might be described as ‘recovery mode’ after announcing earlier this year that it would retrench about 15 % of its workforce at Boseto. The company announced in May that its copper production of 2 011 tonnes of copper during April was a record (and 40 % higher than the monthly average for the previous quarter). While this is encouraging, it is still only about two-thirds of what it should be as Boseto is designed to produce approximately 36 000 t/a of copper in concentrate.

An update on Boseto was given at the con-ference by Mokwena Morulane, DML’s Country Manager, who referred to the company’s “ramp-

up difficulties and liquidity issues” but who said that a stra-tegic growth plan was now in place. He added that the com-pany was working aggressively to contain costs and noted that the C1 cash cost of produc-tion in April was US$2,86/lb compared with the US$3,45/lb recorded in the March quarter. Morulane said the establish-ment of an underground mine at Boseto would be a game-changer for DML with the mining of sul-phides giving an improved ore quality and an improvement in metallurgical recovery. He noted that the underground operation,

June 2014MODERN MINING29

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Above: Titan diamond drill rig drilling deep stratigraphic holes for First Quantum in north-west Botswana (photo: Tsodilo Resources).

Centre: Discovery’s Boseto mine is an open-pit operation but the company is now also planning an underground mine at its Zeta deposit (photo: Discovery Metals).

targeting the Zeta deposit, would run concur-rently with open-pit operations at Zeta and Plutus.

Although Morulane did not go into detail on the Zeta underground mine (which has an ore reserve of 7,3 Mt at 1,3 % copper and 23 g/t silver), DML announced in April this year that the Botswana Government had approved its application to amend the Boseto mining licence to incorporate the underground oper-ation into the Boseto project. It also said the planned underground mine would produce 1,5 Mt/a at 1,3 % Cu at steady-state produc-tion levels. This forecast is based on the use of a sub-level caving underground mining method with 20-25 m spaced sub-levels, con-ventional trackless mining techniques, twin decline access, and mine development rates of between 600 and 850 m/month (including ore drive development).

It is not yet clear when development of the underground mine will start. DML, however, is currently – as Morulane explained – in the pro-cess of refinancing its debt and is also planning equity raisings. If these initiatives are success-ful, it seems likely that work will start within months as DML clearly regards the new opera-tion as being an essential part – indeed the key element – of its turnaround programme.

Mowana and ThakaduApart from DML, Botswana’s only other dedi-cated producer of copper at the moment is AIM-listed African Copper, which owns the

Mowana open-pit mine and its associated 1 Mt/a concentrator (located 130 km north-west of Francistown in the north-east of the country on the Matsitama Schist Belt or MSB) and which also has rights to the high-grade copper-silver Thakadu/Makala deposits, 70 km from Mowana. Developed from the Dukwe project, Mowana – the Setswana word for ‘bao-bab’ – was commissioned in 2008 but soon became a victim of the global financial crisis, being forced into care and maintenance in early 2009. It reopened later in the year but has never lived up to its potential, falling far short of its originally planned full production level of 29 000 t/a of copper in concentrate. Management and ownership has also changed over the years and African Copper’s main investor now is ZCI (with a 74 % stake) and its Acting CEO Jordan Soko.

Sulphide ore is currently being mined at Thakadu and treated at the Mowana plant but it is planned to restart mining operations at Mowana later this year. The mining is being undertaken by South African mining contrac-tor Diesel Power (a subsidiary of JSE-listed Buildmax), which earlier this year was awarded a 52-month contract worth approximately 1 bil-lion Pula (US$112,7 million) to provide mining services to African Copper.

Just at the moment African Copper is a fairly small producer of copper, reporting a production of just over 2 500 tonnes in the first quarter of this year. This was derived from the processing of 163 391 tonnes of ore at an aver-age grade of 1,71 % Cu. Commenting on the quarter, Soko said, “We are pleased with the mobilisation efforts of our new mining part-ner Diesel Power and are looking forward to progressive increases in mining tonnages at

www.za.becker-mining.com

June 2014MODERN MINING31

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The Central African Copperbelt. The arrow shows the area where First Quantum is exploring for evidence of a possible extension into Botswana.

Thakadu. With stable delivery of good quality Thakadu ore, the Mowana processing opera-tion is well positioned to increase throughput and production levels in the coming quarter and new fiscal year.”

African Copper’s activities were covered at the conference by Johnny Tshutlhedi, the com-pany’s Manager: Mine Geology & Exploration. His presentation focused on the geology of African Copper’s tenements but, more generally, he noted that the company was con-sidering going underground at both Mowana and Thakadu-Makala – with underground stud-ies on Mowana having already started. He said sulphide ore was now being mined at Thakadu with the mining of supergene and sulphide ore at Mowana planned for later in the year and added that the Mowana plant was heading for full capacity. On resources, he said that over 1 million tonnes of ore had been delineated in two mining licences and eight prospecting licences with good potential existing to increase ore resources down-dip and along strike from existing assets. He concluded by saying that exploration models were well-defined and that work was on track to make new base metals and possibly gold discoveries.

First Quantum’s “long shot”Finally, no discussion of the Botswana copper scene would be complete without referring to the strong possibility that the Central African Copperbelt of Zambia and the DRC extends into north-western Botswana, a theory that has emerged in just the past few years. If it does, then it extends into tenements – covering around 11 000 km2 – which are held by Tsodilo

Resources, a Canadian junior explorer. In an interview with Modern Mining last

year, the company’s CEO, James Bruchs, said: “It has become increasingly apparent to us over the past several years that the area hosts a sequence of rocks that is identical in age and composition to those on the Copperbelt.” His colleague Mike de Wit, Tsodilo’s COO, added that “the recognition that Katangan rocks, iden-tical to those hosting the world-class deposits of the Central African Copperbelt, occur through-out the Tsodilo licence blocks makes this area incredibly attractive as a major new copper

TWR: Transformer Watchdog RelayFEATURES Each of the 6 trip sources has its own indicator blinking 2-3 days without power Continuous monitoring of earth bond integrity by measuring the resistance

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June 2014MODERN MINING33

COPPER

play. The demonstrated presence of syn-sedi-mentary faulting and large-scale hydrothermal alteration from our regional drilling indicates that the right features are present for major base metal deposits.”

Tsodilo (which has, incidentally, identified a potentially huge iron ore deposit in its licence areas) has no special expertise in copper and early last year entered into an agreement with First Quantum Minerals (FQM), a major player on the Zambian Copperbelt, which allows FQM to explore for copper on Tsodilo’s prop-erties. At the conference, Simon Jones, District Geologist with FQM, updated delegates on First Quantum’s efforts thus far. He pointed out that First Quantum was aware that its exploration programme in north-west Botswana was a “long shot”, as he put it, but said it was justified by the potential return. As he noted, there was more copper in the Central African Copperbelt than in the Chilean Copperbelt and he presented a slide showing how the massive contribution diamonds were making to Botswana’s economy (accounting for 76 % of exports and 45 % of government tax revenues) was paralleled in Zambia by copper, with the equivalent figures

(80 % and 45 %) being nearly equal. He said FQM’s programme encompassed

geochemical sampling of Kalahari sand, hydro-geochemistry (sampling ground waters) airborne gravity to map basement domes, airborne electro-magnetics to map graphitic shales, and the drilling of conceptual targets. Ending his presentation, he said all the indica-tions were looking good. “The only thing we’re missing is the copper – but it’s early days,” he concluded.

Whether the Central African Copperbelt does extend into Botswana – and, even if it does, whether it hosts exploitable mineralisa-tion – remains to be seen. Whatever the case, it is clear that Botswana does already have a considerable copper endowment in the shape of the Kalahari Copperbelt further south. The latter is not related geologically to the more famous Copperbelt and is clearly never going to produce copper in comparable quantities. Nevertheless it is emerging as an important part of Botswana’s minerals industry and should ensure that the country remains a copper pro-ducer – albeit on a fairly modest scale by world standards – for years to come.

Defying the downturn, the Botswana Resource Sector Conference held in Gaborone on 10-11 June, attracted 397 delegates,

apparently the most in the eleven-year history of the event. On page 26 of this issue we review the presentations given on

Botswana’s emerging copper-mining industry and in next month’s issue we’ll be looking at some of the other commodities covered,

such as diamonds, coal and iron ore. In the meantime, this spread of photographs will give our readers a flavour of the event, which is Botswana’s premier mining conference . The photos were taken

by Modern Mining’s Bennie Venter and Arthur Tassell.

Simon Jones and Aishling Fagan of First Quan-tum Minerals. Jones delivered a presentation on First Quantum’s exploration programme in north-west Botswana.

Seated in this photo are (from left) Tore Horvei of Nor Consult, Matthews Bagopi of Morupule Colliery, Mark Major of Hodges Resources and Dr Frazier Tabeart of African Energy Resources. At the lectern is Noel Halgreen, the newly appointed MD of Kimberley Diamonds, the company which owns the Lerala diamond mine in Botswana.

Kelennetse Chilambampani (left), Acting Sales Manager North, and Wame Tshaila, Marketing Manager, of Botswana Ash.

Noel Halgreen, MD of Kimberley Diamonds.

Charles Siwawa, CEO of the Botswana Chamber of Mines.

Dr Mike de Wit, President and CEO of Tsodilo Resources.

Record turnout for Botswana conferenceEVENTS

34MODERN MININGJune 2014

Seen at the Lucara/Boteti Mining stand are (from left): Mike Lynn of The MSA Group, Gerald Ndlovu, GM of the Karowe diamond mine, Herbert Kebafetotse, Safety, Health, Environment and Community Rela-tions Manager, Boteti Mining, and Paul Day, COO, Lucara Diamond Corp.

Rassie Ras (left), GM – SHERQ, Diesel Power Open-cast Mining and Terry Bantock, CEO of Buildmax, Diesel Power’s parent company. Diesel Power has been appointed by African Copper as the contract miner for its Mowana and Thakadu operations.

Sean Heathcote (left), GM Metals, and Kyle van der Berg (centre), Business Development Manager, both of Sedgman Africa, and Simon Bate, MD of AEGIS Instruments.

Rodney Baker (left) of KPJ Drilling with Denis Blewett of the Geo-Explore Store.

Pictured here (from left) are Robert Bruce, Hitachi Construction Machinery, and Yoshi Nose and Steven Roos, both of ZAMine Services Botswana.

Above: Ketane Sithole (left), Edwin Phiri and Douglas Kennedy of Tenova Bateman.

Record turnout for Botswana conferenceEVENTS

June 2014MODERN MINING35

36MODERN MININGJune 2014

EQUIPMENT

Weighing 211 tonnes when ful-ly assembled, the 4200 SM will have to be transported to Tete in several sections because of certain con-

straints on the route (such as bridge capacity). Once on site, it will be assembled and com-missioned and then maintained by a 14-strong Wirtgen team – drawn from both the South Af-rican company and Wirtgen Germany – over an initial six-month period.

Wirtgen introduced its first surface miner over 30 years ago and now has close to 500 units operating worldwide, the majority work-ing in soft-rock applications – including coal,

Mozambican coal mine to use Wirtgen surface miner

The Wirtgen team (Mike Newby, second from right) with the 4200 SM machine ordered by a coal mine in Mozambique.

In what is seen as a breakthrough for the concept of using surface miners in coal mining in the Southern African

region, Wirtgen South Africa, in conjunction with its German parent, is supplying its top-of-the-range model,

the 4200 SM, to a coal mine near Tete in Mozambique. According to Wirtgen South Africa’s Mike Newby, the

machine will be the first surface miner to go into permanent operation at a Southern African coal mine – and is also the first 4200 SM to be sold into Africa. As this article was being

written, the unit was already in Johannesburg, awaiting the final stage of its journey to Tete.

June 2014MODERN MINING37

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gypsum, limestone and salt – but with a signifi-cant number also in use for the mining of harder materials such as iron ore, bauxite and granite.

Interestingly, one of Australia’s newer iron ore mines, FMG’s Cloudbreak in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, has used surface miners for mining ore since it shipped its first product in 2008. FMG (Fortescue Metals Group) now deploys over 40 Wirtgen surface miners at Cloudbreak and the neighbouring Christmas Creek operation (as well as, it must be said, some units from Vermeer). While iron ore is normally extremely hard, the particular characteristics of this deposit – including the friable nature of the ore and the need to mine selectively – make it ideal for surface miners. There was apparently considerable skepticism from the mining com-munity when FMG first announced its plans to use surface miners but in practice they have more than justified the faith placed in them.

Surface miners are particularly well suited to coal mining and have taken off in India in

Below left: A Wirtgen 2200 SM working at an Indian coal mine. It deposits the coal in three wind-rows behind the machine. Operation in windrow mode allows material to be cut independently of the load-ing process.

Below: A 4200 SM mines and loads layers of lignite for North American Coal Corporation.

Surface miners are being used for iron ore mining. In this photo a 4200 SM is seen operating for FMG in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

particular where, says Newby, they account for about 30 % of the country’s coal production. At one mine alone – the 530 km2 Gevra mine – ten Wirtgen 2200 SM units are in operation, each mining up to 15 000 tonnes of coal a day. “India has been a big success story for Wirtgen and now represents one of the Wirtgen group’s biggest single markets for surface miners,” says Newby.

While surface miners may have done well overseas, they have been adopted locally only on a very limited scale. “We have nine machines that are active in South Africa and Botswana,” says Newby. “Among our clients are Debswana’s Letlhakane diamond mine and Botswana Ash, both in Botswana, and a gyp-sum mine belonging to Saint-Gobain in the Northern Cape, which first introduced one of our machines in 1983. But the market we would really like to penetrate is coal, which is why the Mozambique order is so important. All the coal producers will be watching the performance of

www.cummins.com/southafrica

June 2014MODERN MINING39

EQUIPMENT

the machine at Tete very closely. If it proves the success we expect, we would anticipate seeing other coal miners taking the plunge and invest-ing in the machines.”

The surface miner concept will be familiar to most readers but, to recap, the machines – origi-nally developed from mobile milling machines – allow the mining, crushing and loading of material in one continuous process, providing a viable alternative to conventional drilling and blasting in many mining environments. There are a number of companies worldwide that produce them but Wirtgen – which produced its first prototype in 1980 – says it is the clear market leader in terms of sales.

All surface miners are characterised by a cut-ting drum fitted with cutting tools. As the miner moves forward, the cutting drum – at least in the case of Wirtgen’s machines – rotates against the direction of travel and cuts material from the rock formations in individual layers. The cylindrical cutting drum is centrally located on Wirtgen’s range. It is fitted with replaceable car-bide metal tools – or ‘picks’ – and is mounted close to the centre of gravity.

Wirtgen has several models in its line-up, with the 2200 SM, which has a 2 200 mm cut-ting width, an engine output of 708 kW and an operating weight of just over 49 tonnes, ranking as the most widely used unit. As men-tioned, the biggest machine in the range is the 4200 SM, which is offered in versions for soft and hard rock. The soft-rock version is the one being delivered to Mozambique.

Designed as a high-performance machine for mine operators and customers in large-scale opencast mining whose goal is to achieve a mining capacity in soft rock of up to 12 mil-lion tonnes a year with a single machine, the 4200 SM for soft rock has a cutting width of 4 200 mm and is able to work at a maximum cutting depth of 830 mm without blasting. It is equipped with a 16-cylinder diesel engine from Cummins, capable of an output of 1 194 kW – which allows for tremendous reserve capacity.

A two-stage conveyor system – with 1 800 mm wide primary and discharge con-veyors and a discharge conveyor length of 12 000 mm or 16 000 mm – supports the min-er’s impressive cutting performance of up to 3 000 tonnes per hour. The discharge convey-or’s large slewing angle of 180 degrees, flexible height adjustment and variable belt speed are said to ensure smooth loading of large transport trucks even in space-restricted conditions.

Newby notes that a similar machine to the one going to Tete has been operational at the lig-nite mine of North American Coal Corporation

near Ackerman, Mississippi, for several years and has proved a big success, enabling the mine – amongst other things – to increase the pay-load of its trucks from 120 tonnes to 135 tonnes (because the material is crushed and more com-pact than would be the case with ore generated by conventional mining).

He also points out that Wirtgen has recently developed the WPI (Wirtgen Pick Inspection) system, which measures the wear of surface miner cutting tools via eight very rapid mea-suring sensors integrated into the cutting drum compartment. This not only cuts the time needed for pick inspection but also allows the life of the picks to be maximised. In addition, the service intervals can be planned more pre-cisely. The WPI was specifically developed for use in iron ore mining at FMG’s mines, where wear rates are very high, and is not considered necessary in most other applications.

Summing up, Newby says that while surface miners are not appropriate in every mining situation, they do have wide applicability across many mining scenarios. The capital cost of units is high but this is easily recovered, given the savings that result from the elimina-tion of drilling, blasting and primary crushing. Because blasting is not required, exploitation of deposits can be safely carried out right up to property boundaries and noise and dust generation is vastly reduced. “Surface miners have obvious benefits. They’re never going to supplant traditional mining methods but we nevertheless believe they are destined to play a much bigger role in our mining industry in the future. Matched to the right type of deposits to enable selective mining of seams and sepa-rating material from the interburden, they are unbeatable,” he concludes.Report by Arthur Tassell, photos courtesy of Wirtgen

Changing picks on a Wirtgen surface miner.

“All the coal producers will be watching the performance of the machine at Tete very closely. If it proves the success we expect, we would anticipate seeing other coal miners taking the plunge and investing in the machines.”

Wirtgen South Africa’s Mike Newby

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Probably the first point to make about MSA is that while its success has been based on its geological expertise, it has now moved into many related areas such as Mineral

Resource estimation, mining studies and en-vironmental work. In addition, the Group op-erates two specialised diamond laboratories – a Heavy Minerals Analysis Laboratory and a Micro-Diamond Laboratory, the latter run in conjunction with SGS and reputedly the only ISO/IEC 17025-accredited facility of its type in Africa.

MSA – which is based in Johannesburg – was founded in 1983 by Mike Scott, a geolo-gist of near legendary status who is still active today (although he no longer has any links with the Group). His son, Keith Scott, also a highly-experienced geologist, was appointed as MD in

MSA – a front-runner in the field of geology

Pictured at the MSA Group offices in Johannesburg are (from left) Dr Brendan Clarke, Jeremy Witley and Dr Ian Haddon (photo: Arthur Tassell).

Minerals exploration is an activity which can consume large amounts of money, extend over years (for a particular target) and still fail to produce the goods – as many junior miners and explorers

can attest. While there are no miraculous steps that can eliminate the risks inherent in exploration or guarantee that economic deposits can be found, well-planned, well-targeted and well-executed

exploration programmes are an obvious first step and virtually no South African geological services company has more experience in this field than The MSA Group (MSA), which has now built up its

reputation to the point where it is verging on being a global brand. Modern Mining’s Arthur Tassell recently spoke to three of the Group’s senior managers.

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2006 and, since then, has successfully grown and diversified the business. The original fam-ily ownership of MSA has changed and in 2009 it became part of MOGS (Mining, Oil and Gas Services), a division of Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH). Royal Bafokeng controls Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat), which operates the BRPM mine and is developing Styldrift, and also has

MSA – a front-runner in the field of geologyDrilling in Saudi Arabia on an exploration project managed by The MSA Group.

3D view of a Block Model created with CAE Studio 3, geological software used by MSA.

Geological mapping in south-east Turkey.

significant stakes in Impala Platinum (about 13 %) and Merafe Resources (about 29 %).

“The link-up with RBH – a unique success story in its own right – has worked extremely well and we enjoy being part of the Royal Bafokeng family,” says Dr Ian Haddon, MSA’s General Manager. “It means that we can claim to be the largest black-owned mining and

www.msagroupservices.com

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geological consultancy in South Africa and there are also many synergies with sister companies – for example, Fraser Alexander – within the Royal Bafokeng group. This rela-tionship with RBH has been wholly positive for MSA.”

According to Haddon, MSA has long shed its origins as a mainly South African-focused company. “We’re now active throughout Africa and we’ve operated in just about every country on the continent with any significant miner-als endowment. More than this, we’ve also undertaken extensive work outside of Africa including Europe – as far north as Sweden – the Americas and Australasia. Currently we are very busy in the Middle East on gold and base metals exploration in Saudi Arabia for the state-owned minerals and mining company Ma’aden. We’ve also completed assignments in Turkey and South Yemen,” he says.

He notes that at the moment the majority of MSA’s turnover derives from Africa (outside South Africa) with clients ranging from ‘heavy-weights’ such as Ivanhoe Mines and MMG, for whom MSA is consulting on projects in the DRC, to juniors such as Alphamin, which has a tin project in North Kivu in the DRC, and Blackthorn Resources, owner of the Mumbwa copper project west of Lusaka in Zambia. In West Africa, it has extensive experience in a number of countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso and Cameroon and will soon be going to Togo to evaluate a client’s project.

Haddon’s colleague, Dr Brendan Clarke, Head of Geological Services, notes that MSA has seen a huge drop in exploration spend over the past year but says it has nevertheless managed to remain busy. “Public money for exploration has largely gone, at least for the time being, but we’ve picked up a lot of work from private equity companies and sovereign wealth funds,” he explains. “Moreover, we have a core group of clients who have good reputations and good projects and who have the ability to raise money in any market. We used to do about 70 % of our work for listed juniors but now it’s only 30 %.”

Clarke points out that while geology remains at the heart of MSA’s business, its Mining Studies Division – started several years ago – has gone from strength to strength. “We do just about every conceivable study you can think of up to pre-feasibility level including Competent Persons Reports, Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates, PEAs, scoping studies, and benchmarking assessments,” he says. “Additionally, we can carry out mineral

MSA’s Micro-Diamond Laboratory is the only ISO/IEC 17025-accredited facility of its type in Africa.

asset valuations, due diligences, technical audits and peer reviews.”

As a result of its healthy workload across all its divisions, MSA – in contrast to many of its peers – is still hiring. “Not only are we hir-ing but we’re hiring only the best – as indeed we have done for years,” says Haddon. “We have an incredibly vigorous recruitment pro-gramme. Every year we present to students at universities around the country. As a result of this process, we normally receive around 200 applications for positions with MSA. We then whittle this figure down to a shortlist of 20 and from this 20 we then appoint the five or six who we consider to be the top graduates for the year. Quite apart from this, and for positions at more senior level, we will head hunt the best people we can.

“MSA’s asset base is really its people and we’re unrelenting in attracting and retaining top calibre people,” he continues. “We have over 70 professionals on our staff, roughly two thirds of them geologists with the balance drawn from a variety of disciplines, and quite a few have international reputations. The ser-vices we offer are not on the cheaper end of the scale – but this is not surprising given the fact that our people can add tremendous value to any project.”

Evidence of MSA’s commitment to providing an excellent and fulfilling work environment for its employees is provided by the fact that last year it won the Business and Professional Services category of Deloitte’s annual “Best Company to Work For” survey.

An example of the type of person head-hunted by MSA is Jeremy Witley, who joined the Group two years ago after a successful 25-year career with a number of large and medium tier mining companies, as well as a competitor international consultancy and,

“Not only are we hiring but we’re hiring only the best – as indeed we have done for years. We have an incredibly vigorous recruitment programme.”

MSA’s Dr Ian Haddon

www.joyglobal.com

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most recently, Lonmin, where he headed Mineral Resources and Geology for the mines and projects. He is now Principal Resource Consultant at MSA.

Witley believes that the earlier MSA is involved in a project, the better the result for the client. “We prefer that clients come to us early on in their exploration programme, as that way the client can reach his desired outcome at the required standard in the most effective way,” he observes. “We pay a great deal of attention to what clients are trying to achieve. Are they trying to add value to a project for an exit or a listing? Are they planning to mine it themselves or joint venture it? All these factors will influence the approach to exploration and to all the follow-up work, including the miner-als resource estimate.”

Witley is emphatic that MSA will – when the realities on the ground dictate it – give advice to clients which they don’t necessarily want to hear. As he says, “We’re not afraid to tell clients that they should walk away from a project. We often see exploration companies wasting mil-lions pursuing projects which are clearly not economic. We’d rather be honest and tell them that they are throwing their money away.”

He also makes the point that what tends to differentiate MSA from its competitors in terms of its mineral resources work is that it is typi-cally working with data generated by its own teams – as opposed to data generated by third parties. He adds that a thriving part of MSA’s business is managing databases for clients. “We’ve seen a big uptake on database man-agement and we’re now managing the data on around 20 projects,” he says. “We can do this for a fraction of what it would cost companies to do it internally, particularly those who may not wish to purchase costly software.”

On the subject of technology, Witley says that – on the whole – progress currently in the field of geology and resource modelling tends to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. “If I look at software, for example, the big leap for-ward occurred perhaps two decades – or more – ago when the first 3D geological modelling software was introduced and computers started to have the processing power to handle it,” he explains. “What we’re seeing now is incremen-tal improvements to this software year by year but with no real game-changing breakthroughs. In terms of modelling, we are seeing a lot more focus on geometallurgical modelling, which adds tremendous value in understanding the behaviour of the ore during processing, both in current operations and at the project phase.

“At MSA we’re familiar with all the major

commercially available packages for geology, resource modelling and mine planning – par-ticularly what we used to call Datamine, now branded as CAE Mining – and we supplement these with some in-house tools we’ve devel-oped where off-the-shelf products are either inadequate or non-existent.”

Clarke adds that a major advance out in the field has been the introduction of hand-held XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analysers. “They’ll never replace traditional assay procedures but they’re helping to speed up and optimise the planning and implementation of exploration programmes and they’re also allowing in-field teams to be selective in what they send to labs for analysis,” he says. “They truly are time- and money-savers and are rapidly becoming an indispensable part of the geologist’s toolkit.”

Haddon sums-up by saying that MSA takes innovation very seriously. “All our geologists are given iPad or Android tablets as a matter of course, we have an innovation competition and we spend a lot of time going to conferences and similar events, partly as a marketing exercise but also to ensure that we stay absolutely up to date with developments in our field,” he says. “Needless to say, we also adopt international best-practice in everything we do and we have just added OHSAS 18001 to the other accredi-tations we already have. The business we’re in is highly competitive and it is only by stay-ing abreast of developments and being open to innovation that we can stay ahead of the pack. MSA throughout its existence has offered its clients a technological edge and we have every intention of maintaining this strategy as we move forward and grow both our African and global footprints.”

Photos courtesy of The MSA Group (unless otherwise acknowledged)

An MSA geologist marks core in Musina.

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“We’re not afraid to tell clients that they should walk away from a project. We often see exploration companies wasting millions pursuing projects which are clearly not economic.”

MSA’s Jeremy Witley

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Dassault Systèmes, with its GEOVIA brand (formerly Gemcom Soft-ware), provides software for the mining industry spanning explo-ration and geological modelling

to customer delivery. Its mining software also includes solutions for strategic mine planning, scheduling, data management, mine produc-tion management and reconciliation. Together with other Dassault Systèmes brand applica-tions, it provides a unique collaborative 3D ho-listic view of the mining value chain.

As a pioneer in data management for mining, starting with GEMS which introduced collab-orative geology and mine planning software, and today with its secure remote collabora-tion software, Hub, we have seen the positive transformation that such software brings to businesses. With companies managing portfo-lios throughout Africa, and indeed the world, having a system that centralises all projects in one location has numerous benefits.

Data centralisation of project data ensures that the information is protected and secure from data loss, misuse and overwrite with

Exploration projects in a new digital era

3D model of a mine design with digital wireframe over-lay and orebody developed in GEMS.

With many companies running exploration or expansion projects around the globe, it is becoming increasingly important that they have the ability to manage the data that comprises their portfolios,

writes Dave Osborn, Managing Director of Dassault Systèmes GEOVIA, Africa. This means having software systems in place that allow data to be centralised, shared, and secured. With limited

exploration funds, it is also critical that mining and exploration companies are able to quickly determine whether to cease or continue drilling, or proceed with development of the property.

the utilisation of backup and rights managed access that governs who can access it and how. This type of system also includes audit trails, helping to instil confidence in meeting the requirements of reporting regulations such as SAMREC, JORC, VALMIN, and NI 43-101.

An additional benefit of centralised data is to make it available to senior geologists who can work with it to build models, analyse it, and review past projects for new opportunities. In cases where the exploration is being done at operating mines looking to expand, geologists and engineers can work with the data from a central location without ever having to visit the site.

After enough assay data has been collected, the next step for a mining business is to deter-mine whether or not it is worth investing in additional drilling, or if the project is viable to go into development. This is the domain of geological modelling software (such as GEMS, Surpac and Minex) and the Whittle strategic mine planning application.

Once a 3D model has been constructed in GEMS, geologists have a view into the nature

and extent o f the deposit. Geostatistical analysis can help them decide if additional drilling is needed to further refine the model and the possible oppor-tunity it represents.

Amongst the lat-est tools in geologists’ toolkits is integrated implicit modell ing within geological and mine planning soft-ware systems such as Surpac and GEMS. This allows them to interactively create grade shells from drill

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Exploration projects in a new digital eraholes and sample information. One example of these tools, Dynamic Shells, is designed to save time when initially evaluating deposits, and can assist in generating surfaces and solids in moments as opposed to hours.

When a sufficient model has been con-structed, an initial mine design can be reviewed with Whittle to determine if the project will be economically viable. In this software, the user can make different economic assump-tions about commodity prices and operating costs, while adjusting the size of the pit to test different scenarios over time. The ultimate objective is to see if it meets investment cri-teria by looking at its NPV. It is common for financial institutions to ask if a “project has been Whittled?”

With more active investor and community scrutiny into proposed mining operations, the next need for mining companies who intend to develop exploration properties is to leverage

the geological information they have collected to tell the story of the operation before ground is struck. This ‘social licence’ to mine is mov-ing into the virtual 3D world where it is now possible to look at how the mine will be con-structed, what its impact will be on the local area, and what it will look like following recla-mation and closure.

For junior mining companies looking to raise funds for their projects, the 3D virtual world can tell a compelling story to potential inves-tors. iPads and other tablets, or websites can be used to interactively show off the geological model, and potential mine development. The investor literally has the ability to rotate, view and interact with the models.

Whatever the requirements of mining and exploration companies in analysing and developing deposits, it is clear that software, especially applications that connect people together visually, and to geological data, will play a critical role. That is because the nature of the mining industry is changing. It is pushed by shareholders to innovate and make better use of its physical resources and the expertise of its people to exploit them more economically.

It is common for financial institutions to ask if a “project has been Whittled?”

PRODUCT News

48MODERN MININGJune 2014

A first-of-its-kind cap lamp – the Luminator – set to eliminate the haz-ards of reduced visibility in South African underground mining operations has been officially launched by MSA Africa.

MSA invented the first electric cap lamp in 1918 in a bid to counter the high number of underground mining fatalities caused by open flame lamps that were exposed to high levels of combustible methane. Ever since, the company has remained a front runner in cap lamp innovation, with the locally developed Luminator being the lat-est international breakthrough in response to local market needs.

MSA Africa Sub-Saharan Sales Leader José Peral notes that the Luminator sets itself apart from all other cap lamps in the world, as it features a number of ground-breaking innovations which, he says, are set to dramatically improve visibility and personal safety for South

Increased uptime with ceramic pulley laggingNot only does conveyor belt slippage have negative financial implications for process plants and mines, but it is also potentially dangerous. In instances where the slippage continues, there is an increased danger of fire as well as damage to the carcass and splice, caused when the belt does not grip.

To alleviate these issues, Multotec Wear Linings developed MultoLag™, a direct bond ceramic pulley lagging system for drive and non-drive pulleys. The standard 100 by 25 by 6 mm smooth high alumina ceramic tiles are applied to non-drive pulleys while stud-ded tile lagging is applied to drive pulleys.

MultoLag™ lagging serves as a mainte-nance free, wear resistant cover which is applied to pulley shells to improve traction in the case of drive pulleys and provide a polished low friction surface on non-drive pulleys. The high co-efficient of friction, approximately 0,78, of the ‘studded’ tiles on the drive pulleys ensures no movement

between the ceramic lined drive pulley surface and the conveyor belt surface. It is not possible for wear to occur if there is no movement between surfaces. Conversely, the smooth/polished surface provided by the very hard ceramic on the non-drive pulleys provides minimal friction, less resis-tance and therefore no wear.

“Ceramic pulley lagging would be used in instances where the pulley operates in extremely aggressive conditions. Typically this would be in wet conditions and other applications where a low co-efficient of fric-tion or a high level of traction is required on drive pulleys or where general wear protec-tion of the non-drive pulley is needed. This would include bucket elevators or where material cannot be prevented from becom-ing trapped between the pulley shell and belt,” Noel Mills of Multotec Wear Linings points out.

Ceramic lined drive pulleys are covered

with high-density 20 by 20 by 6 mm ceramic tiles, with 1 mm-high round-edged studs on the tile face that create maximum traction, without the associated damage to belts.

The 6 mm thick high-density smooth ceramic tiles are bonded directly to the pulley’s surface with specially formulated Multotec Hi-Bond epoxy. This allows the company to achieve a bond strength at least 70 % higher than that of rubber to steel or rubber to ceramic. The epoxy allows for surface flexing, corrosion protection and water dissipation. In the unlikely event that patching is required, local damage can be repaired quickly without removing the sur-rounding pulley lining.

“An attractive feature of the ceramic material is that, although more costly than conventional lagging, it is field proven and in one application has already been in oper-ation for a lifespan of more than 200 months compared to a mere eight months for the original liner,” Mills says.Bernadette Wilson, Multotec Group, tel (+27 11) 923-6193

Innovative cap lamp introduced by MSAAfrican underground miners.

“A major feature is that it enhances the miner’s ability to more effectively

detect cracks on hanging walls, which usually represent signs of ground falls and roof collapse. By swiftly identifying these

cracks, miners save valuable seconds and are able to evacuate

in the event of a rock fall,” he states. This improved visibility is made pos-

sible by two state-of-the-art LEDs. The working beam is emitted by an OSLON SSL 150 high class LED and works through an internal reflection and refraction lens, which creates homogenous and halo free light. In combination with its colour tem-perature, identifying cracks on hanging walls or seam layers is simplified with the MSA Luminator.

An easy-to-find functionality button allows the user to switch between three modes, namely: working light narrow beam, peripheral light and walking light. MSA Africa Product Manager Tshepo Lebona points out that the walking light feature adds to overall worker safety.

“The extended walking light illuminates the two-step walking distance in front of the user, which increases the worker’s comfort and underground safety by reduc-ing injuries caused by tripping or slipping

due to insufficient light,” he explains. The Luminator cap lamp also boasts

MSA’s LiFePO4 lithium-ion battery pack technology, which ensures that the work-ing light is able to run for more than 36 hours – well above the industry average of 24 hours. It also provides an additional 100 hours of emergency light.

Lebona continues: “The LiFePO4 bat-tery pack is protected against deep discharge and has a cycle life of 1 000 dis-charge and charge cycles, with the battery capacity maintaining up to 80 per cent nominal capacity. A Luminator cap lamp that has been used for a 12-hour shift can be recharged within four hours, while a fully flat battery can be recharged within ten hours.”

The MSA Luminator cap lamp also fea-tures what is said to be a world-first cable management solution that can be easily adjusted between 1 m and 1,6 m to mini-mise the risk of hooking on to obstacles that may cause serious injury to the miner. Lebona adds that the lightweight and comfortable design is another feature of the cap lamp.

According to Peral, the cap lamp can be easily clipped onto any type of hardhat, and each unit comes standard with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag that can be used for asset control.

Jose Peral, MSA, tel (+27 11) 610-2600, website: www.MSAsafety.com

MSA Africa’s Luminator cap lamp.

PRODUCT News

June 2014MODERN MINING49

Robust and powerful double-pass miners from Sandvik Mining are reaching new milestones in South Africa’s challenging coalfields while pushing the boundaries of production under difficult geological conditions.

Last year the company’s heavyweight MC470 double-pass miner set the pace for the rest of industry to follow as the only machine of this type in South Africa to cross the magical one-million ton produc-tion mark – a figure which it achieved in just 11 months. Its success has prompted Anglo American’s Coal business unit, owner of the Greenside mine on Witbank’s coal fields, to order yet another one of the big machines to further boost production on the mine.

According to Sandvik Mining’s Global Product Manager, Continuous Miners, David Hickson, the achievement of the double-pass miner is remarkable consid-ering the limitations of bord-and-pillar type mining methods required to safely mine coal in the area. While abundant coal reserves still exist in the region, they

are deeper, narrower and are becoming harder to reach than ever before.

“As we reach in, we are left with smaller coal panels which require smaller machines. These need to be able to cut and turn in smaller spaces, while still maintaining simi-larly high production rates of the comparatively cumber-some single-pass miners,” he says.

In South Africa, Sandvik Mining was quick to realise that a new breed of machine would be required and intro-duced an all new, heavier and more powerful range of MC double-pass min-ing machines that are capable of dealing with tougher geological conditions, while maintaining the highest possible produc-tion rates.

“Typically South African mines have to deal with more hard rock within the coal panels and there is less room to manoeu-vre. The only way to get the kind of efficiency required is to cut faster and this

Sandvik double-pass miner is a record-breaker

Sandvik Mining’s heavyweight MC470 double-pass miner.

requires powerful machines that are heavy enough to anchor the machine in the upstroke and down stroke,” says Hickson.

“Our MC470 has unique bi-directional cutting abilities which mean it advances and cuts up and down in a single pass. As a result, forward movement is seamless as the machine also cuts the base (floor) cut in its stroke. As it moves forward the head is in the right position to immediately begin cutting again once it is in position.”

The MC470 has a powerful 540 kW motor that runs on 3,3 kV instead of the usual 1 kV feed. Sandvik Mining, tel (+27 11) 929-5300

PRODUCT News

50MODERN MININGJune 2014

FLSmidth’s capabilities in the gold extrac-tion arena will be showcased with the supply of equipment to Vancouver-based gold producer B2Gold’s Otjikoto gold project. FLSmidth claims to be the only company in Africa capable of providing a complete end-to-end gold extraction solu-tion drawn from in-house technology.

This know-how and equipment derives from FLSmidth’s Summit Valley range of modular plants and equipment for the extraction of gold and silver. The Summit Valley offering includes the industry’s

Otjikoto order to showcase FLSmidth’s gold expertisehighest capacity electrowinning cell used in precious metals recovery.

The Otjikoto gold project is located 300 km north of Windhoek, Namibia, between the towns of Otjiwarongo and Otavi, and will rank as the country’s sec-ond and biggest gold mine when it enters production before year end.

The order was placed with FLSmidth in the second quarter of 2013 and comprises 14 Krebs gMAX cyclones; four KC-QS48 Knelson concentrators reporting to a ConSep Acacia CS8000 intense cyanida-tion reactor; two 20 m diameter thickeners (one pre-leach and one tailings) with a bolted tank design; one carbon fines and one sludge filter and four electrowinning cells. FLSmidth will provide installation and commissioning supervision on-site, as well as post-commissioning support from its Johannesburg operations.

FLSmidth’s gMAX cyclones focus on minimising turbulence while maximising tangential velocity, significantly advanc-ing cyclone performance. To achieve these two design criteria, the gMAX incorporates performance enhancing improvements to the inlet head, cylinder section, cones and apex. The company’s Quantum Series (QS) Knelson batch concentrator is highly configurable and uses a rotating assembly

FLSmidth 20 m diameter thickener assembly showing the bridge and feed well.

incorporating the latest design in concen-trate cone technology and advancements in the upper and lower frame.

“The low-grade Otjikoto ore contains significant gravity gold that can occur in relatively large nuggets, so maximum gravity effort is planned for recovery, with 100 % of ball mill circulating load treated by gravity,” says Dave Capstick, FLSmidth Business Development Manager.

The Krebs cyclones, Knelson concentra-tors and Acacia leach reactor were shipped to the mine site in October last year fol-lowed by the filters, with fabrication of the thickeners complete and trial assembly underway. The electrowinning cells and standby units are about to be shipped.

Since FLSmidth acquired the Utah-based precious metals extraction business of Summit Valley five years ago, it has been actively marketing these products in Africa and achieving a steady penetration of this market. These technology solutions are directed at operating customers who are planning to expand their gold recovery cir-cuits and those who want to improve their efficiencies, as well as those who are build-ing new plants. There are also significant applications where customers are experi-encing operating inefficiencies.Terence Osborn, FLSmidth, tel (+27 10) 210-4820

Hopper wagons designed for platinum beltDespite continued labour unrest and financial constraints in the South African platinum belt, DCD Rolling Stock continues to perform well in the region, having sold a total of 33 discharge hopper wagons to mining operations over the past five years.

Johannesburg-based DCD Rolling Stock is a division of international manufacturing and engineering company DCD Group, and is recognised as a leading manufacturer and supplier of locomotives, wagons and bogies to railway, mining and industrial operations.

DCD Rolling Stock’s Phillip van der Westhuizen states that the company’s side discharge hopper wagons are used to transport ore from mine shafts to pro-cessing plants for offloading. “Quality and reliability have made our discharge hopper wagons a trusted product in the region for over 20 years.”

More recently, however, Van der Westhuizen indicates that DCD Rolling

Stock has been working closely with plati-num mine engineers over the past decade in order to adjust the design of certain discharge hopper wagons to adapt to con-stantly evolving mechanical and safety requirements.

“The latest discharge hopper wagons are designed specifically for the South African platinum belt, and feature a unique safety mechanism on the side discharge doors that prevents the doors from acci-dentally opening in transit and causing spillage, thereby improving mine safety,” he explains.

The unique mechanism, known as a ‘central shaft over top dead centre lock-ing device’, comprises three offset levers connected to the doors with three links per door. The levers have two end stops to ensure that they rotate over the centre position to prevent the doors from opening accidentally.

Discharge hopper wagons weigh 85

tons with payload volumes of 26 m3, and Van der Westhuizen reveals that spillage can prove to be catastrophic. “For added safety, the wagons also have a pneumati-cally operated interlock featuring a cam and hook that lock into place once the doors are fully closed,” he says.

Van der Westhuizen states that the dis-charge hopper wagon’s body and under frame consist of a fully welded construc-tion utilising S355JR steel, while the body ends, centre gable and volume reducer are angled to avoid any hang-up of ore during unloading operations.

“The discharge hopper wagons are fit-ted with high impact and wear resistant body liners manufactured from Tivar GR12 material 20 mm thick on the body ends and volume reducer, and 12 mm thick on the lower half of the centre gable for improved corrosion resistance. A combination of vacuum and air brakes, each capable of operating independently, adds to safety,” he says. Freedom Ndlovu, DCD, tel (+27 11) 306-8471

PRODUCT News

June 2014MODERN MINING51

Versatility and availability are two reasons for the continuing success of Pilot Crushtec International’s range of modular semi-mobile crushing and screening products.

These attributes were demonstrated recently when a major mining company, Forbes Coal, needed additional equipment for its coal pro-cessing plant.

Pilot Crushtec’s National Sales Manager Nicolan Govender explains that from order to commissioning the project was literally a seam-less exercise.

“The mine urgently needed a suite of equip-ment to process <3 mm material that would interface with its existing machinery. One of the features of our modular range is that crushers, screens and conveyors have been designed to integrate with other equipment to provide the customer with a simple and straightforward solution for his needs,” he says.

An added benefit is that the popularity of the range ensures that a high proportion of equipment is available ex-stock, providing the customer with a rapid turnaround. In this instance it took no more than two weeks from date of order to commissioning the machinery

Modular equipment supplied to Forbes Coal

The suite of equipment supplied by Pilot Crushtec to Forbes Coal.

on site in Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal.The modular equipment supplied

comprised a GFH560 grizzly feed hop-per, a Pilot Modular BRO605 vertical shaft impact crusher, a Pilot Modular

DD3615 heavy duty screen, a Pilot Modular 16 m MC600 conveyor and three Pilot Modular 10 m MC600 conveyors.Pilot Crushtec, tel (+27 11) 842-5600

Spiral Guard protects hydraulic hoseAs the price of hydraulic hose assemblies increases due to the weaker rand and increas-ing operational costs, many users are looking for ways to obtain a longer lifespan from their hydraulic hose. One way to achieve this – says Genflex Hydraulics – is through the use of Spiral Guard, which protects the outer cover of the hydraulic hose.

Once the outer cover has been worn and high tensile steel braids exposed, the braids rust and the hydraulic hose can no longer hold working pressures. In most applications, and especially in arduous conditions, the Spiral Guard will protect the rubber outer cover from being worn.

Spiral Guard is not an expensive commod-ity when compared to the costs involved of a hydraulic hose burst, which can also lead to loss of hydraulic oil.

This imported product is now available in South Africa from Genflex Hydraulics. The Spiral Guard can be cut to the required size, leaving the remaining Spiral Guard securely covered in pack-aging which is easy to store.Bruce Garner, Genflex Hydraulics, tel (+27 11) 900-3235

PRODUCT News

52MODERN MININGJune 2014

A new range of MGU industrial gear units, designed specifically for use with grind-ing mill drive trains in the mining industry, has been introduced to the local market by specialist drive engineering company SEW-EURODRIVE.

SEW-EURODRIVE Head of Engineering and Sales Conrad Pilger notes that the MGU series of industrial gear units has been developed on the back of the success of the M1 gear series.

“The M1PSF, ME2FS and ML2PSF are a part of the MGU series of industrial gear units. They are an application specific extension of the M1 series of gear units, which were a proven success,” he states.

The MGU series is said to meet the high-

est quality, reliability and performance requirements and is made from the best quality materials. “This has resulted in increased safety for drive applications that were previously run using conventional gear units. The new series also provides economic advantages for new drive appli-cations,” Pilger explains.

The MGU gear series features a horizon-tally split housing which is equipped with facilities for lifting, oil inlet and outlet, oil heater, a lubrication unit attachment, an oil sight glass, along with various other components. The housing is composed of various materials ranging from fabricated steel to cast iron.

This, along with the sturdy and rugged design, ensures that the gear housing can withstand a tough working environment. All of the gears and pinions used in the MGU range meet ISO 6 standards.

In addition, the gear mesh properties have been selected in order to minimise the noise and vibration levels, as well as reduce the risk of surface wear to the unit.

Pilger says the high speed shafts are equipped with a three-bearing arrangement. He adds that the radial load component from the gear mesh is supported by two radial bearings,

Industrial gear units designed for mill drive trainsand an additional thrust bearing load is included to compensate for the axial load component.

If needed, thrust bearings are spring loaded to avoid minimum load condition for non-loaded bearings. Thrust bearings on HS, IM and LS shafts are located on the same side of the housing. This causes a thrust load on HS shaft and a counter thrust load on IM/LS shaft to be compen-sated close to each other, minimising the housing deflections.

Auxiliary drive packages are also avail-able for use with the MGU gear series. These include disengaging coupling, brake disk and caliper or brake motor. The main drive unit consists of the main gear unit (an M1PSF, ME2FS or ML2PSF), as well as HSS coupling, LSS coupling and a lubrication unit. The auxiliary drive features an auxil-iary gear unit, disengaging coupling, HSS coupling, a brake and an electric motor.

During normal operation, only the main drive will be in use. The auxiliary drive will be disconnected from the rotating main drive by disengaging the coupling. This drive is only connected and used when the mill is being serviced, but there is still a need to rotate the grinding mill slowly. SEW-EURODRIVE, tel (+27 11) 248-7000

SEW-EURODRIVE has introduced a new range of MGU industrial gear units, designed specifically for use with grinding mill drive trains in the mining industry.

SAISC develops steel construction digitisation toolThe Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) has developed a digital tool that enables the structural engineer to design the appropriate struc-tural steel connection at the ‘press of a button’.

SAISC Education Director Spencer Erling says that this eToolKit will revolutionise the steel construction industry. “Imagine a digital tool on your laptop, tablet or smart phone that is so intuitive you will be up and running in a minute and within a few ‘clicks’ the capacity of the connection is displayed,” Erling says.

According to the Erling, the entire pro-cess is as simple as it gets. The steps are as follows: Click on the SAISC standard connection

you want to use (there are five major groups, from which you can choose your particular requirement).

Select the member sizes you wish to join (a full database of sections is available to choose from).

Select the bolt diameters, number of rows of bolts and the plate thickness.

Push the calculate button and instanta-neously the capacity of the connection is displayed.But there’s a lot more to this program,

says Erling. “By placing your cursor on the box you are told what ‘the weak link in the connection is’, allowing you to refine the connection design. This is really the ‘jack-pot’ feature of the program,” he says.

SANS10162:2005 sets down the rules for designing steel structures. To simplify the designer’s life, the SAISC publishes The South African Steel Construction Handbook, popularly known as the Red Book, which turns the code formulae into tables. This ‘bible’ of the industry also provides guid-ance and general information to help the steel designer.

In 2013, to complement updated ver-sions of the Red Book, the SAISC published a new hard copy version of the Green Book, which brought connection design up to

date. The book is notable for its guidance and includes a plethora of simplifications, where appropriate.

“Once again, there is a great deal of text to explain ‘what and how’ but also examples to guide the designer through the maze of formulae and methods,” says Erling. The book has become a desktop companion to those involved in connection design and more than 300 designers have attended the SAISC courses on connection design based on the Green Book.

Notwithstanding the simplifications, connection design done by hand can be a laborious task, especially if the designer desires to optimise the efficiency (i.e. cost in rands and cents) of connections. “The net result is that too many steel structure designs are issued for construction with inadequate attention paid to the connec-tions and their details. This is a serious concern for the SAISC and the industry and, so, after a tremendous effort by the SAISC team, the new connection design eToolKit was developed,” Erling says.Paolo Trinchero, SAISC, tel (+27 11) 726-6111

June 2014MODERN MINING53

PRODUCT News

Improved efficiencies from Warman froth pumpThe customers of Weir Minerals Africa are reported to be enjoying the benefit of vastly improved efficiencies from the Warman® AHF™ froth pump.

The heavy duty froth pump, whilst based on – and interchangeable with – the well-known Warman® AH and L pumps, has been modi-fied to handle difficult froth slurry. Key to the design is a significantly larger-than-normal inlet diameter with a unique impeller inducer blade which is able to handle heavy froth and higher viscosity dense slurries with ease. This larger inlet, with correspondingly larger inlet volume, allows the handling of significantly greater expanded air vol-ume without air binding and with less surging.

Weir Minerals Africa has conducted local test work based on find-ings drawn from research conducted in North America and Europe over the past seven years. Rui Gomes, Product Manager: Slurry Pumps at Weir Minerals Africa, says this research allowed his team to under-stand the variability that takes place at different plants and how the AHF™ pump can be adjusted to respond to these irregularities.

“Being able to tap into the latest proven methods and apply them to local operations is one of the benefits of being part of a large mul-tinational organisation,” adds Gomes. “The mining industry is plagued by froth and high viscosity problems and, in the process of recovering minerals from the ore, the slurry is often floated by utilising strong flotation agents. The hydrophobic bubbles carry the concentrate to be recovered and further processed. This can create complications within standard slurry pumps. The typical consequence is that conventional sumps are prone to overflowing, leading to spillage and loss of valu-able concentrate, as well as posing a risk to the environment. This in turn often results in the selection of overly large and inefficient pumps.

“The Warman® AHF™ froth pump is small and efficient. The inducer impeller and oversized inlet are very effective in assuring that froth or viscous slurries enter the impeller, allowing the pump to transport it to the next destination. Lower power costs, reliable operation, greatly reduced surging and feed tank overflow make this pump extremely user friendly.”Rene Calitz, Weir Minerals Africa, tel (+27 11) 929-2622

Warman AHF pump awaiting inspection at Weir Minerals Africa’s manufacturing facility in Alrode.

PRODUCT News

54MODERN MININGJune 2014

Atlas Copco has introduced a range of eight Drum Cutter attachments to its range of Construction Tools. The DC Drum Cutter range is available with service weights from 200 kg to 2 000 kg, suitable for carriers of 1-50 tonnes.

“Our Drum Cutters are an excellent choice for rock or concrete wall and surface profiling, trenching, frozen soil excavation, soft rock excavation in quarries, demolition, and dredging,” says Gordon Hambach, Product Line Manager Power Demolition Tools. “They are a complementary product to our hydraulic breakers and offer an additional solution for softer rock applications up to 100 MPa”.

Atlas Copco Drum cutters can be used underwater to a depth of 30 m without additional installation. Due to small grain sizes, cut rock or concrete can be used as backfill material without addi-tional crushing.

Low noise and vibration levels make the new range suitable for use on restricted jobsites and in sensitive urban areas.

The drum cutting technology used allows accurate removal of material in tunnels and trenches, and from any other kind of rock or concrete surface.Kathryn Coetzer, Atlas Copco, tel (+27 11) 821-9000

Becker Mining South Africa says it has been at the forefront of collision avoidance sys-tems (CAS) in the mining sector for over 15 years.

“Our systems, which are designed for surface and underground environ-ments, have evolved progressively, based

on advancements in technologies and expanding expectations from customers, of the functionality of these systems,” says Johann Smit, Chief Sales Officer, Becker Mining South Africa. “Throughout the development of the CAS product portfolio, the company has maintained compatibil-ity of the latest technologies, with even the very earliest releases of CAS solutions.”

In many cases, low profile machines operate in physically constrained sur-roundings, with limited visibility for vehicle operators. This common scenario, coupled with the increasing volume of production traffic and inevitable proximity of per-sonnel around these machines, creates circumstances conducive to injury, as well as life threatening and fatal accidents.

The company’s internationally pat-ented tri-technology solution, with ‘critical’, ‘warning’, ‘caution’ and ‘safe’ zones, has been designed to leverage the maximum

Becker Mining at the forefront of CAS technology

Becker Mining South Africa’s latest patented tri-tech-nology Collision Avoidance System (the CAS-400 series), with four proximity warning zones, has been designed to overcome the limitations of existing systems.

Becker’s third and fourth CAS solu-tions remain in full scale production and are fully supported through extensive pre and after sales programmes. In addition to core vehicular equipment, these solutions are complemented by personnel tags, vehicle tags, infrastructure and self-test equipment, as well connectivity solutions to Becker’s extensive underground com-munication product portfolio.

The ability of the company’s latest gen-eration equipment to black box record and then report possible incidents to a centralised management information sys-tem – through the Becker Mining Systems communication networks – plays an important role in pre-emptive operational planning. This ultimately contributes to the avoidance of proximity related acci-dents and collisions, as well as pinch and crush incidents. Tags installed on vehicles and personnel facilitate additional value added functionality, such as tagging and tracking, as well as remote evacuation signalling. Becker Mining South Africa, tel (+27 11) 617-6300

Drum Cutter attachments from Atlas Copco

reliability, repeat-ability, redundancy and scalability to customers.

June 2014MODERN MINING55

PRODUCT News

All MSP Terra Drill rigs are air operated at an optimal pres-sure of 400 kPa to 500 kPa, which results in a pneumatic thrust of at least 200 kg.

Rig designed for in-stope roof boltingInternationally recognised gold min-ing operations in South Africa are able to ensure greater underground worker safety while maintaining production efficiency through the innovative Terra Drill rig manu-factured locally by Mine Support Products (MSP).

MSP is jointly owned by inter-n a t i o n a l m a n u f a c t u r i n g a n d engineering company DCD Group and Robor, a manufacturer and sup-plier of welded steel tube and pipe, cold formed steel profiles and associ-ated value added products.

The Vereeniging-based company’s range of Terra Drill in-stope inte-grated telescopic roof bolt drilling rigs, designed to ensure safer and more stabilised underground drilling, has been used extensively by a number of high-profile gold mining operations since being introduced locally in 2007.

MSP General Manager Conrad Engel brecht points out that the lightweight and easily manoeuvrable Terra Drill rigs can be set in position, before being operated remotely from a safe dis-tance, in order to ensure improved safety of drilling personnel underground.

“Terra Drill rigs come in eight different models that weigh between 12 kg and 42 kg, which improves transport and manoeu-vrability in confined underground working areas. Despite their varying sizes, all models have a footprint of just 450 mm x 450 mm for further space saving,” he explains.

All MSP Terra Drill rigs are air operated at an optimal pressure of 400 kPa to 500 kPa, which results in a pneumatic thrust of at least 200 kg. Remote control hose lengths vary from 3 m to 6 m to ensure that the drill operator is a safe distance from the powerful drilling rig.

Another major benefit of the range is that the units are com-patible with a wide variety of underground drilling machines, thereby eliminating the need for purchasing costly additional connection and safety equipment.

Despite the distinct advantages of the MSP range of Terra Drill rigs, Engelbrecht admits that the company faces a number of challenges in promoting the equipment. “Although in-stope roof bolting is essential to underground worker safety, it is not a legal requirement. In challenging economic conditions, a number of local mines are therefore not willing to invest in new technology,” he says.

Engelbrecht remains optimistic that the range will gain market share in the long term. “Mining operations in South Africa con-tinue to place a greater emphasis on safety, and the value of the Terra Drill rig will become more apparent to the mining houses when they weigh the initial cost of purchase against the risks of unprotected underground drilling,” he concludes. Conrad Engelbrecht , MSP, tel (+27 16) 428-0131

PRODUCT News

56MODERN MININGJune 2014

Index to advertisersAfrimat 47Barloworld Equipment 55Barloworld Power IFC Becker Mining SA 30Bell Equipment 7 Brelko Conveyor Products 49Cummins SA – Mining 38DRA Mineral Projects 13Fractum 54

Horne Group 9Hosch-Fördertechnik SA 53Hytec Engineering 51Jojen 32Joy Global Africa 44Komatsu 10MDM Engineering IBCMMD Mineral Sizing 20New Concept Mining OBC

Sandvik Mining OFCSandvik Mining Systems 31Sedgman 33SRK Consulting 15Tenova Mining and Minerals 2The MSA Group 42Verder Pumps SA 21WorleyParsons 17

Electronic m i n e s a f e t y

equipment specialist Booyco Electronics has introduced one of South Africa’s first Explosion Protected (Ex) tab-lets that is Ex ma [ia] Group I certified for use underground in fiery mines. This robust, full sized tablet carries an IP54 rat-ing for ingress of dust and water and is drop resistant from the standard height of one metre.

The Booyco IS tablet was designed

Two 3001 cabin dumpers from Wacker Neuson are proving their worth at a mine in Tocopilla in the Antofagasta region in northern Chile, located at around 2 200 m above sea level. Both all-wheel dumpers transport material daily for at least eight hours, in particular stone and rubble from the underground mine.

The machines have been designed with safety in mind. Beyond the obliga-tory FOPS (Falling Objects Protection Structure) level I, the cabin dumpers also meet FOPS level II. In addition to ROPS (Roll Over Protection Structure) and TOPS (Tips Over Protection Structure), the machines are offered with options such as an audible reverse warning device, rotating beacon and mirror package to significantly increase the operator safety. An option-ally available line-of-sight camera for the larger dumper models 6001, 9001 and

Booyco tablet certified for use in fiery mineslocally, in collaboration with an interna-tional manufacturer, to suit South African underground mining conditions. In the hazardous environment, hard wire con-nections to the unit can be achieved with various Booyco-supplied barriers to ensure safe functionality.

“The Department of Mineral Resources recently increased the approval require-ments on coal mines and we recognised the opportunity to develop an IA device that is able to be safely used in this haz-ardous environment,” Anton Lourens, MD of Booyco Electronics, says. “In the long term, it is anticipated that most South African mines could be classified as fiery mines and when this legislation comes in, it’s going to require a lot of changes to the underground electronic environment.

So in developing an IS tablet at this time, we’re meeting both an immediate need at coal mines and a future industry-wide requirement.

“In addition, most vehicles operating underground in our coal mines are moving over to electronic management systems. Computer programs are not always accessible from the surface, so in order to interface with the controls of these machines, there’s a definite and increasing need for an IS computer device to receive and transmit data and program systems underground.”

The Booyco IS tablet has a battery life of up to eight hours and runs off any Windows operating system.

Anton Lourens, Booyco Electronics, tel 0861 BOOYCO (266926)

10001 also provides for improved all-round visibility and minimises blind spots.

The off-road capability is guaranteed by the articulated pendulum joint, which provides permanent ground contact and firm traction, as well as by the high ground clearance and hydrostatic all-wheel drive. Particularly impor-tant in the mining industry is the gradeability of up to 50 per cent, because material in northern Chile is transported up from up to 150 m depth.

The generously-dimensioned cabin of the 3001 dumper offers the operator maxi-mum head and leg room. All steering and control mechanisms are ergonomically laid out. Both doors of the cabin can be locked at an angle of 180 degrees so that it is possible to drive with the doors open.

Cabin dumpers are strong on safety

Maintaining the dumper is also designed to be easy. Daily checks are kept to a mini-mum due to the lockable maintenance accesses attached on both sides of the cabin. The service access located under the driver’s seat can be easily reached by loosening four screws.Wacker Neuson South Africa, tel (+27 11) 672-0847

A Wacker Neuson 3001 cabin dumper in action at the mine in northern Chile.

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