Modern Mining November 2015

CONSULTANTS/ PROJECT HOUSES

Fluor puts down roots in Botswana In recognition of the importance of its operations in

feed the adjacent Morupule ‘B’ power station. Says Bester: “Both contracts were completed successfully in 2012. Despite the complexity of the projects, we were able to maximise the use of local labour. At the peak of Cut-8, for example, 85 % of the total workforce consisted of citizens of Botswana. The safety record on both contracts was also excellent with our best achievement being 5,2 million Lost Time Incidents (LTI) free hours worked at Cut-8 over a period of 538 days.” Fluor’s work for Debswana is continuing and the company is presently busy with an engi- neering and procurement contract – secured on tender – for the Letlhakane Mine Tailings Resource Treatment Project (LMTRTP). Fluor has been contracted to proceed with the detailed engineering and design of the selected flow sheet for the process plant and to develop the detail design of the works. Letlhakane mine, located in the Orapa area, is approaching the end of its life in terms of its economically viable open-pit resources but the LMTRTP will ensure that the mine continues to operate for at least another 20 years, producing up to 800 000 carats a year from the treatment of tailings through the use of new and improved recovery technologies. Construction of the LMTRTP began in the first quarter of this year after funding for construction was approved by Debswana in November 2014. The facility will enter operation in 2017. A modular approach to design and con- struction has been adopted, which means that construction activity is taking place not only on site but at a module yard, where elements of the plant will be pre-assembled. Skills transfer is an integral part of Fluor’s approach in Botswana and this was certainly the case with the Cut-8 and Morupule con- tracts, which saw local trainers being identified and sent to Fluor’s training facilities at Secunda in South Africa to learn skills which were sub- sequently passed on to the workforces on the two projects. Bester adds that Fluor has also partnered with Debswana regarding building skills locally through an internship programme in areas such as project controls and document handling. “The interns are trained in Fluor’s offices in Gaborone and receive about 120 hours of instruction,” he says. “We use the facilities of Fluor University, which is Fluor’s virtual col- lege for continuing education serving all its operations, both in the US and globally. We’ve

Botswana and the growth potential offered by the country, global engineering giant Fluor Corporation, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has opened a permanent office in Gaborone. The office was recently officially opened, an event attended by Charles Siwawa, CEO of the Botswana Chamber of Mines, top Fluor executives, Fluor’s clients in Botswana, and members of the media. Modern Mining was present at the opening and also had the opportunity to interview Andries Bester, Fluor’s Botswana Country Manager.

C urrently in Botswana, Fluor’s main client is Debswana Diamond Min- ing Company, a 50:50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers which dominates the country’s diamond mining industry. While Fluor’s intention is to maintain and grow its presence in Botswana’s minerals industry, it is also intent on penetrating other markets in the country, particularly the power, infrastructure and energy and chemicals sectors. Speaking at the opening of the Fluor office, Joe McAneny, Fluor’s Senior Vice President, Global Project Execution, said, “We are look- ing forward to strengthening our ability to serve clients, both existing and new, in this develop- ing region as well as supporting Botswana’s goal to boost local business and employment diversification.” Fluor’s relationship with Debswana dates back to the early 2000s – with the provision of technical services at the Orapa mine – but moved into a higher gear around 2010 when it was awarded major contracts for the Jwaneng mine and also the Morupule colliery (which is a subsidiary of Debswana mining coal in Palapye). At Jwaneng, Fluor was responsible for managing the EPCM phases of the massive Cut-8 project (after having earlier completed the feasibility study) while at Morupule it pro- vided EPCM services for the expansion of the colliery from 1 Mt/a to 3,2 Mt/a. Fluor’s scope of work on Cut-8 at Jwaneng – one of Botswana’s biggest ever capital projects – encompassed materials handling, the process plant, infrastructure, utilities, demolition and a 33 kV pit ring installation. At Morupule, its focus was the upgrade of existing conveyors, the provision of additional coal storage and surge capabilities, a new crushing and screen- ing plant and a second coal conveyor stream to

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48  MODERN MINING  November 2015