Modern Mining April 2016

COVER STORY

Mouton. “Work on the internal electricity sub- station for this has been completed and construc- tion of the powerline is in progress. Longer-term we are confident of getting the electricity we need as our startup will occur just as the new Medupi Power Station is reaching its full capacity. We have already agreed a 70 MVA bulk supply with Eskom and are in discussions regard- ing the further 30 MVA that may be required. “With respect to water, we will be drawing from the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project, which includes the raised Flag Boshielo Dam and the Phase 2B pipeline. We are also investigating other bulk water resources so that we have a back-up plan in the event that delivery of water from the Olifants project is delayed.”

particularly suitable for thick orebodies – is well-established globally although relatively uncommon in South Africa where narrow reefs predominate (although it has been used in some gold mines). “We’re absolutely confident that it is the right method for the Flatreef and that it will deliver the required tonnages, at low cost and in safe conditions,” he says. Mouton adds that the high degree of mecha- nisation will mean that the Platreef mine will be an ultra-safe mine. “Mechanised methods are inherently safer than manual methods, par- ticularly if the operators are well trained, as ours will be,” he maintains. “In fact, our vision is that our operators – who will be predomi- nantly drawn from local communities – will be multi-skilled, well-paid professionals, who will work in air conditioned cabs in well ven- tilated spaces. To enhance safety even further, the mine design is such that it will minimise all man-machine interfaces. Ivanhoe’s manage- ment has stressed that the goal is to make the new mine one of the safest in the world and this objective has been prioritised in all our planning, design and engineering.” Despite the level of mechanisation and the elimination of labour-intensive procedures, the Platreef mine will be a substantial employer even in phase one, with the projected work- force within four years of the start of operations expected to be in the vicinity of 2 200 people. Says Mouton: “We are committed to employ- ing at least 70 % of our workers locally. This will require that we invest very heavily in training and this process has already started as part of our Social and Labour Plan commit- ments. In conjunction with the Department of Labour, we have created a database which will be used to select candidates for training and already we have 23 000 names on it. We’ve also committed to building a community skills and development and training facility in the Mokopane area within five years – a project which will cost around R26 million.” Of course, building a mine the size of the Platreef operation in an area where water supplies are limited and in a country where electricity supply is constrained brings with it its own set of challenges on top of those pre- sented by the task of creating a cutting-edge underground mine. The mine will need up to 100 MVA of power (for the 4 Mt/a production level) and also consume up to 10 million litres of water per day. “As regards to power, we have enough genset capacity on site for the shaft sinking and we will be receiving a permanent 5 MVA supply from Eskom for the construction phase,” says

He adds that the mine – as one would expect – will incorporate modern technologies to save on energy and that it will also be an eco- nomic consumer of water, with extensive use of recycling. Summing up the project, Mouton says that the construction underway at presents repre- sents the culmination of nearly two decades of work by Ivanhoe, which started explora- tion work at the Platreef site in the late 1990s. “We are pleased with the current progress on site and are on course to produce our first con- centrates in 2019. We also believe we have the overwhelming support of the local communi- ties who are excited by the employment and business opportunities the new mine presents. We are very aware of the need to have a social licence to mine and the MD of Ivanplats, Dr Patricia Makhesha, and rest of the Ivanplats team are working ceaselessly to ensure that the mine meets – and exceeds – the require- ments of the Mining Charter. Overall, this is a transformative project with the capacity, on one level, to revolutionise platinum mining and, on another, to benefit a huge range of stakeholders within the Mokopane area.”  Report by Arthur Tassell, photos courtesy of Ivanplats

Model of Shaft 2 created by Murray & Roberts Cementation using 3D printing technology.

April 2016  MODERN MINING  27