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MODERN MINING
November 2015
CONSULTANTS/
PROJECT HOUSES
feature
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
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
Fluor
puts down roots in
Botswana
In recognition of the importance of its operations in
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.