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16
MODERN MINING
April 2016
MINING News
Mine construction activity at Fekola builds up
Canada’s B2Gold reports that early works
were completed and activities ramped up
in preparation for full construction of its
Fekola project in Mali in the fourth quarter
of 2015. Significant activities included for-
mal ground-breaking ceremonies for the
project with local and national leaders,
clearing and topsoil removal at the tailings
basin, camp and workshop construction,
and earthworks and steel piling installa-
tion in the mill and leach tank areas.
Numerous major mill packages have
been issued for purchase including grinding
mills, crushers, tanks, and motors. Detailed
design for the Fekola plant and infrastruc-
ture construction is being completed by
Lycopodium Engineering (Australia). This is
the same engineering group that was used
to design the Otjikoto project in Namibia
and many of the same Lycopodium project
engineers are involved in the design phase.
Additionally, many of the same vendors
that have provided equipment to Otjikoto
have been successful in their bids on equip-
ment packages for the Fekola infrastructure
and plant.
The 2016 construction and develop-
ment budget for the Fekola project totals
approximately US$233 million. In 2016, the
company will continue to develop the proj-
ect with work in all major areas. Excavation
and compaction of the mill area will be
supported by an on-site geotechnical labo-
ratory and concrete will be provided by an
on-site batch plant. Structural steel and
tank erection is expected to begin in the
second quarter of 2016. Major earthworks
to be undertaken in 2016 include the tail-
ings storage facility and the surface water
dam. Based on current assumptions, the
project remains on schedule to commence
production in late 2017.
Fekola will be a substantial gold pro-
ducer with a planned average gold
production for the first seven years of
approximately 350 000 ounces per year at
an average cash operating cost of US$418
per ounce and for the life of mine plan
approximately 276 000 ounces per year at
an average cash operating cost of US$552
per ounce. The total pre-production capital
costs are estimated to be US$395 million
plus US$67 million of anticipated mine
fleet and power generator costs which are
expected to be lease financed.
Tharisa, South Africa’s only PGM and
chrome co-producer, reports it recorded a
number of milestone achievements during
the three months ended 31 March 2016 as
its mining and processing reached steady
state levels on an annualised basis.
A continued focus on safety contrib-
uted to a significant reduction in safety
related stoppages in Q2 FY2016 with a lost
time injury frequency rate as at 31 March
2016 of 0,3 per 200 000 hours.
Second quarter milestones included (on
an annualised basis) reef mined exceed-
ing the steady state required run rate of
4,8 Mt/a, mill throughput at nameplate
design capacity and contained PGM pro-
duction on a 6E basis meeting the steady
state production level.
“We are very encouraged by the mile-
stones achieved during this, our second
quarter. Not only have we achieved
improved production, we have exceeded
Tharisa achieves steady-state production levels
previous records,” says Tharisa CEO
Phoevos Pouroulis.
Tharisa’s mining operations are charac-
terised by the shallow open-pit, large scale
co-production of PGMs and chrome con-
centrates with a consequential low cost of
production.
Improvements in reef mined during the
quarter resulted from a continued focus on
opening up access to the full mining strike
length and the benefits of maintaining
Night view of the Tharisa mine, which is located on the south-western limb of the Bushveld Complex, near Marikana (photo: Tharisa).