7 / 60
March 2015
MODERN MINING
5
MINING News
Beltcon 18 conference coming up in August
The 18th biennial International Materials
Handling Conference and Exhibition –
Beltcon 18 – is to be held on 5 and 6 August
this year. Now in its 36th year, the Beltcon
conference is recognised worldwide as a
valuable resource in bringing the very lat-
est developments in materials handling to
a wide audience.
Up-to-date research, new conveyor
techniques, report-backs on methodology
and installations and new technology are
presented by some of the most eminent
international conveying specialists.
Beltcon is supported by the Conveyor
Manufacturers Association and is organ-
ised by Cost Time Resource. This is the same
team that recently held the successful inau-
gural conference on Safety in the Conveyor
Industry – Safecon – which will now be held
every second year, alternating with Beltcon.
Delegates attending can claim credit
points towards the ECSA Continuous
Professional Development requirements.
Full details plus an application form are
available on the Beltcon website:
www.
Beltcon.org.za
.
stope, augmenting the School’s focus on
digital, remote monitoring technologies
to enhance safety on mines.
Like the recently completed model
mine tunnel, the stope panel is situated
in the basement of the School of Mines
premises, where it incorporates one of the
building’s beams as a geological feature.
Former Head of School Professor Fred
Cawood had initiated the stope panel
construction as part of his digital mine
research at Wits Mining. These simulated
facilities form part of the ‘digital mine’
environment which is providing invaluable
tools for learning and research, bringing a
real mine experience to mining engineer-
ing students at Wits.
“Most of the 200 first-year students we
welcome into the School each year are
straight from school and have never been
in a mine before,” said Musingwini. “While
mine visits are arranged from time to time,
this facility gives easy access to students
– so that they can visualise and test what
they are studying theoretically.”
“While the facility is invaluable for our
teaching work, it will also be made avail-
able to our research students as they
push the boundaries of productivity with
digital and other technology in mining,”
said Professor Cawood. “Now more than
ever, SA needs to encourage and facilitate
research that can stimulate our mining
sector; through facilities like these, Wits
School of Mines is showing its commit-
ment to doing that.”
The Wits School of Mining Engineering
ranks among the top in the world. It is the
largest English-speaking school of mining
engineering and one of the fastest grow-
ing – with a student body in excess of 800
students. Among undergraduates, over a
third are women.
Montero Mining and Exploration, listed
on the TSX-V, has entered into a definitive
agreement with Ovation Capital to fund
the development of Montero’s phosphate
rock projects near Saldanha Bay in the
Western Cape. Ovation is a South African
based investment firm that is currently
developing a portfolio of mineral benefi-
ciation projects focused on a targeted set
of industrial minerals.
As part of the agreement, Ovation will
fund studies relating to an integrated fer-
tiliser plant in the Saldanha Bay Industrial
Development Zone in close proximity to
Montero’s projects.
“Ovation will earn a 30 % interest by
completing a Pre-Feasibility Study and a
Bankable Feasibility Study of the South
African holding company which is 100 %
owned by Montero,” says a statement
issued by Montero. Ovation is finalising
agreements with three large engineering
and consulting groups to complete these
studies within a two-year period.
Dr Tony Harwood, President and Chief
Funding for phosphate projects secured
Executive Officer of Montero, commented:
“Our partnership with Ovation Capital pro-
vides Montero with a strong foundation to
develop and advance our South African
phosphate assets in order to produce
phosphate rock and further beneficiate
this to produce phosphoric acid and other
potential fertiliser products at a fertiliser
plant in a continental hub.”
In 2012 Montero completed a compli-
ant Preliminary Economic Assessment
(PEA) of the sedimentary phosphate
Duyker Eiland project, the first of Montero’s
phosphate assets set to be advanced to
feasibility. Duyker Eiland is located 30 km
north of the Port of Saldanha.
The PEA is based on an initial inferred
mineral resource of 32,8 Mt, grading at
7,15 % P
2
O
5
, as previously reported fol-
lowing an independent resource estimate
prepared by AMEC Earth & Environmental
(UK) Limited. Preliminary metallurgical test
work indicated that an acid-grade phos-
phate concentrate of 33 % P
2
O
5
to 35 %
P
2
O
5
could be produced by flotation.