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October 2015
MODERN MINING
37
feature
COAL MINING
underground development. In addition, the
scope of works comprised all supporting infra-
structure, from offices to a change-house and
workshops, as well as fibre-optics, roads, power
and water supply and sewage treatment.
The materials handling system comprises
underground conveyors, surface bunkers and a
2 400 t/h, 27-km-long single-flight surface over-
land conveying system, reportedly the longest
of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere to date.
The geographical area of the project extended
over 27 km. A 4 000 tonne coal bunker was con-
structed at one end (km 27), with the overland
conveyor infrastructure at mid-station (km 18).
A 15 000 tonne coal bunker was constructed at
the other end (km 0), together with the various
ancillary buildings, dams and the shafts.
The current reserves at Brandspruit mine
are nearing depletion, and hence the new
Impumelelo mine, which is ultimately expand-
able to 10,5 Mt/a, is essential to guarantee coal
supply to the Sasol Synfuels Complex.
The project created significant opportunities
for local community involvement in that local
contractors and labour were used wherever
possible. There were about 1 300 workers on-
site during the construction period up to April
2015, with a peak of 2 122 in November 2013.
The project clocked over 13 million man hours.
The Impumelelo shaft project at Brandspruit
was one of two commendations received by
Hatch Goba in the category of ‘Projects with a
value in excess of R250 million’ at the CESA
Aon Awards at the Vodafone Arena on the
evening of 12 August. Present at the awards
banquet were Kobus Louw, Johan Duvenhage
and Willem van den Heever, all from Sasol
Mining, Conrad Stark from Hatch Goba, and
Alan Wingrove from RSV ENCO.
“The r e we r e nine vas t l y di f f e r ent
contenders in this prestigious category, and
to have received not one, but two, of the three
commendations awarded over and above the
winning project is an indication of the diffi-
culty in selecting a clean-cut winner,” Hatch
Goba Chairman Trueman Goba comments.
Hatch Goba’s second commendation in the cat-
egory of ‘Projects with a value in excess of R250
million’ was the Umgeni Road Interchange
upgrade for SANRAL.
Impumelelo forms part of a larger replace-
ment project that will transform the Secunda
area in Mpumalanga into one of the largest
underground coal complexes in the world, with
total extractable run-of-mine reserves estimated
at 1,3 billion tons. In terms of the overall proj-
ect, Thubelisha will replace Twistdraai and
Impumelelo will replace Brandspruit, while
Middelbult will be expanded by Shondoni.
Hatch Goba’s mining capability ranges from
dewatering to infrastructure, shaft sinking,
materials handling systems, hoisting headgear
design and dynamic simulation or operational
modelling across all of these areas.
The Impumelelo overland
conveyor and power line.
The 2 400 t/h, 27-km-long
single-flight conveying sys-
tem is reportedly the longest
of its kind in the Southern
Hemisphere.
Overall view of the
Impumelelo mine site.