Modern Mining January 2017

MODERN M I N I N G

CONTENTS

JANUARY 2017

ARTICLES

REGULARS MINING NEWS 6 Hummingbird appoints mining contractor for Yanfolila 7 Pan African approves Elikhulu tailings project 8 Redpath Mining wins Maseve Block 11 contract 9 Tiger meets revised guidance for Kipoi 10 Ivanhoe completes positive PEA for development of Kakula 13 Blanket production at an all-time high 15 Alecto plans acquisition of Mowana copper mine 16 Bushveld Minerals to acquire interest in Uis tin project 16 Kisenge Mining exercises its option to formMpokoto JV 17 Fluor awarded FEED contract for Colluli PRODUCT NEWS 72 Fourie Diamante hits pay dirt with Bell/Finlay machines 73 New conveyor belt cleaner fromMartin Engineering 74 Robotic system speeds track shoe refurbishment 75 SEW-EURODRIVE Cape Town invests in new assembly cells 77 Sykes pumps offer reliable dewatering 78 Mobile gensets refurbished for Impala 79 Modder East ups advance rate with rapid reloading emulsion system 80 SA French to supply hoists to Zambian copper mines COVER 18 BME grows its overseas footprint TECHNOLOGY 22 WorleyParsons RSA develops 5D project design platform FEATURE – AFRICA’S TOP MINING PROJECTS 25 Introduction 26 Thinking big at Balama 32 Bisie – a tin project without peer 46 Asanko shaping up to be one of Africa’s great gold mines 56 Vedanta cuts the cost of Gamsberg by a third COAL 63 Pilot XRT plant opened at Vlakfontein coal mine COPPER 67 MOD delivers “robust” scoping study on T3 project in Botswana

Editor Arthur Tassell Advertising Manager Bennie Venter e-mail: benniev@crown.co.za Design & Layout

Darryl James Circulation Karen Smith Publisher Karen Grant

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Deputy Publisher Wilhelm du Plessis Printed by: Shumani Mills Communications

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

Published monthly by: Crown Publications cc P O Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008

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Tel: (+27 11) 622-4770 Fax: (+27 11) 615-6108 e-mail: mining@crown.co.za www.modernminingmagazine.co.za

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Cover Personnel from blasting sciences and manufacturing company BME preparing for a blast. For an inter- viewwith BME’s MD, Joseph Keenan, see page 18 of this issue.

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Average circulation (July–September 2016) 4347

January 2017  MODERN MINING  3