Modern Mining November 2017

COVER STORY

WorleyParsons RSA

Above: WorleyParsons RSA has had an involvement in some of the most iconic mining projects seen in South Africa in recent years, including Impala’s 17 Shaft, seen here during the shaft-sinking phase. Left: The Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) Project in Kenya. WorleyParsons RSA has extensive expertise in the field of renewable energy.

out that the company considers the junior and mid-tier miners as crucially important. “There is sometimes a perception that smaller compa- nies – and, in particular, the juniors – cannot really afford our services. This is quite untrue. We benchmark our fees regularly against our competitors, both big and small, and there is no question that we are competitive.” Dreyer mentions that WorleyParsons RSA does have at its disposal systems and meth- odologies that are particularly well-suited to assisting juniors to assess and develop projects.

will ultimately move through to execution and our goal is to continue our involvement into this phase. Based on the number of stud- ies we’re doing, we see considerable activity ahead although the timing of an upturn still remains uncertain.” WorleyParsons RSA’s flagship contract in South Africa at present is undoubtedly the Venetia Underground Project (VUP) of De Beers South Africa. The total cost of the VUP is approximately US$2,1 billion and it ranks as probably the biggest mining project currently underway in South Africa and indeed one of the biggest globally. It will extend the life of Venetia through to the 2040s and involves the sinking of two vertical shafts to a depth of 1 050 m, as well as the development of a decline system for trackless equipment. WorleyParsons RSA was responsible for the pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for the VUP and is now act- ing as the EPCM contractor. “We are delighted to be participating in the VUP,” says Dreyer. “It is a very prestigious proj- ect and will keep us busy for several years yet. It is currently progressing very well and we have forged an excellent relationship with our client, De Beers, and with the main contractor for the shaft sinking and decline development, Murray & Roberts Cementation.” With much of WorleyParsons RSA’s work- load derived from the large ‘mining houses’ who operate internationally, Dreyer is quick to point

“An example is StepWise, which is a financial and technical process model which enables exploration or mining companies to evaluate the financial and technical viability of their orebodies,” he explains. “It can identify risks upfront and also determine the optimum strategy for proj- ect development where there are multiple options available.” He notes that StepWise – which was developed by Advisian, the advisory arm of WorleyParsons – can be of value to any mining com- pany, from juniors through

Electrical engineer at the helm Denver Dreyer has a BSc Eng in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. He spent the early part of his career with the AECI group in Cape Town before joining leading consulting engineering group KV3 in 2006. In 2011 KV3 was acquired byWorleyParsons, thus becoming one of the constituent compa- nies (along with TWP, acquired in 2013) of what is nowWorleyParsons RSA. Dreyer has held a number of senior positions within WorleyParsons RSA, including General Manager Minerals and Metals South Africa, Executive: Business Development and Strategy, and Head of South African Operations. He was appointed CEO in April 2016. 

November 2017  MODERN MINING  19