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REGIONAL NEWS - AFRICA Implats Commissions New Shaft in South Africa The 108-m-tall headframe structure at Impala Platinum's No. 16 shaft is thought to be the tallest concrete headgear in the world. (Photo courtesy of Implats) Impala Platinum (Implats) has commissioned the new No. 16 shaft complex at its operations near Rustenburg, South Africa. The complex consists of a 10-m-diameter, 1,675-m-deep main hoisting shaft and a 6.8-m-diameter, 1,440-m-deep ventilation shaft. The seven levels of the main shaft will access both the Merensky and UG2 reef horizons, with the emphasis being on mining the Merensky reef during the initial ramp-up phase. The No. 16 shaft's 108-m-tall headgear is the tallest known concrete headgear in the world. The headgear is equipped with two Koepe winders for man/material transport and rock hoisting. The rock winder is designed to hoist 226,500 reef mt/month, while the man winder will be capable of transporting 2,300 employees/hour through the use of a double-deck man cage, each deck with a capacity of 150 people. The new shaft complex is scheduled to reach full production of 185,000 oz/y of platinum during Implats' 2018 fiscal year. Shaft life is planned at 25 years. Ore 18 E&MJ; • AUGUST 2013 grades over the life of the shaft will average 4.19 g/mt of three platinum group elements plus gold. The complex, where construction started in October 2004, will enable Implats Rustenburg operation to access new ore reserves and maintain a stable production profile. The large-scale infrastructure and superior grade will also allow Implats to mine at a better overall cost than the current cost average for its Rustenburg operations. Implats CEO Terence Goodlace said, "The team at the new No. 16 shaft complex can be extremely proud of their safety performance and project milestone achievements. This team has achieved more than 2 million fatality-free shifts, and the shaft has been equipped and commissioned within planned parameters and budget. Preparations for mining operations will start immediately, and first stoping is expected to start in the September 2013 quarter. "The new shaft complex ensures that Implats remains in an excellent position to benefit from the long-term PGM market fundamentals, specifically in an industry in which the supply side is being constrained by a lack of investment. This will also secure jobs for 6,500 people who are currently employed at the older-generation Rustenburg shafts." The No. 16 shaft is the second of three fourth-generation shafts being constructed at Implats Rustenburg operations. The first was the No. 20 shaft complex, which was commissioned in 2012. The third, the No. 17 shaft, is still being developed. Shaft Sinkers Holdings and Read, Swatman & Voigt were the lead contractors for the construction of Implats' No. 16 shaft complex. Randgold Preparing for Start-up at Kibali Randgold Resources reports that the Kibali gold project in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has advanced to its immediate pre-production stage, and final preparations are being made for the first gold pour, targeted for October this year. Kibali development is based on a 10-million-oz-plus gold deposit and is owned by Randgold (45%), AngloGold Ashanti (45%), and the Congolese parastatal, Sokimo (10%). The life-of-mine plan envisages average production of about 600,000 oz/y of gold for the first 12 years of operation, at an average grade of 4.1 g/mt. Randgold is developing the project and will operate the mine. The completed Kibali operation will include an integrated underground and open-pit mine, a twin-circuit sulphide and oxide plant with a throughput of 6 million mt/y, and four hydropower stations, as well as a standby high-speed thermal power generator for back-up during the dry season. Randgold Chief Executive Mark Bristow told a media briefing in Kinshasa, DRC, in late July that more than 1 million mt of ore from the open pit had been stockpiled to feed the metallurgical plant's oxide circuit, which is scheduled to start commissioning in the third quarter of 2013. All 36 power generator sets had arrived on site, and the backup diesel power station was on schedule, with the first six of 15 generator sets needed for plant start-up already commissioned. The construction of the first of the four hydropower stations was on track for completion in the first quarter of 2014. Work on the underground mine was progressing well, with development of the declines running ahead of schedule, and (Continued on p. 26) Shown here during construction, Randgold's Kibali mine in Democratic Republic of Congo is nearing its first scheduled gold pour in October. (Photo courtesy of Randgold Resources) www.e-mj.com