Canada-based mineral exploration company TMAC is selling a gold proces- sing plant, which is located in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and can be adapted for use across all commodities in mineral processing.

The plant, previously owned by US-based mining company Newmont Mining, started operating in 2010 and was destined for a site in West Kitikmeot, near Cambridge Bay, in the North Canadian Arctic.

This is due to the decision by Newmont Mining to hold off on the development of the mine – 95% complete at the time – resulting in the plant being put into storage.

The plant has been in storage for three years since construction was completed in the Durban harbour in early 2012.

Its fate was decided, however, when TMAC – which Mining Weekly reported in January 2014 had acquired Newmont’s Hope Bay property on a definitive acquisition agreement – decided in late 2014 to sell the plant rather than ship it to the Arctic.

The plant’s 26 modules were designed and built by minerals technology company Tenova Bateman’s Modular Plant Division. After the modules had been completed in Durban, they were not to be stripped for transport, but loaded as complete units into the hold of a char- tered vessel and shipped directly to the Arctic.

the design had to comply with Canadian statutory codes and standards, some components, such as pressure vessels and electrical motor control centres, were imported from Canada and built into the modules.

TMAC consultant Scott Brebnor notes that a particular aspect of the design is the stiffness required to withstand the stress associated with lifting the modules and accelerating forces generated during the voyage.

“This resulted in particularly deep skid bases and additional bracing, which added almost 50% to the steel quantities originally estimated. However, though the additional steel would effectively only apply for lifting and during the voyage, it was considered an acceptable trade-off against the saving in a very costly site construction time,” he explains.

Having been appointed by TMAC in September last year to sell the plant, Brebnor mentions that several mining companies have shown interest in acquiring the plant for their operations.

He adds that, besides the plant’s strength as a completely modular unit and being ready for production, the strategy of shipping completely commissioned modules was based on the mine site being close to a port. Should an operation require equipment to be transported over land to the site, the plant would have to be disassembled first.

The plant is being sold at an attractive price and Brebnor can be contacted for more details regarding the plant on 011 805 3278 or 084 405 3278 and at Brebnor@mweb.co.za