Tanzania’s largest gold miner, African Barrick Gold (ABG), exploration company Extract Resources and copper producer Anvil Mining are expected to participate in the main stage presentations at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba.

In general, company-sponsored presentations on the main stage are by invitation only, says Mining Indaba MD Maria Palombini.

She adds that companies are selected on the basis of a number of criteria, including size, commodity, service type, industry relevance and management.

The companies that are invited to present are key industry players, are ranked among the top 100 mining companies in the world or are among the growing companies to watch.

Main stage presentations at the Mining Indaba offer companies the opportunity to showcase products and new projects, as well as provide updates on existing projects.

ABG’s presentation will give an overview of its strategy, oper- ations and the opportunities it foresees for 2012.

ABG expected to produce in excess of 700 000 oz of gold from its Bunyanhulu, Buzwagi, North Mara and Tulawaka mines, in northern Tanzania, in 2011.

However, power outages that affected its mines, particularly the Buzwagi mine, prompted the miner to announce, in December, that it would fall short of the target.

The power outages cost it between 35 000 oz and 40 000 oz of gold in the 2011 financial year.

Nevertheless, ABG plans to boost production to one-million ounces of gold a year by 2014 by optimising production from its existing asset base, growing its near-mine expansion and developing advanced-stage projects, as well as through further organic and acquisitive growth.

Meanwhile, Extract Resources will in its presentation provide an update on the development of the Husab uranium project, in Namibia.

Extract states that the Husab uranium project is the largest in situ, and the highest-grade granite-hosted uranium deposit in Namibia, and currently the fourth-largest uranium-only deposit in the world.

Based on a definitive feasibility study, the company plans to develop a large-scale load-and-haul openpit mining operation, with ore from the mine feeding a conventional agitated acid leach process plant at a rate of 15-million tons a year of ore.

Meanwhile, Anvil Mining is yet to confirm the overall scope of its presentation at the Mining Indaba.

The company’s focus has been the ramp-up of its Kinsevere Stage II project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The project entailed the construction of a $400-million solvent extraction and electro-winning plant, which is expected to produce 60 000 t/y of copper cathode.

By November 2011, the ramp-up of the plant was still in progress and expected to reach full output by the end of that year.

The Kinsevere deposit is located in the Katangan Copperbelt, which is renowned for deposits of exceptional quality, states Anvil.

First production of copper cathode at the Kinsevere mine was achieved in May 2011.

The Investing in African Mining Indaba is the world’s largest gathering of mining stakeholders and decision-makers.

Each year, the event is well attended, attracting more than 4 000 individuals representing more than 800 international companies and about 40 government and quasi-government delegations.

It is held annually at the Cape Town International Con- vention Centre in Cape Town.

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