https://www.miningweekly.com

Miner looks to meet Southern Africa’s zinc deficit

COMMITTED TO AFRICA Vedanta Resources has invested significant capital in Africa

COMMITTED TO AFRICA Vedanta Resources has invested significant capital in Africa

Photo by Creamer Media

17th August 2018

By: Erin Steenhoff-Snethlage

Creamer Media Writer

     

Font size: - +

While the zinc industry is poised to have a structural deficit until 2022, diversified miner Vedanta Resources’ Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) is well positioned to meet the needs of South African zinc users, says VZI and Vedanta Resources Africa Base Metals CEO Deshnee Naidoo.

“The feasibility study currently under way for Phase 2 at the Gamsberg zinc project, in the Northern Cape, (which will double its production) will assist the industry in addressing the current shortages.”

After the closure of the Zincor Refinery, in Springs, Gauteng, in 2012, South Africa is a 100% importer of zinc, Naidoo adds. The country uses between 7-million and 8-million tons a year of zinc, down from 10-million tons five years ago, as a result of the economic slowdown, reduced steel output and slowing mining activity.

In Namibia, Vedanta’s focus is on securing the future of its Skorpion Zinc operations through exploration for new sources of ore, work to expand current mined areas and the development of the Skorpion refinery to work with output from mines other than Skorpion.

Meanwhile, VZI’s Gamsberg project, part of Vedanta’s Black Mountain Mining complex, in the Northern Cape, is being commissioned, and first concentrate is expected by the end of September. The main construction activities and commissioning of the front-end ore crushing, handling and stockpiling system were completed earlier in July.

“Vedanta is conducting a feasibility study to assess the development and construction of a zinc smelter-refinery complex to process concentrates from Gamsberg,” Naidoo points out.

The scope of the feasibility study includes a review of previous work undertaken by VZI into the possibility of developing a Southern Africa Zinc Cluster that would include the Black Mountain operations (including Gamsberg), and Skorpion Zinc.

Skorpion Zinc operates an integrated zinc refinery, with a capacity of 150 000 t/y, and the potential exists to convert it to co-treat sulphide and oxide concentrates from Gamsberg and other sulphide concentrate raw materials. “Should these projects proceed, this Southern Africa Zinc Cluster has the potential to be one of the world’s largest zinc supply regions,” Naidoo enthuses.

Work is also under way to expand existing operations at Black Mountain’s Swartberg and Deeps shafts. Black Mountain, which produces zinc, lead, silver and copper, comprises the Deeps and Swartberg shafts and a processing plant, with the development of the new associated Gamsberg project close to completion.

Zinc Potential

The South African govern- ment needs to assist investor initiatives in mining, and create a stable and predict- able regulatory environment, which is critical to the “health and future” of the South African mining industry, Naidoo maintains.

“In the Northern Cape, our drive to establish a Southern African Zinc Complex of global signifi- cance could have substantial benefits for the province – but government has to come to the party,” adds Naidoo.

Vedanta Resources’ commitment to Africa – and especially to Southern Africa – is a serious and significant one, she further emphasises. Vedanta’s mining investment in Africa is at about $4-billion, around $1.7-billion of that in South Africa and Namibia.

“Vedanta sees itself as an integral part of the Southern African mining scene, and plans to remain so for a long time to come,” she emphasises.

Naidoo points out that, while a major use for zinc is galvanising, the biggest potential for the global industry lies in nontechnical applications, such as fertilisers.

There are several projects run by the International Zinc Association in China, Bangladesh and India to boost the use of zinc in fertilisers, which has the potential to add an additional 100 000 t to 150 000 t of zinc demand in the next two to three years.

“In South Africa, the biggest potential for the industry lies in solar power projects being planned to come on line in the Northern Cape, since a substantial amount of steel would be used in the construction of these projects,” she concludes.

Edited by Mia Breytenbach
Creamer Media Deputy Editor: Features

Comments

Latest News

The integration of Alamos' Island Gold mine (pictured) and Argonaut's Magino mine will create synergies of $515-million.
Alamos buys rival Argonaut
27th March 2024 By: Mariaan Webb

Showroom

Stewarts & Lloyds
Stewarts & Lloyds

Stewarts & Lloyds today supplies steel and tube, pipe and fittings, valves, pumps, irrigation, fencing, profiling and roofing products. The cash...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd

For over 60 years, VEGA has provided industry-leading products for the measurement of level, density, weight and pressure. As the inventor of the...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.177 0.217s - 115pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now