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Vedanta’s Gamsberg mine remains on track

11th April 2018

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

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JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – LSE-listed Vedanta Resources’ Zinc International business produced 157 000 t of zinc in the financial year ended March 31, in line with the 156 000 t produced in the prior financial year.

The BMM operation, in South Africa, increased its mined zinc output by 3% year-on-year to 72 000 t, but the Namibia-based Skorpion refinery’s refined zinc output decreased by 1% year-on-year to 84 000 t.

Vedanta on Wednesday said it remains on track for the cold commissioning of the concentrator plant at the Gamsberg zinc mine, in South Africa, in the first quarter of the 2019 financial year, with production to start in the middle of the 2018 calendar year.

“The ore extraction from the South pit is on track and to date we have completed 80% of prestripping with 56-million tonnes of waste excavated. The completion of mechanical equipment erection and infrastructure for power and water pipelines for the concentrator are in progress,” the company noted.

Vedanta’s Zinc India business, meanwhile, increased its mined metal output by 4% year-on-year to 947 000 t, while integrated zinc, lead and silver production rose by 18%, 21% and 23% respectively.

COPPER

Vedanta’s Zambia copper production decreased by 3% year-on-year to 91 000 t, as a result of

trackless equipment availability issues in the first half of the year and preventive maintenance programmes at the tailings leach plant in the second half of the year.

Integrated volumes were 84 000 t, which is lower than the mined metal production owing to a stockpile at the smelter and refinery for blend optimisation and scheduled refinery ramp-up, respectively.

Custom volumes were, however 32% higher year-on-year at 111 000 t, and in line with the company’s guidance for the financial year.

The Copper India business’ Tuticorin smelter, in India, meanwhile, achieved record production of 403 000 t/y of cathodes in the financial year under review.

Vedanta also recorded record aluminium production of 1.68-million tonnes – a 38% year-on-year increase as a result of a ramp-up of additional pots at the Jharsuguda-II smelter and complete ramp-up of the BALCO-II smelter in the first quarter of the 2018 financial year.

Iron-ore production at the group’s Goa operation, in India, decreased to 3.9-million tonnes, while output at Karnataka increased to 2.2-million tonnes. Pig iron production decreased by 9% year-on-year to 646 000 t as a result of lower metallurgical coke availability and a strike by contractors in the first quarter of the financial year.

"Vedanta performed very well during the year, as we continue to post strong production results at a number of our business units, in line with our strategy to ramp up across our asset base,” said Vedanta Resources CEO Kuldip Kaura.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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