The Qala Shallows mine
ASX-listed West Wits Mining has made significant progress with getting water and electricity access to the Qala Shallows mine, which forms part of its Witwatersrand Basin Project (WBP), in Gauteng, South Africa.
The company is nearing completion of key water access infrastructure at the mine, as well as securing power from a newly built primary power substation called Fleurhof nearby.
“With a focus on cost-effective infrastructure solutions and the nurturing of strong relationships with local communities and stakeholders, West Wits is dedicated to achieving its mission of establishing an economically efficient gold mine that will help revitalise the area while delivering substantial value to its shareholders,” West Wits states.
The company is working with property developer Calgro M3 to secure potable water supply for the mine, while water supply from utility Johannesburg Water is also being secured.
In turn, West Wits received approval from Joburg City Power for a 7.5 MVA power supply to Qala in April, with the Fleurhof substation being within 1 km of the mine.
The company says it can save on costs with the substation being so close to the mine.
Development of localised infrastructure surrounding the project is also ongoing and supported through community engagement.
The WBP, located in the proven gold region of the Central Rand Goldfield, is a 4.28-million-ounce gold project grading 4.58 g/t.
The Witwatersrand basin is a largely underground geological formation which surfaces in the Witwatersrand.
It holds the world's largest known gold reserves and has produced over 1.5-billion ounces overall, which West Wits says represents about 22% of all the gold accounted for above the surface.
The Qala Shallows mine is being developed to produce about 70 000 oz/y at steady state and will represent the first of five project stages to be developed by West Wits on the WBP.