Name of the Project
Booysendal South platinum mine project.

Location
The project is located about 35 km from Mashishing, straddling the border of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, in South Africa.

Client
Northam Platinum.

Project Description
Booysendal South will incorporate the infrastructure of Aquarius Platinum’s former Everest mine, which Northam acquired in June 2015.

The acquisition of Everest included a 250 000 t/m concentrator, underground access and equipment, tailings storage, workshops and offices, as well as existing infrastructure such as power and water supplies.

The proposed project has been divided into two upper group two, bord-and-pillar mining modules – Booysendal South 1 and Booysendal South 2 – which will be accessed from one portal complex, reducing its environmental impact and capital requirements; and a Merensky reef mine similar to that at Booysendal North.

Northam will install an aerial wheel-on-rope conveyor system, known as Ropecon, to deliver ore from the central portal complex to a concentrator 4.9 km away. The conveyor will have a capacity of about 444 000 t/m.

Steady-state production is estimated at 260 000 t/m.

Potential Job Creation
1 000 jobs were created in 2017 and a further 1 000 jobs will be created in 2018. Further, 100 jobs were created in 2017 and a further 100 jobs will be created in 2018 by Booysendal South’s metallurgical operations.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
The project has a capital allocation of R4.2-billion over a six-year period.

Duration
The project is expected to reach steady state in 2022.

Latest Developments
The construction and development of the central complex and aerial rope conveyor is proceeding apace.  

The North road is complete and surfaced. The grassing of berms is in progress. The South road surfacing is in progress.

The central boxcut bulk earthworks is complete.

The ten-million-litre process water dam has been started.

The crusher foundations have been started.

The Low-level bridge over Dwars river is complete.

The pollution control dam is complete.

The development in all seven adits has intersected reef.

All Ropecon civil engineering work is complete and the erection of towers is in progress. This infrastructure is likely to be commissioned by early December 2018.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Doppelmayr Transport Technology (wheel-on-rope conveyor system) and Murray & Roberts Cementation (Phase 1 contract for the establishment of the Booysendal South central complex).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is ongoing.

Contact Details for Project Information
Northam Platinum media and investor relations, R&A Strategic Communications, tel +27 11 880 3924.