Multidisciplinary construction company SMEI Projects is progressing well towards completing its various projects, totalling about R400-million, for diversified miner Glencore’s Tweefontein Optimisation Project (TOP), in Mpumalanga.

The company was initially contracted in 2012 to undertake a project valued at about R300-million for the supply and erection of steelwork, mechanicals and platework associated with the TOP’s new coal processing plant (CPP) area, work on which was successfully completed in May.

SMEI project director David Bates tells Mining Weekly that the company is subcontracted to mining project house DRA, which is the managing contractor of the TOP.

He points out that the plant’s modular design has significantly reduced the need for work to be undertaken at height, which made the erection of the plant substantially safer.

Bates further notes that the company undertook a significant additional portion of the construction of the plant’s materials handling system, including the conveyors and silos, which transfers material out of the plant. This portion of the works was successfully completed in October 2014.
Additionally, he highlights that SMEI is scheduled to complete the final commissioning of the plant by year-end.

“During the second half of this year we were also awarded additional project work of about R100-million for the supply and erection of the structural and piping works, along with all the electrical and instrumentation components for the mine’s infrastructure area,” states Bates.

Meanwhile, SMEI project director Clinton Jones points out that the company is subcontracted to engineering and construction group WBHO for this portion of the works and that completion is expected by May 2015.

“SMEI attributes the success of the project to the experienced team of about 300 people that we had on site, including artisans, engineers, competent supervisors and management. We were able to overcome all the project’s challenges. These included tight deadlines, stringent safety requirements and staying efficient, despite there being many contractors working on the plant at the same time, which resulted in lengthy periods of on-site congestion,” Bates concludes.