Name and Location
Zandkopsdrift desalination plant project, Northern Cape, South Africa.

Client
Sedex Desalination, a subsidiary of Frontier Rare Earths.

Project Description
The project proposes the construction of a seven-million-litre-a-day capacity seawater desalination plant, in Abraham Villiers Bay, in the Northern Cape, to supply potable and process water to the Zandkopsdrift mine, which is currently under development.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Sedex Desalination has commissioned consulting and engineering services provider Royal HaskoningDHV to undertake a feasibility study to establish the viability of implementing a desalination scheme at the Zandkopsdrift rare earths project.

The feasibility study will be carried out from March to December for an undisclosed amount. It will determine the configuration, size, phasing and lowest possible life-cycle cost of the project, with as little impact as possible on the physical and social environments surrounding the proposed scheme as possible.

Key aspects of the project include marine works, which will comprise the sea intake and outfall works; a desalination plant; bulk water-supply infrastructure; bulk power-supply infrastructure; road access to the desalination plant; a transfer pipeline; and power lines.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Royal HaskoningDHV (feasibility study).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Frontier Rare Earths, tel +27 21 4466 040.
Royal HaskoningDHV senior marketing and communication manager Hillary Erasmus, tel +27 11 798 6511, fax +27 11 298 6005 or email hillarye@rhdhv.co.za.