Name and Location
Zandkopsdrift rare-earth element project, Northern Cape, South Africa.

Client
Frontier Rare Earths and Korea Resources (Kores).

Project Description
The Zandkopsdrift B zone has the biggest total rare-earth oxides (TREO) grade and the highest grade of high-value heavy rare-earth oxides of significantly advanced rare earth deposits outside China.

Envisioned is a standalone opencast mine, which will be mined by conventional free-dig and/or drill, blast and haul techniques, with minimal drilling and blasting required. The steady-state mining production target is one-million tons a year and the total separated rare-earth oxides target production rate is 20 000 t/y.

Infrastructure associated with the mine and process plant includes the upgrade of existing district roads from the surrounding towns to the mine. The water supply to the mine will be provided by Frontier from demineralised water, piped 35 km from a desalination plant.

The power supply will be fully provided by turbogenerators using the on-site exothermic reactions within an on-site sulphuric acid production plant.

The desalination plant will be powered by diesel generators and the Saldanha separation plant will be supplied by South African power utility Eskom.

Value
$910-million, which includes capital expenditure requirements for the Zandkopsdrift mine, related infrastructure and services, land purchases, mine closure and rehabilitation provision, the upgrading of local district roads, the provision of the social and labour plan, as well as the Saldanha separation plant, with its related infrastructure and services.

Duration
Frontier plans to start production of separated rare earths from Zandkopsdrift in 2015 at a rate of 20 000 t/y.

Latest Developments
Sedex Desalination, a subsidiary of mineral exploration and development company Frontier Rare Earths, has commissioned consulting and engineering services provider Royal HaskoningDHV to undertake a feasibility study to establish the viability of implementing a seawater desalination scheme at the Zandkopsdrift rare earths project.

The proposed plant will have a 7 Mℓ/d capacity and will supply potable and process water to the Zandkopsdrift mine, which is currently in the development phase.

The feasibility study will determine the configuration, size, phasing and lowest possible life-cycle cost of the project, while assuming its development has as little impact as possible on the physical and social environments surrounding the proposed scheme.

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
Venmyn SNC-Lavalin (PEA), SGS Mineral Services (metallurgical flow sheet development), the MSA group (resource estimation), Sound Mining Solutions (mine design and schedule), Epoch Resources (design of tailings disposal facility) and SNC Lavalin (engineering design and capital operating cost estimates).

On Budget and on Time?
Too early to state.

Contact Details for Project Information
Frontier Rare Earths (South Africa), tel +27 21 446 6040 or email info@frontierrareearths.com.
SNC-Lavalin (South Africa), tel +27 11 535 4900 or fax +27 11 884 6363.
SGS Mineral Services, tel +41 22 739 91 11 or fax +41 22 739 9886.
MSA Group, tel +27 11 880 4209, fax +27 11 880 2184 or email info@msagroupservice.com.
Genalysis Laboratory, tel +27 11 552 8149, fax +27 11 552 8248 or email min.zaf.jhb@intertek.com.
Sound Mining Solutions, tel +27 11 23 7152, fax +27 11 234 8912 or email smsreception@soundmining.co.za.
Epoch Resources, tel +27 11 656 0380/+27 11 802 3657, fax +27 11 802 3654 or email projects@epochrespources.co.za.
Africa Geo-Environmental Services, Renaldo du Toit, cell +27 82 886 8436, fax +27 86 645 2239 or
email rdutoit@ages-group.com.
RCE Consultants, tel +949 453 0111, fax +949 453 0411.
EHL Consulting Engineers, tel +27 11 370 7400, fax +27 11 834 4203 or email info@ehl.co.za.
Kores, tel +82 2 840 5600 or email csmaster@kores.or.kr.