Engineering procurement and construction (EPC) firm COENG has been appointed for EPC services for the construction of 2 x 40 MVA plant substation at platinum miner Wesizwe Platinum's Bakubung mine, near Rustenburg, in the North West.

COENG founder and CEO Casian Dendere explains that the company’s scope of work entails the deployment of a full multidisciplinary team, ranging from electrical power system design analysis to geotechnical, civil and structural designs.

The company’s scope also includes procurement support, construction monitoring and commissioning until the final handover.

The expected completion date for the substation is March 21, 2021.

The new substation will provide the required power for the new concentrator plant that will be rolled out in two phases.

Phase 1, for which COENG was also contracted, started in June last year and is currently in the construction stage. The concentrator will produce one-million tonnes a year during this phase.

Phase 2 will enable the plant to produce an additional two-million tonnes a year, thereby resulting in the plant’s having a nameplate capacity of three-million tonnes a year, Dendere explains.

He further highlights that despite Covid-19 and the consequent lockdown, the timeline of Phase 2 has not been affected as yet, as it is still in the design stage.

“Provided that the lockdown regulations allow for construction to start in early September, we do not expect project timelines to be affected.”

The design team is working remotely, with COENG using cloud-based centralised and virtualised desktop infrastructure technology, supported by Office 365 software, to continue operations.

The technology has enabled COENG to continue its professional services contracts with clients such as chemicals company Sasol, mining company Anglo American,Wesizwe, financial institution Development Bank of Southern Africa and water utility company Magalies Water, concludes Dendere.