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Explosives News
Helping world transition to net-zero carbon is mining's biggest opportunity, says Minerals Council president 
By: Martin Creamer 5th October 2022 The biggest opportunity mining has as an industry is to help the world to transition to a net-zero carbon world, Minerals Council South Africa president Nolitha Fakude said on Wednesday. Fakude, who is also chairperson of Anglo American's management board in South Africa, highlighted this during... →
South Africans urged to turn exploration into Big Hairy Audacious Goal 
By: Martin Creamer 24th September 2022 South Africans have been urged to rally around exploration as this country's Big Hairy Audacious Goal – a BHAG – so that what is described as "our lowest hanging economic fruit" can be turned to positive account. Council for Geoscience CEO Mosa Mabuza, who was speaking in support of the junior... →
BME’s AXXIS Silver debuts at sub-zero Lesotho mine
By: Tasneem Bulbulia 9th September 2022 In the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, explosives and blasting specialist BME recently achieved the first blast outside of South Africa with its new AXXIS Silver electronic initiation system. BME – a member company of the JSE-listed Omnia Group – is assisting a diamond mining customer to conduct... →
Used oil programme reflects ESG drive
26th August 2022 The recent solid financial performance by chemicals manufacturer Omnia Group’s explosives subsidiary BME, is underpinned by its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) commitment, says MD Ralf Hennecke. Omnia’s mining division – where BME is the main asset – delivered a 29% increase... →
South Africans called on to apply for funding to build South Africa’s hydrogen economy
By: Martin Creamer 19th August 2022 A call for funding applications to be submitted for the development of the hydrogen economy is made in an advertisement placed today by South Africa’s Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The call is for funding applications to be... →
EVDS supports productivity
By: Tracy Hancock 19th August 2022 Mining houses are increasingly realising the value of using emulsions in underground and surface blasting applications, and the addition of an emulsion vertical delivery system (EVDS) further contributes to the ever-growing strategy of improving and increasing productivity and efficiency. “The... →
Environmental, social and governance elevating to safety-equalling status, mining webinar hears
By: Martin Creamer 11th August 2022 The shift from linear to circular value chains has the potential to impact all aspects of mining and requires a rethink, Anglo American Platinum sustainable impact head Stephen Bullock has told a Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) webinar. In a presentation on the... →
New solution helps mines achieve 'optimal' blasting results
By: Schalk Burger 5th August 2022 Blasting technology and services company Bulk Mining Explosives (BME) has launched the next generation of its XPLOLOG blasting control real-time data solution to help mines achieve optimal blasting results to support mining efficiency. “It is important to have quick access to data on drill holes,... →
President Ramaphosa’s got it right, says ex-Eskom CEO on new energy plan
By: Martin Creamer 1st August 2022 African Rainbow Energy and Power CEO and former Eskom CEO Brian Dames concurs fully with the energy plan unveiled by President Cyril Ramaphosa. “I think he’s got it right,” was Dames's summing up of the President's energy initiative during a discussion at the Coal & Energy Transition Day, covered... →
AECI posts record 573c HEPS in H1; Dytor to step down as CEO
By: Marleny Arnoldi 27th July 2022 JSE-listed chemicals group AECI has delivered record revenue, earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) and headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the six months ended June 30, which outgoing CEO Mark Dytor attributed to improved market conditions. The group declared an interim cash dividend of... →
AECI Mining’s incoming CEO aims to cut carbon footprint, grow outside Africa in the medium term
By: Irma Venter 1st July 2022 Newly appointed AECI Mining CEO Mark Kathan (51) says his main focus over the medium term will be the greening of the company’s manufacturing and logistical footprint, while also growing the firm’s presence in the rest of the world. Kathan, the former AECI CFO, put up his hand for the top job at... →
ESG provides profitable returns from smart capital allocation – analyst
By: Martin Creamer 15th June 2022 Environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks not only help businesses and the communities in which they operate but can also generate positive returns as mining companies reduce operating expenses and receive favourable investor interest and cheaper finance. When it comes to ESG, the... →
Quarries upgrading to next-gen detonation tech
By: Tracy Hancock 10th June 2022 Mining explosives and blasting technology supplier BME is steadily upgrading local quarries that have been using its AXXIS GII electronic detonation system for years to its latest-generation electronic detonation technology, AXXIS Silver. “The conversion of one to the other is straightforward, as... →
Increased efficiency cuts carbon, advances net-zero path, research finds
By: Martin Creamer 8th June 2022 Like all other key industries, mining is having to advance along a net-zero path as part of the global decarbonisation drive. Gone are the days when innovation and financial improvement can be sold on their own without a carbon advantage. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.) →
AECI Mining’s new CEO aims to cut carbon footprint, grow outside Africa
By: Irma Venter 6th June 2022 Newly appointed AECI Mining CEO Mark Kathan (51) says his main focus over the medium term will be the greening of the company’s manufacturing and logistical footprint, while also growing the firm’s presence in the rest of the world. Kathan, the former AECI CFO, put up his hand for the top job at... →
Hydrogen can be stored in existing fossil fuel infrastructure for years, world webinar hears 
By: Martin Creamer 26th May 2022 Hydrogen can be stored in existing fossil fuel infrastructure for years if need be, giving it the potential to become a universal energy carrier in the same way as oil is now but without the environmental impact, World Hydrogen Leaders webinar heard this week. Allowing hydrogen to make use of... →
Platinum-boosted South African hydrogen electrolyser leaps ahead
By: Martin Creamer 25th May 2022 The proof-of-concept of the platinum group metals-boosted advanced alkaline electrolyser – the AAE – has been successfully completed by Hydrox Holdings of Randburg in a pioneering achievement that offers the potential for South Africa to enter the fray as world demand for hydrogen electrolysers... →
Electronic detonators ensure effective blasting
By: Nadine Ramdass 6th May 2022 Opencast mines have to contend with rising costs as they go deeper. Efficiency is required to contain these costs and remain profitable, which is offered by digital technology such as blast planning software and electronic detonation systems. Electronic detonator systems, such as mining... →
World Coal Association favours just energy transition to net zero future
By: Martin Creamer 5th May 2022 The World Coal Association, and its member companies, are in favour of a just transition to a net zero future, World Coal Association chairperson July Ndlovu said on Thursday. In his keynote address to the Southern African Coal Conference, Ndlovu emphasised the sincerity of the association’s... →
World Coal Association chairperson July Ndlovu
Supplier highlights mining efficiency at Indaba
22nd April 2022 Getting behind the renewed enthusiasm of the upcoming Investing in African Mining Indaba, Omnia Group subsdiairy and blasting and explosives company BME will be face-to-face with the mining industry at its exhibition booth. The Indaba will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre... →
President Ramaphosa to deliver keynote address at Mining Indaba 2022
By: Martin Creamer 20th April 2022 President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver a keynote address at the 2022 Investing in African Mining Indaba, which takes place in Cape Town from May 9 to 12. The attendance of Ramaphosa, who will speak on Tuesday, May 10, signals the continued importance of mining to the South African economy as a... →
Enaex Africa commissions expanded bulk emulsion plant
By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th April 2022 Explosives company Enaex Africa has completed the construction and commissioning of an expansion project at its bulk emulsion explosive plant in Secunda. The company says this is a significant milestone as this is the first infrastructure project developed and completed under the joint venture... →
Green finance taxonomy to help investors make green project decisions – law firm
By: Martin Creamer 5th April 2022 South Africa’s first green finance taxonomy will help investors and financial institutions make more informed decisions on ‘green’ projects, say Webber Wentzel’s Patrick Heron and Joon Chong. Heron and Chong describe the taxonomy, launched by National Treasury last Friday, as an official... →
New blasting system improves safety
By: Halima Frost 18th March 2022 Having developed, and now busy testing its second-generation WebGen™ 200 in Australia and Canada, mining and infrastructure solutions provider Orica says its trials have shown improved safety and productivity across operations. The WebGen™ 200, a wireless electronic blasting system with... →
AECI lifts 2021 revenue, records lowest total recordable incident rate
By: Donna Slater 2nd March 2022 JSE-listed chemicals group AECI increased its revenue by 8% year-on-year to R26.05-billion in 2021 and declared a total ordinary dividend of R6.85 a share – up 20% year-on-year. The company declared a final ordinary cash dividend of R5.05, 7% higher than the R4.70 in 2020. →
Namibian emulsion plant opened
25th February 2022 Mines in Namibia can look forward to buying locally-manufactured, quality bulk emulsion when provider of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems Orica and Native Storage Facility opens a new ammonium nitrate emulsion (ANE) plant near Walvis Bay. →
Spanish firm fined $6m for Ghana truck blast en route to Chirano mine
By: Reuters 9th February 2022 The Spanish company in charge of a truck that exploded and killed 13 people last month en route to an internationally-run gold mine in Ghana violated storage and transport laws and has been fined $6-million, the lands ministry said on Tuesday. The truck was transporting explosives owned by... →
Directors face potential liability for climate change risks – Webber Wentzel
By: Martin Creamer 8th February 2022 Directors face potential liability if they fail to carry out their fiduciary duties to curb climate change risks and do not make complete disclosures about climate-related risks, Webber Wentzel partner Merlita Kennedy and associate Tobia Serongoane stated on Tuesday. In a release to Mining... →
Huge explosion in Ghana mining region kills residents, fells buildings
By: Reuters 21st January 2022 An explosion in Ghana's rural Western Region on Thursday razed hundreds of buildings and killed an unknown number of residents when a truck carrying explosives to a gold mine collided with a motorcycle. Unverified videos posted on local media showed a large, smouldering blast site in which... →
BME unpacks the benefits behind its new-generation electronic detonator
By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th January 2022 Mining explosives and blasting technology supplier BME has unpacked the benefits of its latest and most advanced electronic blast detonation system called AXXIS Titanium. The company hails this system as a significant advance for both the company and the country, as it improves South Africa’s... →
Newcrest to test new blasting tech from Orica
By: Esmarie Iannucci 13th January 2022 Gold miner Newcrest Mining’s Cadia underground operation, in New South Wales, will become a testing ground for a first-of-its-kind semi-automated explosives delivery system in the second half of 2022. The system, which was co-developed by Orica and Epiroc, is designed to remove people from... →
Intrinsic testing tools a necessity – manufacturer
By: Halima Frost 19th November 2021 Using intrinsically safe testing tools in the mining and industrial sectors is of the “utmost importance” amid the explosive gases, vapours and dust in those industries, says testing and measurement equipment provider Comtest technical sales manager Gerrit Barnard. Devices that are certified as... →
Flame-detection series in demand
By: Halima Frost 19th November 2021 Since the launch of its new Det-Tronics X-Series range of flame detectors earlier this year, multinational home and industrial appliance manufacturer Carrier Global has noted a marked increase in demand for the detectors. Carrier Global sub-Saharan Africa sales manager Randhir Seodutt attributes... →
AECI provide explosives to K9 detection team to help curb illicit, criminal use
By: Donna Slater 3rd November 2021 To help curb illegal use of explosives, AECI Mining Explosives has partnered with explosive detection patrol company Vapor Wake K9 South Africa (VWK9SA) by providing it with samples of explosives to assist in training its dogs. Criminal activities that involve the use of illicit explosives in... →
Explosives company achieves world-class rating
By: Halima Frost 29th October 2021 Mining explosives and blasting technology supplier BME, a member of diversified chemicals group Omnia, tells Mining Weekly it has achieved a record-low recordable case rate of 0.05% in the blasting sector for the last financial year. A recordable case rate is a well-established measure of safety... →
Explosives growth follows industry growth
By: Nadine Ramdass 15th October 2021 The African explosives sector remains steady, owing to an increase in African mining opportunities and positive market conditions, says BME Southern African Development Community (SADC) MD Ralf Hennecke. With the growing interest in battery minerals such as lithium and cobalt, there is a further... →
Differential GPS brings much needed autonomy to blasting
15th October 2021 AECI Mining Explosives’ new, high-accuracy (sub-1m) Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) brings autonomy to the blast hole tagging process, thus maximising efficiency by eliminating potential human error on the bench and ensuring integrity of drill and blast operations. Safety and good... →
Explosives tech aims to humanise mining
By: Nadine Ramdass 15th October 2021 The lack of new investment in the form of new mining projects has resulted in little growth for the explosives industry, and while the expansion projects of existing operations have helped the industry somewhat, greenfield projects can facilitate more significant growth. The mining explosives... →
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