Name of the Project
Booysendal South tailings storage facility (TSF).
Location
The Booysendal mining right straddles South Africa’s Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.
Project Owner/s
Northam Platinum.
Project Description
The project entails the hydromining and reprocessing of the Booysendal TSF to extract 1.3-million tonnes of chrome concentrate from 8.7-million tonnes of tailings, from which platinum-group metals (PGMs) will also be extracted. Tailings from this project will be placed back underground in the old Everest workings to reduce environmental impact.
The tailings have a mineral content of about 18% chrome and 0.7 g/t to 0.8 g/t of PGMs.
Initially, the project will be undertaken in two phases – chrome will be extracted first and tailings returned to the storage facility before being processed for a second time to extract PGMs. Once the PGM flotation circuit has been recommissioned, it will be a continuous process of PGM extraction and then chrome extraction.
Apart from the compelling economics of this project, a key objective is to ensure that the concentrator is fully commissioned and optimised ahead of the run-of-mine feed from the Booysendal South mining project.
Potential Job Creation
200.
Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.
Capital Expenditure
Not stated.
Planned Start /End Date
The Booysendal South concentrator was commissioned during 2018.
Latest Developments
In the six months ended December 31, 2018, the project contributed to chrome concentration production of 193 360 t, which is a 33.9% increase, compared with the six months ended December 31, 2017.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Northam Platinum, tel +27 11 759 6000 or fax +27 11 325 4795.