June 2010

Phospates are not often covered in Modern Mining but this month is an exception, with our lead article featuring the Pyroxenite Expansion Project (PEP) at Foskor's Phalaborwa mine. At the heart of phase one of this project is the installation of a massive new Kawasaki primary gyratory crusher which will serve the mine's new South Pyroxenite Pit (SPP). The first phase of the PEP is costing R545 million and will replace depleted foskorite stockpiles with ore from the SPP.
Copper recovery is also prominent in this issue with a fascinating account by DRA's Antony English detailing the design and construction of an HMS plant in the DRC for client Chemaf. The project, now approaching completion, is being implemented over roughly a 12-month period instead of the 16 to 20 months that a contract of this nature would normally take. The new plant will upgrade ore before it is despatched to Chemaf's SX/EW facility in Lumbumbashi.
Other metals highlighted in the June issue include gold and platinum. Our gold story, Galaxy plans revival of Barberton greenstones, describes Galaxy Gold's ambitious plans for a gold project (centered on the old Agnes mine) it has acquired in the Barberton Greenstone Belt while the article entitled Phosiri - can it overcome the depth challenge? - deals with an exciting new platinum project on the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Complex.
Both the Galaxy and Phosiri projects have ‘big' names behind them - veteran mining man Peter Skeat in the case of Galaxy and Bernard Swanepoel of Harmony fame in the case of Phosiri. Galaxy is already in production with 18 000 tonnes of ore a month being treated (roughly equivalent to 23 000 ounces of gold a year) and plans are in place for this to be tripled in the medium term. For its part, Phosiri has just entered the Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) phase with production, assuming a positive BFS, only anticipated in 2017.