October 2010
Our lead article this month covers Anooraq's Bokoni mine (previously Lebowa Plats), a four-shaft platinum mining complex which until last year was controlled by Anglo Platinum. As our article recounts, Anooraq is currently producing 120 000 oz of PGMs a year but has plans to double this output by 2014.
The Bokoni mine is located at the top of the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Complex and, to quote CEO Philip Kotze, "has an excellent orebody, probably a g/t higher than our neighbours."
Uranium is featured in an article on Australian junior Marenica Energy's Marenica project, just to the north of the huge Trekkopje project in Namibia.
A scoping study on Marenica has found that it could deliver 3,5 Mlb of uranium yearly at the highly competitive operating cost of US$38/lb. The study focused on a heap leach operation that has an estimated capital cost of US$260 million.
On the other side of the sub-continent from Marenica, AIM-listed Noventa has the Marropino tantalum mine in Mozambique. Noventa's performance has disappointed since it listed in 2007 but the company now has a new management in place which has promised to turn the Marropino operation around. The mine was taken out of care and maintenance earlier this year and Noventa is planning a plant upgrade and expansion to more than double the production level targeted by the previous management. Whether the new team will be successful remains to be seen but certainly it is tackling the challenges presented by Marropino with great energy and has also drawn up a plan to not only reinvigorate Marropino but also to bring into production two other deposits.
Drilling technology comes under the spotlight in an article on a new water hydraulic drill developed by UK-based Peterstow Aquapower, which is said to offer massive savings over the hand-held pneumatic drills currently used in most mines. The new drill - which we will be looking at in more detail in our November issue - is being produced in a high-tech factory established by Peterstow near Mbabane in Swaziland.
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Anooraq moves into the big PGM league
Modern Mining contributor Dale Kelly recently travelled to the Bokoni PGM mine, now controlled by Anooraq Resources. As she explains, Anooraq has ambitious plans for the mine, said to have one of the best orebodies on the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Complex.
Mining contractor's skills on show at key contracts
The abilities of Grinaker-LTA Mining, the underground mining contracting arm of the Grinaker-LTA Group, are on show at three current contracts. At the Eland platinum mine and the Dikolong chrome mine, the company is responsible for the development of new decline systems while at the Two Rivers platinum mine the focus of its work is on contract mining.
Aggreko powers up in SA
Generator rental company Aggreko, which operates around the world, has now established itself in South Africa on a permanent basis and sees the country's mining industry as one of its main target markets. Modern Mining recently spoke to Aggreko's Country Manager, Martin Foster, about the history of the group, its service offering and his ambitions for the local operation.
Bauer's LDD rigs make bulk sampling simple
Using its big large diameter drill (LDD) rigs, originally designed for piling, Bauer is able to drill holes of up to 2,5 m in diameter - sufficient to extract workable bulk samples which would otherwise have to be mined using conventional - and very expensive - mining methods. Its South African subsidiary, Bauer Technologies South Africa, has had great success with the rigs in the local mining market, particularly in the diamond mining field.
