platinum
28
07.13
A
s projects go, No 16 Shaft is a true mining
megaproject and will enable Implats’ Rusten-
burg operation to access new ore reserves
and maintain a stable production profile. Once in
full production (expected in FY2018), the shaft will
produce 185 000 ounces of platinum per year at a
life of shaft average grade of 4,19 g/t (3PGE+Au). The
expected life of the shaft is 25 years.
During construction, which saw many notable
‘firsts’ (as our article last month made clear), just over
2 200 people were employed on site and, between
them, RSV and Shaft Sinkers managed a total of 48
companies involved in the project, which started in
2004. As of the date of hand-over, R5,1 billion of the
total capital vote of R6,9 billion had been spent.
Guests at the hand-over included Gerhard Pot
gieter, Implats’ Project Executive; Hennie Read, CEO
of RSV, along with colleagues Robin Bremner, RSV’s
CEO: Projects, Torra Engelbrecht, RSV Group Con-
struction Manager, and Leon van der Westhuizen,
RSV Project Manager, No 16 Shaft; and Alon Davidov
and Louis Germishuys, respectively CEO and COO of
Shaft Sinkers Holdings. Potgieter, Bremner, Germi-
shuys and No 16 Shaft GM, Frikkie Höll, all spoke at
the event. Introducing the speakers was Impala’s No
16 Shaft Project Manager, Jako Pienaar.
Addressing the guests, Potgieter said the new shaft
was the second of Implats’ fourth generation shafts,
which had constituted the vast majority of Implats’
capital expenditure programme over the last few
years. “The first shaft to be commissioned at Impala
was the No 20 shaft complex in 2012, the second, the
No 16 shaft complex which is being handed over to-
day, and thirdly, the No 17 shaft which is still being
developed,” he said. “In addition, Implats has invest-
ed in the Zimplats phase 2 project.”
The combined impact of the new shafts being com-
missioned and developed in Rustenburg will, over
the next five years, increase the ratio of Merensky
Reef milled. This is forecast to increase from the cur-
rent 43 % of total throughput to 50 % due to the ex-
ploitation of reserves at the new 20 and 16 shaft com-
plexes. The increased Merensky production will have
a beneficial impact on both headgrade and recoveries.
The new No 16 shaft infrastructure, which has
been designed to support mining operations at a rate
of 226 500 reef tonnes a month, is designed to strict
standards that are proven as best practice within the
Impala Group. The system consists of a 10 m diam-
eter, 1 675 m deep main hoisting shaft and a 6,8 m
diameter, 1 440 m deep ventilation shaft. The seven
levels of the main shaft will access both the Meren-
sky and UG2 reef horizons, with the emphasis being
on mining the Merensky Reef during the initial ramp
up phase.
The No 16 shaft headframe, at 108 m, is now the
No 16 Shaft
officially
handed over to Implats
Gerhard Potgieter (left), Implats’ Project Executive, and Hennie
Read, CEO of RSV, at the beneficial hand-over.
In last month’s issue, we published an article on the rope-up of the Koepe winders at Impala Platinum’s No
16 Shaft complex near Rustenburg.
Modern Mining
visited No 16 Shaft to view the rope-up and has since
returned to the site for the handing over of the project, which took place on 21 June. Those attending the
hand-over included senior representatives of Implats, RSV (the EPCM contractor) and Shaft Sinkers Holdings
(the shaft-sinking contractor).
