Electricity and Control May 2022

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Electrical panels and equipment at Sishen’s Koketso project

JB Switchgear Solutions (Pty) Limited was recently awarded a contract on the Sishen Mine’s Koketso pro ject. The scope of work includes the design, manufac ture, testing and supply of numerous remote I/O panels, power distribution panels, field junction boxes and drip covers. The Sishen Mine is operated by Kumba Iron Ore and is situated near the town of Kathu in South Africa’s Northern Cape. The mine represents one of the largest iron deposits in southern Africa and was first mined in 1953. Current processing technologies at the mine enable the treatment of A-Grade ore (haematite >58% Fe) through the Dense Media Separation (DMS) plant and B-Grade ore (haematite and lower grade ore types >48% Fe) through the Jig plant. C-Grade material (lower grade material containing 40% to 48% Fe) is stockpiled as waste. Since 2014, Kumba has successfully implemented Ultra-High Dense Media Separation (UHDMS) technol ogy at its operations, enabling the beneficiation of low er grade materials (<48% Fe). A UHDMS modular plant was constructed at Sishen in 2015 (in which the capacity was upgraded in 2018) to treat low grade Jig discards (~1.1 Mtpa product). A second plant was constructed at

Kolomela in 2017, to treat B-Grade run-of-mine mate rial (~1 Mtpa product). In 2015, Kumba initiated the Sishen Koketso Project to determine the optimal application of UHDMS technology at Sishen. The project involves the con version of the current DMS plant to UHDMS technol ogy, which would then be capable of processing

JB Switchgear is working on electrical panels, field junction boxes and other equipment at Sishen’s Koketso project.

32.0 Mtpa of both ‘A’- and ‘C’-grade material, producing on average an additional 3.6 Mtpa over the LOM (Life of Mine) (2017 base case) from material previously classi fied as waste. The project began in February this year and will be completed in May 2023.

For more information contact JB Switchgear Solutions. Tel: +27 (0)11 027 5804 Visit: www.jbswitchgear.co.za

MAY 2022 Electricity + Control

15