Modern Mining December 2015

MINING News

Sishen’s new heavy mining equipment (HME) filling station under construction (photo: VBKom).

HME facility enters commissioning phase

to manage schedule slippage, budget expenditure, and quality of works. VBKom says it is driving the commis- sioning schedule hard and making sure that all necessary stakeholders are ade- quately involved and performing to the milestone dates. 

It is all systems go to fast track Sishen’s new heavy mining equipment (HME) filling station. The project is entering the commissioning phase and VBKom reports it is ensuring perfect handover of the project to the owner mine through structured Operational Readiness principles. Operational Readiness is part of VBKom’s suite of industrial engineer- ing services and aims to assist clients to reach nameplate performance withmini- mal disruptions in the shortest allowable timeframes. As such, it is a combination discipline of technical, systems engi- neering, administration, projec t management, and structured facilitation and communication. Within the next three months, diesel tank levels, decanting from suppliers, and dispensing to a 4-bay forecourt will all be put to the maximum test in a C1-C5 commissioning schedule. Several interfaces are included in the facility, such as diesel, lubricants, grease, anti- freeze, and nitrogen delivery, storage, and dispensing. VBKom is ensuring that the owner mine will be completely enabled to operate the new facility when the project is complete, by engaging with critical stakeholders such as Dispatch, Recruitment & Training, material ven-

dors, maintenance contractors, mining (HME equipment requirements), product accounting, and civil and structural con- struction. The project is being fast tracked by three months and therefore it is critical

Difficult start for new RHA tungsten mine AIM-traded Premier African Minerals, which has developed and operates the RHA tung- sten mine in north-western Zimbabwe, reports that development of the open pit on the basis of direct Run of Mine (ROM) ore feed, in light of the present wolframite pric- ing, is unlikely to bring RHA into profit in the short term.

Premier has conducted initial test work utilis- ing XRT technology that has demonstrated excellent capability in recognition of miner- alised ore that may result in significant grade improvement of the ROM ore. In turn, this is likely to substantially increase the available resource and reduce operating costs, it says. Further test work has been commissioned which, subject to completion and conclusion of a toll process agreement, could signifi- cantly affect open-pit operating costs. “The combination of a falling APT price, difficulties in achieving the planned Run of Mine feed grade from the open pit and some residual issues in attaining steady state in plant operations, have not made for the start to production Premier had antici- pated,” comments Premier’s CEO, George Roach. “Despite this, we have opened a new mine in very trying times. Our experience to date has provided a solid platform from which we expect to see a move to profit during Q1 2016. Acceleration of the under- ground mining and the potential to upgrade through XRT sorting of the open-pit material has real promise for the future of RHA.” 

RHA has therefore temporarily suspended open-pit operations to reduce cash outflow, and has accelerated the development of underground mining (something that had always been planned but on the basis that profitable operation of the open pit would fund underground development). Premier reported first ore from under- ground on 27 October 2015 and ore from the 926 adit level continues to be mined and stockpiled. Simultaneously, Premier is accel- erating access to fully developed historic reserves on the 870 level. This has previously been reported as 100 000 tons grading at approximately 7 kg per ton. Premier expects hoisting and ventilation facilities for this level to be installed and operational by Q1 2016. At the same time,

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