Modern Mining December 2018

MINING News

DRA designs “one of a kind”Community Centre

ment, banking and business development entities, who will be taking up residence in the centre. This will benefit the com- munity enormously. Now the local people will be able to make use of various training and development programmes, as well as completing day-to-day activities, all at one accessible location.” Ivanplats had a very specific design in mind for the MPCC and wanted to move away from the traditional ‘mining’ look and functionality. Innovation, sustainabil- ity and green technology are extremely important to Ivanplats. These elements have successfully been incorporated by DRA Global’s Architectural Design divi- sion, while also making the entire building aesthetically pleasing and not just another square ‘mine’ building. The MPCC will ultimately feature a new modern electronic library, a fully equipped training centre and a sustainable garden with a functional children’s play area. DRA Global’s Architectural Design division has worked closely with environmental and sustainability consultants to ensure the MPCC design meets the strictest of green standards. The building is energy efficient, makes use of natural light and ventilation, and will boast rain harvesters to optimise the use of natural resources. “This project is a first of its kind for DRA Global and we are delighted to be helping Ivanplats break boundaries within the min- ing space. This is not just about mining; it is about leaving a legacy that will benefit people and the environment,” concludes Alistair Hodgkinson, DRA Executive Vice President, Projects.  maiden JORC resource in progress. The cost to complete the entire Phase 1 and Phase 2 drilling programme and the resultant resource estimations is fully funded from existing cash reserves. Tando is also fully funded for the metallurgical and mining studies which will follow comple- tion of the drilling programme. The SPD vanadium project is located in a similar geological setting to the mining operations of Rhovan (Glencore), Vametco (Bushveld Minerals) and Mapochs in the Gauteng and Limpopo provinces of South Africa It is only 30 km from the currently dormant Mapochs mine which has a pro- cessing plant and railway infrastructure. 

Interior view of the Multi-Purpose Community Centre (MPCC) designed by DRA Global.

Ivanplats, an Ivanhoe Mines company, has engaged diversified engineering group, DRA Global, to design a one-of-a-kind Multi-Purpose Community Centre (MPCC). This project forms part of Ivanplats’ sus- tainable social development programme for its Platreef mining operations, situated in Limpopo Province. DRA Global has been involved with the Platreef platinummine since 2014, provid- ing essential technical solutions, including the Feasibility Study (FS), mining, infra- structure design and construction. One of the main challenges is that the mine is situated in the middle of the Mokopane District, making all operations extremely community-driven. Ivanplats has seen this as an opportu- nity to break the mould with regards to community development and engage- ment. From hiring local contractors to

building a state-of-the-art MPCC, Ivanplats’ approach, with DRA Global’s assistance, is setting a trend for others to follow. “We had to rethink our design and con- cept, considering how we would make this a fully sustainable centre for the com- munity,” says Werner Botha, Ivanplats’ Senior Projects Manager, Social & Legal Compliance. “DRA Global has given us a design that truly exceeded all our expec- tations, but we also needed to ensure that the centre will remain open and operational. Ivanhoe will be taking up a third of the space with some of our inter- nal services. Our Enterprise and Supplier Development and Human Resources Development will be permanent tenants of the centre, ensuring that it will remain in a working and viable condition. “Another innovative aspect of the MPCC will be the integration of govern- which sits outside the main SPD deposit, as it will be able to assess the results prior to committing capital for the construction of additional road infrastructure. In parallel with the drill testing of the pipes, Tando is continuing its Phase 2 drill- ing programme on site with three rigs continuing to be active. The Phase 2 pro- gramme aims to increase the confidence in the SPD deposit, where there is currently a resource of 513 Mt at a grade of 0,78 % V 2 O 5 defined under the SAMREC code. This resource is a‘foreign resource’(as defined in the ASX Listing Rules) with estimation of a

Tando mobilises fourth rig to vanadium project ASX-listed Tando Resources has mobilised a fourth drilling rig – a heliborne rig – to drill the high-grade vanadium pipes at its SPD vanadium project in South Africa. This follows the completion of an initial phase of drilling at the Cluster 1 vanadium pipe target.

A total of 13 holes was completed with assays anticipated in coming weeks. The heliborne rig was moved on to site in November to drill the Cluster 5 target, which returned the highest grades in sur- face sampling. The company has elected to utilise a heliborne rig to drill Cluster 5,

10  MODERN MINING  December 2018