Modern Mining February 2020

COPPER/ZINC

Prieska – Building a ‘mine of

T here is no doubt that the mining industry faces some significant challenges. The increasing demand for minerals and metals, coupled with the pressure to increase output cost-effectively puts many mining operations in a tough position. Fortunately, new technologies offer mining compa- nies a golden opportunity to become more efficient, boost production, and cut costs, while making the work environment a lot safer. With that in mind, ASX and JSE-listed Orion Mining is taking the lead in Africa by adopting a modern operating philosophy – Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) enabled – for its flagship Prieska project. Located in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the Prieska project – one of the world’s Top 30 volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) base metal deposits – is the centrepiece of Orion’s asset portfolio. Previously mined by Anglovaal subsidiary, Prieska Copper Mine Limited, with a recorded his- torical production of over 1-million tonnes (Mt) of zinc and 430 000 t of copper from 46 Mt of sulphide ore milled, the project entails reopening the previous mine. Endowed with a world class orebody, which

Riding on competitive capex savings presented by its flagship Prieska copper/zinc project – made possible by the development of a new mine on the footprint of an old one with much of the infrastructure already in place – Orion Minerals is seizing the moment to break from legacy to a ‘mine of the future’. Munesu Shoko was recently on site.

Errol Smart, CEO of Orion Minerals.

Walter Shamu, COO at Orion Minerals.

The revised ball and SAG milling configuration will allow significant operational flexibility and facilitate processing of Prieska ore at a rate of up to 20% above design throughput, allowing capacity for future expansion.

22  MODERN MINING  February 2020