Modern Mining January 2019

DIAMONDS

New Cullinan plant starts to deliver

Now in operation for over a year, the new R1,65 billion processing plant at the iconic Cullinan Diamond Mine of Petra Diamonds near Pretoria is performing to expectation (and on some metrics ahead of expectation). The facility has been designed to deliver a reduction in power consumption per tonne of 12 % and will cut Cullinan’s operating costs by between R20 and R25 per tonne. It is also a frugal user of water with water intake from sources other than recycled water from the mine’s slimes dam (new water) having been reduced by a massive 66 % compared to the old plant.

M embers of the media were recently briefed on the main features of the plant by the mine’s General Manager, Juan Kemp, and some of his senior colleagues and were also given a tour of the new facility. Although the visit was hosted by the mine, it was organised by the Zest WEG Group, which played a major role in deliver- ing the project using its Integrated Solutions approach. Several Zest WEG Group companies were involved in supplying and installing the electrical and control infrastructure required for the plant with the total value of the work

carried out by the Group amounting to approx- imately R200 million. Briefing the media on Cullinan and its history, Kemp described the more-than-100- year-old mine as the most celebrated diamond mine in the world. Although probably best known for producing the 3 106-carat Cullinan diamond in 1905, the biggest ever discovered, Cullinan has produced many notable stones since – in fact, more than 800 diamonds of plus 100 carats, of which more than 140 were more than 200 carats. The mine – which produced 1,4 Mct of diamonds in Petra’s 2018 financial year – is

Top projects

30 _ MODERN MINING _ January 2019