Modern Mining January 2023

advances underground development at Platreef

completed the Shaft 1 production changeover – the process that enables underground mining to begin. In April, Ivanplats undertook the first blast on Platreef’s 950-metre level, which enabled the start of lateral underground mine development towards the high-grade Flatreef orebody. The company says the lateral development towards the first reef and stoping areas, as well as towards the first ventilation shaft location, is progressing well. As of November 2022, More than 300 metres of lateral development had been completed since work started in April of the same year, according to

Ivanhoe Mines president, Marna Cloete. At the end of the year, underground development work was focused on establishing the waste passes from the 750-metre and the 850-metre levels to the 950-metre level, and the installation of the required underground infrastructure on the various stations, she said. With Shaft 1 now in operation and hoisting devel opment rock from underground, Ivanplats said that its efforts would be focused on the surface construc tion activities required to bring Phase 1 of Platreef into production by the third quarter of 2024. This entails continuing development of the 10-metre diameter Shaft 2 which is critical to the future Phase 2 expansion of Platreef by the end of 2027, the company said. “Following the completion of the 26-metre con crete hitch-to-collar construction [at Shaft 2] in August 2022, Ivanplats plans to continue with the construc tion of the 103-metre-tall concrete headframe that will house the shaft’s 6 million tonne-per-annum hoisting equipment,” said Cloete, noting that this would be followed by the pilot drilling required for the raised bore centre hole of Shaft 2, and the start of the sliding of the headframe. Once in operation, Shaft 2 will be among the larg est material and personnel hoisting shafts on the African continent. A key part in bringing Phase 1 into production is the construction of the Platreef’s concentrator plant. Bulk earthworks for this began towards the end of 2022, with mill foundation civil activities and mill manufacturing progressing well. The company said in its November mine construction update that the

Aerial view of the Platreef mine site.

“Overall, we remain confident in the PGM market, while Platreef is well positioned to be near the bottom of the world cost curve, and responsibly produce high-quality PGMs, nickel and copper over a very long mine life,” Marna Cloete.

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