Modern Mining November 2018

COAL

medium separator (LARCODEMS), with pro- vision having been made in the plant design for a second unit to be added at a later stage. This technology was originally developed by the National Coal Board in the UK and is now well established in South Africa, having been installed at a number of coal mines (including Grootegeluk). In essence, it replaces the more conventional drum and cyclone arrangement and can handle a single feed from 2 mm to 100 mm. It is particularly well suited to coal which is slightly more brittle than usual (which is the case at Khanye). The company responsible for managing the construction of the plant is Isimilo DBO (the ‘DBO’ standing for ‘Design Build Operate’), which was founded in 2017 by MDMark Berger. Isimilo (a company which is 51 % black-owned and in which Canyon has a shareholding) is effectively the in-house construction project implementation and operations arm of Canyon but has the freedom to work for other clients. The construction of the plant was handled by Obsideo Consulting (working with its sister company Obsideo Construction) under the supervision of Isimilo. Berger believes that Isimilo has been able to deliver the Khanye plant very economically – he estimates the saving as being approxi- mately 25 %. “This is due to the use of the LARCODEMS technology plus the business model we use in terms of which we outsource procurement and construction work to a net- work of small, focused service providers that we have identified,” he told Modern Mining

Ukufisa, near Springs, was established with the product being washed at Phalanndwa. Hakhano and Singani produce bituminous coal for the export market which is transported to customers via the Pan and Rietkuil sidings while Phalanndwa produces a sub-bituminous product for both the local and export markets. Hakhano produces in excess of 40 000 ROM tons a month, Singani 140 000 ROM tons a month and Phalanndwa 120 000 ROM tons a month. Canyon acquired the Khanye project in 2013 from a private party but it was only in December last year that the first boxcut was established. The mine produced its first coal for the export market in May this year with the ROM product being washed in a 100 t/h interim cyclone plant, which is currently still in use. The permanent plant, now in the com- missioning phase, utilises a large coal dense

An aerial shot of the Khanye site taken earlier this year showing the interim plant and the start of construction on the permanent plant.

The VIPs celebrate the ‘first’ blast (photo: Arthur Tassell).

24  MODERN MINING  November 2018