Modern Mining September 2022

for a restart

chrome recovery plant and initiated chrome remin ing in December 2018. “In tandem with reprocessing the Zandfontein tailings, we continue to be involved in numerous project optimisation initiatives, including optimisation of the chrome recovery plant, the PGM Scavenger plant (circuit D) and the PGM main plant (circuit B). The circuit D optimisation programme and the com missioning of the PGM main plant were completed last year. We began the PGM scavenger plant opera tions in Q4 of 2020 and are processing tailings from the chrome recovery plant,” explains Hanson. Having started the tailings re-mining process in 2019, the company has, to date, re-mined around 8 mt of tailings and produced more than 2.6 mt of chrome concentrate which has been shipped to its offtake partner in China. The miner’s PGM plant commissioning efforts, begun in December 2020, have seen the company deliver up to 900 oz per month, despite having to halt production in February and March 2021 for PGM circuit D plant optimisation and again in September 2021, when the company prepared PGM main circuit B for commissioning in October 2021. CRM underground restart The Crocodile River underground restart programme is a milestone in the company’s strategy as it targets Q4 2022 as its start date. “In 2021, we recommissioned and reconfigured circuit D, enhanced the mill to improve our recovery and revised the long-term plan for the underground

mine design. That was the beginning of the journey to restart the underground mine and we are very close to having our first blast and restarting produc tion from Zandfontein underground,” says Hanson. Having invested over $600-million during ‘Care and Maintenance‘ for care and maintenance costs as well as infrastructure development to get the project ready, the PGM and chrome miner will be mining the UG2 chromitite layer of the Bushveld Complex, from its Zandfontein vertical shaft. The project, which has a proven and probable mineral reserve of 1,7 m Oz 4E and a life of mine of 22 years, will deliver at an all-in sustaining cost of $1 502/oz. According to Hanson the mineral reserve esti mation was completed using a 4E basket price of $1 825/oz and exchange rate of 15,53 ZAR/USD. However, the miner is confident that, given its

Ukwazi and Minxcon Group were instrumental in providing a reconfigured underground mine plan.

The PGM basket of prices is being driven by growing demand for clean energy.

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