The lives of two old North West Province gold-mines have been
extended by a collective 23 years.
Blyvooruitzicht gold-mine (Blyvoor) has had its longevity extended
by 13 years and Hartebeestfontein (Harties) gold-mine to ten years,
from only a few months.
This new life has been breathed into the two mines by new owner
Durban Roodepoort Deep (DRD). DRD intends to mine Harties at a cash
cost of $213/oz and Blyvoor at $212/oz.
However, the company announced the mothballing of of nine shaftmining compressors south africas at
West Wits and Durban Roodepoort Deep (see page17).
Harties’ new mine plan has been implemented and its new
structure completed, achieving a cash-operating profit of
R50-million.
&ldquspiral plant for chrome indiao;Harties has also been important to the life of
Buffelsfontein, and we have used that synergy to strengthen Buffels
mining plan,” reports DRD CE Mike Prinsloo. “We have
done that through an increased programme extraction of iron in blast furnaceof opening up on pillar
programmes closer to the Harties area mineshaft. “We’ve
discovered that some of the pillars from Harties to Buffels enable
greater flexibility as well as advancing the exploration and
develogranite counter tops in kenyapment programme – which has been a low-key area for
Buffels,” he adds. Blyvoor of Carletonville’s extension
by 13 years is almost double the previously anticipated seven years
of additional life. With the announcement this weemingshan crusher in thailandk of the Blyvoor
2000 and Beyond capital project being holed as planned, the mine is
expected to double its underground production within the next year
and reduce its costs by more than $50/oz. The R60-million asset-
renewal project, which took more than two years to complete,
involved the upgrading of infrastructure at Blyvoor and the
neighbouring Doornfontein mine. The new infrastructure will be used
to mine the Lease Extension No 1 area, formerly known as the
Western Deep Levels Tribute area, explains Blyvoor COO Derek Steyn.
“Discussions are under way with Western Deep Levels, Savuka
and Driefontein mines to secure additional reserves for mining from
the Blyvoor, Doornfontein infrastructure that cannot be accessed
efficiently by its own infrastructure, thus further extending the
life of the Blyvoor mine,” reports Steyn. With the
implementation of the project, which is in various stages of
completion, gold reserves will be accessed through the Doornfontein
No 3 shaft vertical shaft infrastructure instead of the
previously-used high-cost Blyvoor incline shaft
infrastructure.