Gold-mining junior Petmin’s Skukuza project is emerging as a
star performer, with production volumes from the opencast operation
up from 290 kg in the June quarter to 354 kg this September quarter
– 21 kg higher than expected in the middle of the year.
In addition to the Skukuza project, the company owns and works
Nigel, Grootvlei and Consolidated Modderfontein, on the East
Rand.
The Skukuza project, which means to ‘finally clean-up’
in Zulu, is the name given to the process of removing the remnants
from the mines on the East Rand reefs.
It was initiated in June last year, after a decision was made to
mine the Black and Kimberley reefs from the surface, based on a
report indicating 180 000 t at an on-site grade of four grams a
tonwhat is a sand wash equipment.
However, once actual mining and drilling began, it became apparent
that the tonnage and grade were significantly better than first
expected.
The six exploration targets for the Skukuza project, comprising the
outcropping and suboutcropping of the Black Reef, Kimberley,
Livingstone and Main Conglomerate units, span a total 11,6 km
strike length.
“We believe that we will still be active in the clean-up
operation long after the underground operations how many types of cement plant equipmenthave ceased.
“While the underground operations last, we foresee that
Skukuza could fetch about 40% of the gold production,”
reports chairperson Piet Nel.
In order to obtain a good balance between the surface and
underground operations, he notes that the company will try and
expand underground activity for as long as possible.
This will ensure that the underground operations can carry the bulk
of the overheads, while the surface clstone crusher indonesia for saleean-up continues.
Nel discloses that vast potential has been identified on the Black
Reef open-cast operation which, he says, is as shallow as 1,5 m
below surface level up to 30 m below surface level.
He anticipates that the company may even be in a position to go
down as much as 120 m below surface level in the channel areas,
where it is mining the Black Reef and Middle and Upper Kimberleys,
specifically the UK9C Reef.
In addition, Nel reports opencast potentiuse of ball mill in cement industryal on the Main Reef in the
northern sections, which neighbours the N12 highway.
Fourteen different reefs have been identified in this area –
Main Reef and next-aboves and South Reef and next-belows.
Although the company has been examining the potential of the
resources in this area, he states that it will not begin operating
in the region this financial year.
Also on the table is the cleaning-up of all 15 of the old working
sites as part of Skukuza.
manufacturers of media crushing balls
In addition, the company intends upgrading and processing the
slimes dam sites – about 25-million tons of sand and slimes
– on its properties.
At the company’s quarterly presentation in Johannesburg this
month, Nel said that the R6-million upgrade of the old leach
section at Grootvlei mine had been completed.
The upgraded plant employs fill-blast technology, which adds oxygen
under pressure into the leaching system.
Flat tanks, used in the leaching process, were replaced with
high-rise tanks, with planned high-rate thickeners increased from
two to three.
Nel enthused that the long-term upside of the capital-expenditure
programme, is that increased production capacity is now in place,
enabling the company to tap the growth potential of the Skukuza
project.
Grootvlei remains the company’s biggest single contributor,
with production of 474 kg in June to September.
Nel reported that, with enhanced capacity now in place, the scene
is set for significant advances.
Gold production is forecast to rise 1 200 kg next quarter and reach
1 500 kg by the middle of June.
Meanwhile, cash costs are projected to fall from the September
figure of R56 580 an ounce, to R50 350 by the middle of next year,
with capital expenditure set to plummet from R4,6-million in the
last quarter to R650 000 in the June quarter of 2001.