Having successfully completed a two-year detailed engineering design project in 2013 for a 1 300-m-deep shaft for a project on the Zambian Copperbelt – which comprised a shaft complex with a headgear, shaft steelwork, a winder house, underground materials handling systems and a mine dewatering pumping system – engineering, project and construction management services supplier Hatch Goba has subsequently been awarded the detailed engineering design for an expansion of the same project.

The company’s scope of work covers two shafts, each about 2 000 m deep. Hatch Goba project manager Louis du Plessis states that the aim of the project is to access deeper parts of the orebody, thereby reducing operating costs.

“The detailed engineering design of the two shaft complexes includes the headgear, shaft steelwork, winder house and underground materials handling systems. Hatch Goba began work in early 2013, with a projected completion date of June 2015 for the design phase,” Du Plessis comments.

He notes that the capability to design deep mine shaft complexes, including ancillary infrastructure, such as underground materials handling systems, has stood Hatch Goba in good stead in completing a second major contract on the Zambian Copperbelt.

“We were able to leverage off our experience and incorporate it into the expansion project, thereby saving the client both time and engineering design costs.”
Hatch Goba has extensive experience in this regard, having designed numerous shaft complexes over the years.

“We have an excellent track record, in addition to employing highly skilled and competent people in our mining business unit,” Du Plessis confirms.

Hatch Goba associate AEM mining director Kevin Seyfried explains that the mining business unit encompasses all mining-related consulting, engineering design and construction management work.
“We have the capability to enhance the operational output of our clients, owing to our holistic approach. This sees us combining our technical skills with our dynamic simulation capability to solve complex challenges, often increasing production with minimal or no change to their equipment fleets,” he concludes.