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Permanent shaft-sinking starts at Ivanhoe’s Platreef project

14th July 2016

By: Henry Lazenby

Creamer Media Deputy Editor: North America

  

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TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Permanent sinking work has started on Shaft 1 at the Platreef platinum-group metals/nickel/copper/gold mine in South Africa, proponent Ivanhoe Mines reported Thursday.

The 7.25-m-wide Shaft 1, was planned to give initial access for early underground development at the Flatreef deposit and would be used to fast-track production during the first phase of the project.

Following the successful commissioning and licensing of the required equipment, the permanent sinking phase started at a planned, initial rate of 1.8 m/d, Ivanhoe advised. At this rate, Ivanhoe would double the current depth of Shaft 1 from 54 m to 107 m below surface – the point at which the main sinking phase will start.

Ivanhoe expected that the subsequent main sinking phase would advance at an average rate of 2.7 m/d until it reached the planned, final depth at 1 025 m below surface in 2018.

“This is an important milestone in the building of a major, new underground mine at Platreef and we are extremely proud of our employees and contractors for the safe and efficient job they have done in transitioning Shaft 1 from the pre-sinking phase to the permanent-sinking phase,” stated executive chairperson Robert Friedland.

Platreef’s Shaft 1 had previously received official licences for permanent sinking operations.

The Shaft 1 sinking contract, held by Aveng Mining, of South Africa, would include the development of two main stations at 450 m and 750 m below surface. Shaft 1 was expected to reach the Flatreef deposit, at a depth of 777 m, during the third quarter of 2017, Ivanhoe reported.

Under Platreef’s current prefeasibility study, the mine plan would target ores at depths ranging from between about 700 m and 1 200 m.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Meanwhile, work on the internal electricity substation had been completed, which would have a capacity of five-million volt-amperes. Construction of the power transmission lines from the main lines of Eskom, the South African public electricity utility, was under way. This would be used for shaft sinking. Backup generators had also been installed to ensure continuous sinking operations in the event of power interruptions.

Ivanhoe pointed out that the new power transmission lines would also provide electric power to a nearby community near the project, which currently had no electricity supply.

Ivanplats planned to develop the Platreef mine in three phases, comprising an initial four-million tonnes a year to establish an operating platform to support future expansions, followed by a doubling of production to eight-million tonnes a year. A third expansion phase to a steady-state 12-million tonnes a year would follow. At the latter planned mining rate, Platreef would be among the largest platinum-group metals mines in the world, the company boasted.

Ivanhoe was also busy advancing a feasibility study focusing on Platreef’s first-phase production scenario. The study, which began in August 2015, was being managed by principal consultant DRA Global, with specialised sub-consultants including Stantec Consulting, Murray & Roberts Cementation, SRK, Golder Associates and Digby Wells Environmental.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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