Name of the Project
Galaxy gold mine restart project.

Location
Galaxy gold is situated 6 km west of Barberton, in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and covers 5 863 ha. The mine comprises 21 east-west-trending gold bodies and four prospects at 600 m to 2 000 m in depth.

Client
Galane Gold.

Project Description
The project involves the phased restart of the Galaxy gold mine, which includes refurbishing existing infrastructure and upgrading the processing facility to take production to 18 000 oz/y.

The project will be completed in phases.

The first phase of the restart involves the refurbishment of the existing processing plant and upgrading the plant from 15 000 t/m to 30 000 t/m, and increasing production to more than 25 000 oz/y of gold.

During the implementation of the first phase, Galane expects to complete a study on the second expansion phase with the objective of increasing the capacity at the Galaxy processing plant to 60 000 t/m.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
A total of $2-million will be spent on the first phase of the project and it will be funded from in-house cash flows, primarily from Galane’s core operation in Botswana.

Duration
The first phase is expected to start in April 2019.

Latest Developments
Galane Gold has placed the material orders required for upgrading the processing plant that will bring the Galaxy gold mine back into operation.

Galane has refurbished the existing 15 000 t/m processing plant at Galaxy and will upgrade the plant capacity to 30 000 t/m. The Galaxy restart is being funded through a $5-million loan from Barak Fund.  

Orders have also been placed for a reconditioned ball mill and concentration filtration equipment.

Once known as the Agnes mine, Galaxy is a century-old operation, which Galane will bring back in to operation by March next year to produce 25 000 oz/y at a cash cost of $800/oz.

Preparation for mining started and the contractor had mobilised to site to start development, with first fit work required to resume underground operations in the New Year.

“The work done by Galane while Galaxy was on care and maintenance has resulted in a detailed scope of work for the plant upgrade, which we have had verified through independent third parties. Galane has also followed the same process for the restart of underground operations.

“This represents only the first step of our resurrection of the Galaxy mine and we will . . .  commence a study . . .  to double production and lower the all-in cost, as a result of increased economies of scale,” Galane CEO Nick Brodie has said.

The company, which is also listed on the Botswana Stock Exchange, operates the Mupane mine in Botswana.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Galane Gold chairperson Ravi Sood, email Ravi@GalaneGold.com.