Name of the Project
Impala 17 Shaft project.

Location
North West, South Africa

Client
Impala Platinum (Implats).

Project Description
The No 17 Shaft project, in Rustenburg, is a tonnage-replacement project for the Impala Rustenburg operations and is located downdip of the No 10 shaft. The shaft complex is designed to produce 225 000 t/m, or 2.7-million tonnes a year, of reef from eight operational levels, equating to 180 000 oz of platinum at full capacity. The shaft will access the Merensky and upper group two reef horizons. The entire mine design is conventional, with horizontal crosscuts to reef on 32 half levels.

The shaft complex comprises three vertical concrete-lined shafts – a rock and men-and-materials shaft (10-m-lined diameter), a dedicated downcast chilled-air (fridge) shaft (6-m-lined diameter) and an upcast ventilation shaft (9-m-lined diameter).

A total of 1 300 kg/s of chilled air will be channelled down through the rock and men-and-materials shaft and the fridge shaft to cool and ventilate the underground workings.

A Koepe winder will hoist the rock to surface before ore is transported to the plant on rail, while a second Koepe winder will transport men and materials.

The shaft will produce 180 000 platinum ounces a year at steady state.

Potential Job Creation
No stated.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
R12.4-billion.

Duration
The project was expected to come into production in 2021, but has now been put on care and maintenance.

Latest Developments
Implats has decided to maintain 17 Shaft on care and maintenance until there is more confidence in a rising metal price environment.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
WorleyParsonsTWP (engineering, procurement and construction management); Scribante (earthworks); Murray & Roberts, or M&R (civils); Redpath Mining (main shaft); Louwill Engineering (building structures); NIC Electrical & Instrumentation Construction (construction and instrumentation); Grinaker-LTA (shaft headgear erection contract); DRA Technical Services; ABB; Siemag Tecberg; Coilmec; Actom; Siemens; and Winder Controls (supply of winders for the project); BBE Projects (turnkey design, construction and commissioning of the refrigeration plant and air cooler system); and Johnson Controls, subcontracted by BBE Projects (supply of chiller system).

On Budget and on Time?
First production from No 17 shaft was expected in the 2021 financial year, but the project was recently put on care and maintenance.

Contact Details for Project Information
Implats, tel +27 11 731 9000, fax +27 11 731 9254 or email investor@implats.co.za.