Name and Location
Impala No 17 Shaft project, Rustenburg, North West, South Africa.

Client
Impala Platinum (Implats).

Project Description
The No 17 Shaft project is a tonnage-replacement project for the Impala Rustenburg operations and is located down dip of No 10 Shaft. The shaft complex is designed to produce 225 000 t/m (2.7-million tonnes a year) of reef from eight operational levels. 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, namely a rock and men-and-materials shaft (10 –m-lined diameter), a dedicated down cast chilled air (fridge) shaft (6-m-lined diameter) and an up cast ventilation shaft (9-m-lined diameter). A total 1 300 kg/s of chilled air will be down cast 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 by rail, while a second Koepe winder will transport men and materials. The shaft will produce 180 000 platinum ounces a year at steady state.

Value
R11.1-billion.

Duration
Full production of 180 000 oz/y of platinum is expected to be reached in 2023.

Latest Developments
Sinking at the No 17 Shaft complex remains on target, with the sinking of the refrigeration and ventilation shafts completed to the ultimate planned depths of 1 438 m and 1 764 m below surface respectively. The construction of the ventilation shaft loading facility is in progress.

The main shaft is currently at a depth of 1 824 m below surface, and sinking and station development activities are under way. The development of the first two production-level stations (21 and 22 levels) and the raise boring of ore passes have started.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
WorleyParsonsTWP (engineering, procurement and construction management); Scribante (earthworks); Murray & Roberts, or M&R (civils); Shaft Sinkers (ventilation, main and refrigeration shafts); 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?
No 17 Shaft was slowed down in the 2013 financial year as a result of cash preservation measures. Production build-up is planned to start in 2018, about two years later than previously envisaged, with full production expected to be reached in 2023.

Contact Details for Project Information
Impala No 17 Shaft project manager Jacey Kruger, cell +27 82 801 1232.
BBE Projects, tel +27 11 706 9800, fax +27 11 706 6931 or email bbe@bbe.co.za.
Grinaker-LTA, corporate affairs, tel +27 11 578 6000, fax +27 11 578 6161 or email enquiry@grinaker-lta.co.za.
Johnson Controls Systems & Services public relations manager Nanda Aerts, tel +32 2 709 4481 or email Nanda.Aerts@jci.com.
Louwill Engineering, tel +27 11 818 5186 or email ben@louwill.co.za.
M&R, tel +27 11 456 6200, fax +27 11 455 2222 or email info@murrob.com.
NIC Electrical & Instrumentation Construction, tel +27 11 386 5000, fax +27 11 786 6786 or email engineering@nicinst.co.za.
Shaft Sinkers, tel +27 11 445 4300, fax +27 11 444 4410 or email sinkers@shaftsinkers.co.za.
WorleyParsonsTWP, tel +27 11 218 3000, fax +27 11 218 3100 or email twpinfo@twp.co.za.