Name of the Project
Letlhakane mine tailings resource treatment project (LMTRTP).

Location
Francistown, Botswana.

Client
Debswana, a 50:50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers.

Project Description
The diamond pits at the Letlhakane mine have reached depths that limit conventional openpit mining; however, the LMTRTP, which will retreat tailings, is expected to extend the mine’s life by an additional 20 years and safeguard jobs at the mine.

The LMTRTP scope comprises construction of the modular tailings treatment plant at the Letlhakane mine, the upgrade of facilities at the contractor’s village in Orapa, as well as new mining offices, including an operators’ mess, training offices, change rooms and ablution blocks.

To ensure reliable power supply to the plant, the project will also deliver a 40 MVA 220/33 kV transformer and construct a 66 kV overhead power line and its associated works, covering 45 km from Orapa to the mine. The construction of switchyards at Orapa and the mine is also part of the project scope.

The LMTRTP is expected to achieve production of 800 000 ct/y of diamonds and will provide specifically designed mining and treatment solutions to ensure optimal economic recovery of the coarse tailings mineral resource, thereby extending the life-of-mine by 25 years.

Jobs to be Created
To date, the LMTRTP has engaged more than 25 different contractors and has a current peak of 884 personnel on site.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
P2.2-billion.

Duration
The project was approved in 2014, with construction of the plant having started in the first quarter of 2015. The handover of the project is expected by September 2017.

Latest Developments
Debswana has reported significant progress in the implementation of the LMTRTP.

Debswana corporate affairs manager Matshidiso Kamona has said the tailings treatment project is 80% complete. The project, which is expected to extend the life span of the mine by 25 years, will be commissioned in late 2017.

In mid-November, Debswana ceased all opencast mining operations at Lethlakane, saying the mine had reached the end of its economic life span. Kamona has said the LMTRTP is aimed at ensuring the recovery of diamonds from the Lethlakane coarse tailings mineral resource.

Debswana has also engaged experts to examine the possibility of extending the life spans of its Damtshaa and Orapa mines beyond their projected exhaustion date of 2050.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Rockwell Automation (low- and medium-voltage equipment and automation solutions).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on budget.

Contact Details for Project Information
Debswana – Letlhakane mine, tel +267 297 0201 or fax +267 297 0243.