Northam to expand smelting facilities
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) -JSE-listed Northam Platinum is expanding its smelting facilities in Thabazimbi, South Africa to support its planned growth in platinum group metals (PGM) production using technology from high-capacity furnace and smelting plant company Tenova Pyromet.
The miner was looking to up its output by increasing the throughput of UG2 ore, which is rich in chromite and difficult to smelt, from the eastern limb of South Africa’s Bushveld Complex. The basic engineering for the 20 MW smelting furnace and ancillary systems had been completed, with the detail engineering currently under way.
Tenova Pyromet’s scope on the project covered the PGM smelting furnace, feed system and offgas handling plant, as well as the furnace building and all associated civil works, infrastructure and services.
Close collaboration between Northam and Tenova Pyromet throughout the development of the technical solution was key to successfully meeting the challenge of designing a furnace with a sufficiently broad operating range to accommodate feedstock with such widely varying mineralogy.
“This project is notable because it is a proudly all-South African initiative – drawing on the expertise of a local technology provider, local contractors and suppliers and with the vast majority of the components manufactured locally – for a South African PGM producer,” said Tenova Pyromet sales and marketing GM Andre Esterhuizen.
Northam Platinum projects and strategy manager Rene Rautenbach added that the cyclical nature of the mining industry required miners such as Northam to adopt a long-term perspective in terms of strategic capital expenditure.
“Tenova Pyromet’s solution, which provides us with the flexibility to accommodate a range of smelter feedstock, positions us well to meet our growth aspirations,” commented Rautenbach.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
For over 60 years, VEGA has provided industry-leading products for the measurement of level, density, weight and pressure. As the inventor of the...
VISIT SHOWROOM
As one of South Africa's leading manufacturers, Bell Equipment distributes and exports its wide range of heavy equipment globally to mining,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
