Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

OVERVIEW
one of three run by the company,
are both located in Polokwane.
Northam Platinum’s metallurgical
complex at its Zondereinde mine
processes Merensky and UG2 ores
separately.
Platinum
With a depressed platinum price,
platinum miners are hoping that
demand from the fuel cell industry
will replace the decline in
demand for catalytic converters.
Impala Platinum (Implats)
has an interest in two big operations
on the eastern limb of
the Bushveld Igneous Complex.
Marula (in which Implats is a
73% shareholder) is in Limpopo
province, about 50km north of
Burgersfort. South of the same
town, in Mpumalanga, Implats
(49%) is in a joint venture with
African Rainbow Minerals (ARM)
at the Two Rivers mine. The mine
has a concentrator plant and has
a life-of-mine offtake agreement
with Impala Refining Services.
Impala announced in early
2017 that it intends to take the
refinery (in Springs) off the Eskom
grid, and power the refinery
using fuel cell technology. Power
will come from an 8MW Doosan
Fuel Cell.
Even though the Twickenham
mine of Anglo American Platinum
(Amplats) has been put on care
and maintenance, lots of work
is going on there. Amplats is
testing trackless mechanised
mining in that hope that automation
will bring down costs sufficiently
to make it economical to
mine again.
Despite uncertainty on the global market, Northam Platinum
has continued to buy assets. In 2015 it bought Everest South from
Aquarius, a move that will allow it to consolidate operations with
its adjacent property, Booysendal South. Northam, which also has
assets in the North West province, aims to produce 850 000oz of
PMGs from 2022.
A court ruling in February 2017 has opened the way for Ivanhoe
to build its Platreef Project on the northern limb of the Bushveld
Igneous Complex. Local communities objected to the proposed
multi-billion project because it was said the mine would cause
ancestral graves to be moved. R70-million has been commited to
the first phase.
In July, Ivanhoe released a feasibility study that was positive about
prospects for mining for platinum group elements, nickel, copper
and gold. Ivanplats, the subsidiary of the Canadian company, will
run the mine in the Waterberg District Municipality near Mokopane
south-west of Polokwane. Ivanhoe has a 64% stake in Ivanplats with
10% owned by a group of Japanese companies including ITOCHU
Corporation and Japan Gas Corporation.
If the mine achieves the projected production rate of 12 Mtpa
with 1.2-million ounces of PGM, it will rank as the biggest mine in
the world. Engineering companies engaged in the project include
FLSmidth (winding equipment), Aveng (shaft one) and Murray &
Roberts (shaft two).
47 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18