In an April 18, 2008, news article, UN Integrated Regional Information Networks reported that the proposed mining code was launched in Dakar, Senegal, on April 17 and that ratification would be sought from ECOWAS parliaments during 2009. Goals of the code include transparent financial practices, strict environmental standards and assurance that more mining industry revenue ends up in the hands of governments and communities. Consultations are planned with the private sector and others before details of the code are finalized and the code comes before ECOWAS member states for a vote.
National mining codes were weakened in many countries in the 1990s when the World Bank pushed governments to deregulate, the article states, with countries in the region competing with each other to attract foreign investors.
Helene Cisse, a Dakar-based lawyer and a legal consultant on the mining code, was quoted in a Voice of America article as saying meaningful partnership among all concerned is the only way mining can be profitable in the long run. "We need productive investment. But it must be for the sake of everybody, for the interest of everybody. And this is the basic idea of this mining code, to convince the people that there is no durable development, human development, if there is no partnership."
In a separate development, Ghana’s Minister of Mines Esther Obeng Dapaah said in an address to a meeting of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Accra, Ghana, that Ghana will amend its laws to gain more benefit from its mining sector. "Our laws will have to be amended. At the moment the laws are so liberal. The idea was to attract investment, but we are willing to take a look at our laws again," the minister told delegates at a forum on how developing nations can benefit more from high commodities prices, Reuters reported on April 23. "A committee is being organized to look into mining activities in Ghana and how Ghana can benefit from mining," Dapaah said.
Dapaah also said that Ghana had relied too much on the exploitation of gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese, and would move to increase production of other minerals, such as kaolin, limestone, salt and columbite-tantalite.
La Mancha is 51% owner and operator of the Frog’s Leg project; the remaining interest is owned by Dioro.
The underground Frog’s Leg mine is forecast to produce an average of 83,000 oz/y of gold over the next seven years, based on reserves of 3.65 million mt grading 5.29 g/mt of gold. This reserve and the related mining plan do not take into account an additional estimated 267,000 oz of resources announced in March 2008. Total measured and indicated resources at the project now stand at 990,000 oz. Mine production at full capacity will average 545,000 mt/y. Capital expenditure to develop the project is budgeted at just over A$71 million.
The initial gold pour from Frog’s Leg ore was accomplished two months ahead of the schedule announced by La Mancha in August 2007, when the decision was taken to proceed with development of the mine. As of mid-May 2008, decline development totaled 3,000 m, and development was proceeding on three horizontal mining levels. A third drill jumbo had been commissioned to increase underground development rates, and a second 50-mt underground truck was increasing haulage capacity. Wherever the mineralization has been exposed to date, orebody widths and grades have been in accordance with resource model predictions.
The Frog’s Leg mine is located 25 km west of Kalgoorlie in the southern part of the Kundana gold field. Production is primarily from steeply dipping quartz lodes. Mining is by longhole open stoping with fill. The high in situ stress environment and the competent rock quality result in a seismically active mining environment. This seismicity risk is being minimized by adopting a ‘bottom up’ mining sequence/retreat front, which systematically pushes the stress field and requires the completion of most of the pre-mining development prior to stope extraction.
La Mancha Resources is a Canadian company based in Montreal and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. In addition to Frog’s Leg, the company is 45.9% owner and operator of the Ity gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire, which is expected to produce 24,600 oz attributable to La Mancha during 2008, and 40% owner and operator of the Hassaï gold mine in Sudan, which is expected to produce 40,000 oz attributable to La Mancha during 2008.
Dioro Exploration acquired Harmony Gold's South Kalgoorlie operations, including the Jubilee mill, in 2007. Production from these South Kalgoorlie mines totaled 80,000 oz in 2007, and reserves are sufficient to maintain that production rate for three years. The project’s measured and indicated resource inventory totals 1.55 million oz. Dioro also has an extensive gold exploration land package and interests in uranium exploration projects in Western Australia.
JUNE 9–11, 2008: MASSMIN 2008–5th International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining, Luleå Technical University, Luleå, Sweden. Contact: E. Nordlund; E-mail: info@massmin2008.com; Web: www.massmin2008.com.
JUNE 9–12, 2008: Africa Junior Mining Congress, Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact: Brian Shabangu; Tel: 27 11 463 6001; Fax: 27 11 463 6903; E-mail: brian.shabangu@terrapinn.co.za; Web: www.terrapinn.com/2008/ajmza/.
JUNE 12-15, 2008: Annual Conference of the Mining History Association, Chisholm, Minnesota, USA. Contact: Jane Nordberg; E-mail: enordberg@mtu.edu; Web: www.mininghistoryassociation.org.
JUNE 16–20, 2008: Comminution ‘08, Falmouth, UK. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
JUNE 17-18, 2008: 2nd Annual Conference for the Mining Industry on Substance Abuse, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Contact: The University of Utah; Tel: 801-538-4343; Fax: 801-538-8228; E-mail: slangston@utah.gov; Web: www.uuhsc.utah.edu/uas.
JUNE 26-27, 2008: Asia Nonferrous Metals Executive Summit 2008, Shanghai, China. Contact: Fanny Wang; Tel: 86 21 6232 6090; E-mail: marketing@ibgintl.com; Web: www.ibgintl.com/events.
JULY 14-16, 2008: Financial Statement Analysis, Golden, Colorado, USA. Contact: Colorado School of Mines; Tel: 303-273-3321; Fax: 303-273-3314; E-mail: space@mines.edu; Web: www.mines.edu/outreach/cont_ed.
JULY 21-23, 2008: Finite Elements in Geotechnical Engineering, Golden, Colorado, USA. Contact: Colorado School of Mines; Tel: 303-273-3321; Fax: 303-273-3314; E-mail: space@mines.edu; Web: www.mines.edu/outreach/cont_ed.
JULY 22-24, 2008: Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition 2008, Mackay, Queensland. Contact: Reed Exhibitions; Tel: 02 9422 2955; Fax: 02 9993 8342; Web: www.qme.reedexhibitions.com.au.
JULY 29-31, 2008: 27th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Karen Centofanti; Tel: 304-293-7680; Fax: 304-293-5708; E-mail: Karen.centofanti@mail.wvu.edu; Web: www.mine.cemr.wvu.edu.
AUGUST 25-26, 2008: Zinc Processing ‘08, Brisbane, Australia. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
AUGUST 27-28, 2008: Automated Mineralogy ‘08, Brisbane, Australia. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
SEPTEMBER 6-9, 2008: 47th Canadian Conference on Coal, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Contact: The Coal Association of Canada; Tel: 800-910-2625; Fax: 403-265-7604; E-mail: martin@coal.ca; Web: www.coal.ca.
SEPTEMBER 7-11, 2008: Dam Safety 2008, Indian Wells, California, USA. Contact: Association of State Dam Safety Officials; Tel: 859-257-5140; Web: www.damsafety.org.
SEPTEMBER 13-14, 2008: 21st National Museum and Hall of Fame Induction, Leadville, Colorado, USA. Contact: U.S. National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum; Tel: 719-486-1229; Fax: 719-486-3927; E-mail: director@mininghalloffame.org; Web: www.mininghalloffame.org.
SEPTEMBER 16-19, 2008: First Southern Hemisphere International Rock Mechanics Symposium, Perth, Australia. Contact: Australian Center for Geomechanics; Tel: 61 8 6488 3300; Fax: 61 8 6488 1130; E-mail: acginfo@acg.uwa.edu.au; Web: www.acg.uwa.edu.au.
SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2008: MINExpo 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Contact: Hall Erickson; Tel: 800-752-6312; Fax: 630-434-1216; E-mail: minexpo@heiexpo.com; Web: www.minexpo.com.
SEPTEMBER 24-28, 2008: XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC), Beijing, China. Contact: Conference Secretariat; Tel: 86-10-68310569; Fax: 86-10-68317050; E-mail: impcexhibition@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 1-3, 2008: PROCEMIN 2008, Santiago, Chile. Contact: Fabiola Bustamante; Tel: 56-2 652 1555; Fax: 56-2 652 1570; E-mail: info@procemin.cl; Web: www.procemin.cl.
OCTOBER 8-10, 2008: Drilling for Geology 2008 Conference, Brisbane, Australia. Contact: Michele Pilkington; Tel: 0450 320 770; Fax: 61 7 3878 5108; E-mail: michele@emenem.com.au; Web www.aig.org.au/events/14.
OCTOBER 20-23, 2008: Conmex Middle East 2008, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Contact: Tel: 971-6-5770111; E-mail: info@expo-centre.ae; Web: www.conmex.ae.
OCTOBER 28-30, 2008: Goldfields Mining Expo 2008, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Contact: Reed Exhibitions; Tel: 02 9422 2955; Fax: 02 9993 8342; Web: www.goldfieldsminingexpo.com.au.
NOVEMBER 11-12, 2008: Microwave Technology ‘08, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
NOVEMBER 13-14, 2008: TZMI Congress–Asia in Focus 2008, Singapore. Contact: Daniel Navaratnam; Tel: 61 (0)8 9359 6000; E-mail: data@tzmi.com.au; Web: www.tzmi.com.
NOVEMBER 13-14, 2008: Computational Modeling ‘08, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
FEBRUARY 8-11, 2009: 35th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, Denver, Colorado, USA. Contact: International Society of Explosives Engineers; Tel. 440-349-4400; Fax: 440-349-3788; Web: www.isee.org.
APRIL 4-5, 2009: Sustainability through Resource Conservation and Recycling ‘09, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
APRIL 6-7, 2009: Bio and Hydrometallurgy ‘09, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
APRIL 8-9, 2009: Treatment of Mining Residues containing Toxic Minor Metals ‘09, Cape Town, South Africa. Contact: Barry Wills; Tel: 44 (0)7768 234121; E-mail: bwills@min-eng.com; Web: www.min-eng.com/conferences.
MAY 17-19, 2009: Haulage & Loading, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Contact: Chad Dorn; Tel: 720-855-3996; E-mail: cdorn@mining-media.com; Web: www.miningmedia.com.
JUNE 16–18, 2009: Longwall USA, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Contact: Tanna Holzer; Tel: 303-283-0640; E-mail: tholzer@mining-media.com; Web: www.mining-media.com.
]]>The project’s Definitive Feasibility Study, released in September 2007, envisages the deposit will be mined by conventional large-scale open-pit mining methods. An initial 10-year mine life would allow exploitation of approximately 42% of the known resource, with the remainder being available for further development. The initial pit, by the end of the 10-year period, would be approximately 400-m deep with surface dimensions of 1,100 x 1,250 m.
The proposed processing plant will employ two-stage crushing of ROM ore, followed by a High Pressure Grinding Roll and primary ball milling circuit. Molybdenum and copper will be recovered by flotation into a bulk concentrate. Molybdenum will be separated by copper depression and further flotation.
The molybdenum and copper streams will then be treated by separate regrinding and cleaning processes to produce final saleable molybdenum and copper concentrates.
The study, according to London, U.K.-based Frontier, will provide a preliminary evaluation of the various trade-off options for development of the project, and will form the basis for a pre-feasibility study that will begin in the second quarter of 2008.
Aker Kvaerner will act as study author to synthesize underlying study components, and evaluate the economics of various mining, processing, and infrastructure options for the Project; NCL Ingenería y Construcción S.A., an international mineral consultancy firm based in Chile, with substantial experience in large copper porphyry projects, will be responsible for mine planning and optimization studies, and; metals economics and price forecasting firm Brook Hunt will provide insight on copper marketing options, including analysis and outlook for the local copper concentrates market.
The Benkala project is focused on a significant porphyry copper deposit discovered in the late 1960s in the Urals gold/copper ore belt, northeast of Aktobe Oblast and 100 km southeast of the Zhetikara Mountains, an area close to the Russian border with a long regional mining history. The district already hosts a developed infrastructure, including a main line railway, an all-weather highway and power supply to the site, according to Frontier.
"This is a significant find in an area that has previously been viewed as having little geological potential," said Chief Executive of Energy & Minerals, Preston Chiaro. "The project’s potential to produce thermal coal for electricity generation comes at a time when South Africa needs to rapidly increase its generating capacity. In addition, the basin offers the opportunity to produce a range of products, from thermal to hard coking coal for the export markets. We are currently planning the next phase of the project by beginning our pre-feasibility studies."
The newly discovered Chapudi Resource lies within the Limpopo coal basin, in the northern part of South Africa. The coal is hosted in sediments of the Karoo Group, similar to other coalfields in Southern Africa. The coal seams at Chapudi occur in mudstones that can be correlated to the Upper Ecca formations of the Main Karoo basin.
Rio Tinto and Kwezi Mining began exploring for coal in the area in 2003, when the first borehole was drilled on the farm Chapudi. This borehole intersected significant thicknesses of coal. Since then, the Rio Tinto-Kwezi JV has drilled about 90 boreholes in the project area, and conducted geophysical surveys to aid the geological interpretation. A total of 12,400 m have been drilled to date. The central part of the project now has sufficient drilling coverage to define a measured and indicated resource. The rest of the project area has been drilled to inferred resource status.
The coal has been demonstrated through test work to be suitable for combustion to generate electricity. Rio Tinto and Kwezi Mining are currently investigating the feasibility and economics of establishing a mining operation to feed coal into a power station. They are currently engaging with Eskom, and a number of Independent power providers to this effect.
All mechanical and hydraulic systems are enhanced compared with existing models. For example, with 194 kW (260 hp) input on the multi-pass machine, the DR460 has 38% more rotary horsepower than typically seen in this size class. Tim Murphy, vice-president Surface Mining Drilling at Sandvik said: "When ground conditions allow, the operator can increase his rotation without sacrificing torque, to gain penetration rate without stalling." The feed system has been designed with extreme hard rock in mind by including extra heavy duty chains to ensure a constant load at increased rotation speeds.
From a service and reliability perspective, the DR460 offers a full perimeter walkway for improved access. The drill has been engineered to meet stringent Australian standards (MDG15) for electric and hydraulic design. The hydraulic system has been designed to reduce the amount of hoses in one location by moving the hydraulics nearer to the point of use. In an effort to reduce fire hazards, the electrical system has been encased and isolated from the hydraulic system to keep the two from interacting.
"We have used piping to eliminate as much hose as possible and all of the piping is secured to the machine," said Murphy. "The purpose is reliability over time. Hoses tend to chafe. Although it’s impossible to completely eliminate it, you try to minimize it where you can." The hydraulic lines are secure through Stauff clamps, eliminating plastic zip ties.
A FOPS-rated, 4.4-m2 (47-ft2) cabin offers the operator a comfortable work environment. "The electro-hydraulic controls are mounted in the chair and the chair faces floor-to-ceiling windows providing an unobstructed view of the drill deck," Murphy said.
A standard DR460 is engineered to operate at an ambient temperature of up to 54°C (130°F), but can also be equipped with optional cold weather equipment that includes generator sets and machinery housing for arctic climates. "In extreme cold, we use Mesabi coolers," Murphy said. "Because of the thermal expansion capability, they handle cold oil better than an aluminum core." For work at high elevations, an optional engine is available capable of operating at locations up to 5,000 m (16,400 ft) above sea level.
Sandvik says the main goal of the DR460 is to increase productivity while adding features to improve reliability, operator acceptance and serviceability. Maximum pulldown force is 356 kN (80,000 lb) and bit load is 445 kN (100,000 lb) for optimal productivity in hard rock formations. The DR460 is capable of drilling benches up to 75 m (246 ft) with 12.8-m (42-ft) long drill pipes. "The DR460 has a longer single-pass capability than our previous models and our competitors," said Murphy. "Many mines are using hydraulic excavators and they prefer a 10-meter bench. With 42-foot pipe, the DR460 can drill a 12-meter clean hole on the first pipe." The first machine is being delivered to a Canadian coal operation and Sandvik will have a model on display at MINExpo. www.sandvik.com
Nine old tailings dams in the Welkom area are being considered as part of this project. The proposed operations would process about 240 million mt of tailings from the dams. In addition to re-mining of the dams, other principal elements of the project would include installing pipelines to supply water to the re-mining areas, and to transport the slurry to the processing plant; recovering gold from the slurry at the existing St. Helena processing plant; and installing additional pipelines to supply water to the processing plant and to transport tailings residue from the processing plant to tailings deposition facilities.
Harmony CEO Graham Briggs said, "The re-mining of tailings presents an ideal opportunity to consolidate tailings facilities spread across the region into three tailings facilities. This will allow for better management of the facilities and the implementation of stricter control on environmental management, which earlier facilities may not have taken into account during design."
The company noted that the main focus of the project is on gold extraction, although potential extraction of uranium also is being assessed.
The St. Helena processing plant, located southwest of Welkom, was mothballed almost three years ago and could be brought into production again, according to Harmony. It may be expanded to allow for the treatment of the required volumes of slurry.
Several regulatory processes are being conducted, including an Environmental Impact assessment. Should the re-mining project be approved by regulatory authorities, Harmony expects construction to begin late in 2008.
Harmony’s R41-million ($5.4-million) Phoenix tailings project, near Virginia, was successful enough to warrant an upgrade to process 500,000 mt/month, and the company said it anticipates that the St. Helena plant would also be a profitable business, although capital and working cost estimates were yet to be finalized.
The company also announced that it expects cost-cutting measures instituted in the latter half of 2007 to pay off in 2008. Among these measures were the termination of 2,827 external contract employees, voluntary retrenchments and attrition involving another 2,123 employees, and transfers of almost 5,000 workers to more efficient shafts. The transfers, according to the company, involved mainly service staff from Randfontein central offices and from nonproduction to production areas. Harmony also placed its St. Helena No. 4 and No. 8 shafts on care and maintenance and redeployed 650 workers from those sites to other operations.