Mining contracting and engineering services company Redpath Mining Africa has completed what it has dubbed the “milestone” Synclinorium Ventilation Shaft project for Zambia-based copper miner Mopani Copper Mines.

Redpath Mining Africa’s Zambian branch, Redpath Zambia, was initially awarded the project by Mopani Copper Mines in 2014 and completed it in June this year. The project – which took 49 months to complete and required 135 crew members at its peak – forms part of Mopani Copper Mines’ recapitalisation programme to extend the life span of its Kitwe-based Nkana copper and cobalt mine by 25 to 30 years.

“The project is certainly a milestone project for Redpath and one that it will refer back to for years to come for its remarkable safety statistics, challenging conditions and introduction of novel raiseboring equipment,” Redpath Synclinorium project contract manager Cape Marais tells Mining Weekly.

Redpath Zambia mine planner Errol Harcombe explains that the project entailed the provision of a new ventilation shaft for deepening work on the 2 370 Level (L) of the mine’s main Synclinorium shaft, which will enable the mine to further expand its mining production operations. The shaft includes a new access drive that serves as the 550-m-long connection between the vent shaft and the main shaft. The new ventilation shaft supplies fresh refrigerated air to working areas in the main shaft.

Harcombe states that the project required two separate legs of development. The first leg was from surface down to 2 370 L and the second leg was from 2 370 L to 3 960 L, with a further 514 m of development also required on 2370 L to reach the ventilation shaft position. Conventional raiseboring and blind sink methods were used throughout the project.

The four-year project was not without its challenges, with waste rock handling having been a major challenge for the Redpath team on site, he adds. Mining operations and the Redpath team had to use the same rail system for their rock-handling requirements, which Harcombe says created a “logistical nightmare”. Transporting equipment down the shaft system was also hampered by this shared transport system, with orebodies requiring preferential transport, he points out.

While these initial challenges slowed operations down, they were solved through proper communication with mine management, carefully planning transportation and using muck bays, Harcombe explains.

Redbore 100 Enters Africa

The Synclinorium Ventilation Shaft project also marked the entry of Redpath Mining’s Redbore 100 raise drill into Africa for the first time.

The Redbore 100 – that can raisebore up to 8 m in diameter and reach depths exceeding 1 000 m – was shipped from Australia in late 2014 and used to drill a 1 117-m-deep and 6.1-m-diameter shaft in two sections of 670 m and 447 m.

“Transporting the Redbore 100 from Australia to arrive on site on time was a mammoth task,” says Marais, elaborating that the 76 t raisebore machine took three months to complete its journey.

The drill had to be shipped from Australia to South Africa and was then transported to Zambia in 34 shipping containers. A further five shipping containers holding additional spare parts for the drill were shipped from Redpath’s North Bay offices, in Canada, to Zambia.

“The Redbore 100 is the most powerful, largest-capacity proven raise drilling system ever manufactured,” says Marais.

Strong on Safety

Marais and Harcombe agree that the most remarkable feature of the Synclinorium Ventilation Shaft project was its positive safety record throughout the project duration.

Harcombe enthuses that “Redpath worked 1 500 lost-time-injury-free shifts, with only three minor medical incidents occurring during the entire course of the project”.

Marais attributes the positive achievements to Redpath employees abiding strictly to the company’s fatal risk elimination protocols, together with adherence to the client’s Mopani Way Safety Programme – an initiative aimed at making its operations safe and sustainable through several modern safety interventions.

“Throughout the project, morale and spirit was high and we all believed and trusted in one other,” concludes Marais.

Source: Mining Weekly

Diversified miner Vedanta Resources is strengthening its focus on safe production at its subsidiary Zambia-based integrated copper producer Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) through the implementation of its Safety Stand Down campaign.

Vedanta’s campaign was launched by KCM CEO Deshnee Naidoo in July to raise safety standards and curb mine accidents and fatalities at KCM operations. The implementation follows four fatalities at its mines this financial year.

KCM operates underground and openpit mines, as well as several concentrators, a leaching plant, a flash smelter, a modernised refinery and a sulphuric acid plant. Its operations at Nchanga, Konkola, Nkana and Nampundwe are located on one of the highest-grade copper seams in the world.

The campaign – also aimed at intensifying safety awareness at operations – comes in the wake of KCM’s June announcement of a safe 400-t/d production focus that the miner initiated to meet its goal to raise monthly production to 12 500 t/m.

The company reiterates its commitment to safety while acknowledging that its “record to date has not been ideal”. At the campaign launch, Naidoo told employees that she found it unacceptable to have had multiple fatalities across KCM’s operations over the past six years. She further pleaded with all staff at KCM to internalise the company’s safety commitment of “zero harm and zero waste” and translate it into daily operations.

“All fatalities are preventable. Even when KCM is pushing to achieve a higher production target, the first thing on my mind – as a priority – is safety. It should also be the first thing on your minds. KCM cannot have production if it does not come safely. When there is a fatality, it hurts and devastates everyone.”

Naidoo emphasised that the campaign had been structured to recognise the impact of mine accidents on the families of the deceased and the economy, and renewed management’s and employees’ commitment to safe working practices. Leaders of the three unions representing employees at KCM have also agreed to provide extra oversight in the implementation of the safety campaign.

Naidoo further stressed that she would always opt to pause production if there was a threat to the safety of employees.

Investments Pay Off

Vedanta has been mining at KCM for 13 years and has invested more than $3-billion in upgrades to and expansions of the KCM mines and processing plants.

Vedanta chairperson Anil Agarwal announced in 2017 that the company would invest an additional $1-billion in KCM to improve mines’ operational efficiency and increase production capability.

Since the announcement, $300-million has been used for operational support programmes, clearing outstanding debts owed to contractors and suppliers, and concentrate procurement. The rest of the $1-billion investment will be spent on the construction of a new cobalt refinery, mine development at Konkola to access new areas of mining, and a new training centre.

Supporting these investments will be a 300 MW coal-fired power plant, in southern Zambia. Vedanta aims to invest about $300-million in the plant, for which prefeasibility studies have started.

Moreover, through continued investment, Vedanta and its joint venture partner, State-owned investment holdings company ZCCM Investments Holdings, have managed to extend the mines’ expected life-of-mine from under 20 years to 50 years, and now plan to focus on further optimising production.

With a clear focus to increase production at KCM to 400 000 t within the next five years, the company enthusiastically reports that production averaged 350 t/d, just short of the 400 t/d target, during the last two weeks of June.

KCM will continue to aim for the 400 t/d safe production target – and work to reclaim KCM’s position as Zambia’s premier copper producer from there.

“KCM’s focus will now be on tapping into the rich orebody at Konkola Deep mine, in Chililabombwe, which has a grade of about 3%. This will give KCM a competitive edge over its peers and fulfil our vision for 50 years of mining in Zambia.”

Source: CREAMER MEDIA MINING WEEKLY

The Zambia Chamber of Mines President Nathan Chishimba and CEO Sokwani Chilembo featured on Hot FM on Thursday 30th August where they talked about a number of issues, the main one being tax stability and opportunities for growth in the mining sector.

Other issues they discussed were; The continued dialogue with the Zambia Revenue Authority over Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds, the effects of inconsistent mining policies, mining’s contribution to Zambia besides tax revenue and the attractiveness of Zambia to mining investors.

Source: Zambia Chamber of Mines

GEMCANTON Investment Holdings says Government’s favourable policies in the mining sector have enabled it to raise US$15 million from the emerald auction held last week.
Company chief executive officer Abdul Ba said the incentives that Government has put in the acquisition of mining machinery is helping the emerald sector enhance the quality of gemstones.

Mr Ba said in an interview on Sunday that last week’s auction attracted about 36 international buyers from Russia, India and Israel.

The sale was conducted from August 15 to 18.

“Government is really playing a critical role in the way we are marketing our minerals. We are now able to bring in machinery that has the capability to polish and add more value to our gemstone.

Source: Zambia Chamber of Mines