[miningmx.com] — EASTERN Platinum (Eastplats) said on Thursday a new order mining right for the Mareesburg project, which included all platinum group metals, base metals and chrome in the UG2 reef horizon, has been granted to its subsidiary Lion’s Head Platinum by the department of mineral resources.
The associated environmental management programme (EMP) was also approved at the same time as the mining right was granted.
In accordance with the approved EMP and the social and labour plan (SLP) accompanying the Mareesburg mining right, the development of the Mareesburg and Spitzkop projects could generate approximately 1,600 jobs and directly benefit the nearby communities of Lydenburg and Steelport.
A new order mining right to mine all platinum group metals, base metals and chrome was granted to Spitzkop Platinum – a subsidiary of Eastplats – in 2009.
The planned development of the Mareesburg open-pit mine could result in an increase in Eastplats’ annual production to approximately 325,000 oz in 2013, it said.
Under this plan, a 90,000 tpm concentrator would be located on the Kennedy’s Vale site and the planned rapid production ramp-up at Mareesburg would allow the concentrator to ramp up quickly to full capacity immediately upon commissioning.
To accommodate future capacity increases, the plant at Kennedy’s Vale would include the civil and other surface infrastructure work required for an additional 90,000 tpm processing stream and appropriate tailings facility infrastructure to process up to 180,000 tpm of ore.
Mareesburg would initially be an open-pit mining operation and consequently require little power. A power line currently provides 800 KVA across the Mareesburg property and this would be adequate to run administration and workshop/maintenance facilities with any further power requirements to be provided by on site diesel power generators.
The company has already secured 3 MVA of power for the construction phase for the concentrator at the Kennedy’s Vale site.
With respect to permanent operating power for the concentrator and for the Spitzkop mine, the company has applied for 40 MVA of installed capacity, of which 20 MVA would be required for the initial 90,000 tpm plant.
Eastplats has paid the necessary fees to initiate the acquisition of power and Eskom has commenced the engineering work.
Eastplats also has water supply rights in place to support an 180,000 tpm mining operation from the De Brochen Dam, and has the rights to participate in the De Hoop water supply scheme that would allow for water supply to support a further 100,000 tpm processing stream.
“The recent granting of new order mining rights for Mareesburg and the securing of construction power at Kennedy’s Vale along with our existing water rights now provides us with all the third party support for us to begin the phased development of our multiple properties on the Eastern Limb. This is in line with our long term growth plan to significantly increase Eastplats’ production”, said Ian Rozier, President and CEO.
