Evander South Gold Mine

 mine, gold mine

In 2007, Harmony conducted a pre-feasibility study to determine the viability of developing a new gold mine, Evander South, west of the existing Leslie Mine in the Evander/Kinross area. A consultant was appointed to conduct an environmental and social impact assessment of the proposed project.

The project area is situated along the south-western extent of the Evander gold fields in Mpumalanga Province, and falls within the Vaal River catchment (Waterval River sub-catchment) area. The closest developments to the proposed project are the Leslie and Sasol mines. The footprint of the mine is fairly small as it will cover an area of approximately six hectares.

An interesting aspect of this project is the fact that the gold ore lies directly beneath a body of coal which Sasol has expressed an interest in mining. Careful planning regarding this situation is necessary to ensure that neither orebody is contaminated by the other. According to legislation, mining operations have to be a minimum of 100 metres apart, so Harmony and Sasol will therefore have to apply for special permission from the DME in order to access the areas within this limitation.

The building of two decline shafts and a vertical shaft are anticipated, which will enable the production of approximately 100 000 tonnes of ore per month over an estimated life of mine between nine and 21 years, given current resources. The shallowest gold reef is approximately 300 metres below surface level, with the deepest situated approximately 1 000 metres. Four ventilation shafts will be required during the mining period.

Due to the shallow reef, mining operations are expected to be more efficient and flexible than deeper gold mines. This entails a minimisation of water and energy consumption, as well as improved mining conditions and controls. It is estimated that the mine will require 21MW of energy, including milling, and the expected water requirements will be approximately 496 000m3 of service water and 5 108m3 of potable water per month.

The ore will be milled on site, and transported to the existing plant at Kinross via a 16 kilometre pipeline which will reduce the surface infrastructure, making optimal use of existing resources.

The proposed mine has the potential to provide approximately 1 800 jobs during its life. Some of these posts will be filled by people already employed by Harmony, and some new posts will be created, although the exact proportion of new and existing jobs has not yet been determined. A detailed social assessment is being undertaken as part of the project.

Reference for information:
www.harmony.co.za/sd/en_evander_feasibility.asp