MINING viable thing to do , as we project all-in costs of around $ 800 per ounce which is extremely cheap . We are targeting blocks left behind by previous miners in the 1950s .”
“ This will be a big focus for us , moving from open-cast mining to significant tonnes of underground production , around 1.5 million over the next five years .”
But for the company to be successful underground it must decant the target basins and bring the water level down from its current level of around 60 metres to an eventual target of 500 metres . It is working closely with the government on the first step of getting the water down to the environmentally critical level of 160 metres .
Such a task requires enormous commitment . Jacobs added : “ It ’ s not just the pumping cost , it ’ s the fact it is dilute sulphuric acid and treatment of this is very expensive . Any discharge must be at an environmentally sensitive level and have patented our own process for this .”
Mintails has managed to reduce the cost of treatment from R8 per cubic metre , about the cost of drinking water , to a much more viable R3 .
It is also working closely with South African universities to bring the water quality up to a level where it can be used in applications beyond discharge back into the environment .
Rescuing land Not only will clearing basins of acidic water enable further mining activity , it will also revive degraded
Key Personnel
Jan Jacobs , General Manager of Operations
Joined Mintails in 2008 with several years of metallurgical experience in the mining industry , specifically in CIL / CIP , Acid and Flotation Plants . Jan has had strategic and operational exposure in project management delivering complex projects . He has brought energy and focus to the operational management of Mintails , with specific value to its CIL plant and furthering the ambitions of the company in delivering its hard rock mining opportunities .
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