South African Business 2019 edition

OVERVIEW Sasol Mining is

OVERVIEW Sasol Mining is very active in Mpumalanga. revival of the Prieska Zinc-Copper Project in the same province. A maiden mineral resource estimate was published in February 2018 and 14 drill rigs (above and below ground) are at work looking into the site’s prospects. Vedanta Zinc International’s nearby Gamsberg zinc and lead project is the biggest current mining project in South Africa. The mine, near Aggeneys, has resources and reserves of 214-million tons. The mine is already having a significant impact on employment. In the first phase, 4Mtpa of ore will be mined, producing 250 000tpa of zinc concentrate. Aggeneys is responsible for approximately 93% of South Africa’s lead production, and 12% of all world lead exports. Zinc is less abundant, but the province is still responsible for about 43% of South Africa’s overall zinc production. Afrimat, a listed construction materials supplier and industrial minerals group, has added open-pit mining to its portfolio with the R322- million acquisition of the Diro mine (Northern Cape), which had been in business rescue. Production was on track for the target of one-million tons per year, but a problem on the railway line that delivers iron ore to the port of Saldanha led to production being scaled down. Afrimat had a transport deal with Transnet and is selling iron ore in China. Anglo American is investing R2-billion to expand production at its Venetia diamond mine near the town of Musina in Limpopo. The project to convert the open-pit mine to a vertical-shaft mine will substantially extend the life of the mine. ONLINE RESOURCES Minerals Council of South Africa: www.mineralscouncil.org.za Geological Society of South Africa: www.gssa.org.za Mining Qualifications Authority: www.mqa.org.za National Department of Mineral Resources: www.dmr.gov.za South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: www.saimm.co.za Ivanplats has started sinking shafts at its new mine near Mokopane south-west of Polokwane. If the mine achieves the projected production rate of 12Mtpa with 1.2-million ounces of PMG, it will rank as the biggest PGM mine in the world. Northam Platinum has invested R900- million on a smelter expansion project at its Zondereinde mine south of Thabazimbi. A R1.6-billion processing plant is being built at Cullinan by Petra Diamonds, with a throughput capacity of 6Mtpa. The mine’s orebody contains a diamond resource of 194Mcts which is why Petra is expanding with a goal of annual production of 2.2Mcts by 2019. Nkomati Anthracite in Mpumalanga has been revived after an investment from Unicorn Capital Partners, formerly Sentula Mining. The Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) and local communities are also shareholders. The mine has proven resources of 8.7-million tons and upwards of 400 jobs were created over the last two years. The highgrade anthracite that the mine will produce is suitable for the ferro-metals industry because it has low phosphorus and sulphur levels and high fixed carbon percentages. Coal giant Exxaro has committed R3.8-billion to its Belfast project, an investment that will create 1 160 jobs and have an impact on the GDP (over the life of the mine) of R39-billion. Exxaro is also extending the life of its Leeuwpan Mine by another 10 years. The mine has 1 200 permanent employees. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2019 74

Oil, gas and petrochemicals National policies are focussing on gas. The Liquefied Natural Gas Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (LNG IPPPP) is part of the programme of the Department of Energy which encourages private investment in renewable energy, namely the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The total allocated to gas-to-power in the national power plan is 3 726MW, of which 3 000MW is for LNG. In 2016, the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) established a Gas Industrialisation Unit (GIU). The first two sites identified by the DoE for LNG plants are Richards Bay (2 000MW) and the Coega Industrial Development Zone (1 000MW) in the Eastern Cape. This has the potential to turn the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) and its Eastern Cape counterpart into energy hubs. The fact that Mozambique has significant offshore deposits is a factor in this ambition. Large commercial gas companies such as Afrox and Air Products have plants within the Coega IDZ. First Automobile Works has established its motor assembly plant next door to Air Products’ air separation unit, giving it ready access to industrial gas. The Coega IDZ is also home to the country’s first gas-fired plant to be run by a private consortium, the Dedisa power plant. A new gas turbine open cycle power plant near Durban has been commissioned by Avon Peaking Power. The regulator and promoter of oil and gas exploration in South Africa, Petroleum Agency South Africa, has awarded coalbed-methane-gas SECTOR INSIGHTS Large gas-to-power plants are planned at two major ports. • The Port of Saldanha has launched a new LPG plant. exploration rights in KwaZulu- Natal and natural gas exploration permits in the Free State. Early surveys suggest that the Free State has 23-billion cubic feet of gas underground. If this is confirmed, then four new power stations could be built in the province. Afrox is spending R200-million on a plant to extract helium in the Free State. Tests have begun in the Karoo in search of shale gas. A new addition to South Africa’s pipeline network is a pipe to get natural gas from Mozambique to SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2019