Modder East Gold One plant expansion helps ensure job security for employees
Hericourt went on to describe the plant expansion as a new chapter in the life of what has been one of the most successful gold mining operations in the history of South African mining.
The Modder East Gold One Mine officially launched their newly expanded plant on Friday morning.
The mine has now reached the point where the bulk of the high-grade core has been extracted and are left with high-grade pillars and the surrounding lower grade resources.
The management and the Modder team put plans in place to ensure that instead of closing the operation, they were in a position to adapt their whole strategy to accommodate the mining of the lower grade resources economically.
The key to mining lower grade resources is that it is a volume game and as such, one of the critical aspects of setting the mine up for the new chapter in its life is to expand the plant capacity to ensure that it can treat sufficient lower grade material to still cover the cost structure and make a profit.
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Thus, it was necessary to increase the plant capacity from 90 000 to at least 120 000 tonnes per month (tpm).
It was also necessary to step up the underground rock breaking and transport capacity in order to service the new plant capacity, and this process is well on the way, with the average daily total rock handling achievements moving steadily up from 4 000 tonnes per day (tpd) to nearly 5 500 tpd.
Jon Hericourt, the vice-president of Gold One, says: “This expansion project will not in itself create any new employment opportunities, it is a key component in Gold One’s plan to ensure the current employees continue to have secure employment going forward.
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“It is also very much an integral part of Gold One’s future plans to rejuvenate gold mining on the East Rand by developing further mining projects that can be used to continue to fill the expanded plant long after mining at the Modder East Operation finally comes to an end,” says Hericourt.
Hericourt went on to describe the plant expansion as a new chapter in the life of what has been one of the most successful gold mining operations in the history of South African mining.
Yuan Jiyu, Gold One Group chairperson and CEO, says the mine is just one example of the manifestation of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and South Africa.
“Over the past years, the mine has paid R1.2-billion in tax and has injected R480-million into the community.
“The expansion was a necessary one as production was at risk. With the expansion, the life of the mine has been extended by 10 years.
“On behalf of the shareholders, I thank and congratulate all the team members involved,” says Jiyu.
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