Taking life of mine to 2034
The life span and future of diamond mining in the Jwaneng mine is expected to be reignited and enhanced by Cut 9 projects scheduled to commence in December 2019, said the mine’s Acting General Manager Koolaotse Koolaotse.
He said this when briefing the media on the Cut 8 and 9 mining projects and how they impact on the life span of diamond mining in one of the world’s richest mines. He maintained that with the upcoming Cut 9 project, the Jwaneng‘s future is bright.
Koolaotse said the mine is currently operating through Cut 7 and 8 which are expected to increase to three when Cut 9 mining project commences.
He said the new mining cut will ensure that there is still enough ore in the plant going forward and this guarantees that the lifespan of the mine is extended to 2034.
However the cut does not match the previous Cut 8 in ore extraction magnitude as overall tonnes moved in the Jwaneng mine will reduce from 116 million tonnes in 2018 to 89 million tonnes in 2019; a year that Cut 9 is scheduled to roll.
“Jwaneng Mine’s future of diamond mining is still bright as the new coming Cut 9 project brings hope for the mine for a longer period. It is however worth noting that the mine has reached Cut 8 bottleneck in 2018 and going forward Cut 9 will be the main source of ore to plant from 2018 until the new cut takes over in 2019, and Cut 7 which is the oldest is still running and is expected to come to an end in 2023,” he noted.
He said due to an expected reduced production of about half in the Cut 9 as compared to the Cut 8 there will be limited job opportunities and some personnel from the current Cut 8 Mining Contract will be absorbed into Cut 8 owner mining and Cut 9 Contract Mining respectively.
Koolaotse said the mine is committed to empowering the local businesses as it procures 80% of goods from the local companies with the remaining 20% balance being purchased from South Africa. He said the mine was ranked Number one in 2017 amongst all the mines falling under Anglo American operations with a 4.4% trading value score.