AGGENEYS, NORTHERN CAPE (miningweekly.com) – LSE-listed diversified miner Vedanta Resources, which last week announced the approval of the three-year R8.7-billion Gamsberg–Skorpion integrated project development, aims to make the Southern African region one of the most important suppliers of refined zinc globally.

This was highlighted by Vedanta’s Zinc International CEO Kishore Kumar at the Gamsberg–Skorpion integrated project stakeholder briefing, held in Aggeneys, in the Northern Cape, on Tuesday.

“The Gamsberg–Skorpion integrated zinc project is also central to Vedanta’s long-term aspirations for Southern Africa,” he added.

An amount of $630-million would be spent on developing a 250 000 t/y openpit zinc mine, concentrator plant and associated infrastructure at Gamsberg – the world's largest undeveloped zinc deposit.

The balance would be used for the development of a 150 000 t/y integrated roaster with acid plant and calcine leach section at the Skorpion Zinc refinery, in Namibia, to enable it to treat the zinc sulphide deposits from the Gamsberg mine to produce high-grade zinc.

This establishment of the roaster would also extend the life of the Skorpion Zinc operation, which had previously been expected to close down in 2015.

Black Mountain Mining, in which Vedanta’s Sesa Sterlite subsidiary holds 74% and South Africa’s Exxaro Resources 26%, would operate the Gamsberg–Skorpion project.

Speaking at the briefing, Zinc International projects VP Satish Kumar outlined the project development plans, highlighting that he was committed to delivering the project on time by early 2018, when the first metal was expected to be mined.

The Gamsberg mine had a defined mineral resource of 214-million tons over two orebodies, namely the larger North pit and smaller South pit.

The ore needed for commissioning of the refinery would come from the smaller South pit, while the North pit, with an estimated 50-year life-of-mine (LoM), would supply the ore for the first phase of the Gamsberg project.

Phase 1 of the project, which was currently in the prefeasibility phase, was aimed at mining 14-million tons of contained metal, with the balance to be mined during later phases.

This phase had a 13-year LoM and forecast production rate of four-million tons a year.

Satish Kumar highlighted that the project would entail the initial prestripping of 315-million tons, at a 1:7 stripping ratio, which was expected to take 24 months.

The concentrator plant, which was also expected to take 24 months to build would have a capacity of four-million tons a year.

A high-density polyethylene-lined tailings dam would also be established 3 km from the plant, while water and power infrastructure would be developed. This included a 38-km-long water pipeline to provide 13-million litres a day and a new 28-km-long power line to the mine site to supply 40 MVA of power.

Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Godfrey Oliphant, Northern Cape Premier Sylvia Lucas and various MEC's from the province were in attendance at the stakeholder briefing.