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South Africa

Impala Mine

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Australia

Impala Mine

Location: 10 km N from Rustenburg, South Africa

Address:


PO Box 5683
Rustenburg
South Africa
0300

Contacts:

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Rhodium
  • Nickel
  • Copper
Mining Method
  • Hydraulic mining
  • Breast mining
  • Bord-and-pillar
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotImpala (Impala Rustenburg) operation comprises a 9-shaft mining complex and concentrating and smelting plants.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Employee Share Ownership Trust (ESOT) 4 % Indirect
Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. 96 % Indirect
Impala Platinum Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
Impala operation is 96% owned by Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. The remaining 4% is owned by Employee share ownership trust.

Impala Platinum Limited (Impala), a member of the Implats group of companies, own and operates a platinum group metals mining and processing operation.

Contractors

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SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Magmatic

Summary:

Impala Rustenburg explores and mines the Merensky and UG2 Reefs, which are separated by a sequence of primarily anorthositic and noritic layered units, ranging from 45m in the northern part of the mining right area and thickening to 125m in the south.

The Merensky Reef is generally composed of an upper feldspathic pyroxenite, overlying a thin basal chromitite stringer, followed by an anorthosite to norite footwall. Locally, this is termed a ‘pyroxenite reef’. In some areas a pegmatoidal pyroxenite and a second chromitite stringer may be developed between the feldspathic pyroxenite and the footwall units. Locally this pegmatoidal pyroxenite can exceed 2m in thickness. This is termed a ‘pegmatoid reef’.

The UG2 Reef is defined as the main chromitite layer, with most PGM and base metal mineralisation confined to this unit, with a poorly mineralised pegmatoidal pyroxenite footwall. The main chromitite layer’s hangingwall is a feldspathic pyroxenite containing up to four thin and poorly mineralised chromitite layers. The vertical grade distribution is depicted in the accompanying graphs, showing peak values at reef contacts associated with chromitite. The average 6E ratios show the differences between the Merensky and UG2 Reefs, particularly the higher platinum to palladium ratio in the Merensky Reef and the relatively high proportion of rhodium in the UG2 Reef.

Both mineralised horizons dip gently away from the sub-outcrop in a north-easterly direction at 10° to 12°. The reefs may be disrupted by minor and major faults, lamprophyre, syenite and dolerite dykes, late- stage ultramafic replacement pegmatoid bodies and potholes. The potholes are generally circular and represent ‘erosion’ of, or slumping into the footwall units. They vary from a few metres to tens of metres across and up to tens of metres in depth. These features are accounted for in the Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates as geological losses, contributing to dilution or absence of the mineralised horizons.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
6E (Pt,Pd,Rh,Au,Ir,Ru) koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,3911,1271,2471,2201,137
Platinum koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe754581655627575
Palladium koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe332300308300281
Rhodium koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8788898177
Nickel t  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,4393,8953,6093,3313,598
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe11,211 kt10,947 kt10,121 kt10,316 kt9,199 kt

Production Costs

Commodity20242023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs 6E (Pt,Pd,Rh,Au,Ir,Ru)  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 864 / oz  USD 1,090 / oz  USD 906 / oz  USD
Cash costs Platinum  ....  Subscribe 1,593 / oz  USD 2,116 / oz  USD 1,726 / oz  USD
Cash costs Platinum 398 / oz **  USD 1,241 / oz **  USD 1,060 / oz **  USD
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Platinum 619 / oz **  USD 1,238 / oz **  USD
^ Guidance / Forecast.
** Net of By-Product.

Operating Costs

Currency20232022202120202019201820172016
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD 147  163  133  111  107  112  112  93  

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M ZAR  ....  Subscribe
Capital expenditures M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 141  USD 215  USD 181  USD
Revenue M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 21,522  ZAR 13,255  ZAR 14,604  ZAR
Gross profit M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,477  ZAR -2,791  ZAR -2,906  ZAR
Pre-tax Income M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,520  ZAR -17,107  ZAR
After-tax Income M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,185  ZAR -12,332  ZAR -9,860  ZAR
EBITDA M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 4,507  ZAR -529  ZAR
Operating Cash Flow M  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 30, 2023
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 12, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 12, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 30, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 30, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 12, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 30, 2023

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2015

Aerial view:

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