Bokoni Platinum Mine (BPM) was placed on care and maintenance since 2017. ARM intends to resume operations as soon as practically possible whist planning for the mine’s expansion in the near future.
Good progress has been made in advancing the Definitive feasibility Study (early-ounce project). The early ounce project focuses on a combination of mining high-grade UG2 stopes in the Middelpunt Hill shaft and early on-reef development of the new UG2 mine.
The Merensky reef and the UG2 have been mined at BPM via underground and open pit mining operations. Mining infrastructure includes two decline production shafts: Brakfontein for the extraction of Merensky ore and Middelpunt Hill for extracting UG2 ore.
The Klipfontein Merensky Opencast Mine operation was a short life operation that mined the Merensky subcrop to a depth of about 50 m below surface. Mining at the Klipfontein Merensky Opencast Mine operation was ceased at the end of Q1 2017 with rehabilitation.
At Bokoni mine, mining methods used in the past involved a combination of conventional and mechanised techniques. The orebody’s dip, along with its associated potholes and slump structures, made it ideally suited for the conventional breast mining method, which was consistently practiced throughout the mine. Mechanised development was also employed for footwall and reef development.
After hoisting the ore to surface, it was transported via conveyor belts to the ore si ........