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South Africa

Mine Waste Solutions

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Overview

Mine TypeTailings
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Uranium
Mining Method
  • Hydraulic mining
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotMine Waste Solutions (MWS) reprocesses low-grade material from tailings storage facilities through the MWS plant. The residue is deposited on the existing Kareerand tailings storage facility (TSF) by cycloning.

The Kareerand TSF extension will allow to extend the LoM of MWS by over 14 years.
Latest NewsHarmony Gold completes phase 1 of Kareerand TSF expansion     October 29, 2024

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Harmony’s subsidiary, Chemwes, the owner of Mine Waste Solutions.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Tailings

Summary:

Material contained in the Tailings Storage Facilitys (TSF) and Waste Rock Dumps (WRD) predominantly originates from deep level gold mines, operated by Harmony and others, mostly located in Klerksdorp and Carletonville. The West Wits mining operations predominantly extract tabular goldbearing conglomeratic reefs, namely the Carbon Leader Reef (CLR) and Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR). The Mine Waste Solutions (MWS) Operation, however, mainly exploits TSFs and WRD derived from the VR.

The Witwatersrand reefs occur within the Archean Witwatersrand Basin which hosts the Witwatersrand Supergroup succession. The VCR horizon is located at the top of the Turffontein Subgroup of the Central Rand Group (CRG), capping the Witwatersrand Supergroup. The Vaal Reef (VR) horizon is situated within the Krugersdorp Formation, in the Johannesburg Subgroup of the CRG. The CLR is situated near the base of the Johannesburg Subgroup.

The TSF material comprises previously treated residues of gold-bearing conglomeratic reefs processed by CIL. They are man-made “deposits” and are not the result of natural sedimentary processes. The grade of the TSFs is determined by the grade of the ore source at the time that they were processed, and the processing efficiency.

The WRDs are unconsolidated and are comprised of untreated, low grade, gold-bearing material from underground workings. The WRDs are also man-made deposits, with very little structure or continuity, and one in which the grade does not behave as a natural mineral deposit.

The most significant mineral in the TSFs and WRDs is quartz, which makes up more than 60% of the bulk mineral composition. The gold predominantly occurs in pyrite. Other minerals identified include uranium, iron oxide, titanium oxide and calcite from the VR, VCR and CLR conglomerates.

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

Production in 2021 for nine months from October 2020 to June 2021.
CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Gold koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe176 171 192 186 193 
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202420232022202120192018201720162015
Daily processing capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe33.8 Mt33.5 Mt35.8 Mt36.4 Mt33.6 Mt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits20242023202220212020201920182017
Cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Total cash costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe 987 / oz   1,030 / oz  
Total cash costs Gold USD 969 / oz **  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 1,043 / oz   1,094 / oz  
All-in sustaining costs (sold) Gold USD 1,045 / oz **  
All-in costs Gold USD  ....  Subscribe
** Net of By-Product.

Financials

Units20242023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures (planned) M USD
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 7   12   12  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Gross profit M USD  ....  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 7, 2024

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required ...... Subscription required 2018

Aerial view:

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