Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Breast mining
- Pillar extraction
|
Processing |
- Gravity separation
- ACACIA reactor
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Shaker table
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
|
Mine Life | 5 years (as of Jan 1, 2020) |
A preliminary FS of the Bloemhoek decline project was completed during 2019, which demonstrates the economic potential for extraction of the orebody below the current 3 Shaft infrastructure, to the north of 3 Shaft, into the SOFS mining right area. Capital has been included in the 2021 budget to increase the confidence of this study to a definitive FS. The inclusion of this area would also allow for the mining of the lower grade Vlakpan area to the west of 3 Shaft and possibly extend the LoM for the whole Beatrix operation to 2031.
After careful consideration of accident and injury trends, a decision has been made to suspend operations at the Beatrix 3 shaft at the SA gold operations for the rest of 2021 year. |
Source:
p. 7
Summary:
Beatrix is a deep level underground gold mine located along the northern and southwestern margins of the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. This mine is typical of the many Witwatersrand Basin operations, which have been the primary contributors to South Africa’s production of a significant portion of the world’s recorded gold output since 1886.
The orebodies at Beatrix are laterally continuous with relatively long-range predictability. This lends to clear patterns of mineralisation governed by sedimentary characteristics.
The Beatrix Reef (BR) was originally exploited as the main orebody, but has since changed, with the main production coming from the VS5 (Elsburg Formation), the Aandenk (AAR) and Kalkoenkrans (KKR) Composite Reefs.
In general, the Composite VS5/AAR Reefs ranges between 130cm and 350cm in width. The orebody is shallow dipping at 10º – 15º, with typical open fold structures. In most cases the reefs are deemed to be bottom loaded, with most of the gold grade concentrated along the basal contact.
Mining Methods
- Breast mining
- Pillar extraction
Summary:
Beatrix has three vertical shaft complexes (one sub-shaft) and two mineral processing plants. Supporting infrastructure to service the operating shaft sections is also in place:
• South Section (1 Shaft) – operational
• North Section (3 Shaft) – operational
• West Section (4 Shaft) – operational
Mining method:
• Conventional breast mining (virgin areas) – 99%
• Conventional breast mining (remnants and pillar extraction) – 1%
Beatrix is principally an underground mine with nominal surface reserves represented by surface rock dumps (SRDs) accumulated during the operating history of the mine.
Gold mining began at Beatrix in 1985 and at Oryx (Beatrix 4 Shaft, also known as West Section) in 1993.The existing scope of operations is the result of the consolidation of the adjacent Beatrix and Oryx mines on 1 July 2002. Beatrix has three operating shaft systems with two ventilation shafts to provide additional upcast and downcast ventilation capacity.
Beatrix, a shallow to intermediate-depth operation, mining at depths of between 700m and 2,200m below surface, exploits the Beatrix Reef at shafts 1 and 3, and the Kalkoenkrans Reef at 4 Shaft.
Processing
- Gravity separation
- ACACIA reactor
- Centrifugal concentrator
- Shaker table
- Concentrate leach
- Agitated tank (VAT) leaching
- Carbon in leach (CIL)
- Carbon in pulp (CIP)
- Solvent Extraction & Electrowinning
- Cyanide (reagent)
Source:
Summary:
Beatrix is serviced by two metallurgical plants. Processing occurs by way of carbon in leach (CIL) and carbon in pulp (CIP) treatment at the No 1 and 2 plants respectively:
- Beatrix 1 plant – operational, 240 tpd design capacity;
- Beatrix 2 plant – under care and maintenance, 130 tpd design capacity.
Production:
From 17 April 2020, management commenced implementing its strategy to mobilise the required employee complement to safely ramp up production at our South African operations to the initial restricted 50%. At 30 June 2020 the SA Gold and SA PGM operations were at a production capacity of 86% and 73%, respectively.
Commodity | Units | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
Gold
|
koz
| ......  | ......  | 275 | 292 | 323 | 325 | 333 |
All production numbers are expressed as metal in doré.
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Operational Metrics:
Metrics | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Tonnes milled
| ......  | 2,489 kt | 2,952 kt | 3,515 kt | 4,333 kt | 4,319 kt |
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Reserves at December 31, 2020:
Mineral Reserve cut-off is 420 cm.g/t Au.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Commodity |
Proven
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
7.6 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.9 g/t
|
0.949 M oz
|
Probable
|
Stockpiles
|
0.4 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.2 g/t
|
0.003 M oz
|
Probable
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
2.8 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.2 g/t
|
0.28 M oz
|
Proven & Probable
|
Total
|
10.7 Mt
|
Gold
|
3.6 g/t
|
1.233 M oz
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
24.8 Mt
|
Gold
|
6.7 g/t
|
5.325 M oz
|
Measured
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
3.6 Mt
|
Uranium (U3O8)
|
1100 g/t
|
8.6 M lbs
|
Indicated
|
Stockpiles
|
0.4 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.2 g/t
|
0.003 M oz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
28.3 Mt
|
Gold
|
5.5 g/t
|
5.02 M oz
|
Indicated
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
7.8 Mt
|
Uranium (U3O8)
|
1100 g/t
|
18.3 M lbs
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
4.8 Mt
|
Gold
|
4.4 g/t
|
0.676 M oz
|
Inferred
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
Mt
|
Uranium (U3O8)
|
1100 g/t
|
0.1 M lbs
|
Total Resource
|
Stockpiles
|
0.4 Mt
|
Gold
|
0.2 g/t
|
0.003 M oz
|
Total Resource
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
57.9 Mt
|
Gold
|
5.9 g/t
|
11.02 M oz
|
Total Resource
|
Total
|
58.3 Mt
|
Gold
|
5.9 g/t
|
11.023 M oz
|
Total Resource
|
In-Situ (UG)
|
11.4 Mt
|
Uranium (U3O8)
|
1100 g/t
|
27 M lbs
|
Commodity Production Costs:
| Commodity | Units | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total cash costs (sold)
|
Gold
|
USD
|
|
|
|
1,017 / oz
|
809 / oz
|
831 / oz
|
All-in sustaining costs (sold)
|
Gold
|
USD
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
1,226 / oz†
|
1,175 / oz†
|
960 / oz†
|
996 / oz†
|
All-in costs
|
Gold
|
USD
|
...... †
|
...... †
|
1,226 / oz†
|
1,176 / oz†
|
961 / oz†
|
996 / oz†
|
† Net of By-Product.
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Operating Costs:
| Units | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Total operating costs ($/t milled)
|
ZAR
| 1,124 | 866 | 785 |
Financials:
| Units | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Sustaining costs
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | 83 |
63.1
|
84.8
|
86.1
|
Capital expenditures
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | 481 |
545.6
|
628.4
|
596.5
|
Revenue
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | 4,601 |
4,876
|
5,884
|
4,816
|
Gross profit
|
M ZAR
| | | |
923
|
2,131
|
1,425
|
Operating Income
|
M ZAR
| | | |
|
1,313
|
685.1
|
After-tax Income
|
M ZAR
| ......  | ......  | -185.5 |
-419.1
|
760
|
355.9
|
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