• MTE EXHIBITIONS
( customised for the diamond operations , which include the Orapa , Letlhakane and Karowe mines ); Palapye on 8 March ( tailored for coal operations and power stations like Morupule Coal Mine , MCM , and the Moru pule A and Moru pule B power stations , respectively ) ending in Jwaneng on 10 March ( again , focused on the booming diamond industry ). These expos saw high levels of attendance from 260-300 + visitors per expo catered to by 53 exhibitors selected for the needs of each area .
Word on the ground High-profile visitors had this to say : “ Thank you for bringing this event to Lethalakane ; we could share our challenges faced on a daily basis . We engaged with many relevant suppliers . Well done ! We are always happy to support MTE ,” said a senior engineering manager of a local diamond mine .
A power station manager commented , “ We found this event to be above our expectations , with many different solutions to many of our challenges , well done !”
Meanwhile , exhibitors added to the praise : PSM Technologies said , “ We were a late entry to the expos and extremely glad we did join . The team at MTE have been extremely accommodating and nothing was ever too much . All three shows , in our opinion , were extremely well presented with a wide range of exhibitors offering the visitors the most amount of value .”
“ We have had a very good week in Botswana with very worthwhile conversations ,” said Hagglands .
Khuthele noted , “ What a magnificent week – absolutely worth the effort and money !”
“ Good attendance and relevant technical visitors ,” added Giants .
Word under-ground The MTE team will finish the trimester off strong in the Bushveld Complex , which hosts more than half the world ’ s PGMs – platinum , palladium , rhodium , ruthenium , iridium and osmium – with its Mooinooi and Rustenburg shows respectively . The latter promises to be MTE ’ s biggest expo ever , with over 125 exhibition stands already booked .
The third ‘ D ’ in action Sibanye-Stillwater ’ s Marikana K4 project is just one of the PGM operations in the area that MTE invites to its events annually .
The operation provided African Mining with an update for readers on the K4 project to share the scale and technological accomplishments being achieved locally , particularly in the digitalisation space . 2
Ralph Lombard , who headed up Group Projects in South Africa for the mining giant , said , “ The project remains ahead of schedule with overall progress at 33.58 % against a plan of 32.58 %. K4 produced 3 984 4Eoz for Q4 2022 compared with 914 4Eoz in the previous quarter , which is more than a three-fold increase .”
Lombard explained that significant progress has been made on various key elements such as : Underground infrastructure installation and electrical work ; upgrade of the service winder ; construction of surface infrastructure including offices , the perimeter wall and change houses ; Merensky ore pass rehabilitation ; and commissioning of a 10MVA emergency generator . Development has increased in line with the mine plan – primary waste development ( 1 917m ) and reef development ( 960m ) increased by 23 % and 26 % quarter-on-quarter respectively .
Sibanye-Stillwater shared only a few of the technological developments implemented , which are already having a positive impact on project delivery :
The K4 Project hoisted first ore and began production in Q2 2022 following the deployment of electro-hydraulic drill rigs and electrohydraulic loaders for flat end development . These replaced the conventional handheld drilling and pneumatic loaders previously used , offering both safety and energy saving initiative benefits .
The underground locomotives have been equipped with an onboard charging lithium battery technology system instead of the old lead acid batteries that required battery charging bays with battery bay attendants , which represents significant cost and productivity benefits . The lithium batteries have an eight-year life cycle compared to the three-year life cycle of the lead acid batteries .
The lithium battery on-board battery management system is Wi-Fi capable and the battery condition can be monitored remotely . The Wi-Fi backbone has been installed and tested on two of the working levels and is being rolled out to all levels . The system will also accommodate communication interface to surface with the waiting places , weigh bridges , loco operation monitoring , personnel tracking , communications / IP Phones , artisan , miner
24 • African Mining • May 2023 www . africanmining . co . za