The Civil Engineering Contractor July 2019 | Page 9

CONSULTANTS
Project:
Client:

Location:
The 8 precast-concrete beams
and 126 precast concrete deck
planks were manufactured and
installed by CoreCivils, the
precast-concrete bridge beam and
parapet arm of CoreSlab.
work opportunities for members
of the community. Phetla and
Myoya note that meticulous
attention also had to be paid
to the implementation of the
design of the water control and
drainage systems considering
the high rainfall experienced in
this area. More than 20 precast-
concrete culverts were installed
at the various crossings along
the route as part of this aspect
of the works programme.
They are both looking forward
to handing over this quality
infrastructure to the community
members, who have struggled
for many years with gravel
roads that required extensive
maintenance especially after
heavy rains. They are also
already benefiting from the
boreholes that were installed by
the contractor with the help of
the municipality to support the
construction operations.
Jaco de Bruin, managing
director of CoreCivils, says that
he is proud of the company’s
involvement in a project that
has already had such a profound
positive impact on lives of so many
people in a very impoverished
area of the country. nn
www.civilsonline.co.za
Bridge construction
Ghanaian government
Ghana
Funding for the construction of a 240m
bridge over the Black Volta River at Buipe
in Ghana, including approach roads of
approximately 1km in each direction, has
been negotiated. The Ghanaian government
has advised that it has arranged with Japan
for the release of funds for the construction
of a bridge across the Volta River on the
Eastern Corridor at Volivo.
The Volta River is the main river
system in the West African country of
Ghana. It flows into Ghana from Bobo-
Dioulasso highlands of Burkina Faso. The
main parts of the river are the Black
Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta.
In the northwest, the Black Volta forms
the international boundaries between the
Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Burkina Faso. The
Volta flows southward along Akwapim-
Togoland highlands, and it empties into
the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Guinea
at Ada. It has a smaller tributary river, the
Oti, which enters Ghana from Togo in the
east. The Volta River has been dammed at
Akosombo for the purpose of generating
hydroelectricity. The reservoir named
Lake Volta stretches from Akosombo in
the south to the northern part of the
country, thus being one of the largest
man-made reservoirs in the world. nn
Vanadium project EIR submitted
Project:
Client:
Location:
Vanadium Electrolyte factory
Bushveld Minerals
East London
A final Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) has been submitted, with the result
expected in August, for the construction
of the infrastructure for the Vanadium
Electrolyte production facility in the East
London Industrial Development Zone
(ELIDZ), Eastern Cape. The Industrial
Development Corporation (IDC)
together with the Bushveld Energy
Company will be funding this facility.
Bushveld Energy has made significant
progress with exploiting the commercial
opportunity of Vanadium Redox Flow
Battery (VRFB) technology within
the energy storage market in the first
quarter of this year. It remains on track
with its two immediate priorities —
preparing for the construction of the
electrolyte plant in South Africa and
the delivery of its first energy storage
system to Eskom.
Bushveld Energy has been getting
requests for electrolyte supply and
VRFB technology for energy storage
projects, both globally and in Africa,
even in the context of decade-high
Bridge over Black
Volta River
vanadium prices. The prevailing
vanadium price environment, coupled
with the ownership of a low-cost
vanadium production base, creates the
opportunity for Bushveld Minerals.
Busvheld Energy has engaged with
an international chemicals company to
design and build a vanadium electrolyte
production plant with multiple
megalitre yearly capacity. The scope of
the engagement includes independent
verification and improvement of the
existing process flow and plant design
to cover both the process at Bushveld
Minerals’ Vametco mine and that of the
greenfield facility in the ELIDZ.
The company has completed
manufacturing of the direct current
portion of the VRFB. The delivery of
the entire system to Eskom was on track
for the second quarter. The company
has started site preparation work at the
Eskom site, including earthworks and
cabling, while appointing two technicians
from South Africa to perform installation
and maintenance on the project. nn
The Black Volga River in Ghana
CEC July 2019 | 7