Mining firm Rosh Pinah Zinc (RPZ) and funding adviser Appian Capital Advisory have introduced the commissioning of the brand new semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill on the miner’s underground zinc/lead mine, in south-western Namibia.
Changing the present ball mill, the SAG mill is the ultimate main processing part of the RP2.0 growth mission.
It’s going to double RPZ’s processing throughput to 1.4-million tonnes of ore a yr following mine ramp-up, delivering a step-change in yearly zinc and lead focus manufacturing.
The mill’s commissioning brings the complete RP2.0 circuit into operation as an built-in system, incorporating the paste fill and water remedy vegetation and expanded flotation, thickening and filtration capability.
The revised flowsheet is claimed to reinforce comminution effectivity and resilience, delivering improved grind dimension management and metallurgical restoration whereas decreasing unit working prices.
Ore is crushed to a coarser product dimension forward of the SAG mill, decreasing mud technology all through the crushing circuit and enhancing working situations, environmental efficiency and on-site supplies dealing with.
The SAG mill will increase RPZ’s processing capability and enhances the plant’s capacity to deal with tougher ore sorts, which turn into extra prevalent as mining progresses.
Furthermore, the SAG mill has been designed with extra capability, offering the potential for future manufacturing will increase.
The expanded processing capability extends the operation’s financial life and improves useful resource use throughout the orebody, strengthening RPZ as a long-life base metals mission in Namibia.
RP2.0 contains additional growth of the underground mine, together with the newly developed WF3 portal and decline, in addition to the development of latest floor services.
The mission continues to advance on schedule and on funds, with general development progress now surpassing 95%.
The mission has been executed with over two-million lost-time injury-free hours so far.
“Commissioning the SAG mill marks the completion of our core processing infrastructure and displays the standard of execution by the RPZ workforce all through the RP2.0 programme,” says Appian base metals head Ignacio Bustamante.
“With the complete circuit now operational, the mission is positioned to attain a step-change in manufacturing output. This milestone demonstrates Appian and RPZ’s dedication to value-accretive, operationally rigorous mission supply and we sit up for realising the complete advantages of RP2.0 as throughput ramps up,” he provides.
