GLENCORE KROONDAL MINE: TSF RE-DESIGN AND WRF EXPANSION, INCLUDING SAMANCOR MRA EXCHANGE, RUSTENBURG LOCAL MUNICIPALITY, NORTH WEST PROVINCE

Glencore Kroondal Mine is currently owned by Glencore Alloys, a subsidiary of Glencore Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd. The mine is situated 10 km east of Rustenburg on portions of the farm Kroondal 304JQ. Historically, mining at Kroondal has consisted of both opencast and underground mining. Currently, all opencast mining has ceased and these areas have been rehabilitated. Only underground mining remains. The mine is operating from various Environmental Management Programme (EMP) reports in addition to the original EMPR compiled in 2003, these include:

• CHEMC Environmental CC, 2009. Xstrata Alloys’ Environmental Management Programme Reports Update.
• Environmental and Energy Services. 2011. EMPR for the Kroondal PGM plant.
• Environmental and Energy Services. 2014. Ventilation shaft EMP addendum Kroondal chrome mine.

The current infrastructure associated with the mine includes the following:

• Transport, power and water supply networks;
• Telephone lines;
• An explosives magazine;
• Beneficiation plant (crushing, screening circuit, HMS, spiral and stockpile sections);
• Stockpile areas for product;
• Tailings Storage Facility;
• Waste Rock Facility;
• Water management infrastructure including storm water management infrastructure, canals, a process dam (capacity 222 kilolitres), an Erickson dam (capacity 1089 kilolitres);
• Silt trap (capacity 800 kilolitres) and the main catchment dam (capacity 20000 kilolitres);
• Monitoring boreholes;
• Water meters;
• Buildings including main office buildings, workshops (engineering, store complex and yard), service department (office, change house and lamp room complex), a salvage yard;
• Garages, toilets, security offices, a lapa, weigh bridge offices and a weighing bridge;
• Fences;
• A diesel storage area (adjacent to the workshop);
• A contractor’s hostel;
• A sewage plant;
• Workers housing;
• 2 Inclines shafts and a number of ventilation shafts.

DMRE issued an environmental authorisation in support of the Platinum Group Minerals (PGM) project in 2017.  The activities, approved in terms of the said EMPR which have not been constructed include the following:

• Processing of old tailings and the underflow from the current chrome plant in order to recover Platinum Group Metals and other associated minerals from the tailings as well as the current mining operations.
• Tailings Storage Facility (TSF)
• Waste Rock Dump (WRD)
• Lined storm water dam (Pollution Control Dam (PCD))

Glencore Mines now wish to change the scope of the 2017 authorisation as:

• Changes in size and location of previously approved TSF Waste Rock Facility and PCD
• Pipeline for transportation of water from the PCD
• Construction of a Mine Residue Facility (MRF), also referred to in this report as a Co-disposal Facility (CDF)
• ML process water tank and desilting facility
• Adding a mining area obtained from Samancor held in respect of the following reference number NW30/5/1/2/2/260MR. This is an underground mining area and no surface infrastructure will be erected on this area.

Published:

19 November 2021

The Final Basic Assessment Report has been submitted to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) for decision making purposes.  All final documents are available for Stakeholder and I&AP perusal. 

Review Period: N/A

Contact Person: Ms Robyn Thomson
Email: r.thomson@cesnet.co.za 
Tel: 043 726 7809

Final Basic Assessment Report - BAR

Final Basic Assessment Report - BAR

 

Appendices

Appendix 1A-EAP Declaration Appendix 1B-EAP CV Appendix 4-Site Plan Appendix 7-Financial Quantum Appendix 8A-Ecological and Wetland Assessment Appendix 8B-Mine Water Balance Report Appendix 8C-Archaeological Impact Assessment Appendix 8D-Hydropedological Assessment Appendix 8E-Air Quality Impact Assessment Appendix 8F-Soils and Land Capability Assessment Appendix 8G-Hydrogeological Investigation Appendix 8H-Biodiversity Management and Action Plan Appendix 8I-Geotechnical Report Appendix 8J-Closure Plan and Liability Report Appendix 8K-Floodline Delineation Report Appendix 8L-Visual Impact Report Appendix 8M-Noise Impact Assessment Appendix 8N-CDF Design Report Note, Appendix 8O Stormwater Phase 1 are split in to 4 parts for ease of download Appendix 8O-Stormwater Phase1_Part1-Design Report Appendix 8O-Stormwater Phase1_Part2-Design Report Appendix 8O-Stormwater Phase1_Part3-Design Report Appendix 8O-Stormwater Phase1_Part4-Design Report Appendix 9 - Proof of PPP

 

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