Heritage Cases

Khumani Iron Ore Mine will lodge an application for an Integrated Environmental Authorisation to undertake the following. Project 1: King Mine Optimisation Project 1 will include the expansion of the existing King KM01 Opencast Pit by 112ha (to be known as KM016) on the farm King 561, Portion RE. The King Pits are projected to be mined up until 2039. KM015, the deepest of the King pits, is projected to reach a maximum mining elevation of 930 mamsl or approximately 280m below the pre-mining surface. The KM016 pit will be to the same depth. Project 1 will further result in the King/Mokaning Low Grade ROM Stockpile height increase from 70m to 90m to cater for the ongoing expansions of the opencast pits. No footprint expansion is planned. This stockpile is located on the farm Mokaning 560, Portion 3. The height increase should however be noted as a last resort, due to the ongoing rehabilitation practices being undertaken by the mine. Due to the high iron ore grades at the King Pits specifically, caution is taken in terms of backfilling to ensure that potential future resources are not sterilised. Project 2: King Mine KM02 Mine Residue Stockpile Rehabilitation The existing footprint of approximately 80ha of the approved KM02 Mine Residue Stockpile ([Waste Rock Dump [WRD] on the farm King 561, Portion RE, will be formally rehabilitated. No further disturbance or vegetation clearance is planned. Engineering designs for this activity have been finalised and will be submitted as part of the environmental authorisation application process. Project 3: New Bruce Block A & B Offgrade ROM Stockpile Project 3 is applied for to improved logistics on site as the Bruce mining operations are moving as per the approved Mining Works Programme towards the south. This project will thus involve the construction of a new Offgrade ROM Stockpile of about 55ha on the farm Bruce 544, Portion RE. This stockpile will then be located closer to the current opencast pits. At the current Beneficiation Plant at Parsons, the mine experiences the haphazard stockpiling of product, which is a result of washing practices during plant shutdown and clean up. In order to manage this area, it is recommended that this area be formalised as a product stockpile. Project 4: Product Stockpile Formalisation Project 4 aims to avoid unnecessary contamination and subsequent loss of iron ore product. It entails the formalisation of the Plant Product Stockpiles created during conveyor clean-up practices. The area involved is 5ha on the farm Parson 564, Portion 2. No vegetation clearance would be required. Project 5: Discard Low Grade Stockpile Design Change The Discard Low Grade Stockpile on the farm Parson 564, Portion RE, was approved in 2016 with a footprint of 387ha. There would now be a reduction in the size of this facility to 258ha, as the south and south-western corner of the facility have dry pans. For this reason the facility’s design was reassessed to avoid the 500m Regulating 509 NWA Buffer. Project 6: Khumani Photovoltaic Solar Plant An area of approximately 60 ha on the farm Parson 564, Portion RE is proposed to be used for the development of the 40 MW Khumani Photovoltaic Solar Plant. The plant will require approximately 82 860 solar panels constructed from a Single Axis Tracking System which will track the movement of the sun to increase energy production. Direct Current (DC) cables running at 1500V from the solar panels, in specially made trunking, will connect to eighteen (18) Medium Voltage Power Stations. This development would further include the construction of a Collector Substation (a concrete building) situated on the farm Parson 564, Portion RE and Portion 2. The power generated will be fed from the Collector Substation via a 2 kilometre, 22 kV overhead steel monopole powerline that would traverse the same Portion 2 to link with the existing Mine Substation. The power line will cross the railway line. Two alternative alignments will be assessed as indicated in the figures below. The Mine Substation might have to be expanded, but will be altered to mimic the design of the Collector Substation. Water will be required about four (4) times a year for cleaning (water from the existing approved boreholes at Parson will supply this water and no additional water is required). Projects 1 to 5 are considered as improvement project to optimise the mining process, as well as to improve and meet Environmental Management Principles and Environmental Management Programme Closure Objectives. These projects in itself will not create additional employment opportunities, but will result in improved mining and environmental management principles. Project 6 is the most greenfields project associated with this overall Environmental Authorisation Application. The implementation of Project 6 will contribute towards energy supply stability and security to the benefit of local residential electricity consumers as well as farmers and businesses, by reducing the mine’s demand on the local electricity grid.