Heritage Cases

Mogalakwena Mine (MM) is an Anglo American Platinum (AAP) Rustenburg Platinum Mines (Pty) Ltd (RPM) owned platinum mine situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, 70 and 30 km, respectively, from the towns of Polokwane and Mokopane. Mogalakwena is an opencast mine complex consisting of five opencast pits and two current concentrator plants – the Mogalakwena North Concentrator (MNC) and Mogalakwena South Concentrator (MSC) and a planned third concentrator (M3C). Commodities mined and processed include Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) i.e., Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Iridium, Ruthenium, Gold, Nickel, and Copper. It is the intention of MM to optimize its operations through the following key projects: 1. Combination Mining Project (open pit and underground) As per MM Resource Development Plan (RDP), the mine intends to exploit the Sandsloot– Zone 1 resources deeper than the current open pit horizons by changing the current mining method from an open pit mining process to an underground mining process over time extending the Life of Mine (LoM). Underground mining development is proposed beneath the existing open pit at Sandsloot. The following surface infrastructure will be required in support of the underground mining operations: • Underground conveyor system • Box Cut Development • Box Cut Office Complex (including conservancy tanks) • Construction Laydown Area o Settling ponds (PCD) o Stores o Raw/fire water tanks o Fixed plant workshops o Emergency generator o Access road o Temporary Waste Rock Stockpiles (Two) o Diesel Storage and Dispensing Tank • Eskom Yard • Ore (Run-of-Mine) Stockpiles & Silos • Paste Tailings Backfill Plant with associated pipelines. • Potable Water Treatment Plant with associated pipelines. • Refrigeration Plants with associated pipelines. • Ventilation Shaft Corridors • Power Supply and Distribution Infrastructure o 22 kV 830 m Overhead Transmission Line (OHL) o 22 kV 1.5 km Overhead Transmission Line (OHL) o 22 kV 1.2 km Overhead Transmission Line (OHL) o 33 kV 22 km Overhead Transmission Line (OHL) • Workshop areas o Surface Mobile Equipment Workshops o Surface Fixed Plant Workshops o Surface Warehouse Facility o Underground Workshops • Administration and Training facilities • Lamp Room and Change Houses • Construction Laydown Areas / Potential Infrastructure Corridors • New and Upgraded Road Infrastructure • Southern Entrance • Dangerous Good Storage o Diesel Storage and Dispensing Tank o Emulsion Storage Area o Bulk Transport Pipelines In addition to these two additional exploration declines will be included to gain more ore body knowledge namely: Tweefontein and Zwartfontein/Mogalakwena South Exploration declines. Simultaneous to the development of the underground, the open pit mining will continue until the full open pit extent has been reached through the development of a super pit where the north pit, central pit and south pit will be joined into a single super pit. The Zwartfontein pit will be extended with a final pushback. 2. Anthropogenic Aquifer Development Project MM intends to develop manmade Anthropogenic Aquifers, utilising waste rock material, within the existing Sandsloot and Zwartfontein Open Pits as a below surface water storage solution for the site (water security) with the benefit of improving the stored water quality. An Anthropogenic Aquifer refers to a manmade structure which consists of an unsaturated rock formation, saturated with water for the purpose of water storage and water quality improvement. The Anthropogenic Aquifer allows for the stored water to utilise the natural attenuation process of the manmade aquifer to improve water quality by reacting with minerals and organic matter for the biodegradation of contaminants that degrade slowly. This manmade structure will be constructed utilising Waste Rock for the unsaturated rock formation, with strategic placement thereof into the pit allowing for abstraction wells that will allow access points for the syphoning of water for re-use on site as well for the continuation of water storage in pit through a recharge point. 3. Stormwater Management Infrastructure Project In order to maintain a zero-discharge environmental status, remain compliant to the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) GN704 regulations as well as to protect the operational pits from flooding, a Storm Water Control Dam and associated diversions/channels/pipelines/tunnels/canals are proposed as to divert and store runoff water from the mine site, particularly from the waste rock disposal facilities during times of high rainfall. The proposed infrastructure to support this project will include a: • North-West Storm Water Control Dam (SWCD) – 1700 Mℓ • Storm Water Conveyance Infrastructure (Diversion channels/pipelines/tunnels/canals) • Pumping system capable of delivering water to the existing Return Water Dam • Access Road to SWCD 4. Aligning Existing Waste Rock Disposal Facilities with new Deposition Strategy With the development and continuation of mining activities on site, supporting structures, such as waste rock disposal areas, become crucial to the continuation of mining operations. Due to MM’s location with an area supporting various individual communities, the mine’s expansion opportunities, for supporting infrastructure, are limited and as such the mine must optimise its existing infrastructure to support future initiatives (underground mining and pit pushbacks). It is therefore the intention of MM to amend the deposition strategy of the existing RS3 and W020 (East) Waste Rock Disposal Facilities already authorised on site as to allow for additional waste rock disposal (which will result in a height and footprint increase) to align with the Life of Asset Mine Plan (LOAP) for the operation. 5. Waste Rock Disposal Facility Phase 3 Project In 2020 MM received the required authorisations associated with the construction of the North Waste Rock Dump (NWRD) and associated ore stockpile area. Subsequent to the approval of the NWRD and ore stockpile areas, MM determined that the ore stockpile area would no longer be required. With the ore stockpile area becoming available MM is proposing to extend the recently approved footprint of the NWRD (that has not yet been constructed) to cover the approved ore stockpile area with additional extension areas to the east and west. In addition to this it is also the intention of MM to amend the deposition strategy of the NWRD as to allow for additional waste rock disposal (which will result in a height increase) to align with the Life of Asset Mine Plan (LOAP) for the operation. 6. Supporting infrastructure related to the Zero Emissions Haulage System (ZEHS) As part of a separate EIA Process MM is authorising the development of a new proposed Hydrogen Generating Plant (Production Scale Project) on the farm Portion 0 of Erf No. 823 Armoede (outside Mining Rights Area). To support this new proposed Hydrogen Generating Plant, as part of this regulatory process, the following accompanying surface infrastructure (on mining rights area) is required: • 450 mm Dirty Water Pipeline (3.61 km) from new Hydrogen Generating Plant (Production Scale Project) to existing effluent water pipeline. • Dirty Water Pipeline (0.73 km) from new Hydrogen Generating Plant (Production Scale Project) Wastewater Treatment Works to existing Vaalkop Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) V-Drain. • X2 Permanent 160 MW 66 kV 1.84 km Overhead Transmission Line • Temporary 80 MW 33 kV 2.75 km Overhead Transmission Line • Five (5) mobile refuelling points (storage tanks) which are continuously filled via a tube trailer. • Workshop to retrofit the haul trucks. • Staging area in support of the ZEHS and a mobile liquefaction plant at the current PoC 7. N11 Access Road Project A new 2.5 km main access road to the west of MM is proposed from the existing SANRAL N11 Road. This proposed road will branch-off from the N11 to follow a route south of the existing MM Blinkwater TSF to connect to the existing infrastructure at MM (part of this regulatory process). This new main access road will also provide a connection point for a new road (still to be approved and constructed) to the new proposed full production Hydrogen Generating Plant 8. Permit to Innovate Project AAP’s initiatives to ensure sustainable mining through its FutureSmart MiningTM programme and Sustainable Mine Plan aims at transforming the technology AAP uses across its mining site by implementing technologies that reduce environmental footprint, supports biodiversity, reduces energy and water consumption, and ensures efficiency. In pursue of this continuous sustainability AAP requires dedicated areas for the development, testing and piloting of several innovation projects across the mining and processing lifecycle. As such AAP has identified three areas within its existing site with the intent to trail/pilot these new technologies.