Situated approximately 250 km north of Johannesburg in Limpopo Province, Thabazimbi mine has been operating since 1931. The mine produces mostly high-grade haematite ore with more than 62% Fe content.
Mining uses the conventional opencast methods of blasting, drilling, loading and hauling. Ore is processed in a single facility, with a lump-to-fine-ore ratio of 42:58, compared with 30:70 globally. Thabazimbi mine’s product is particularly low in contaminants, and is sold exclusively to ArcelorMittal South Africa.
Total iron ore production is approximately 2 Mtpa. In addition to this, there was the consideration that older mining methods were not effective, and left behind significant volumes of haematite in the ore body. This led to the launch, in 2009, of Project Phoenix, with the goal of finding and implementing the best way to extract and beneficiate the reserves. Project Phoenix will be implemented after 2016, in order to replace production from the current mine, and we believe that the plan will ultimately yield 3.4 million Mtpa, extending the life of the mine to over 20 years.
