Projects
Over the next three years, Rand Uranium’s primary focus is on expanding from a pure gold producer to a large scale uranium and gold operation, utilising its high quality asset base with low risk surface resources. The company’s development plans comprise:
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Development of a uranium processing plant: The most significant aspect of the development of the uranium business is the construction of a new uranium processing plant and support infrastructure. The new plant will have the capacity to treat 5.4mtpa of uranium containing ores from low risk surface and underground resources, and will produce between 2.3 and 2.4 mlbs per year of U3O8. Construction is expected to commence in 2010 with a 30 month period to the commissioning of the plant. |
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Expansion of underground mining to recover uranium ores: With the commissioning of the uranium plant in 2012, Expansion of underground mining to recover high grade uranium ores in parallel with existing, gold-only operations. The recovery of uranium from underground ore will work with established infrastructure, making the risks associated with this project much lower than with a green field development project.Based on a recent detailed resource and mine plan study of a select area of Cooke 3, it is estimated that the underground mine will contribute approximately 10% of the plant feed. The mining will concentrate on maximising the grade of uranium recovered, with the ores also containing approximately 3g/t of gold. Current research indicates that mining of these high grade uranium ores can continue for at least 10 years on the Cooke 3 mine with additional potential at Cooke 2 mine. |
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Recovery of the Cooke Tailings Dam for low risk uranium processing:
The new uranium plant will also receive ores recovered from the Cooke Tailings Dam at a rate of approximately 4.9mtpa. This tailings material will be recovered by hydraulic recovery methods and pumped 2 km overland to the new uranium plant. The Cooke tailings material has an average grade of 190g/t U3O8, which is approximately three times higher than other surface resources on the West Rand. Based on detailed drilling and completed metallurgical work , the grades recovered from the Cooke Tailings Dam are expected to be very consistent . The Cooke Tailings Dam contains 83mt of ore and will operate for nearly 17 years before further feedstocks are required. |
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