MDM Engineering Group Limited, the minerals process and project management outfit, has been awarded the Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) by Global Initiatives (Pty) Limited, for BCL Limited’s (BCL) Dumps Tailings Retreatment Project (DTRP) in Botswana.
Global Initiatives (Pty) Limited has acquired the rights to the BCL Dumps and, together with BCL (Botswana Government-owned), has entered into a public ÔÇôprivate partnership for this project. Allan Hochreiter (Pty) Limited is a shareholder and advisor to Global Initiatives.
A statement said the BFS scope of work includes the construction of a flotation concentrator plant within defined battery limits and its supporting plant infrastructure.
Surface infrastructure will include the temporary construction services; topsoil stockpiles; inplant roads; stormwater, plant and potable water, sewerage and power reticulation; process and other plant buildings; reagent receipt, storage and distribution, security and fencing for the concentrator plant site, excluding those infrastructure aspects included in the other project areas.
Global Initiatives has acquired the rights to the DTRP and, together with BCL, has entered into a public – private partnership for this project.
They propose retreating existing tailings and smelter slag at BCL’s operations at Selebi Phikwe to recover significant nickel, in addition to copper and cobalt from these dumps. It is intended that this BFS, scheduled for completion June 2012, will be used as the basis for an investment decision by the partners.
MDM Executive Director, George Bennett, said his team is delighted to be working in Botswana again with Global Initiatives, on the BCL tailings project.
“The MDM team’s extensive copper, cobalt and nickel experience coupled with its extensive tailings project experience will be of great value to this project. We look forward to a strong working relationship as we undertake this project with all the partners.”
On the other hand, Atang Makgekgenene, Global Initiatives Executive Director, said the initial scoping study showed a measured resource of 178 000 tonnes of Nickel in the tailings dump.
“Global Initiatives believes this resource can be brought to account and further add significantly to the life of the Selebi Phikwe mine complex,” said Makgekgenene.
“It is significant that a company such as MDM will be completing the feasibility study for this project and we believe their involvement will aid in bringing this project into production for the benefit of Global Initiatives shareholders, Selebi Phikwe and Botswana.”
MDM Engineering Group provides a wide range of services from preliminary and final feasibility studies, through to plant design, construction and commissioning and its clients have largely been junior and mid-tier mining corporations with operations in Africa.
The MDM Engineering core technical team has a 23-year-track record of completing a wide range of studies and execution projects across a variety of minerals, including precious metals, base metals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, uranium and diamonds.
The company has adopted an approach to project execution based on an open-book
Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management (EPCM) or “cost-plus” basis and on an Engineering, Procurement and Construct (EPC) basis.
With a core focus on Africa, MDM Engineering is setting the benchmark standard for best practice in the mining services industry through its commitment to providing the highest quality services and actively engaging with clients to ensure maximum transparency.
BCL Limited is a mining and smelting company in Botswana, based in the north east of the country in the major mining town of Selibe-Phikwe.
The main shareholder of BCL is the Botswana Government, owning 94 percent of the company, with the remaining six percent of BCL being owned by Norilsk Nickel.
