Did you <<dump>>?
Given that gold dumped and DRD just shuffled, had you dumped earlier, perhaps time to consider un-dumping.
One of the key challenges in S Africa is consistency of electricity supply, and tailing processing is everything about electricity supply.
The vacuum pump powers the flow of tailings from the pond into the factory, and the factory's computer-controlled systems goes to work on the already fine powder that is tailings, which gets milled by use (literally) of the same sort of machinery that chocolate manufacturers use to mill for confectionary.
The longer, finer, and more consistent the milled material, the more gold is recovered.
Once milled, conveyor belt sends the whole lot into tanks loaded w/ cyanide and stir stir stir
Then activated carbon (can be stuff as homey as burnt coconut shells) added, and eventually the tanks material is roasted by use of more power, until gold flows.
Electricity must be consistent, available, and enough to power everything along the production circuit, else entire process stops.
Now, imagine DRD do a workaround based on laws just promulgated allowing independent power generation by folks other than the inefficient national team, and better, if part of the equation (say, pumping, and roasting) is solar-weaponised, ie free electricity, what would that do to the cost, and even better, spare electricity can be sold, and carbon credits can be traded.
businesslive.co.za
DRDGold flies under the radar with megaproject
Power prices and supply as well as costing will determine scope of second phase of Far West Gold Recoveries
28 October 2020 - 21:20 Allan Seccombe
DRDGold is a rare company in SA in the prevailing economic environment. It is rapidly coming to a point where it will trigger a multihundred-million rand project. And it has the cash to do it.
DRDGold is one of those low-key companies that gets things done without a lot of fuss and arm waving that attracts attention. It is effectively a listed subsidiary of Sibanye-Stillwater, the world’s largest supplier of platinum group metals. |
