Tharisa Mine begins phased underground expansion to enhance efficiency

Tharisa, dual-listed on the Johannesburg and London stock exchanges, is transitioning the Tharisa Mine from a large-scale open pit to underground mining

This natural progression will sustainably access the mine’s multigenerational mineral resource base while enhancing operational efficiency, environmental stewardship, and long-term value creation.

The mine’s mineral reserves extend beyond the open pit shell, presenting a high-confidence, low-geological-risk opportunity to sustain operations for over 50 years. Existing processing facilities have a capacity of 5.6 Mtpa of run-of-mine (ROM), ensuring both production scalability and operational flexibility. Open pit operations are scheduled to be depleted by FY2035.

From 2031, underground ore from the West Mine (Apollo Complex) and East Mine (Orion Complex) will supplement production. Both complexes, developed sequentially, are designed to mine 255 ktpm each at steady state, combining for 510 ktpm, capped by plant feed capacity.

This underground expansion will maintain current PGM and chrome concentrate output, with opportunities for growth through smarter mining and reduced dilution. The project will operate under a mining contractor model, with transitional capital of US$547 million over ten years and peak funding of US$173 million, financed via internal cash and external funding lines.

Phoevos Pouroulis, CEO of Tharisa, said: “The underground project is the natural progression for our operations and has been established to increase life-of-mine development, enhance operational efficiencies, while maintaining our world-class standards of health, safety, environmental stewardship, and further enhancing our track record of long-term value creation.”

He added: “Our shallow ore body enables on-reef mechanised development, delivering cleaner ROM and significantly reducing waste, capital intensity, and environmental impact. The phased approach to portal development enables early access to reef with the bord-and-pillar design supporting safe, cost-effective ramp-up and long-term operational efficiency. As we continue to innovate with purpose, we are setting the benchmark for multiple generations to come.”

Condra jib crane (Image source: Condra)

South Africa’s Condra has received “multiple orders” to manufacture cranes, hoists and other lifting equipment for mine expansion projects in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Namibia

The orders were placed by consulting firms in Canada and Australia, but non-disclosure agreements mean neither the customers nor the mines can be named.

The value was also not disclosed by Condra, which will execute the orders at its Johannesburg factory.

In a statement, Condra said the cranes will work in general workshop and feeder-line maintenance applications, with capacities ranging from two to eighteen tons.

Sierra Leone’s order comprises one long-reach jib crane, three single-girder overhead cranes and a portal crane, while Tanzanian mines will receive two double-girder cranes, a single-girder machine, one portal crane and a long-reach jib crane.

Six Titan hoists, among them several fitted with articulated carriages to negotiate curved girder tracks, will go to Namibia along with two portal cranes, a long-reach jib crane, two single-girder cranes and a double-girder machine. Fifteen chain hoists and blocks will also be shipped to Namibia.

Condra’s Titan hoist range is versatile, comprising the Compact Series with capacities to 32 tons, and the SH (Short-Headroom) Series with capacities to 18 tons. All models are variants of the veteran K-Series hoists, but refined to offer a more compact profile with reduced overall dimensions.

Among the cranes included in the international orders are several equipped with high-lift K-Series hoists, in one instance to a height of 40 metres. These hoists have a proven record in high-lift applications. The company’s installed base includes hoists with controlled lifts as high as 150 metres.

A Condra spokesman said there had been “close cooperation” with the consultants to ensure that agreed prices could remain competitive without compromising the robust reliability required for harsh operating conditions.

Overall lifetime cost will remain lower than cranes offered by rival firms, said the spokesman, while inspection and testing will take place at defined stages during manufacture to ensure compliance with international quality control, safety and lifting equipment standards.

Manufacturing is now underway at the company’s Germiston factory, with delivery to be carried out by road. A number of crane girders will be spliced to allow packing in standard 12-metre containers.

Shipping dates will be staggered to meet project timetables, with delivery scheduled for late 2025 through to mid-2026.

Technicians from Condra will then manage installation and commissioning in Sierra Leone, while local agents will carry out this work in Tanzania and Namibia.

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Sandvik Mining introduces Newtrax Control Room Editor, enabling offline data management for reliable, data-driven mining operations. (Image source: Sandvik Mining)

Sandvik Mining has enhanced the Newtrax Mining Data Platform (MDP) with a new feature, Newtrax Control Room Editor, designed to give mines smooth manual data management capabilities, even in offline conditions.

The tool allows users to create, update, and delete data without network access, ensuring continuous availability of critical information. By comparing manually entered data with automatically collected telemetry, it strengthens data validation, reducing gaps and boosting confidence in operational decisions.

“We have developed the Newtrax Control Room Editor in close collaboration with our customers, to ensure that their operations remain data-driven even when connectivity is limited underground,” said Lior Herman, head of mining data platform automation at Sandvik Mining. “By allowing users to capture and validate data offline, we’re enabling mines to achieve a new level of reliability and accuracy in their data management.”

The addition of Newtrax Control Room Editor further solidifies the Newtrax MDP suite as a leading platform for data-driven mining operations. The feature digitises manual workflows while extending read-and-write capabilities underground, allowing users to update and view asset locations on a 3D map, record machine health data linked to maintenance tasks, and connect to any data source via active web forms — all without network dependency. Extensive field testing with a major Southeast Asian customer confirmed the technology’s effectiveness, demonstrating that operations can maintain full visibility and control even in low-connectivity environments, driving greater operational reliability and continuous improvement.

“Innovation in underground mining is about combining automation with advanced data solutions to enable users to make better use of the data available to them,” said Ville Svensberg, director global automation product line and R&D at Sandvik Mining. “Newtrax Control Room Editor closes the gap between telemetry and manual input, giving mines the ability to digitise workflows, validate information from multiple sources and maintain accurate asset and equipment records even in challenging connectivity conditions. This ensures that data-driven decision-making remains uninterrupted and reliable.”

By enabling offline data capture and digitising manual workflows, Newtrax Control Room Editor minimises dependence on network connectivity while fully integrating into the Newtrax MDP ecosystem. This development underscores Sandvik’s ongoing commitment to delivering dependable, data-focused solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and productivity in mining operations.