Namakwa Sands Expansion Project Approved
03 November, 2005
Anglo American announces expansion approval of Namakwa Sands facilities.
Anglo American announces the approval of a $43 million (R320 million) expansion of the Namakwa Sands heavy mineral sands and smelting facilities, located on the West Coast of South Africa.
Namakwa Sands, part of Anglo American's Base Metals division, produces titanium dioxide slag (for use in the pigment industry) as well as high quality zircon and rutile products. The expansion will increase the output of zircon and rutile products by approximately 25% through increasing the mining and concentration plants' capacities. This will allow for the existing installed capacity of the Mineral Separation Plant to be fully utilised. In addition, the project will allow for hard mineralised material that is currently rejected in the process and returned to the mine, to be treated.
An amendment to the Environmental Management Programme Report has been lodged with the relevant authorities and approval is anticipated shortly. The project will be commissioned in the first half of 2007 and will extend the economic life of the operation by approximately 10 years.
Notes to Editors:
Anglo American plc is one of the world's largest mining and natural resource groups. With its subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, it is a global leader in platinum group metals, gold and diamonds, with significant interests in coal, base and ferrous metals, industrial minerals and paper and packaging. The group is geographically diverse, with operations in Africa, Europe, South and North America, Australia and Asia. (www.angloamerican.co.uk)