Vedanta Zinc adds new product line to expand its Black Mountain operations in South Africa

Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) announced it has started a new Iron Ore product line this year to scale up iron ore production at its Black Mountain Mine (BMM) operations in Aggeneys, Northern Cape, South Africa.

According to the mine, it has undertaken advanced steps towards developing a 3 MTPA iron ore project, with the first production seen from the pilot plant it started, which is expected to grow significantly in the current financial year. Phase 1 of the project expects to produce between 0.7 to 1MTPA Iron ore, comprising two products, namely Sinter feed and DMS feed. BMM worked with global industry experts and partners to design a process capable of producing a high-quality product.

Laxman Shekhawat, VZI Business Head, said: “The Iron Ore project will add another scalable product line to the VZI-BMM operations and offer the best-in-class product to our customers. The first part of the project will utilise feed from existing operations and produce high-grade iron ore (67%+) and Dense Media Separation Products (DMS), to be utilised as feedstock for the steel and coal industry; respectively. This innovative project will assist in transforming our existing VZI BMM operations to be competitive, globally cost-efficient, and sustainable. It will also enhance the life of mine of the existing operations, thereby enhancing our Environmental, Social, and Governance footprint across our Southern African operations.” 

As one of the largest private-sector employers in the Northern Cape, VZI employs approximately 2,700 people at their current operations and has brought value to Aggeneys and the communities in the surrounding Khâi-Ma region through work opportunities and ongoing social development projects.

“We are proud of the impact our current operations have in our communities. We truly believe that the rollout of this new Iron Ore project will allow us the opportunity to create employment opportunities as well as provide ongoing support to our social development projects in the region,” said Shekhawat.

www.vedanta-zincinternational.com