Mining Magazine > Panorama > Murray & Roberts Cementation preferred contractor for proposed Venetia project

Murray & Roberts Cementation has been selected by De Beers as the preferred contractor to undertake the development of an underground mining operation at Venetia diamond mine. The project is in a feasibility stage and will be considered by the De Beers board in 2012.

Based near Musina in Limpopo Province, Venetia is South Africa’s biggest diamond mine and represents about 40% of the country’s diamond output. If the project is approved, Venetia Mine is expected to be in production beyond 2045. The feasibility study is being conducted by a De Beers team, together with their consultants TWP and Quoin and assisted by Murray & Roberts Cementation.

Murray & Roberts Cementation is poised to completely abandon the traditional South African approach to shaft sinking in favour of a Canadian model that undertakes all activities in the sinking cycle in-line — with no two jobs taking place simultaneously.

Allan Widlake, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s business development executive, said: “Based on this bold new approach, we believe we were nominated as the preferred contractor for Venetia. If the underground project is given the green light, this mine could become the first to benefit from our progressive new methodology.”