🕐01.02.10 - 06:42 Uhr
Press announcement: Sephaku to build a beneificiation plant
Press announcement
1 February 2010
Sephaku to build a beneficiation production facility at their Nokeng
Fluorspar Mine
- To produce aluminum fluoride which is used in aluminum smelters
Sephaku Fluoride (Pty) Limited (Sephaku Fluoride), a wholly owned
subsidiary of Sephaku Holdings, today announces that it will establish a
beneficiation production facility at their wholly owned Nokeng Fluorspar
mine.
The production facility will consist of a sulphuric acid plant and a
hydrogen fluoride plant and an aluminum fluoride plant.
A pre-feasibility
study ("PFS") on the beneficiation production facility was completed at the
end of 2009 by a co-ordinated effort of Venmyn Rand and input from several
independent specialist consultants.
The studies required to complete a
Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) will commence shortly.
The Nokeng Fluorspar Mine also successfully completed a DFS by independent
specialist consultants during October 2009 on its proposed Nokeng Fluorspar
Project, which will include a fluorspar mine, concentrator plant and
associated infrastructure and services.
The mine will enable Sephaku to
become a major supplier of fluorspar following the commissioning of the
plant in 2012.
The acid grade fluorspar produced by the Nokeng concentrator will be used as
the sole feed to the production facility.
It is estimated that 60 000 tpa of
aluminum fluoride will be produced through world class technology methods.
Fluorspar and sulphuric acid are used create the hydrogen fluoride which is
the raw material used to create aluminum fluoride.
Aluminum fluoride in turn
is used as an accelerator in the aluminum smelting process.
Venmyn conducted a high level financial analysis to validate the feasibility
and opportunities associated with the specific products and quantities to be
produced by the production facility.
They also conducted a review of the
market and the likely financial feasibility for each of these products.
Aluminum fluoride is currently not produced in South Africa and a domestic
demand from aluminum smelters and planned nuclear enrichment facilities
exists.
There is also growing demand from the international market.
Neil Crafford Lazarus commented, "The combination of local aluminium
fluoride production and economy of the supply will allow Sephaku Fluoride to
be one of the lowest cost suppliers of aluminium fluoride in the market.
Sephaku Fluoride will realize additional profits from the local production
of high quality fluorspar, as well as from the highest quality aluminium
fluoride, produced at the lowest operating costs using the latest
technology".
ENDS
See SENS announcement for Venmyns fair value and range of values for the
individual and combined facilities
Notes to editors
About Aluminum fluoride
Aluminum fluoride is the
inorganic compound with the formula
Al
F3.
This colourless solid can be
prepared synthetically but also occurs in nature.
It is produced on a
substantial scale for use in the production of
aluminum.
Contacts:
Sephaku
CEO, Neil Crafford Lazarus 012 665 5060
Investor Relations, Nokuthula Dlamini Nxumalo 082 954 6644
Vestor, Media and Investor relations
Louise Brugman, 083 504 1186
Logo_sharper02
media & investor relations
louise brugman
managing director
T: 011 787 3015
C: 083 504 1186
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