Impala Platinum - Impala 17

Location: Rustenburg, North West Province, South Africa

Client: Impala Platinum

The No. 17 Shaft project is premised on known and proven technology and a detailed knowledge of the project’s geology. It is the second "fourth generation" shaft complex on Impala Rustenburg, the first being the No. 16 Shaft, also currently under construction.

The project entails the sinking of three vertical shafts, the main, the vent, and the refrigeration shafts together with a 43m Bulk Air Cooler (BAC) Shaft, and all associated tunnels. The main shaft will have a final depth of 1920m at 10.0m in diameter; the ventilation shaft will be 1750m deep with a cross-sectional diameter of 9.0m; while the fridge shaft will be 1360m deep with a diameter of 6.0m. All three shafts are lined with concrete.

No. 17 Shaft complex, started in September 2007, is planned to produce approximately 226 ktpm of reef from eight operational levels upon its completion. The levels will access both the Merensky and UG2 reef horizons.

The shafts will feature eight double "D" stations, an intermediate pump station, main pump station and skip loading facilities.