Bauba’s Kookfontein constructs processing plant for high-grade chrome concentrate
Relatively recently developed source of South African chromite is Pelagic Resources Group. Established in 2016, Pelagic Resources specialises in global principal trading, agency trading and mining investments, and is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Johannesburg, Harare, and Shanghai.
Pelagic trades a wide range of metallic ores such as cobalt, copper, manganese, lithium, platinum, vanadium, and chromite – mainly sourced from Africa.
In 2021, Pelagic acquired 23% of Bauba Resources, a junior mining company operating a chromite mine and developing and exploring other chromite deposits in South Africa (in February 2022, Raubex, one of South Africa’s leading infrastructure development and construction materials supply groups, acquired a majority stake in Bauba).
The move secured an “evergreen offtake agreement” for Pelagic to market all of Bauba’s current and future metallurgical and speciality chrome ore production.
In addition to this, Pelagic provided Bauba with a financing facility to develop its Kookfontein chrome/PGM project, further cementing the relationship between the two firms.
Bauba’s Moeijelijk Chrome Mine in Limpopo province, South Africa, mines the LG6 and LG6A seams, producing foundry grade, chemical grade and metallurgical grade chrome ore and PGM concentrates.
Bauba has two operating mines, the Moeijelijk Chrome Mine in Limpopo province, and the Nuco Chrome Mine (Kookfontein) in Rustenburg, North West province.
Moeijelijk was established in 2015 as an opencast operation. The mine has since been transitioned to an underground operation where its first wash plant was commissioned in 2018, supplying run-of-mine chrome-ore and chrome concentrate for exports.
Production capacity is 40,000 tpm ore, with some 5m tonnes of resource with various life-extension opportunities.
Located on the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, Moeijelijk mines the LG6 and LG6A seams, producing foundry grade, chemical grade and metallurgical grade chrome ore and PGM concentrates. About 250,000 tpa of all grades of speciality chromite is produced.
In 2020, Bauba obtained a mining right for its Kookfontein Chrome Project. The Kookfontein Mine was commissioned in 2021 and has the capacity to mine up to 80,000 tpm and hosts 11m tonnes of mineable resource with various life-extension opportunities.
Kookfontein exploits the Western Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, mining UG, MG and LG seams with significant PGM credits. The mine began its production of UG2 ore during 2022 and since concluding the UG2 pit has focused on primary chrome ore production.
Currently, the mine is constructing its own proprietary processing facilities to produce high-grade chrome concentrate from the MG and LG seams, the plant is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of 2023.
