TWP Projects has successfully completed of the erecting of the pre-assembled headgears of both the main and services shafts at the Royal Bafokeng Platinum Styldrift shaft complex. TWP is the EPCM contractor for the deep level shaft on the Styldrift Merensky Phase 1 project, which forms part of the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum mine 50:50 joint venture between Anglo Platinum and Royal Bafokeng Holdings. It will exploit PGMs in the Merensky and UG2 reefs on the Boschkoppie, Styldrift and Frischgewaagd farms on the western limb of the Bushveld Complex. 

Following a restructure of the JV in 2009, a new company was formed, Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat), which holds a 67% majority interest in the JV. The Styldrift Merensky Phase 1 Project entails a twin vertical shaft system; the Main Shaft reaching a depth of 740 m, and the Services Shaft reaching 705 m. Full production of Phase 1 is expected to be achieved by 2017, which will increase BRPM’s production to 430,000 t/month.

The Main Shaft and Services Shaft headgears were designed by Anglo Technical Division and METS respectively, and were manufactured and pre-assembled on pads; the Main Shaft headgear in three sections, and the Services Shaft headgear in four sections. The erection of the headgear was undertaken by Louwill Engineering.

The total weight of the two headgears amounts to an estimated 1,200 t, with the maximum single lift at 160 t. “The headgear centre tower and A-frame sections were assembled on concrete pre-erection pads and frames, and placed into position using a 1,000 t lattice boom crawler rig type crane from Sarens, one of the biggest cranes in South Africa,” says TWP’s project manager Pieter Louw. Assembly of the main shaft headgear, an A-frame steel tower structure reaching a height of 58.6 m, commenced a few months ago and the erection commenced on  January 31 2011 with the last lift taking place on February 18. The Services Shaft, a 41.3 m high steel prop tower, also took a few months to assemble and approximately one week to erect, with the final lift on February 12 .

“As the project managers, it was our responsibility to ensure the smooth assembly of the headgears whilst slow deep sinking activities were still in progress prior to the main deep sinking phase deadline. With a current workforce of approximately 400 on site, this was by no means an easy undertaking, but made possible with the co-operation between all the contractors,” explains Louw. The original program would have been to stop operations, build the headgear and then commence with sinking, which would have adversely affected the overall schedule and programme. The sinking of the shafts, undertaken by Shaft Sinkers, was able to commence in October last year.