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Namdeb invests millions in recovery plant

An impression of the envisaged state of the art Red Area Complex in Oranjemund. (Photograph contributed)Mining giant, Namdeb, has approved a N$150 million investment to replace its existing Mining Area 1 Recovery Plant with a new state of the art Red Area Complex in Oranjemund.
The Red Area Complex is responsible for the final recovery and sorting of diamonds from concentrates produced from the various land based diamond treatment plants within Namdeb’s operations. Diamonds are then packaged within the complex and transported to the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC) in Windhoek.
The existing facility was built during the 1960’s and is showing its age despite several upgrades over the years. With the new facility, the potential for improved efficiency of diamond recovery, security of the diamond product and lower costs of annual operation provide very attractive reasons for the establishment of the new complex.
Namdeb and Debmarine’s Namibia entire revenue stream will be processed through the new facility, therefore the integrity and reliability of this operation is vital for the operations. The N$150 million committed to this project ensures the longevity of efficient diamond recovery well into the future. This further underlines Namdeb’s importance as a significant player in the Namibian economy providing employment opportunities and related economic benefits to 2050 and beyond.
The plant will consist primarily of state of the art X-ray machine technology making use of the X-ray luminescent properties of our diamonds to differentiate them from other minerals within the concentrate gravels.
The X-ray machines are supported by infra-red driers, ultra-violet sorting machines and conventional handsorting in order to extract the maximum amount of diamonds for export to the NDTC.
The new complex will host a number of benefits including, improved diamond recovery efficiencies as a result of technological improvements throughout the process stream, a substantial reduction in the plant’s footprint, radically lowering the impact that it has on the environment, a safer working “Zero Harm” environment for all of those involved, reduced potential diamond theft due to improved resource protection (security) measures, as well as reduced annual operating costs.
Other benefits include, reduced power consumption compared to existing facility (3.2 1.0 MW), overall water consumption has been restricted to a minimum (20m3/ hour of make-up water required) as a result of innovative recycling systems within the operation and continued employment.
The complex will provide employment for approximately 60 people, most of which will be re-allocated from different sections within the operation.
The Red Area Complex project is planned for completion in early 2013.

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