Metso delivers high-performance equipment to De Beers' Venetia diamond mine

Global industrial company Metso is set to deliver high-performance crushing and material handling equipment to global diamond miner De Beers Group’s Venetia mine, in Limpopo.

The Venetia mine is reported to produce an output of about four-million carats, making it one of South Africa’s mineral resource flagships.

Metso will deliver two primary jaw crushers and a number of feeders, all of which will be installed underground. This, Metso said in a statement on Tuesday, was considered to be “a very challenging installation”, especially given the shaft constraints and weigh limitations for transportation underground.

Metso will be supplying the mine with its Nordberg C Series jaw crusher range, which allows for extensive disassembly, ultimately enhancing the ease of transportation and installation.

The Metso apron feeders are used for extracting or feeding ores that are wet, sticky, dry or even frozen.

The order was booked in Metso’s third-quarter 2019 orders received.

Initially, the Venetia mine was designed as an openpit operation, and in 2013, an underground extension project started with plans to start producing carats in 2022, climbing to full production in 2025 and extending the mine life to 2046.

To achieve this, the project team needed a dedicated commitment and optimized, high-performance technologies to deliver on their plans, Metso concluded.