B2Gold continues its rehabilitation programme of the environment as part of the phased closure of its open-pit mine in central Namibia.
This includes the waste rock dump at the company’s Otjikoto Mine.
The latest Chamber of Mines e-newsletter says planning rehabilitation risks and criteria in the early phases of the life of mine could help reduce operational costs and maximising sustainable benefits.
“At Otjikoto Mine, rehabilitation planning has been part of our responsible mine planning strategy long before operations commenced.
“Long-term plans have been developed for the type of landscape we will leave behind at the end of the life of mine,” the mine says in a statement.
The company says a comprehensive rehabilitation plan was developed for the mine, taking into consideration issues like hydrology, geotechnical, geochemical, landform design, rehabilitation approaches, flora, revegetation techniques, engagements with communities, and regulatory compliance.
The plan includes resource identification and allocation to ensure sufficient resources are available for the duration of the life of mine.
From the start of operations, it was planned to harvest and stockpile topsoil from disturbed areas for future rehabilitation activities.
“As part of continuous planning, the stockpiles are regularly assessed to determine the bio-physical and chemical properties of the soils to ensure full functionality in the rehabilitation process,” the company says.
According to reports, B2Gold updated the consolidated estimated environmental closure liability at its Fekola Mine in Mali, its Masbate Gold Project in the Philippines, and at Otjikoto Mine to N$2,3 billion in 2023.
The company says planning has allowed Otjikoto Mine to implement a progressive rehabilitation programme to develop an environmental monitoring system that keeps track of any changes in the environmental.
The operation has also adopted leading international practices with opportunities for long-term sustainable benefits for B2Gold and Namibia.
According to a statement from the company, farm Erhardtshof, one of the private commercial farms it bought to develop the mine, has been engaged in intensive agricultural production as part of post-closure plans for the mine.
The first harvest in 2021 produced 12,87t of maize per hectare, and 220 bales of Katambora Rhodes grass, a popular animal feed.
The eventual aim is to establish 90 hectare of land under pivot irrigation and see the farm producing up to 1 000 tonnes of maize and 700 tonnes of wheat annually and make a significant contribution to Namibian food security.
– email: matthew@namibian.com.na
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