For underground operations, where tens of thousands of people work below the surface, the risk is too great to continue mining.
If the power shortage lasted for another seven to 10 days ahead of the Christmas and year-end break of 10 days then the consequences for underground mines were severe, meaning a protracted start-up period to retrain and re-induct thousands of employees while making underground working areas safe, Theron said.
“We don’t know how long we will be at this power level and how long we won’t have production,” he said. Harmony, one of the largest South African gold miners, kept up to 5,000 people on the surface rather than send them underground at its nine mines in SA. “Harmony has reduced power consumption at our operations to levels required only for the maintenance of emergency services,” said spokesperson Marian van der Walt.
London-listed Petra Diamonds said in a statement Eskom had asked it to reduce power from Monday evening.Production, hoisting and processing have stopped with immediate effect and the company is now removing all people from underground, except those required for essential services, with only pumping to prevent flooding and ventilation for safety being allowed,” it said.
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