In what might be described as the ultimate stay-in-business project, Barrick, Africa’s biggest gold producer, has ‘rebooted’ its Bulyanhulu underground gold mine in Tanzania, ensuring that it continues to operate for many years to come.
In 2019 Bulyanhulu was on care and maintenance, with only its small tailings reprocessing operation still limping along. Then Barrick took over from the previous operator. Since then, it has totally transformed the operation, with the mine producing 212 000 oz in 2021, with potential for this to grow further.
The first step in bringing the mine back to life was to mend bridges with the state, which resulted in the establishment of the ground-breaking Twiga Minerals Corporation, a joint venture between Barrick and the government of Tanzania, which oversees the management of Barrick’s Tanzanian mines and the equal sharing of the economic benefits they create.
The drill database was recompiled and validated, underground development was re-surveyed, new mineral resource and geotechnical block models were generated and mine designs were fully updated.
The processing plant at Bulyanhulu was completely refurbished and ramped up to a 145 tph throughput, as were the vertical shaft and materials handling infrastructure. A secondary crushing and sampling circuit was introduced along with an open conical stockpile and reclamation facility designed to improve mill feed. In addition, the mine last year commissioned a PhotonAssay laboratory, the first of its kind in Africa and in Barrick’s global operations.
Bulyanhulu has also moved away from shipping concentrates abroad for processing and is now producing gold bars on site.
In the meantime, on-going geometallurgical testwork could unlock further resources within developed mine areas while brownfields exploration probes the potential within and outside the Bulyanhulu permit for new mining fronts. As the mine moves into the final stages of its ramp-up, the workforce has increased from 155 to 878 (as at the end of 2021), of whom 94% are Tanzanians, with 39% drawn directly from surrounding communities.
Bulyanhulu is also increasing its economic support for local businesses, with 70% of its procurement now spent with Tanzanian contractors and suppliers. “Bulyanhulu had effectively been trashed by its previous operators who also destroyed its relationship with its community as well as the government.
But Barrick’s geologists saw the value in this unloved mine and we set about unlocking it, applying our core business principles,” comments Willem Jacobs, former COO Africa and Middle East for Barrick.
Bulyanhulu is situated in north-west Tanzania, in the Kahama district of the Shinyanga region, approximately 55 km south of Lake Victoria and 150 km south-west of the city of Mwanza.
It is a narrow-vein gold mine containing gold, silver and copper mineralisation in sulphides with the mineralisation associated with a number of steeply-dipping veins. It commenced commercial production in 2001.
Barrick Gold has been recognised as the largest contributor to government revenue in 2021, confirming its position as a key partner in the socio-economic development of Tanzania.
