ANG - AngloGold Ashanti - Geita Gold Mine Experien
ANG
ANANO
ANG - AngloGold Ashanti - Geita Gold Mine Experiences Partial Slope Failure
In Nyankanga Pit
ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI
AngloGold Ashanti Limited
Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa
Registration Number: 1944/017354/06)
ISIN Number: ZAE000043485
JSE Share Code: ANG
("AngloGold Ashanti/Company")
GEITA GOLD MINE EXPERIENCES PARTIAL SLOPE FAILURE IN NYANKANGA PIT
AngloGold Ashanti wishes to inform the market that a partial slope
failure occurred in an intermediate footwall of the Nyankanga pit at Geita
Gold Mine on Saturday, 3 February 2007. The pit had been monitored by slope
stability radar and was safely evacuated in advance of the failure. No
injury to employees or contractors occurred and there was no damage to
equipment. The part of the slope that failed had been planned to be removed
in future cutbacks, with the south-west side of the pit being redesigned,
so as to address several fault planes that have been intersected during
current mining activity in cutback 4.
The effects of the partial slope failure on future gold production are
still being investigated and the company will provide detailed guidance to
the market during its fourth quarter earnings presentation on 13 February
2007. In the interim, it should be noted that mining at Geita is currently
primarily taking place in three other pits - the Geita Hill, Lone Cone and
Matandani pits. This mining activity and associated gold production from
these three pits is unaffected by this event. It is therefore the company`s
expectation that Geita will continue to produce gold at similar rates seen
through much of 2006. The partial slope failure does, however, delay access
to high grade orebodies in the Nyankanga pit, which had just started to be
uncovered through mining activity on cutback 4. It is the mining of these
high grades that will enable a potential doubling of production at Geita in
2007, as compared to 2006, and it is this scheduling that is currently being
re-planned.
In addition to ongoing mining at Geita Hill, Lone Cone and Matandani,
immediate activity at Nyankanga pit includes regaining access to cutback 4
by cleaning up a haulage truck switchback and repositioning the related
safety berm. This remedial activity should take approximately one week. This
will then enable access to the north-east side of the pit, where mining on
cutback 4 can continue, whilst work begins on the redesign of mining
activity on the south-west side of the pit.
ENDS
Johannesburg
5 February 2007
JSE Sponsor : UBS
Date: 05/02/2007 15:30:01 Produced by the JSE SENS Department.
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