HBIS Resources: Severe Flooding Hits South African Copper Mines; Phase I Resumes, Phase II Dewatering Ongoing
HBIS Resources (000923) announced on March 17 that the Limpopo Province of South Africa, where its subsidiary Palabora Copper (Pty) Ltd. is located, and the neighboring Mpumalanga Province had been hit by the most severe flooding disaster since 2000. As runoff from the open pit and surrounding catchment areas surged into the company’s mine workings, some tunnels in Phase I and Phase II of the copper project were flooded, causing some critical facilities to be submerged (with no casualties). As the operating area of Copper Phase II is located at a deeper level, dewatering has progressed relatively slowly, and dewatering operations are still underway, with completion expected in early April.