Granny Smith: sunny side up
SINCE 2001, the Wallaby deposit has been delivering ore to the Granny Smith mill, marking 30 years of continuous production; and in 2019, Granny Smith looks set to deliver another milestone as it installs one of the world’s largest solar PV micro-grids. In 2013, Granny Smith changed hands when Gold Fields purchased 100 per cent of the mine from GSM as a part of its Yilgarn South operations purchase. Today, the mining at Granny Smith takes place underground at the Wallaby deposit, where Gold Fields uses the inclined room and pillar (IRP) method for mining in areas with a moderate dip, and transverse long-hole stoping (TLHS) in zones with variable dips. The ore is transported 12km from the Wallaby underground...