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Granny Smith opens gas power plant

Thursday, 9 June 2016

Gold Fields' Granny Smith Gold Mine is now supplied by the world's most efficient high speed reciprocating1 engine power station of its class, which was designed and delivered by Aggreko.

During the official opening ceremony of the power station, Gold Fields Executive Vice President Richard Weston said that the Granny Smith Gold Mine, south west of Laverton on the Goldfields, has become the latest of its mining operations to source electricity from a gas-power station.

'The official opening has marked a significant milestone for the Granny Smith Gold Mine and a major achievement for Gold Fields as a company which now operates all four of its Western Australian gold mining facilities by using gas-powered generators rather than diesel generators,' Mr Weston said.

'Gold Fields has a long standing vision to be a global leader in sustainable mining and our major investment in the gas-powered technology designed, built and operated by Aggreko demonstrates our forward thinking and commitment to finding better ways to excavate and process one of the world's most precious substances - gold.'

'Gold Fields identified a major opportunity to utilise gas supplied from AngloGold Ashanti and APA Group's Eastern Goldfields gas pipeline and upgrade their 25-year-old power station which was nearing the end of its useful life,' he said.

Mr Weston said that in addition to the cost efficiency and reliability benefits of the new gas-power station, it would reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 85,845 tonnes during the ten-year contract with Aggreko.

'The Granny Smith Gold Mine is operating greener which makes it eligible for the Australian Emissions Reduction Fund,' Mr Weston said.

Aggreko Managing Director George Whyte said that the Granny Smith Gold Mine power station is one of the most technologically advanced modular systems in the world.

'Our mining clients have faced a challenging market place and power generation is a significant proportion of operating costs. Our global capability offers additional flexibility which reduces investment and operational risk,' Mr Whyte said.

'Aggreko's focus is on fuel efficiency and reliability in line with the power demand over the life of the mine.

'A tremendous amount of ingenuity has gone into the development and evolution of Aggreko 'Next Generation Gas' generators to deliver a 24 mega watt (MW) power generating system for the Granny Smith Gold Mine.

'The new 33 kilovolts (kV) distribution system will meet the daily power needs of the entire mine of 24MW with 8MW allocated to the Wallaby underground mine and the remaining 16MW for the processing plant, associated facilities and camp.

'Other design features include high pressure gas conditioning infrastructure with heat recovery technology. This optimises power station efficiency and reduces gas pressure from the Easter Goldfield's Gas Network,' he said.

Mr Weston said the investment Gold Fields has made at its Granny Smith Gold Mine will assist in extending the life of the operation which has secured direct and indirect employment in the Goldfields region and will continue to generate major investment for the Australian economy.

'Granny Smith Gold Mine produced approximately 300,000 ounces of gold during 2015.

'Gold Fields and Aggreko have delivered a power station that will supply Granny Smith Gold Mine with safe, affordable and reliable electricity and allow for future expansion,' Mr Weston said.

Fast Facts

Gold Fields:

• The Granny Smith gold mine is located 720km east-north-east of Perth in Western Australia and 23km south west of the town of Laverton.
• The Granny Smith gold deposit was discovered by Raymond Smith in 1979 and named after his wife Laurende who had recently become a Granny.
• Gold Fields acquired the Granny Smith Gold Mine in October 2013.
• The Granny Smith Gold Mine produced 300,000 ounces of gold in 2015.
• Gold Fields Limited is an unhedged, globally diversified producer of gold with eight operating mines in Australia, Ghana, Peru and South Africa with attributable annual gold production of approximately 2.2 million ounces.
• Gold Fields Australia employs 2,200 employees and contractors.
• Gold Fields Australia employs 2,200 employees and contractors.
• Gold Fields has a primary listing on the JSE Limited, with secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Swiss Exchange (SWX)

Aggreko:

• Aggreko plc is the leading global provider of modular, mobile power and adjacent product solutions.
• Aggreko employs more than 7,300 people operating from 211 locations.
• In 2014 Aggreko served customers in about 100 countries, and had revenues of approximately GBP 1.6bn (USD 2.6bn or Euros 2.0bn).
• Aggreko plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AGK.L) and is headquartered in Scotland.

Gold Fields media contact:
Simon Bailey - Kreab
+61 400 248 880 | Sbailey@kreab.com

Aggreko media contact:
Sofie Camili - Aggreko
+61 404 481 221 | Sofie.Camili@aggreko.com.au

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Gold Fields Ltd. published this content on 09 June 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 21 June 2016 12:25:03 UTC.

Original documenthttps://www.goldfields.co.za/med_news_article.php?articleID=3586

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