Lesedi establishes site at the Mozal Smelter in Mozambique – 02/2019
Lesedi has recently been awarded a contract to assist South32’s Mozal aluminium plant in its expansion project. The US$38M AP3XLE energy efficiency project was approved in 2017, the 3rd quarter, and commenced the rollout of its pot line upgrade program ahead of schedule during the September 2018 quarter.
The project is expected to deliver a circa 4% (or 22 kt pa) increase in annual production, for no associated increase in power consumption, with the full benefit expected to be realised by FY24.
The Mozal Aluminium operation is one of the largest industrial employers in Mozambique and is made up of an aluminium smelter and logistics infrastructure, just west of the capital city, Maputo.
Lesedi has been tasked to upgrade the compressed air installation plant through the addition of an additional compressor with its own heat of compression dryer. A new evaporative cooling tower will be integrated into the current compressed air system, together with the overall integration of the compressed air system into the Mozal ring supplies.
“The team at Lesedi has been involved with the Mozal compressed air installation since the initial construction of Mozal in the late 1990s,” as explained by Bernhard Wilcocks, Lesedi’s Gauteng General Manager. “Through this project, we continue to diversify Lesedi’s business landscape and continue offering the mining sector with bespoke engineering solutions and continue to increase our footprint beyond the South African borders.”
Lesedi started with site establishment in January 2019. “We are pleased to have achieved this milestone with South32. This project is not only aimed at increasing the capacity of the Mozal plant, but also contributes to the increase in quality of life in Mozambique through job creation,” notes Leon van Wyk, Lesedi’s Project Manager for the Mozal AP3XLE compressed air expansion project. “Lesedi is proud to be part of this initiative, and we look forward to commissioning our plant to assist Mozal to achieve their goals”.
About South 32:
South32 is a global diversified mining and minerals company with high-quality operations in Australia, Southern Africa, and South America.
Press Contact:
Shane Pereira (Business Development Executive) Lesedi
Tel: + 27 21 525 1444