FFE Minerals through its subsidiary office FFE Minerals-Vecor in South Africa has secured the contract to supply the world's largest single stage SAG mill for the Tarkwa Phase IV development in Ghana, West Africa. The contract represents the successful culmination of considerable sales effort spanning three continents (the mine owners are South African and the EPCM contractor Australian) and involving personnel from FFEM offices in South Africa, Australia and the USA.

The Tarkwa mine is located in Ghana, approximately 90 miles (or 150 kilometers) inland and is owned by Gold Fields Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Gold Fields Limited, one of the largest gold mining companies in the world. Until now this mine has produced gold through a heap leach process but changing ore properties have resulted in the need to introduce milling into the processing to extend the life of mine until the year 2019.

The new mill, measuring 27' in diameter x 42' long, will be unique in Ghana in that it is designed to treat 4.2 million tons of ore per annum in a single stream, single stage SAG milling configuration. This is the first time that this type of circuit has been adopted on such a large scale outside of South Africa.

What makes the mill a world first is that it will be the largest low aspect, dual pinion gear driven mill ever to be designed and built. The mill specifications are:

• Diameter (inside shell) :27'-0" (8.23 meters)
• Effective Grinding Length :40'-0" (12.19 meters)
• Mill Length (between flanges) :42'-0" (12.8 meters)
• Installed Power :Dual 9,380 HP (7,000 kW) motors
• Drive Layout :"Z" drives
• Critical Mill Speed :Variable between 60% to 75% TCS

The mill contract will be executed on a fast track basis and will be commissioned and handed over for production by the end of 2004. Design is being undertaken in South Africa with design auditing assistance from the USA. Contract management is being done under the control of FFE Minerals-Vecor with EPCM liaison assistance from FFE Minerals Australia.