Bulyanhulu Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
Bulyanhulu Gold Mine is an underground gold
mine
in the Shinyanga Region
of Tanzania
, located 55 kilometres south of Lake Victoria
. It is operated by African Barrick Gold
.
It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold
, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka
, Buzwagi
and the North Mara Gold Mine
. In the financial year 2009, the four operations produced a combined amount of 716,000 attributable ounces of gold.
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
Barrick acquired the Bulyanhulu project in 1999 when it purchased Sutton Resources, which was an mineral exploration
company.
The mine is located 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) southwest of the city of Mwanza
, a regional center. Bulyanhulu opened in 2001, and was built for a capital cost of US$
280 million. Following the opening of Bulyanhulu, Tanzania became the third largest producer of gold in Africa, behind South Africa
and Mali
.
Bulyanhulu consists of an underground mine, a process plant, waste rock dumps, tailing containment, water management ponds, and associated facilities. In 2009, Bulyanhulu employed close to 2,700 people. As of 2009 there was an expected mine life of 25 years remaining. When it opened it was Tanzania's deepest mine.
The Bulyanhulu mine has an experienced Emergency Response Team
, which is often sent off site to other locations to assist in rescue operations at both operating and closed mines.
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the Shinyanga Region
Shinyanga Region
Shinyanga Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Shinyanga. It is bordered to the north by the Mwanza, Mara, and Kagera Regions, and to the south by the Tabora Region...
of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, located 55 kilometres south of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. It is operated by African Barrick Gold
African Barrick Gold
African Barrick Gold plc is a gold mining business operating in Tanzania. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka
Tulawaka Gold Mine
Tulawaka Gold Mine is a combined underground and open pit gold mine located in the Biharamulo district, in the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold, who ownes 70% of the mine...
, Buzwagi
Buzwagi Gold Mine
Buzwagi Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania, located 6 kilometres southeast from the town of Kahama. It is operated by African Barrick Gold....
and the North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine
North Mara Gold Mine is an open pit gold mine in the Tarime District of the Mara Region of Tanzania. It is operated by African Barrick Gold.It is one of four gold mines African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, operates in Tanzania, the other three being Tulawaka, Bulyanhulu and the...
. In the financial year 2009, the four operations produced a combined amount of 716,000 attributable ounces of gold.
History
Gold mining in Tanzania in modern times dates back to the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
colonial period, beginning with gold discoveries near Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
in 1894. The first gold mine in what was then Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
, the Sekenke Mine, began operation in 1909, and gold mining in Tanzania experienced a boom between 1930 and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. By 1967, gold production in the country had dropped to insignificance but was revived in the mid-1970s, when the gold price rose once more. In the late 1990s, foreign mining companies started investing in the exploration and development of gold deposits in Tanzania, leading to the opening of a number of new mines.
Barrick acquired the Bulyanhulu project in 1999 when it purchased Sutton Resources, which was an mineral exploration
Mineral exploration
Mineral exploration is the process of finding ore to mine. Mineral exploration is a much more intensive, organized and professional form of mineral prospecting and, though it frequently uses the services of prospecting, the process of mineral exploration on the whole is much more involved.-Stages...
company.
The mine is located 150 kilometres (93.2 mi) southwest of the city of Mwanza
Mwanza
Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With an urban population of 1.2 million and a metropolitan population of 2 million, it is Tanzania's second largest city, following Dar es Salaam and ahead of other major Tanzanian cities of Arusha,...
, a regional center. Bulyanhulu opened in 2001, and was built for a capital cost of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
280 million. Following the opening of Bulyanhulu, Tanzania became the third largest producer of gold in Africa, behind South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
.
Bulyanhulu consists of an underground mine, a process plant, waste rock dumps, tailing containment, water management ponds, and associated facilities. In 2009, Bulyanhulu employed close to 2,700 people. As of 2009 there was an expected mine life of 25 years remaining. When it opened it was Tanzania's deepest mine.
Safety
In 2006 a miner was killed by a falling rock, and in March 2010 a fall of ground was responsible for the death of three miners and the destruction of the drill jumbo they were operating. In 2009 Bulyanhulu was awarded a National Award by Tanzania Occupational Safety and Health Authority for their health and safety program.The Bulyanhulu mine has an experienced Emergency Response Team
Emergency Response Team
The Emergency Response Team is the paramilitary tactical police arm of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.- Purpose and history of the ERT :...
, which is often sent off site to other locations to assist in rescue operations at both operating and closed mines.
Production
Recent production figures for the mine:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce | Tonnes processed |
| 2007 | 243,000 ounces | 9.67 g/t | US$ 456 | 860,304 |
| 2008 | 200,000 ounces | 8.18 g/t | US$ 638 | 754,457 |
| 2009 | 249,000 ounces | 8.75 g/t | US$ 651 | 959,175 |
| 2010 |
External links
- Barrick website
- African Barrick Gold website
- Bulyanhulu mine (TZA-00045) Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States website