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    Ivanhoe’s Platreef Shaft #3 milestones: hoisting and plant scale-up for mine planners

    April 29, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Ivanhoe’s Platreef Shaft #3 milestones: hoisting and plant scale-up for mine planners

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    Ivanhoe Mines has completed construction of the 4 Mt/y Shaft #3 at its Platreef Mine in Limpopo, South Africa, providing a key hoisting and ventilation asset for the ultra-deep, bulk-scale PGM-nickel-copper operation. Ground has also been broken for the Phase 2 concentrator, which will expand processing capacity beyond the initial 770,000 t/y plant now under construction. Widening of Shaft #2 has commenced to increase hoisting capacity and improve access for large-scale underground mining equipment.

    Technical Brief

    • Co-location of hoisting and ventilation in Shaft #3 simplifies underground layout but increases shaft-criticality for operations.
    • Progressive widening of an existing deep shaft implies staged ground support upgrades and revised shaft lining design.
    • Sequencing concentrator expansion with shaft upgrades allows ramp-up without major interruption to early ore handling.

    Our Take

    Our database shows Platreef as one of the few South African projects combining platinum‑group metals with battery metals such as nickel and lithium‑linked spodumene, which positions Ivanhoe Mines to hedge against single‑commodity price swings once Shaft #3’s 4‑Mt/y capacity is fully utilised.

    With Ivanhoe Mines simultaneously cutting near‑term copper guidance at Kamoa‑Kakula, the steady advancement of Platreef in South Africa signals a deliberate portfolio balance between Congolese copper exposure and multi‑metal production from a more established mining jurisdiction.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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