Friday, 1st February 2008 (1546 views)

South African gold mining firm DRDGold has confirmed that underground production has started up again at its East Rand and Blyvooruitzicht mines.

The company said the night shifts resumed work after receiving a guarantee from South Africa's state-owned energy supplier Eskom that production would not be interrupted without at least four hours' notice.

The return to production comes after South Africa faced nationwide blackouts earlier this week as power stations struggled to keep up with demand.

However, according to the International Herald Tribune, the national grid has now stabilised and power supplies have increased.

It is good news for the East Rand and Blyvooruitzicht operations, which employ around 6,720 including contractors between them.

East Rand, which is located around 25km from Johannesburg, produces 82,850 ounces of gold a year, or around 24 per cent of DRDGold's total output.

Blyvooruitzicht, which was established in 1937, is the larger of the two operations and produces some 166,000 ounces of gold every year.

 

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