Operations

Crushed ore. Sweepings. Tailings. One plant.

A wash plant first — washing crushed material from 24% upwards, recovering crusher sweepings, and treating tailings from 12%, all delivered through our own haulage fleet.

Stream 01

Wash Plant Beneficiation — 102 tph

Vel Mining is primarily a wash plant washing crushed material. Feed arrives as crushed chrome ore from 24% Cr₂O₃ upwards and is upgraded through our spirals circuit into a metallurgical-grade 40–42% concentrate. We commissioned straight into a 102 tph plant, with a scale-up to 120 tph within the next 3 months and a second 120 tph plant scheduled within 12 months.

▸Primary feed: crushed material from 24% Cr₂O₃ upwards
▸Current: 102 tons per hour
▸3 months: 120 tons per hour
▸12 months: second 120 tph plant (240 tph group capacity)
▸Product: 40–42% Cr₂O₃ concentrate
▸Independent SGS assay per shipment

Stream 02

Crushed Sweepings — Recovery & Re-wash

Alongside our primary crushed feed, we take in crusher sweepings — the fine, high-loss material that accumulates around crushing and screening operations across the belt. Washed through the same spirals circuit, sweepings that would otherwise be written off are recovered into saleable concentrate.

▸Feed: crusher sweepings and stockpiled fines
▸Washed through the same 102 tph spirals circuit
▸Turns write-off material into saleable product
▸Accepted per load and priced on grade

Stream 03

Tailings Treatment — From 12% Upwards

Tailings aren't waste — they're an under-recovered orebody. We specialise in treating our own and third-party tailings from 12% Cr₂O₃ upwards through the spirals circuit. Two commercial options are available: a 50/50 split on recovered product, or a flat treatment fee priced on the quality of the tailings supplied.

▸Specialist treatment of tailings from 12% Cr₂O₃ upwards
▸Option A: 50/50 split on recovered product
▸Option B: flat fee depending on tailings quality
▸Reduces tailings dam load and rehabilitation cost
▸Incremental revenue with no new mining

Stream 04

Open Cast Mining — Phase-In (12-Month Horizon)

Today we run as a dedicated wash-plant operation, beneficiating crushed material sourced from established producers in the Mooinooi belt. Within the next 12 months we are scheduled to phase in our own open cast operation on prospected ground, moving Vel from a pure beneficiator into a fully integrated miner-to-port chrome business.

▸Current model: wash plant treating third-party crushed material
▸12-month plan: own open cast extraction online
▸Target feed grade: 24%+ Cr₂O₃ from UG2 / LG6 seams
▸Mine planning sized to feed a 120 tph wash plant

Stream 05

Side-Tipper Haulage & Logistics

A sister company within the group operates a dedicated side-tipper haulage fleet. This vertical integration removes a recurring failure point in chrome supply — competing third-party haulers — and lets us hold haul rates for committed buyers.

▸Owned side-tipper fleet
▸Pit-to-rail and pit-to-port routes
▸Locked-in haul rates for offtakers

Stream 06

AI-Driven Plant Intelligence

Vel is one of the first chrome wash plants in South Africa piloting machine learning directly into the beneficiation circuit. The model learns how the plant behaves shift-to-shift and recommends live adjustments to feed ratios, water, and spiral splits to lift recovery and grade. A live operations dashboard streams plant health to management around the clock.

▸Live dashboard: pump vibration, feed ratios, %R, yield & recovery
▸ML model trained on our own plant data
▸Recommended setpoint changes to lift grade and recovery
▸Predictive alerts on pump and spiral health before failure
▸Step-by-step efficiency actions surfaced to the control room

Inside the Plant

Spirals, structure, and stockpile.

Vel Mining spiral concentrator plant at Mooinooi

Crushing and screening circuit with crushed chrome feed

Lined process water dam completed at the plant

Vel Logistics side-tipper truck ready for haulage

Full view of the Vel Mining spiral wash plant at Mooinooi

Fresh concentrate discharging from the plant

Dewatering cyclone discharging washed chrome concentrate onto the stockpile

Concentrate stockpile building under the cyclone discharge