State-owned Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has completed its R4-billion infrastructure expansion project for the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal, with the installation of a new tippler, which is used to empty rail wagons.

Testing and commissioning activities began on June 3, TPT says.

The installation of the new tippler achieved an estimated 45% local content contribution across various work packages and supported about 1 500 jobs during peak construction activities. Commissioning will be concluded in the next two months and the tippler is expected to be handed over to operations in September.

The R4-billion capital investment at the terminal forms part of Transnet’s Reinvent for Growth strategy, which includes the replacement of ageing equipment and infrastructure across its port terminals to increase export capacity and enable growth.

The project also included a range of supporting infrastructure required to integrate the facility into the terminal’s operation, namely a new Eskom substation, a 1.7 km conveyor system, heavy-haul rail infrastructure, road bridges, conveyor tunnels, gantry cranes, dust management systems, high-mast lighting, fibreoptic and control system integration and associated power infrastructure.

Additionally, the project incorporates dust management systems and related environmental mitigation measures that form part of the terminal's ongoing efforts to manage the environmental impact of iron-ore handling activities in the area.

Since exporting its first shipment of iron-ore in 1976, the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal has grown into a strategic national asset that today handles about 96% of South Africa's iron-ore exports and plays an important role in supporting the country's mining sector and export economy.

Volume throughput throughout its 50 years is estimated at 1.3-billion tons of iron-ore exports, TPT says.

“In its fiftieth year, we are advancing one of the most significant infrastructure investments undertaken at the terminal and positioning this strategic export corridor for the future,” says TPT CE Jabu Mdaki.

The project is expected to generate broader economic benefits across the iron-ore export value chain.