Driefontein Depth Extension Project

Development of 5 shaft depth extension (or DE) which will be a phased project to enable access to upper reef areas while development of lower areas continue. Driefontein is located along the West Rand Goldfields in Gauteng. The project will involve the deepening of the existing 9 subvertical shaft system from its current depth of 1 988m below the surface to a final depth of 4 121m, making it the deepest mine in the world. To compensate for the challenges presented by mining at depth, the method of narrow-reef mining with closely spaced dip pillars of 40m wide and mining spans of 140m, with backfill for in-stope support, will be employed. Gold Fields aims to invest R3,3 billion in Driefontein.