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TARKWA GOLD MINE HEAP LEACH FACILITIES SUSPENDED
Gold Fields Limited
(Reg. No. 1968/004880/06)
(Incorporated in the Republic of South Africa)
Share Code: GFI
ISIN Code: ZAE000018123
M E D I A R E L E A S E
TARKWA GOLD MINE HEAP LEACH FACILITIES SUSPENDED
Johannesburg, 26 July 2012: Gold Fields Limited (Gold Fields) (JSE,
NYSE, NASDAQ Dubai: GFI) has received a directive from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana to stop discharging
water from its Heap Leach facilities at the Tarkwa Gold Mine (Tarkwa)
in Ghana.
To comply with this directive, the operation of all Heap Leach
facilities at Tarkwa has been suspended since 16 July 2012. Despite
this, there has been no material impact on production to date.
The EPA directive further requires that all water discharges from the
mine’s Heap Leach facilities should be treated through a water
treatment plant to reduce conductivity levels. Conductivity is a
measure of the amount of dissolved salts in discharged water and is
classified internationally as a non-toxic pollutant.
Gold Fields believes that Tarkwa was complying with the prescribed
conductivity levels in its water discharges, but is nonetheless
conducting further investigations to validate this.
However, in pursuit of environmental best practice and world class
environmental stewardship, and to comply with the directive, Gold
Fields has commissioned the construction of two water treatment
plants at Tarkwa’s North and South Heap Leach facilities. The plants
are expected to be operational before the end of 2012.
In the interim, Tarkwa is engaging with the EPA with a view to reopen
and operate the Heap Leach facilities while the water treatment
plants are being built. Gold Fields is hopeful that a mutually
acceptable solution can be found in the near term.
The Carbon-in-Leach plant at Tarkwa, which produces about 75% of the
gold at this mine, has not been affected by the closure of the heap
leach facilities and continues to operate normally and without
interruptions.
Gold Fields Limited
Reg. 1968/004880/06
150 Helen Road,
Sandown, Sandton,
2196
Postnet Suite 252
Private Bag X30500
Houghton, 2041
South Africa
Tel +27 11 562 9700
Fax +27 11 562 9838
www.goldfields.co.za
Investor Enquiries
Willie Jacobsz
Tel +27 11 562 9775
Mobile +27 82 971 9238 (SA)
Mobile +1 857 241 7127 (USA)
E-mail Willie.Jacobsz@goldfields.co.za
Media Enquiries
Sven Lunsche
Tel +27 11 562 9763
Mobile +27 83 260 9279
E-mail Sven.Lunsche@goldfields.co.za
Media Enquiries Ghana
Sharda Naidoo
Mobile +27 83 560 1769
E-mail Sharda.Naidoo@goldfields.co.za
Sponsor:
J.P. Morgan Equities Limited
Notes to editors
About Gold Fields
Gold Fields is one of the world’s largest unhedged producers of gold
with attributable annualised production of 3.5 million gold
equivalent ounces from eight operating mines in Australia, Ghana,
Peru and South Africa. Gold Fields also has an extensive and diverse
global growth pipeline with four major projects in resource
development and feasibility, with construction decisions expected in
the next 18 to 24 months. Gold Fields has total attributable gold
equivalent Mineral Reserves of 80.6 million ounces and Mineral
Resources of 217 million ounces. Gold Fields is listed on the JSE
Limited (primary listing), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), NASDAQ
Dubai Limited, Euronext in Brussels (NYX) and the Swiss Exchange
(SWX).
Date: 26/07/2012 07:40:00 Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited ('JSE').
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