Directors:
M A Ramphele (Chair), N J Holland
† ** (Chief Executive Officer), P A Schmidt** (Chief Financial Officer), K Ansah
# , C A Carolus, R Dañino*, A R Hill
≠ ,
D L Lazaro^, R P Menell, M S Moloko, D N Murray, D M J Ncube, R L Pennant-Rea †
, G M Wilson
† British, ≠ Canadian, # Ghanaian, *Peruvian, ^Filipino, ** Executive Director
Corporate Secretary:
C Farrel
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)
email
Willie.Jacobsz@
goldfields.co.za
Media Enquiries
Sven Lunsche
Tel
+27 11 562 9763
Mobile
+27 83 260 9279
email
Sven.Lunsche@
goldfields.co.za
Media Enquiries - Ghana
Sharda Naidoo
Mobile
+27 83 560 1769
email
Sharda.Naidoo@
goldfields.co.za
MEDIA RELEASE
TARKWA GOLD MINE HEAP LEACH FACILITIES
RESUME OPERATIONS
Johannesburg, 10 August 2012:
Further to our statement on 26 July
2012, Gold Fields Limited (Gold Fields) (JSE, NYSE, NASDAQ Dubai: GFI)
is pleased to announce that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of
Ghana on 9 August 2012 lifted the temporary suspension on Tarkwa Gold
Mine’s (Tarkwa) heap leach facilities.
Tarkwa reopened both the North and South Heap Leach facilities on the
evening of 9 August 2012 after they were closed on 16 July 2012 to comply
with an EPA directive that water discharges should be passed through a
water treatment plant to reduce conductivity levels (a measure of the
amount of dissolved salts in discharged water).
Although Gold Fields believes that Tarkwa was complying with the
prescribed conductivity levels in its water discharges, it has nonetheless
commissioned the construction of two water treatment plants at the heap
leach facilities. This is in pursuit of environmental best practice and in
compliance with the directive. The plants are expected to be operational
before the end of 2012.
In the meantime, as agreed with the Ghana Ministry of Environment,
Science & Technology and the EPA, Tarkwa will continue to dilute and
discharge excess water in a controlled manner while the plants are being
built. Tarkwa will also submit monthly progress reports on the construction
of the plants to the EPA.
The estimated impact on gold production as a result of the temporary
closure is around 15,000 ounces, which is less than 10% of the mine’s
quarterly production. Tarkwa’s Carbon-in-Leach plant, which produces
about 75% of the gold at the mine, was not affected.
-ends-
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).
Sponsor: J.P. Morgan Equities Limited