Floyd Botha from engineering firm, Hatch said on Tuesday that they are on course to complete construction between June and September 2009 as scheduled. The Activox refinery is meant to start producing nickel from ore concentrates in June 2010. On Tuesday, the plant owners BMR held a brief ceremony to mark the start of construction at the site. Botha, the Hatch project manager said at the ceremony that the earthworks and bush clearing at the site has been completed two weeks ahead of schedule and the camping village is also ready. He said the sub-contractors started the earthworks in October last year. Up to 300,000 cubic metres of earth was removed from the site while 240,000 cubic metres was put back.
Botha said the sub-contractors have not been affected by the shortage of construction materials in southern Africa. "Currently there are shortages of pocket cement now and then but that will not affect us because we have cement silos on site and we get the supply directly from PPC in Gaborone. The contractors have assured us that the supply would be adequate for our project." The entire project requires about 35,000 cubic metres of concrete. Currently the project employs 602 workers but Botha said they will need 200 more by January for civil works. BMR will employ 450 people permanently when the Activox plant is operational.
