AngloGold Ashanti’s two main operational sites in the West Wits region in South Africa – Mponeng and Tau Tona – had all main power interrupted between Wednesday, March 13 and Friday, March 15, after a fire caused by lightning damaged a transformer at a main regional substation belonging to power utility Eskom. While emergency procedures allowed safe and prompt evacuation of all underground work areas, continued disruption of power to the mines due to the unplanned interruption of the main Eskom electricity supply halted all but essential water pumping services on those two operations. There was not sufficient power to run ventilation and cooling plants, hoisting infrastructure or metallurgical plants and other associated production activities.

Eskom has partially restored power until the transformer is repaired. Tau Tona resumed underground mining activities on Friday March 15. Mponeng resumed most of its operations today, apart from certain project and hoisting activities in order to enable us to operate within current electricity supply constraints. Eskom has advised that the work to repair the damage is receiving urgent attention to restore permanent supply at the regional substation.

While all efforts will be made to recover output once power is fully restored, production for the first quarter will be affected. The total adverse impact from this incident on first quarter 2013 gold production is likely to be in the region of 20,000 ounces, with consequential impact on unit costs. Details of the lost output will be made available after the quarter-end.

The company’s Vaal River operations have not been affected.

About AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold mining company and the world’s third largest gold producer. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti has 20 operations on four continents and one of the gold industry’s most successful exploration teams which work across both the established and new gold producing regions of the world. This includes land positions in Colombia, Guinea and Australia, among others. AngloGold Ashanti produced 3.944Moz of gold in 2012, generating $6.35bn in gold income. As at 31 December 2012, AngloGold Ashanti’s Ore Reserve totalled 74.1Moz.

The primary listing of the company’s ordinary shares is on the JSE Limited (JSE). Its ordinary shares are also listed on stock exchanges in London and Ghana, as well as being quoted in New York in the form of American Depositary Shares (ADSs), in Australia, in the form of CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) and in Ghana, in the form of Ghanaian Depositary Shares (GhDSs).