TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – High-purity alumina (HPA) project developer Orbite Aluminae has awarded the contract to supply a 3 t/d calciner system for its Cap-Chat, Quebec, operation, to Outotec of Germany, the company reported on Monday.

The Quebec-based firm said that after HPA decomposition and calcination tests were completed at two calciner system supplier-piloting centres in Europe and Asia, it had chosen Outotec based upon a technical and economic evaluation of both offers.

“Following positive calcination and decomposition testing results with potential suppliers in Asia and Europe, we have been able to conclude negotiations and selected Outotec to deliver the new calcination system. The unit is expected to arrive in August, slightly ahead of our earlier communicated schedule,” Orbite president and CEO Glenn Kelly said.

Meanwhile, Orbite had in January started a design review and detailed engineering with Seneca, as well as project management and control activities with Groupe Alphard.

Orbite said that it continued to work towards a 12-month execution timeline, with hot and cold commissioning scheduled to take place during December, after which commercial operations were expected to start in January 2015, ramping up to nameplate capacity at 3 t/d during the first quarter of 2015.

“Several project elements, such as the design review, have now been completed. We are on schedule and are progressing well towards our twelve-month execution timeline,” Kelly said.

Orbite reported that Seneca had completed the mass and energy balances, project scope definition and the design basis. It had also completed a survey of Orbite’s installations at its Cap-Chat facility to evaluate changes needed, such as equipment modification/relocation, and infrastructure capacities (electricity, steam, cooling water, and building ventilation).

A piping and instrumentation diagrams review was also completed and would be issued for design.

Further, Alphard had completed the work breakdown structure to align the budget, schedule and cost tracking. To this end, the calcination equipment installation, sequence and schedule had been optimised and the general project schedule was refined.

Orbite now expected detailed engineering to be complete by May; to issue procurement and construction packages for bid by June; to start of construction by July; to receive the calcination system by August; complete plant commissioning, including cold and hot start-up, during November and December; and start commercial operations in January.

"Despite significant challenges in 2013, we are now sufficiently capitalised to execute on our main priorities. We believe that following a transformative year, we have turned the corner and are in a good position to capitalise on the opportunities our technology creates, and build greater shareholder value through the execution of our strategy," Kelly said.