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Durban-based plant delivered to Guyana mine

HEAVY LOAD TO BEAR The majority of the mill assets totalled over 16 000 m3 and necessitated the chartering of a speciality heavy-lifter ship to accommodate all cargo as a single loa

SIZE MATTERS No Guyana port could accommodate the breakbulk cargo, so the cargo traveled 70 km from the port of Georgetown to Buck Hall on the Essequibo river

28th April 2017

     

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A $2.5-million project, facilitating, executing and unloading a shipment of assets for an 800 t/d modularised gold plant relocated from Durban, in South Africa, to Buck Hall, in Guyana, was concluded toward the end of last year by Canadian engineering, procurement and construction firm JDS Energy & Mining.

In January 2015, Mining Weekly reported that Canada-based mineral exploration company TMAC was selling the gold processing plant, which can be adapted for use across all commodities in mineral processing.

The plant, previously owned by US-based mining company Newmont Mining was destined for a site in West Kitikmeot, near Cambridge Bay, in the North Canadian Arctic.

The plant’s 26 modules were designed and built by South Africa-based minerals technology company Tenova Bateman’s Modular Plant division and it had been in storage at the Durban harbour for three years since construction was completed in early 2012, ahead of Newmont’s anticipated production date of April 2014.

Its fate was decided, however, when TMAC – which Mining Weekly reported in January 2014 had acquired Newmont’s Hope Bay property on a definitive acquisition agreement – decided in late 2014 to sell the plant rather than ship it to the Arctic.

In TMAC’s management discussion and analysis of the year ended December 31, 2015, it notes that it sold the plant for $2.5-million in late 2015, at a loss of $1.3-million.

In 2016, JDS reports selling the Hope Bay mill assets to Canada-based midtier gold producer Guyana Goldfields and was awarded the contract to relocate the assets from Durban, through Baltimore, in the US, and Montreal, in Canada, to Guyana Gold’s river port facility in Buck Hall, Guyana.

In its management discussion and analysis of the year ended December 31, 2016, Guyana Goldfields reports spending $8.7-million during the fourth quarter of 2016, on the acquisition of a modular 1 000 t/d processing plant and a 6 MW power plant.

“The power plant will be sufficient to meet the additional power needs associated with the new ball mill which is to be installed in the second phase of the proposed mill expansion while the modular plant has the potential to be used at some of the company’s satellite deposits pending exploration success,” Guyana Goldfields explains.

The modular plant, originally designed and built for the Hope Bay project, in Canada, consists of a primary crusher, ball mill, gravity circuit, leach circuit and flotation circuit.

“The modular plant has never been used, while the power plant was only in operation for about 18 months before being put on care and maintenance.

“The majority of the parts and equipment associated with the modular plant have been shipped and are in storage at the company’s Buck Hall facility near Georgetown,” Guyana Goldfields adds.

JDS says the majority of the mill assets were relocated from Durban. The assets totalled over 16 000 m3 and necessitated the chartering of a speciality heavy-lifter ship to accommodate all cargo as a single load.

JDS was responsible for the planning and execution of the shipment through to unloading the mill at Guyana Goldfield’s Buck Hall laydown. Major components of the scope of work comprised preparing the equipment for shipment; sourcing a ship; moving the equipment to quay side and overseeing the loading; preparing the laydown; unloading the cargo to barges in Georgetown; and transporting and unloading the barges at Buck Hall.

The oversize nature of the modules meant that there was no port facility in Guyana that could accommodate the breakbulk cargo. The ship was brought into port with the starboard side to shore and discharged the breakbulk cargo over port to a series of barges moored alongside. The ships then travelled the 70 km down from the port of Georgetown on the Demerara river to Buck Hall on the Essequibo river,” JDS states.

The work was completed in 2.5 months, including 16 days of sailing time.

Meanwhile, Canadian gold miner Victoria Gold has awarded a contract for engineering services at its Yukon-based Eagle Gold project to a partnership between JDS and global engineering firm Hatch (JDS/Hatch).

Victoria has been undertaking engineering activities on some critical project elements, such as the heap leach pad, since delivery of the feasibility study in late 2016. JDS/Hatch has been engaged to continue and complete basic engineering and move into detailed design under an engineering, procurement and construction management contract.

The JDS/Hatch team have extensive experience working together on northern projects, including the Minto mine, in the Yukon; the Hope Bay project, in Nunavut; and the recently completed Gahcho Kué mine, in Canada’s North Western Territories, which was built and brought into operation ahead of schedule and under budget.

“This is an important commitment for Victoria and we are eager to work with JDS/Hatch in the ongoing development of the Eagle Gold project,” stated Victoria president and CEO John McConnell.

He added that the work that would take place would – by advancing the engineering – enable the start of site construction activities and the placing of orders for long-lead equipment as the company continued its drive to become Yukon’s “next and largest-ever gold producer”.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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