PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Bauxite developer Metro Mining has awarded a mining contract at its Bauxite Hills mine, in Queensland, to contractor SAB Mining.
Mine construction at Bauxite Hills started in July this year, and mining operations were on schedule to start in April 2018, with Metro saying on Thursday that SAB was already on site, performing civil works.
SAB’s scope of work will include clearing and pre-strip, bauxite mining, the operation of haul trucks, loading of barges, rehabilitation of the mined areas and maintenance of both plant and equipment.
The contract will run for an initial two years, with Metro having the option to extend the contract.
“Metro is delighted to have engaged SAB Mining to carry out the mining services for the Bauxite Hills mine. SAB has been integral in assisting Metro advance the project to where it is today, and their formal appointment for mining operations represents another key milestone for the project.”
The A$35.8-million Bauxite Hills mine will start production at an initial rate of two-million tonnes a year, ramping up to a steady state of six-million tonnes a year over the first four years of operation.