Mining Engineering

GHD provided mine engineering assistance to Unit Dogan Dogus Anadolu (UDDA) Energy Investments Consortium to prepare submissions for a number of coal mining projects in Turkey.

It is envisaged that one new mine will supply coal to an existing power station. The other two mine projects will include the construction of two new 1800MW installed capacity coal fired power plants. Each mine is to provide approximately 27.25 million tonnes of coal per annum.

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Centennial Coal engaged GHD to complete the conceptual design for all surface facilities required to support Anvil Hill, one of the largest open cut coalmines to be developed in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.

The design scope included a new rail loop, road systems, administration building, workshops, fuelling systems, truck and light vehicle washes, site drainage, power supply and reticulation. The topography of the mine site, located on a flood plain and bordered by an escarpment and plateau above, presented a number of restraints to the design team. Among these was the issue of limited locations for dam storage and integrating the process plant into the water drainage system. Overhead high voltage power lines, which run through the centre of the site, were also a consideration when preparing the designs.

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The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) is undertaking an integrated bauxite, alumina, aluminium and power project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

GHD has provided the mine planning, engineering for the mine site, the mine site village and facilities, and elements of the refinery infrastructure. Aker Solutions is providing the refinery design.

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GHD was engaged by Muswellbrook Shire Council to conduct a review of the plans for the Bengalla Link and Wybong Roads that are being constructed as part of the approval requirements for the Bengalla and Anvil Hill Mines.

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The Wenlock Bauxite Deposit is located on the western side of Cape York Peninsula, east of the township of Weipa.

GHD was commissioned to prepare a scoping study to provide Cape Alumina Pty Ltd with an assessment of mining, beneficiation/tailings, haulage, port/stockpile, water and infrastructure options for bauxite production.

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The Crinum East Underground Coal Mine is located approximately 50km north-east of Emerald, with production planned at 5.5Mtpa for a mine life of 5 years.

GHD was commissioned to carry out detailed design for civil, mechanical and electrical components of ramp and stockpile conveyors, including a sub station.

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GHD has recently completed concept and pre-feasibility studies for Monash Energy for their proposed mine development at Flynn in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, Australia. The significant project is a joint development of Anglo American and Shell Gas and Power for a Coal to Liquids (CTL) plant based on brown coal.

The pre-feasibility study was undertaken for a stand-alone mine with a 50-year life. The mine will be required to produce coal at approximately 3600 tonnes/hour or 31.5Mtpa to supply the CTL plant. GHD also conducted a conceptual study for a mine with double the coal supply requirement to indicate changes that would be required if  the capacity of the CTL plant was to be increased .

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The Goro area of New Caledonia contains one of the largest laterite nickel ore deposits in the world, with excellent average mineralisation grade and a very large resource base.

GHD was commissioned by Inco Australia Management to complete three different projects for Goro Nickel SAS of New Caledonia (GNi), including haul road design, analysis of a high wall failure in April 2006 and scheduling management of various minor civil works related to GNi.

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GHD has undertaken mine design, life-of-mine planning scheduling and economic evaluation for mine sites owned by Nickel Mining Company (NMC) in New Caledonia.

The four sites are Boakaine, Kouaoua, Poya and Ouaco. Kouaoua, Ouaco and Poya are currently producing limonite ore and/or saprolite nickel ore for export to Korea. Boakaine is a greenfield operation proposed for future development.

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Loy Yang Mine is a dedicated open cut coal mine in Victoria, which excavates more than 30 megatonnes of brown coal per year to supply power stations and industry.

GHD has developed numerical groundwater flow models of the mine that were used to assist in the medium and long-term planning of aquifer depressurisation, to test the impact of different aquifer depressurisation strategies and to determine aquifer pressure requirements to maintain mine stability.

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GHD provided training services in mine safety and risk assessment practices on behalf of the Government of India.

The training was designed to support development of enhanced occupational health and safety standards and procedures, codes of practices, legislative standards and mine safety information systems.

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The Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project is estimated to have a potential investment of US$ 42 million and potential gross sales of US$ 41 million per year. GHD undertook a range of project tasks for the developer (Rapu-Rapu Processing Inc) and the contractor (Leighton Contractors, Philippines, Inc.)

Services Rendered:

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Arafura Resources Limited is developing the Nolans Project, 135km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The project contains a JORC compliant resource of over 18 million tonnes, containing rare earths, phosphate and uranium oxide (U3O8).

GHD looked at the complete life of mine plan, mine infrastructure and transport infrastructure required to move crushed ore to a proposed new processing facility. We evaluated five alternative options, reflecting a number of production methods and delivery systems from the mine to the processing plant near Darwin.

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The Phulbari coal basin lies in the north-west of Bangladesh and contains 570Mt of Permian coal resource at depths of 150-300m, overlain by 120m-thick saturated tertiary sandy sediments. Asia Energy Corporation (Bangladesh) Pty Ltd was investigating the feasibility of an open cut mine to supply coal for export and in-country industries.

GHD was involved in the initial phase of work on this project in 1999, and has most recently completed the definitive feasibility study. We also prepared a Competent Persons Report to support capital raising on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.

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The Sino Iron Project is Australia's first major magnetite project and the second largest project currently under construction in the Pilbara.

Due to its remote location 1200 kilometres north of Perth in Western Australia, the client CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Ltd required the development of dedicated infrastructure to support the USD3.5billion greenfields sino iron project.

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The mining industry is under constant pressure to stay competitive whilst complying with often conflicting environmental and safety objectives.

Mining operators that remove ore from pits are under constant pressure to stay competitive whilst complying with often conflicting environmental and safety objectives.

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GHD has won international acclaim for its scientifically engineered quiet Caterpillar truck. Developed to comply with stringent noise standards in the Hunter Valley, the trucks are 20 times quieter than an untreated truck.

GHD scientists used advanced acoustics technology to limit the noise emitted by the engine, fan, transmission and differential of the Caterpillar 789C off-highway trucks. Reducing the noise level of the trucks was important because of the proximity of the nearby town of Muswellbrook, just 6km away. The stringent noise standards are regarded globally as industry-leading for open cut coalmines.

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Mt Arthur Coal mine is a large open-cut mine in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia.

To meet the most stringent noise limits for mining operations, GHD was commissioned by WesTrac (Caterpillar dealers for NSW/ACT and WA) to acoustically attenuate three Caterpillar 789C off-highway trucks.

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