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Ghana: Small Remote Gold Mining Operation

The Ayanfuri Gold Mine in the Ashanti Region of Ghana was developed by Cluff Resources Ltd (CRL).

Lord Consulting Engineers participated as specialist power engineering consultants in the production of a bankable feasibility study. The most appropriate power supply arrangements for this remote location was a primary consideration in the planning of its development.

The proposed scale of the operation and its distance from the nearest utility connection point dictated that an on-site power generation facility would be required. This was sized, designed, specified and procured on behalf of CRL by Lord Consulting Engineers who also oversaw its installation and commissioning.

The electrical power distribution needs of the operation were also designed and specified by Lord Consulting Engineers. Electrical installation work was completed by a locally based contractor. Final testing, commissioning and handover of the completed installation was overseen by Lord Consulting Engineers.

Our Projects > Ghana: Existing Gold Mine - Emergency Power

The Ghanaian electrical power supply system relies for the major proportion of its supply capacity, on the Akosombo hydro electric scheme in the eastern region of the country.

Unseasonal droughts in 1997 and 1998 coupled with a dramatic increase in demand resulted in serious shortfalls in electrical power availability in 1998. All utility supplied electrical energy users were required to significantly reduce their consumption for an extended period.

Lord Consulting Engineers were commissioned by three separate, existing gold mining companies to identify and implement solutions to permit these operations to continue in production in spite of the electrical power supply deficit.

In each case the solution was similar, although implementation details varied across the sites. Base load plants, sized appropriately to the operations' energy needs were established at each site using fast track, rental, containerised, diesel powered, parallel configured generator sets connected into the sites' electrical distribution systems. In some instances, connections were made at MV, in others, at LV. In all cases additional switchgear and cabling had to be provided and connected into existing systems. Appropriate protection for parallel operation with the utility had to be provided. Installation layout details and configurations had to be determined.

Lord Consulting Engineers project managed these installations at each site including designing, specifying and procuring the temporary electrical installations at each site and overseeing the testing, commissioning and placing into service of each temporary installation

Our Projects > Ghana: Large Multi-Phase Gold Mining operation

Teberebie Goldfields Ltd (TGL) first commenced gold mining in Ghana in 1989. Lord Consulting Engineers' involvement in this project began even earlier, however, with their participation as specialist electrical power engineering consultants in the feasibility study completed in 1987.

Our association with this successful operation continued throughout its life and involved us in providing a full range of electrical engineering services including feasibility studies, design, specification, procurement and construction management through all phases of its development.

The project evolved in the following stages:

Initial mine, process plant and infrastructural development

Phase 1 expansion

Distributed standby power facilities

Centralised power factor correction facilities

Phase 2 expansion

Independent, on-site power station study

Our Projects > : Large Mineral Sands Mining Operation - New Dredge

After the cessation of hostilities that afflicted the small, West African state of Ghana, Ghana Rutile Limited recommenced the construction of a second, large dredge and floating process plant for their mineral sands mining operation, that had been abandoned in 1995.

Lord Consulting Engineers were engaged, in 2006, as consulting engineers on the electrical aspects of that project.

Our involvement included the following:

Reviewing the suitability of equipment that had been purchased for this project and stored, both on and off site, for the new dredge.

Conceptual design revisions to maximise economic reuse of available equipment.

Negotiating a design and build contract for electrical and instrumentation works.

Managing the electrical and instrumentation works contract.

Attendance, as Client's representative during commissioning and handover of electrical systems.

The new dredge was placed into operation in January 2008.

Our Projects > Ghana: Large Remote Gold Mining Operation

The Eastern region of Ghana, in Anglophone West Africa, is a remote gold mining province. This area , bordering on Mali, is essentially devoid of electrical infrastructural development. Any mining or other operation being established there must, therefore, be fully self-sufficient in terms of all essential services and infrastructure. The new ghana gold mine, which first went into production in 1997, is one such venture.

Lord Consulting Engineers, as specialist consultants to Africa Deposit Ltd, provided consulting electrical power engineering services to the development. On-site power generation was the only option for this site.

The Client preference was that electrical power be provided by an independent third party on an 'over the fence' basis. Our involvement included sizing and specifying the required power plant and advising the client on the appropriate technical terms and conditions to be included in the supply contract.

Our involvement was extended to designing, specifying, procuring, installing, testing and commissioning temporary power plant control and distribution equipment necessary to enable the generation plant to provide power for commissioning purposes in advance of the programmed start-up date. This requirement arose from a decision to accelerate the commissioning process.

Our Projects > Ghana: New, Remote Gold Mining Operation

Wassaw, Ghana is some distance from the electrical utility network that serves the central and western regions, on the border of which Wassaw is located. When it came to determining the optimum electrical power supply source for the proposed gold mine to be established here, the pros and cons of a long overland line versus on-site generation had to be carefully assessed.

The mining company, Africa Goldfields Ltd, commissioned Lord Consulting Engineers to advise them on this vital matter. Lord Consulting Engineers also participated in the preparation of the full feasibility study on the project as specialist sub-consultants to Pincock, Allen and Holt, USA based mining and mineral processing consultants.

The nature and scale of the project were such that the client chose to manage its construction directly and appointed Lord Consulting Engineers as specialist electrical power engineering consultants for all aspects of the development. Our responsibilities covered the full range of services including design, specification, procurement, contractor appointment, construction supervision, testing, commissioning, handover and preparation of operating and maintenance manuals for all electrical infrastructure.

The project included the following elements:

6MW multiple diesel set power station

Site 11kV distribution network

Multi-stage crushing and screening plant

Extensive conveying installation

Solution spraying and recovery facilities

Gold treatment plant

Ancillary services (e.g. administration, workshops, etc.)

Remote staff housing village

The mine commenced production in 1999

The drought induced electrical power shortfalls that beset Ghana in the late 1990s prompted a number of significant mining companies in that country to establish supplementary diesel powered generation facilities at their mines.

The majority of these were temporary arrangements, provided to 'ride out' the temporary situation that had arisen. Others were permanent. One such permanent facility involved a total of ten 1.6MW diesel powered generators connected for synchronous parallel operation, and configured to operate as a 16MW base load plant thus reducing the level of demand from the utility supply.

Lord Consulting Engineers  were commissioned as specialist electrical power engineers to design and specify this installation and to test, commission and handover the completed facility to the client. Lord Consulting Engineers also prepared a comprehensive set of operating and maintenance manuals for the completed facility. Overall project management and building and civil works were provided by Africa Deposit Ltd.

Our Projects > Ghana: Existing Gold Mine - Troubleshooting

The Ghanaian Australian Goldfields mining operation is Western Ghana first commenced production in 1990.

Difficulties were encountered with a critical element of the electrical infrastructure.

Lord Consulting Engineers were commissioned to investigate, report on and make recommendations to address these difficulties.

This work was undertaken on an emergency basis.

The investigation commenced on site within 48 hours of the first communication with power being restored 24 hours later.

Our Projects > Ghana: Large Mineral Sands Mining Operation - New Power Station

To support their mining expansion plans, Ghana Rutile Limited required that their existing, diesel based power station, dating from the 1960s, be replaced with a new, HFO power plant. A 28MW, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems plant and equipment package was purchased for this purpose.

The package included detailed engineering and design of the plant but did not include construction or the supply of the necessary mechanical and electrical materials and minor equipment.

Lord Consulting Engineers, acting in the capacity as project consultant, managed the project from original purchase order through to final testing, commissioning and handover. This necessitated the engagement of various, specialist contractors and other consultants, in collaboration with the Client's management, to deliver the project.

The new power station was completed and handed over to the Client in March 2009.