Ausenco has been awarded a Create phase contract to manage the C$237 million expansion of the Gilbraltar copper-molybdenum project in Canada for Taseko Mine. Ausenco’s Minerals & Metals business will manage on an EPCM basis the Gibraltar Development Plan 3 (GDP3) expansion, which will include the construction of a 30,000 t/d concentrator to complement the existing, currently operating, 55,000 t/d facility.

Located in British Colombia, Canada, the Gilbraltar copper-molybdenum project has undergone a major, multi-phase expansion and modernisation program. Taseko reports that more than $300 million has been invested in both mining equipment and concentrator upgrades on the project. In addition to recent expansion work, Taseko expects that GDP3 will bring Gibraltar’s annual copper production capacity to 180 Mlb, double that achieved in 2010.

Ausenco CEO Zimi Meka said the project award was the second contract the company had won with Taseko, following its initial work on the development of the Prosperity copper project last year. “We have formed a strong relationship with the Taseko team and are very pleased to be working with them to deliver this project by December 2012,” he said.

“We’ve had a very positive start to 2011, winning a number of projects across our solutions phases and business lines and throughout the world, highlighting the strategic growth of our business and depth of our offering.”