Ausenco has been awarded a Create phase contract for OceanaGold’s Didipio gold-copper project in the Philippines. Ausenco’s role in the project, due for completion by October 2011, involves the provision of $7 million of engineering and procurement services for the mine’s process plant and power station. Ausenco CEO Zimi Meka: “Our Minerals & Metals business was involved in the Didipio project before it was put on care and maintenance, so we are glad to be able to continue working with the team once again on this exciting project.” OceanaGold has funding in place for the expected $140 million capital to complete the project and has recently started pre-construction activities after obtaining permits and licences, to achieve commercial production in the first quarter of 2013.

The Didipio project is located about 270 km north of Manila in Northern Luzon, Philippines. The Didipio open pit has a total reserve of 14.94 Mt grading 0.80 g/t Au and 0.62% Cu (for 390,000 oz gold and 90,000 t copper) while the Didipio underground has a total reserve of 19.88 Mt grading 1.98 g/t Au and 0.51% Cu (for 1.27 Moz gold and 100,000 t copper). The proposed development comprises four years of open-pit mining, followed by at least 11 years of subsequent underground sub-level caving operations, totalling an expected minimum 15 years of processing operations.

Additional mine planning has focused on accelerating recovered metal to improve cash flow from the open cut with better sequencing of the open cut and underground interface and production.