GR Engineering to build paste plant at Saracen’s Thunderbox operation

GR Engineering Services has been awarded additional work by Saracen Mineral Holdings at the Thunderbox and Carosue Dam gold operations in Western Australia.

The contract additions, which have a combined value of A$29 million ($19.9 million), include an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Thunderbox Paste Plant project and an approved variation of the Carosue Dam Operations Plant Expansion project.

The Thunderbox paste plant work will involve the design, supply installation and commissioning of a new 150 m3/h paste backfill plant at Thunderbox. The project includes work at the existing Thunderbox operations’ (pictured) processing facility along with works at a new remote paste plant location. The contract price is A$22 million. GR Engineering says work will start immediately and is expected to complete in the first half of 2021.

At Carosue Dam, meanwhile, GR Engineering has been awarded a variation under the existing contract to install a paste pump at the Karari Paste Plant to distribute paste to the Whirling Dervish underground mine. The value of the variation is A$7 million.

These additions come on the back of being awarded a contract to carry out the engineering design, procurement and construction of expansion works on Saracen’s mineral processing plant at Carosue Dam, in November.

GR Engineering’s Managing Director, Geoff Jones, said: “GR Engineering has now worked with Saracen on three key projects in the last two years and we look forward to continuing our strong working relationship with one of Australia’s leading gold producers.”