AMEC has been awarded a contract by Balkan Minerals and Mining EAD (BMM), a subsidiary of Dundee Precious Metals, to provide engineering and procurement services for the Krumovgrad gold project in Bulgaria. BMM plans to establish an open-pit mine to extract and treat the ore, including an integrated high density tailings system and mine waste facility. The mine is expected to produce gold and silver concentrate containing approximately 74,000 oz/y of gold over approximately nine years. BMM has been involved in exploration activities in Krumovgrad, Bulgaria since 2000. The project, designed by BMM to become a showcase for environmental responsibility, community relations and mine management, is located in the Kardjali District of Bulgaria, about 15 km north of the Greek border. AMEC will undertake engineering of the process plant along with associated services. These include provision of all design documentation in accordance with European Union and Bulgarian regulations, and procurement, expediting and inspection services. The work will be executed from AMEC’s Perth and Sofia locations.
“This award is the latest in an unbeatable line of more than 220 gold feasibility studies and 125 gold projects delivered worldwide,” said Malcolm Brown, President of AMEC’s Asia Pacific Mining & Metals business. “I am delighted that our global expertise will benefit both our customer and Bulgaria.”
BMM’s parent company, Dundee Precious Metals, is a previous client of AMEC’s, with the company’s Perth office closely involved in the Chelopech gold-copper expansion project (on which International Mining has published a number of detailed articles), also in Bulgaria.