Tag Archives: César Inostroza

AtkinsRéalis to take on integrated delivery partner role at Simandou

Mining project news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

AtkinsRéalis, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has been appointed as the integrated delivery partner by Rio Tinto for the Simandou mining project in the Republic of Guinea.

In the role of integrated delivery partner, AtkinsRéalis’ global and multi-disciplinary Minerals & Metals team will provide project and construction management, engineering and technical compliance, plus contract management services as part of the multi-year contract.

This represents AtkinsRéalis’ largest mining project in the last decade, and the first mining project the company will deliver under the role of integrated delivery partner.

The Simandou site is home to the last-known, largest and richest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit in the world, AtkinsRéalis says.

The Simfer joint venture’s mine concession held an estimated total mineral resource as at December 31, 2022, of 2,800 Mt, of which Rio Tinto recently reported the conversion of an estimated 1,500 Mt to ore reserves that support a mine life of 26 years, with an average grade of 65.3% Fe and low impurities.

“Decarbonising future infrastructure projects means looking at end-to-end construction and engineering processes, including steel production,” César Inostroza, CEO, Minerals & Metals, AtkinsRéalis, says. “New infrastructure builds are only increasing in frequency and scale, as public and private-sector clients look to decarbonise, manage climate risk and build climate resiliency. Simandou’s first-class iron ore deposit will be a vital ally to the world’s Net Zero transition, producing the lower-carbon intensity steel needed for these sustainable infrastructure new builds.

“Throughout our mandate at Simandou, a top priority is to deploy the full breadth of our Engineering Net Zero capabilities, to ensure sustainable mining solutions are prioritised at all stages. Not only will we be responsible stewards of the land, but we look forward to providing social value and economic opportunities for current and future generations of Guineans.”

Oversight of the rail line and port components of the project will involve a joint collaboration between AtkinsRéalis’ Transportation and Minerals & Metals teams. This includes bringing together expertise from project teams in Montreal, London, Conakry and Belo Horizonte.

Simfer Jersey Limited is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings Ltd (CIOH) (47%), a Chinalco-led joint venture of leading Chinese SOEs (Chinalco (75%), Baowu (20%), China Rail Construction Corporation (2.5%) and China Harbour Engineering Company (2.5%)). Simfer S.A. is the holder of the mining concession covering Simandou Blocks 3 & 4, and is owned by the Guinean State (15%) and Simfer Jersey Limited (85%). Simfer Infraco Guinée S.A.U. will deliver Simfer’s scope of the co-developed rail and port infrastructure, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Simfer Jersey Limited, but will be co-owned by the Guinean State (15%) after closing of the co-development arrangements.

SNC-Lavalin bolsters Canada mining and metallurgy practice with hire of Miguel Tortosa

Mining people, Mining services, , ,

SNC-Lavalin, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has announced the appointment of Miguel Tortosa as Vice-President and General Manager, Mining and Metallurgy, Canada.

Based in Toronto, he will report to César Inostroza, CEO, Mining and Metallurgy at SNC-Lavalin.

Along with leading business initiatives for the mining and metallurgy practice across Canada, Tortosa will be responsible for identifying and executing on new growth opportunities for the global mining and metallurgy practice. He will be supporting the mining and metallurgy team in providing leading technical expertise to clients, while collaborating with other practice groups across SNC-Lavalin to leverage the full capabilities of the company’s end-to-end service offering in delivering client mandates, SNC-Lavalin says.

“We’re excited to have Miguel step into this important role for the mining and metallurgy business,” Inostroza said. “His significant global and domestic experience, developed across projects in Canada, South Africa, Australia, Chile and Brazil, and his specialised insight across the mining lifecycle, will be a great asset to our clients. His expertise and energy will enable us to build strong networks across the business, optimise our service delivery, and deploy the best of SNC-Lavalin’s global capabilities locally on projects across Canada.”

He added: “Mr Tortosa will help advance our role in sustainable mining and the indispensable role it plays in critical mineral supply to support the growing market for batteries required to support electric vehicles, along with the increasing electrification of society in support of net zero.”

A Montreal native, Tortosa graduated from Polytechnique Montréal with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining SNC-Lavalin, he worked in the mining practice at global engineering firm Wood.

SNC-Lavalin to help BAMIN join up mining and rail ops at Pedra de Ferro

Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a C$14.8 million ($11.4 million), two-year contract to provide design and engineering services for the Pedra de Ferro project in northeast Brazil for BAMIN, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ERG.

The Pedra de Ferro project involves an iron ore mining operation in the state of Bahia that extracts and processes two types of ore, hematite and itabirite, and transports it for commercialisation via rail and sea. To help increase capacity and expand production, the company will design and engineer an open-pit mine, a hematite processing plant, an itabirite processing plant, a product storage yard, a cargo loading station and a railway loop that will provide access to the West-East Integration Railroad (FIOL). In September 2021, BAMIN signed a concession agreement with the Brazilian Federal Government to complete and operate a section of the FIOL railway in the country. Once completed, FIOL will be able to carry 60 Mt/y of freight, with BAMIN’s products accounting for a third of this capacity.

“Our integrated pit-to-port approach is present at every level in the mining industry, including greenfield, brownfield, new investments, due diligence and assessment studies,” Cesar Inostroza, SNC-Lavalin Mining & Metallurgy CEO, said. “Whether it’s complementing existing operations or getting new ones up and running, we deliver safely on time and on budget.”

Maria de Lourdes Bahia, SNC-Lavalin Mining & Metallurgy Vice-president, Brazil, said: “This project is extremely important to the Brazilian economy, helping generate thousands of jobs and positioning Bahia to become the third largest iron ore producing state in Brazil. Our commitment to innovation, technology and sustainability enables us to deliver the best solutions with lasting benefits to our clients and the communities in which we work and live.”

ERG has previously flagged that Pedra de Ferro could produce up to 18 Mt/y of iron ore at full capacity.

SNC-Lavalin to expand tailings and water management business with appointment of Trevor Sparks

Environmental, Mining people, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , ,

SNC-Lavalin has appointed Dr Trevor Sparks as Global Vice-President of Tailings and Water Management for the company’s Mining & Metallurgy business.

Trevor is based in the UK and will lead the expansion of the company’s tailings and water management global business in the mining industry, working in collaboration with teams around the world.

Cesar Inostroza, Mining & Metallurgy Senior Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin, said: “We are excited to welcome Trevor to the team. He brings a wealth of proficiency and knowledge and will play an important role in leading and deploying our world-class expertise aimed at helping our clients solve their tailings and water challenges in a sustainable manner.”

Dr Sparks has 30 years of experience in fluid engineering, solid-liquid filtration and mineral processing, as well as project execution, sales & marketing and consultancy. This includes roles with Outotec and, most recently, Metso Outotec.

He has a recognised track record of delivering operational excellence in leading the expansion of businesses and markets, according to SNC-Lavalin. He has guided and delivered numerous international projects, working with multidisciplinary teams to achieve significant increases in business performance.

SNC-Lavalin names Tony Lipiec as Global VP of Minerals & Metallurgical Processing

Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining people, Mining services, , , , ,

SNC-Lavalin, an integrated professional services and project management company, has appointed Tony Lipiec as its Global Vice President of Minerals & Metallurgical Processing.

Lipiec will lead engineering process teams on large- and small-scale mining and metallurgy process projects, covering multiple technical areas including mineral processing and hydrometallurgy for commodities in the base and precious metals industries, the Montreal-headquartered company said.

“We are very excited to welcome Tony, who will play an important role in delivering our global growth strategy,” Cesar Inostroza, Mining & Metallurgy Senior Vice-President, SNC-Lavalin, said. “From project management to innovative process development for base and precious metals, his expertise will further enhance our integrated ‘pit to port’ offering, providing efficient project operations and more value to our clients.”

Lipiec has more than 35 years of project and management experience, working in many segments of the mining and metallurgy engineering and construction business around the world, including in Africa, Russia, North and South America, SNC-Lavalin says. He also has extensive expertise in operations, engineering, research, plant construction and consulting on projects from pilot to full-scale process plants, including process development for precious, base and specialty metals using conventional and innovative technologies.

Last year, SNC-Lavalin announced the results of a strategic review of its Resources Business, with the decision to transform the business to focus solely on the profitable parts of the service business and sell or close non-primary parts of the business, including the exit of multiple geographies.

SNC-Lavalin to manage construction of Coeur’s Rochester silver-gold mine expansion

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a $30 million contract by Coeur Rochester Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coeur Mining, to provide construction management services for the Plan of Operations, Amendment Number 11 (POA 11) expansion project, at Coeur’s Rochester mine near Lovelock, Nevada, USA.

The contract commenced in the December quarter and is estimated to be completed by the end of 2022. This win is aligned with SNC-Lavalin’s new strategy moving forward in the Services segment, it said.

The POA 11 expansion project includes the construction of a new crushing plant, including a primary, secondary and tertiary crushing circuit (high pressure grinding rolls), a new heap leach pad (272 Mt), a new Merrill-Crowe process plant (62,509 litres/min), and upgrades to existing electrical utility system infrastructure, including a new substation and power distribution lines.

Coeur says this will more than double planned annual crusher throughput capacity from around 12.7 Mt to over 25.4 Mt, post-expansion. This will see average annual silver and gold production total over 8 Moz and some 80,000 oz, respectively, for the initial 10 years, post-expansion

SNC-Lavalin said: “This mandate is well aligned with our expertise in silver, gold and base metal project delivery as well as our commitment to delivering real value to our clients.”

SNC-Lavalin’s offices in Reno, Nevada, and Toronto, Ontario, will continue to support the construction management phase of the project. In addition, a team based locally at the site will manage construction-related activities.

César Inostroza, Senior Vice-President, Mining & Metallurgy, SNC-Lavalin, said: “SNC-Lavalin’s Mining & Metallurgy strategic plan is gaining traction with this mandate. It is an example of the mining services work that our team is winning across our core geographies, including the USA. SNC-Lavalin and Coeur continue to foster a strong relationship that finds and executes services solutions to create world-class operations

“This award is a testament to the continued partnership between SNC-Lavalin and Coeur. It leverages our knowledge of the Rochester mine and engineering expertise from the previous phase of this project and expands our work in the US.”

Terrence FD Smith, Coeur’s Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, added: “The strong business partnership between Coeur and SNC-Lavalin will help ensure a robust project delivery for Rochester, paving the way for improved performance in the future.”

Since approval of the initial Plan of Operation in 1986, the Rochester mine has undergone periodic mine plan amendments to support development projects and continued operations. The POA 11 proposes another mine life extension, which is expected to maintain the current workforce and support full production activities at Rochester until 2033.

SNC-Lavalin delivering on new strategy with Rochester POA11 project win

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining project news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

SNC-Lavalin says it has been awarded a contract to provide engineering, procurement and overall project management services for the Rochester POA11 project in Nevada, USA, by Coeur Rochester Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coeur Mining.

This phase of the project is estimated to be complete by October 2020, according to the company.

The project is anticipated to include a 20 Mt/y crushing plant, including a primary and secondary crushing circuit as well as a high pressure grinding roll circuit, a 13,750 gpm (52,049 litres per minute) Merrill-Crowe process plant, a new substation with power distribution and new heap leach pad.

Since approval of the initial plan of operation in 1986, the Rochester Mine has undergone periodic mine plan amendments to support mine development projects and continued operations. The mine plan amendment (termed Plan of Operations Amendment Number 11, or simply ‘POA 11’) proposes another mine life extension, which would maintain the current workforce and operate the mine at full production until 2033, SNC-Lavalin said. Coeur says it expects to produce 27,000-33,000 oz of gold and 4-5.5 Moz of silver in 2020.

The Rochester POA11 project is located 160 km northeast of Reno near Lovelock, Nevada. The Rochester mine is an open-pit operation that produces silver and gold. Mining methods include typical open-pit techniques where ore and waste rock are drilled, blasted, crushed, loaded and hauled to either leach pads (ore) or rock disposal sites.

This mining and metallurgy contract win is aligned with the company’s new strategy moving forward towards engineering services and greater growth, SNC-Lavalin said.

The Montreal-based company will provide overall project management services and integrate the engineering performed by various service providers under one set of specifications, procurement policies, standards, systems and procedures, it said. Services will be provided out of its offices in Toronto, Canada, with local support from the Reno, Nevada, branch. This mandate will include additional support such as public consultations, community engagement and working with the local community to address any impacts on the public, housing and accommodations during the project period.

César Inostroza, Senior Vice-President, Mining & Metallurgy, SNC-Lavalin, said: “As a first project with Coeur Mining, we look forward to building a long-term relationship and supporting our client to develop their silver and gold mine in Nevada.

“This mandate is well aligned with our services-based strategy for mining and metallurgy projects. This is one of multiple mining projects we have recently been awarded in the US market, and we see great potential in expanding our capabilities in the region. We look forward to contributing to our client’s project success through our extensive technical and project experience.”