Expertise
Gold
SNC-Lavalin has a strong reputation in the gold industry with the design and construction of 10 autoclaves and over 50 mills since 1980, and with international experience in this sector.
SNC-Lavalin has provided several stages of implementation services for a variety of gold projects including the Alto Chicama Project in Peru and the Goldstrike Project in Nevada USA among others. Project teams have gained unique experience in designing for remote and harsh conditions ranging from high altitude projects in the Andes to projects in central Africa and tropical Australia.
Alto Chicama - Peru
SNC-Lavalin carried out the feasibility study and EPCM of this Peruvian gold mine on behalf of Barrick Gold.
Alto Chicama - Peru
Alto Chicama is located in the Andes Mountains in northern Peru at an altitude of 4,200 masl. It is 175km NNW of Barrick Gold’s Pierina gold project which SNC-Lavalin had previously completed the EPCM contract on behalf of Barrick Gold.
Annual gold production target was 540,000 oz/y over an initial 10-year period. Mining is via an 80,000 t/d open pit (ore and waste) followed by 42,000 tpd two stage crushing conventional heap leaching, a closed loop, zero discharge Merrill-Crowe process plant and a gold refinery producing gold bullion.
The project also included the rehabilitation of a 70 km long access road from Otuzco to the project site.
SNC-Lavalin carried out the feasibility study for this proposed development and was subsequently awarded the EPCM contract by Barrick Gold to develop the project.
Brisas - Venezuela
The Project consists of an open pit mine, crushing and grinding facilities, copper and gold processing plant, onsite infrastructure, utilities and port facilities.
Brisas - Venezuela
SNC-Lavalin was retained by Gold Reserve to provide EPCM services for the development of their Brisas project in Venezuela. This project consisted of a new large open-pit mining operation, copper and gold process plant facilities, plant site infrastructure, port site infrastructure, services and utilities. Average annual production targets were 456,000 oz/a gold and 60 Mlb copper over an 18.5 year mine life.
In addition to the main processing facilities, the development included infrastructure such as truck workshops, fuel facilities, mine maintenance workshops, explosive handling & storage, power lines, roads, sewage treatment, fresh water supply and demineralisation, tailings management facility, administration buildings, and site accommodation.
Cortez Hills - USA
The Project consists of an open pit mine, crusher, dryer, kiln, smelting, granulation and pellitization, power supply and roads.
Cortez Hills - USA
The Cortez Hills Gold project is located in north eastern Nevada in the USA and was developed by Barrick Gold. The project consisted of an open pit mine delivering 3.7 Mtpa feed to the plant, crusher, dryer, kiln, smelting, granulation and pellitization, power supply and roads.
SNC-Lavalin conducted the feasibility study and was then appointed to carry out the project development through an EPCM contract.
Veladero - Argentina
The Project is located in the Andes mountains and consisted of two open pits, two stage crushing facilities, valley-fill heap leaching, a 3.5 Mt/y Merrill - Crowe process plant and a gold refinery producing gold bullion.
Veladero - Argentina
The Veladero project in the Andes mountains in north western Argentina consisted of two open pit mines, two stage crushing facilities, valley fill heap leaching, a 3.5 Mtpa Merrill-Crowe process plant and a gold refinery producing gold bullion. Infrastructure included a 160km long access road to the site, accommodation facilities, and general site infrastructure.
SNC-Lavalin was contracted by Barrick Gold to undertake the feasibility study and the project implementation on an EPCM basis.