Mining Magazine > Panorama > AEL emulsion plant for Sukari Gold

Panorama

AEL Mining Services, has announced that it has successfully established a presence in North Africa with the installation of an emulsion plant at Sukari Gold Project, Egypt.

Mark Benning, business development manager for AEL Africa commented: "Our move into North Africa is exciting and parallels our global expansion into the Asia Pacific region where offices have been established and bulk emulsion manufacturing plants similar to that at Sukari will be installed."

Sukari Gold mine is situated 800km south of Alexandria. The mine is jointly owned by Pharaoh Gold Mines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centamin Egypt, and the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority.

AEL was awarded the contract by Pharaoh Gold in 2007, to supply the mine with bulk emulsion technology and down-the-hole services. Fabrication of the US$3million emulsion plant began in August 2008. The ancillary equipment was assembled in Johannesburg and shipped to Alexandria in November, arriving on site in January 2009. The modular emulsion plant was erected in a record time of 20 days and produced the first emulsion on schedule for the first blast on February 1.

The contract also covers the supply of three mobile manufacturing units to Sukari. The units are based on 14t off-road trucks that carry raw materials, including emulsion and ammonium nitrate, from the plant to the bench, where a variety of blends can be produced to suit the application.

The first mobile unit was shipped to the site in September 2008, the second during April 2009, with the third unit due early 2010. Targeted explosives production is approximately 4,600t during 2009, increasing to 13,000t in 2011.

Trevor Schultz, executive director of operations for Centamin Egypt said: "The AEL team's perseverance and untiring efforts at getting the Sukari emulsion plant operational by the end of January is highly commended. It allowed us to set off our first blast as scheduled on the February 1, 2009. This deadline was so important to us, as it established credibility with the ministry, the military and other members of various government agencies.”

Portal construction at Sukari is well underway. The first blast in the underground decline is scheduled for July 1, 2009, for which AEL will supply underground bulk systems emulsion which will be manufactured on site.