Mining Magazine > Panorama > Aker signs service contract for Toromocho

Aker Solutions has been awarded the detailed engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) services contract for Minera Chinalco’s Toromocho project in Peru. The deal is worth approximately US$143 million and was agreed after Aker completed the feasibility study and basic engineering for the project.

The Toromocho site is due to become one of Peru's largest copper mines when production begins in 2012. Aker will draw upon resources and expertise from its offices in Tucson, Arizona; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Shanghai / Beijing, China to deliver the project.

Toromocho is located 140km east of Lima, in the Morococha District in central Peru, approximately 5,000m above sea level. The project will consist of a large open pit mine and an ore processing facility capable of handling 117,200t/d of material to produce 225,000t/y of copper concentrates. Silver will also be recovered along with molybdenum tri-oxide as a by-product of the processing

David Lawson, president of Aker Solutions' Metals business said: "We are very pleased to be awarded this important project which is Chinalco's first major mining investment in South America. Our goal is to deliver this US$2.2 billion total installed cost (TIC) project in such a way that we meet or exceed the expectations of all the stakeholders. This project is another example of what we can achieve utilising a globally integrated project team."