Northern Star Resources is pushing ahead with its expansion of the Thunderbox gold operations in Western Australia with the award of a $101 million engineering, procurement and construction contract to GR Engineering Services.
This contract award is in relation to Northern Star Resources’ 6Mtpa expansion of the Thunderbox operations – located approximately 45 kilometres south of Leinster.
“The Thunderbox expansion increases the operation’s hard rock processing capacity to 6.0 million tonnes per annum from the current 3.0 million tonnes per annum, and decrease processing costs as outlines in the 2021 investor day presentation.
“Northern Star is pleased to be working with GR Engineering again, a local company with vast project delivery experience in the Australian mining industry,” Northern Star General Manager Processing Simon Tyrrell said.
The Thunderbox expansion project has an estimated value of $180 million and it will involve the installation of a new 18MW mill and classification circuit, new leach tanks, elution and gold room upgrades as well as new tailing thickener and tailings pumping.
GR Engineering’s contract award will include the design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the project, and works are anticipated to commence immediately.
“GR Engineering is excited to continue working with Northern Star, one of the world’s leading gold producers, to safely deliver the Thunderbox expansion project.
“We have worked with the Northern Star team over many years and see this award as a strong endorsement of our proven EPC delivery capability,” GR Engineering Managing Director Geoff Jones said.
The Thunderbox operations is located within the Yandal Belt and the Agnew-Wiluna Belt in the North Eastern Goldfields and it is comprised of the Thunderbox, Kailis, Bannockburn and Waterloo projects.
Northern Star first acquired the Thunderbox operations in 2014 and commenced gold production in 2016.
Source: Australian Mining; International Mining; Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly; Mining Technology; Northern Star Resources