Aker Kvaerner hits gold mine

Venezuelan mining company

has awarded a basic engineering contract to

for work at its gold ore mine in Poracota.

The agreement for the Poracota Gold Autoclave Project states that Aker Kvaerner’s Tucson, Arizona-based operation, will manage and provide the basic engineering for the gold ore pressure mine located at a height of 4,000m in the Peruvian Andes. The project began in February, and will continue through September 2007.

The plant’s capacity is 500 tonnes per day, and will use whole ore pressure oxidation of sulphides technology to extract gold trapped in sulphides.

The work that Aker Kvaerner will undertake includes circuit design, equipment sizing and operating cost estimates, with the initial stages scheduled to be completed after 33 weeks.