Republic Gold (ASX: RAU) is moving closer to finalising metallurgical technical reports for inclusion in the Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for the Amayapampa Gold Project in Bolivia.
The two major engineering contracting firms involved in completing the metallurgical component of the BFS, Worley Parsons (tailings dam and water supply) and Fraser Osborn (treatment plant design and costing), have made simultaneous and successful visits to Bolivia and the Project.
Amayapampa Project Development Manager, Paul Pyke said “after accompanying the engineers from both Worley Parsons and Fraser Osborn on site, I am increasingly confident that we are nearing the construction of this major project."
"Sufficient and high quality expertise is available within Bolivia to enable most of the project to be completed by local companies, therefore significantly minimising construction costs."
"This is another step towards finalising the BFS, which we expect to be completed within the next two months,” he added.
Engineers from Worley Parsons’ offices in Canada successfully completed a weeklong site visit to investigate the tailings dam location and potential process water supplies for the treatment plant and mine.
Worley Parsons has been instructed to design a tailings dam for approximately 20 million tonnes of tailings, representing the existing Measured and Indicted resource for Amayapampa.
Worley Parsons will also ensure that the tailings disposal system is as water-efficient as current modern technology allows and completely environmentally sound.
The Worley Parson engineers believe a modified design for a site upstream from the existing mine camp will be adequate for the storage volume required.
The Worley Parsons engineers also investigated potential water supply sources for the project.
They have suggested a modification to the originally planned water storage site to a site downstream from the Project and a new dam site close to the Project to cater for the increased treatment plant capacity.
Investigations into potential groundwater sources will also be advanced to augment the surface dam sites.
Fraser Osborn principal, Frank Osborn has completed a three-week site and in-country visit. Fraser Osborn has made significant progress with the plant design, including designing the plant layout and moving its location.
Fraser Osborn has selected an alternative treatment plant site more suited to the larger 2.7Mtpa project.
Osborn was able to successfully meet with a number of Bolivian civil, electrical, structural and mechanical engineering companies confirming the world-class standards of these firms.
The company believes that sufficient expertise exists in Bolivia for the fabrication of considerable amounts of the treatment plant to be done in the country and for the plant to be constructed by Bolivian engineering firms.
Planning for the new powerline route, design and construction is well advanced.
The company has appointed Roger Brickl on a contract basis to examine all logistical issues relating to the construction of the Project.
Brickl has over twenty five years of mine construction experience at Roxby Downs and for the past six years in the construction of iron ore project infrastructure for a number of Rio Tinto mines in the Pilbara.
Brickl has been in Bolivia for the past two weeks accompanying Frank Osborn, and will initially work on road access and the powerline route to the Project from the sub-station at nearby Llallagua.