Perenti awarded contract for Motheo copper mine in Botswana
Perenti subsidiary African Mining Services (AMS) has won a contract to provide mining services at Motheo copper mine in Ghanzi, Botswana.
Sandfire Resources issued the contract which is worth a $235m. The contract has a duration of 73 months and involves AMS providing all surface mining services, including development and production activities at the A4 open pit.
The A4 open pit is located 8km from Sandfire’s existing T3 open pit, which AMS has already developed and is progressing towards production. Sandfire plans to operate the T3 and A4 open pits as an integrated mining operation, benefiting from scale and operational synergies for an optimized return on capital.
Motheo open pit copper mine
The company expects to gain primary synergies by optimizing existing infrastructure, mining equipment, maintenance facilities, and technical and operational management. The Motheo open pit copper mine, situated in the Kalahari copper belt, has an initial processing rate of 3.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), with potential for expansion up to 5.2 mtpa, and a mine life of nearly ten years.
The T3 and A4 mines within the Motheo project were officially opened recently, and the copper concentrate produced at Motheo will be transported to Walvis Bay, Namibia, for shipment to smelters worldwide. This development indicates significant growth and investment in the mining sector in Botswana and the Kalahari Copper belt, with the potential for substantial returns for both Sandfire Resources and Perenti.
