Outotec was awarded a contract by Gold Fields for the delivery of process equipment to their Salares Norte greenfield gold project in the Atacama region of northern Chile. The contract value is approximately $15.9 million.
The scope of work includes the design and delivery of one 4-megawatt (MW) SAG mill and one 4-MW ball mill as well as five thickeners and one clarifier to be used in different process phases.
The mills are provided with Outotec’s Polymer Hydrostatic Shoe Bearing system, which is fitted to all new Outotec grinding mills. The system is designed to maximize grinding mill availability and simplify maintenance. Both thickeners and clarifiers are Outotec’s modular designs that enable minimized site installation time.
Outotec said it was “pleased to deliver our energy efficient and advanced process equipment to Gold Fields and support them in building profitable and sustainable operations in a challenging high-altitude location.”
Gold Fields is the 100% owner of the Salares Norte project. Once operational, the concentrator will have an average annual throughput of 2 million metric tons (mt) of ore. The equipment is planned to be delivered in Q2 2021.
