The Manantial Espejo project consists of two surface and two underground mines, a 2000 t/d processing facility, expanded housing in the local community and participation in a new power line.
The project is located in the province of Santa Cruz, in the mineral-rich Patagonia region of southern Argentina and is projected to produce an average of 4.1 million ounces of silver and 60,000 ounces of gold annually.
Client requirements
Ausenco’s scope included the full Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management services for the design and construction of the 2,000 t/d processing plant comprising conventional unit operations for crushing, grinding, gravity concentration, leaching and refining.
Project solution and approach
The mine plan for the Manantial Espejo project consists of two surface and two underground mines, a 2,000 t/d processing facility, expanded housing in the local community and participation in a new power line that will service the mine and the local community.
Outcomes and achievements
- Over 930,000-man hours worked on site with no LTI
- Highly challenging climatic region, with very severe wind conditions, snow and extreme temperatures
- One of very few significant minerals projects undertaken in Argentina to date
- Project commissioned in the final quarter of 2008.