Project highlights
- Region: East Africa
- Industry Sector: Mining and Minerals
- Commodity: Gold
- Project: 650tph Crushing Plant
- Scope: Detail Design, Procurement and Manufacturing, Construction and Commissioning
- Duration: 24 months
- Project Value: $TBC
Project details
Introduction/Overview:
Since 2023, CEMS has been involved in the engineering, design and procurement support for a major greenfield crushing circuit upgrade for a large-scale gold mining operation in East Africa. The project was developed to replace ageing infrastructure and provide a modern, high-capacity crushing facility capable of processing approximately 650 tonnes per hour, delivering a product size of P100 <22 mm to the milling circuit.
The multidisciplinary scope included process engineering, mechanical design, civil and structural engineering, electrical and instrumentation design, 3D modelling, procurement support and project management. The facility comprises a ROM tipping area, primary crushing station, screening plant, secondary crushing circuit, conveying systems and stockpile infrastructure.
The Solve:
One of the key challenges encountered during the project was the presence of unfavourable founding conditions associated with an existing waste rock dump beneath the proposed crusher infrastructure. Extensive geotechnical investigations confirmed that conventional shallow foundations would not provide the required support for the heavy process structures.
To overcome these conditions, CEMS developed a deep foundation solution incorporating more than 150 micropiles installed to depths of up to 20 metres. This approach enabled the transfer of structural loads into competent founding strata while minimising construction risk and maintaining the project schedule.
Beyond the geotechnical challenges, CEMS delivered a fully integrated engineering solution encompassing process design, mechanical equipment layouts, structural steel and reinforced concrete design, piping, electrical and instrumentation systems, as well as detailed 3D modelling and procurement support. Equipment packages included crushing, screening, conveying, dust extraction and ancillary systems, ensuring seamless integration across all disciplines and providing a fully coordinated design ready for construction.
Conclusion:
The project demonstrates CEMS’ capability to deliver complex brownfield and greenfield mineral processing infrastructure in challenging environments throughout Africa. Through innovative foundation engineering, multidisciplinary collaboration and comprehensive design management, the new crushing facility provides a robust and reliable solution that supports increased production, improved plant availability and long-term operational performance.
From concept through detailed design and procurement support, the project highlights CEMS’ ability to provide practical, value-driven engineering solutions for the gold mining sector across East Africa.
