N
ewmont plans to build a spur line
from the Amadeus Gas Pipeline
that runs between Darwin and
Alice Springs out to the Dead
Bullock Soak mine and Granites.
At the moment Newmont’s Tanami
operations have two diesel-ired power
stations – one at the Granites open pit mine
and processing plant and the other at the
Dead Bullock Soak underground operation
about 44km away.
hose stations generate a combined 28
megawatts to 34MW.
However, with the DBS mine going deeper,
the power draw there is likely to increase as
ventilation and refrigeration demands rise.
he average rock temperature at the sort
of depths DBS will be heading to is 58C,
meaning some sort of cooling will be needed.
“With cooling alone we can cool the air
to 28C,” Newmont Mining Corporation
regional project director Francois Hardy
said.
hat temperature issue is based on the
existing plan for DBS.
Newmont is working on a further
expansion of the underground operation,
which will likely take it below 2km depth
and add several years to the mine life there.
Another problem the mine faces is the
potential for isolation in the event of a heavy
rain event.
Hardy said a rain event earlier this year
had resulted in the mine having to be
evacuated.
he rain caused looding on the Tanami
plain, which cut road and stopped diesel
shipments getting through.
Hardy said the company was yet to
determine who would be supplying the gas.
“We’re still negotiating the various
contracts,” he said.
Permitting is still to be completed,
however, a decision on the relevant approvals
is expected next month.
Hardy said the pipeline spur would
probably be about 110km north of Alice
Springs.
With the gas pipeline in place, Newmont
will again look to have two power stations,
only this time they will be gas ired.
“We wanted to make sure we had the
lexibility to run Granites on its own should
something happen to DBS,” Hardy said.
Hesaidthelargerofthetwopowerstations would be at DBS. he combined
output of those two stations is expected to be
34MW-41MW.
Newmont is in negotiations with potential
power station providers to build those two
generators.Hardy said the incumbent power station
provider Kalgoorlie Power Systems was
on site at the moment and had been there
through the entire process.
Besides the increased power and
operational security beneits, Newmont
is also expecting to get some sizeable cost
beneits from going to gas.
On a recent results call Newmont chief
operating oicer Tom Palmer said the
company expected to get some signiicant
beneits.
“he roughly 25c kilowatt hour power cost
today, diesel ire power stations at Tanami
and with gas coming in gas power stations,
you’ll expect to see in the order of 20%
improvement there,” he said.
Palmer said there would switching to
gas would also reduce the mine’s carbon
footprint.Newmont’s power play
With the life of its Tanami gold operation extended by 13 years, Newmont Mining
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By Noel Dyson
16 AMM December 2017 http://www.miningmonthly.com
NEWS
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)TCPKVGUQPKVUQYPUJQWNFUQOGVJKPIJCRRGPVQ&$5Œ
- Newmont Mining Corporation regional project director Francois Hardy
Plans are to take the power stations at Newmont's Tanami operations over to gas.