Lycopodium was engaged to deliver Stages 4 and 5 of the Akyem project. Stage 4 involved performing option studies and other studies to determine Akyem’s economic viability and optimising a single option to develop the project to Stage 5. Stage 5 of Akyem was the full development of the project including detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, start-up and preliminary operations.
The Akyem Gold Project is located in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region of Ghana; 133 kilometres northwest of the capital city of Accra. Akyem is a greenfield 8.5 Mtpa gold process plant with associated reagents and utilities; tailings storage dam; water storage dam; power connection and transmission from the regional power grid (via a 105km 132kV line), as well as 12 MW emergency power station.
Lycopodium was engaged to deliver Newmont’s Stages 4 & 5 of the Akyem Project.
Stage 4 involved performing option studies and other studies to determine Akyem’s economic viability and optimising a single option to develop the project to Stage 5. Stage 5 of Akyem was the full development of the project including detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, start-up and preliminary operations.
Primary crusher commissioning was completed in July 2013. First gold pour was achieved on 4 October, 2013 with Newmont announcing the safe and successful commercial production delivered on budget and on schedule.
Process Description
The Akyem gold process plant was designed to treat 7.4 Mtpa 100% primary ore and up to 8.5 Mtpa of 30% oxide ore blended with 70% primary ore. The gold plant process flowsheet was originally conceived to be a duplicate of the Newmont Ahafo Gold Project (also executed by Lycopodium) process plant flowsheet for purposes of commonality of equipment and operating practices. As the Ahafo plant was commissioned in 2006, several flow sheet modifications were necessary for Akyem and were incorporated into the Akyem flowsheet. The plant was designed to operate for fifteen (15) years, treating 110 million tonnes of ore and producing 500,000 ounces of gold contained in doré annually.
