27 July, 2005
The Khanong Development Group joint venture of Ausenco and Bateman Engineering, has been awarded Queensland’s top engineering excellence award for its work on the Oxiana Resources’ Sepon Copper and Gold Project in the remote jungle of Laos, 42km up the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The Brisbane-based group was announced as the RW Hawken Award winner at the 2005 Queensland Engineering Excellence Awards ahead of 28 other major and innovative engineering projects.
The project was also awarded the Engineering Excellence Award for Resource Development.
The challenge was to engineer, procure, construct and commission a world’s first copper processing facility to produce 60,000 tonnes a year of LME “A” grade copper cathode and to double the capacity of the existing gold plant to 2.5 million tonnes a year of ore throughput.
The copper facility is a patented copper leaching process developed in Queensland.
The project was delivered 2 weeks ahead of schedule on a 2½ year program and under budget.
Queensland President of Engineers Australia, Melissa Griffith, said the Khanong Development Group Joint Venture was an example of exceptional engineering merit that clearly demonstrated the expertise and innovative practices of our Queensland-based engineering industry.
In accepting the award, Mr Zimi Meka of Ausenco said “On behalf of the KDG I thank Engineers Australia for their recognition of this outstanding project, made possible through the unswerving commitment of our project team and great support from our client, LXML (wholly owned by Oxiana).”
In responding for Bateman Engineering, Jim Smith noted that: “Great projects require innovation, commitment and continuously reinforced focus. Sepon Copper/Gold is a great project delivering significant returns to Oxiana, whom KDG thanks for its continued trust as we turn to future projects at Sepon Mine. It is an honour for KDG to receive this prestigious award from Engineers Australia.”
The RW Hawken Award is presented in honour of the significant contribution to engineering in Queensland and across Australia, made by Professor Roger William Hawken, including Chair of Engineering and Dean of the Faculty at the University of Queensland for 29 years.
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Ausenco Limited, provides multi-disciplined engineering, procurement, project and construction management services to the mining, minerals and metal processing industry. The company participates in all phases of a project’s progression, from project scoping studies, process option/technical review assessments, feasibility studies utilised for project financing, through to project design, construction and commissioning. Ausenco’s group of companies also services companies through their operation and maintenance division, supplying key asset management and operational support. These services are applied to projects in a broad range of processing areas, both nationally and internationally.
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