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SPAIN is renowned as a land of festivals, hosting unique events throughout the year in its many cities and villages. The running of the bulls in Pamplona and La Tomatina in Valencia are the two fiestas that have gained the most fame internationally. On the horns For the brave, the daring or simply insane, Spain’s famed running of the bulls is an occasion not for the fainthearted. Held between July 6 and 14 every year, this spectacle takes place in villages across Spain and Portugal. Running alongside a herd of agitated bulls might seem crazy, but year after year thousands of adrenalin-seeking tourists head to Pamplona’s Sanfermines (Fiesta de San Fermín) to take part in the most famous running of...

CONSTRUCTION is underway at Endeavour Mining’s 85 per cent-owned Agbaou gold project in the Ivory Coast, and the project is now on schedule for first production in early 2014. The $159 million project is expected to average production of 103,000 ounces of gold per annum across an initial eight year mine life, at cash costs of $635 per ounce. Endeavour already owns two gold mines in Ghana and Burkina Faso, which produce about 180,000 ounces per annum, generating significant operating cash flows to fund exploration and development growth. Agbaou, which lies 200km north-west of the port city of Abidjan, is Endeavour’s most advanced property in the Ivory Coast. Approval for construction to begin at Agbaou was granted after Endeavour undertook...

WITH the recent acquisition of the Mt Jewell project from Pioneer Resources, gold exploration and development company Carrick Gold’s suite of tenements now covers 1320 square kilometres in WA’s Goldfields, less than 100km northeast of Kalgoorlie. The Mt Jewell project includes 490sqkm of tenements adjacent to Carrick’s flagship Lindsay’s, Kurnalpi and Kalpini projects, collectively known as the LKK portfolio. The new acquisition positions Carrick as the dominant gold explorer and developer in the region: the company also owns the Lady Allison project at Spargoville in the Goldfields area. Mt Jewell has a number of promising exploration targets that have the potential to increase Carrick’s total gold inventory. Importantly, the two most advanced deposits, Tregurtha and Hughes (pre-established by Pioneer) are...

A WA Government decision to back Perth-based Empire Resources’ exploration for copper in the under-explored Gascoyne region in the state’s northwest was rewarded when the company intersected shallow visible copper mineralisation in May. Empire utilised modern exploration tools and analysis to identify high-quality drill targets that had been overlooked historically. The State Government contributed $75,000 to Empire’s inaugural nine-hole reverse circulation drilling campaign at the Wynne prospect, southeast of Exmouth, with the find indicating a positive result for its exploration assistance incentives. With six discoveries to date, the latest intersection has reinforced Empire’s credentials as a WA copper and gold focussed explorer of note. Empire has entered the 2012-2013 financial year with a suite of well explored projects, with at...

MAJOR crane contractor National Crane Hire services many mining companies and sites throughout Australia, including Newmont’s  Tanami operations in the Northern Territory. The company specialises in the rental of all types of mobile cranes including crawler cranes, rough terrain cranes and all-terrain cranes. Available as self-drive or fully-operated, all National Crane Hire products are offered for long or short-term hire. The company’s modern fleet is cost effective to operate, assemble and transport, and meets relevant occupational health and safety standards. In 2011, National Crane Hire cranes were used to change the Newmont mine’s ball mill to help reduce down time and stoppages. Careful planning and execution was needed to ensure all cranes were transported to the Newmont operations in one...

THE development and expansion of WA’s mining industry has highlighted a growing concern for storage structures to comply with cyclone rating requirements. In particular, there is an increasing demand for liquid storage tanks to meet the requirements of Region D, Category 2 cyclonic wind loadings as detailed in AS1170. Tanks West storage tanks have a proven record in this regard, having survived the strong winds of cyclone Vance on Thevenard Island in 1999. In conjunction with Deacon Engineers, Tanks West has developed a restraint system using a circumferential band around the tank, connected to galvanised SHS uprights that can be bolted to the tank plinth. The system successfully restrains tanks in severe cyclonic conditions and only protrudes 220mm from the...

WHEN Alice Springs-based Centre Labour Force (CLF) was established in August 2006 it was a small office with two staff and directors administrating a 200-strong contractor workforce annually. During its time in operation, the company’s Alice Springs branch has grown to employ eight full-time staff and places more than 650 contractors each year Australia wide. Within its first 12 months of operation, CLF established a second office in Brisbane; in 2008 an opportunity became available for the company’s directors Peter and Chris Jackson to expand their business with the inception of a new division, RecruitmentNT, which provides recruitment for all industries in the Northern Territory. CLF expanded to Darwin in 2009, opening an office in Woolner, and by 2011 a...

BUSINESSES involved in the mining industry require reliable, high quality laundry equipment that operates efficiently under tough conditions. Darwin-based Australian Laundry Systems is the largest supplier of quality commercial laundry equipment in the Northern Territory, backing its professional consultation and installation with an ongoing warranty to ensure a premium service and a hassle-free process for every client. Australian Laundry Systems specialises in emergency laundry needs, on any scale. The company responds effectively and promptly to customers’ needs, offering portable laundry units as a unique, temporary solution for mine sites. The units are ideal for replacing general-use units in the case of emergency break downs, or to meet temporarily increased laundry requirements due to shutdowns or laundry maintenance. The Australian Laundry...

THE only manufacturer and importer of high pressure water cleaners in South Australia, Jetwave Industrial Equipment, has expanded its operations in order to keep up with the mining boom. Established in Adelaide in 1992, Jetwave is continuing to develop new products, particularly heavy duty cleaning equipment, to service the plumbing and shipping industries. The company is a major supplier of customised heavy-duty high pressure cleaning equipment to mining companies such as Newmont Tanami. The high pressure cleaning pumps it supplies are mounted on fully welded heavy-duty hot-dipped galvanised roll frame with 14 foot double-bearing pneumatic wheels for easy mobility. Their engine and pump assemblies are mounted on a long galvanised vibration plate attached to the roll frame via six substantial...

WA-based TWSP provides a fully integrated engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) service to Newmont Mining’s Tanami Shaft Project in the Northern Territory. An integrated Newmont and TWSP team began work on the project in October 2011, and completion is scheduled for April 2015. The scope of EPCM work associated with the Tanami Shaft Project includes construction of a vertical shaft, headframe, winder, conveyances, and underground crushing and materials handling equipment, as well as associated surface and underground services such as power, water, refrigeration, roads, buildings and other infrastructure. Detailed project designs are continously developed at the TWSP office in Perth, with assistance from TWP Holdings in Johannesburg. Major construction contracts and procurement of long lead equipment is progressing, with...

GROUNDWATER consultancy Australian Groundwater Technologies (AGT) is the only company in Australia with a focus on Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Established in 2000, AGT has built a team of exceptional hydrogeologists and environmental engineers who provide technical excellence and innovative solutions to a range of clients within the mining industry. The company has more than a decade of experience in the successful investigation and completion of more than 50 MAR schemes. Schemes have been delivered in a variety of aquifer types using urban stormwater runoff, treated reclaimed wastewater and excess water produced during mine dewatering operations. Schemes range in size from as small as 30 megalitres per year recharge up to those recharging more than 800 megalitres per year. The...