AMC plan to export high-grade bauxite from its flagship Koumbia bauxite project starting 2016. The deposit contains an indicated and inferred total resource base of 2.2 billion tonnes.
Ore mined from the Koumbia Project will be transported on a new rail line 125km to a proposed River Port site on the Rio-Nuñez.
Barges will then transport the bauxite 100km down the Rio-Nuñez to deep water in the outer estuary, where the bauxite would be off-loaded to a marine Trans-Shipper. This option, as opposed to the construction of a coastal port, saved considerable costs to the project, as well as removing potential ship-loading constraints and allowing the loading of Panamax and Cape Class Vessels.
Role
As prime contractor for design and rail safety management of the 125km new line, Longrun were responsible for track design, signalling and communications infrastructure. We worked on the detailed design for the bankable feasibility study, part of the second phase of the mining cycle. This included negotiating with the Guinea Government for track access and train path allocation.
Key challenges
• Meeting project schedule
• Developing a robust and workable plan to match the mine’s output
• Working with foreign currency
• Environmental challenges including inadequate supplies of potable water, soil erosion and protection of endangered species
• Design of railway for a country which features a hilly to mountainous interior
• Ensuring no cost blow-outs to our scope
• Working on high profile international commission
Innovations
Technology transfer experience building railways was transferred to Guinea exporting our experience to Africa. Planning designing a railway system that delivered the required tonnes to port while avoiding over investment and matching the level of engineering to the African environment.
