Barrick Gold Processing Plant Maintenance Review and Risk Assessment
Holistic Asset Management (HolisticAM) partnered with Barrick Lumwana to commence the first stage in their Asset Management Improvement project in Zambia. HolisticAM provided a process plant maintenance review to ensure positive outcomes for the plant performance and the long-term sustainability of the operation.
HolisticAM mobilised 2 senior asset management consultants during April & May 2018 to conduct the review on the Lumwana process plant. The objectives of this review were to identify key areas of risk and opportunity to enable successful accomplishment of the Life of Mine production plan of processing 25MPTA through the grinding circuit from 2020.
CLIENT OVERVIEW
The Lumwana copper mine is a conventional open pit (truck and shovel) operation. It’s located about 100 kilometers west of Solwezi in Zambia’s Copperbelt — one of the most prospective copper regions in the world. Lumwana ore, which is predominantly sulfide, is treated through a conventional sulfide flotation plant, producing copper concentrate.
THE CHALLENGE
Barrick Lumwana was planning to implement their Asset Management Improvement project in Zambia. They needed a review of the current situation of the Lumwana process plant to recognise key areas of risk and opportunity which allowed them to accomplish the Life of Mine production plan of processing 25MPTA through the grinding circuit from 2020.
THE SOLUTION
HolisticAM conducted a wide-ranging review on the current equipment condition, maintenance processes, practices and performance of the Lumwana process plant to ensure the current life of mine plan could be achieved and further increases in production targets could be safely managed.
During April & May 2018, HolisticAM mobilised 2 senior asset management consultants to conduct the process plant maintenance review that required:
- Review of the critical equipment strategies,
- Review of critical and insurance spares,
- Analysis of the existing and past shutdown plans,
- Analysis and recommendations relating to equipment redundancy,
- Review of equipment condition and the controls in place for effective management,
- Review and analysis of equipment performance,
- Verification and review of equipment strategy deployment,
- Review of the effectiveness of any equipment change management, and
- Review of the effectiveness of the management maintenance processes.
It was well understood that the review was designed to provide positive outcomes for the plant performance, condition and the long-term sustainability of the operation. As a result the consultants were very well received at site and gained significant support from all stakeholders, asset management and operational employees.
THE RESULTS
Over the period spent at site, HolisticAM was able to successfully engage with key stakeholders across the operation to provide a thorough review of the processing plant.
Key deliverables included:
- Summary document outlining key findings and business risk levels,
- Detailed report incorporating supporting evidence for each scope of work element,
- Completed Barrick Maintenance Audit analysis,
- Recommendations tabled with a view of considering business risk and effort required to achieve 25MPTA and 95% grinding circuit availability,
- Roadmap to deliver improvement recommendations,
- Presentation summarising key findings for Lumwana Management review.
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