Mipac improves throughput at Laos copper-gold mine

Located about 120 kilometres north of the Lao's capital, Vientiane, the Phu Kham Copper Gold Operation comprises an open-pit mine feeding ore to a conventional milling and flotation process plant to produce a copper-gold concentrate for sale to custom smelters.

The plant is currently being upgraded by installing a second 13MW ball mill and additional flotation capacity that is designed to lift plant capacity by 33 per cent from 12 Mtpa to 16 Mtpa. The relative increase in installed milling and flotation capacity is also expected to result in improved copper recovery rates.

The upgrade is timed to coincide with a decline in ore head grade.

Mipac is programming the concentrator’s expanded Yokogawa distributed control system (DCS) which, with the addition of a number of field control stations, will manage a newly installed parallel ball mill and additional flotation equipment.

The mine is owned by Lao-registered Phu Bia Mining Limited (PBM). PanAust Limited — headquartered in Brisbane, Australia — holds a 90 per cent interest in PBM through its wholly owned subsidiary Pan Mekong Exploration Pty Ltd. The remaining 10 per cent is owned by the Government of Laos People’s Democratic Republic.

"Mipac is pleased to be working with PanAust on this important upgrade," Eddie De Rivera, Mipac's Managing Director said.

"We are proud to be part of this mine’s enhancement, helping it make a more valuable contribution to the Laos economy."

For more information, read PanAust Limited's profile on its Phu Kham copper-gold operation.