Client name: Karara Mining Ltd

Location: Mid-west Western Australia

Duration: 2014 – ongoing

Services provided: Definitive feasibility study

Karara Expansion Stage 2A

A feasibility study by Tetra Tech Proteus has been key to the latest step in Karara Mining’s ambitious plans for a scalable, modular plant design which would more than quadruple output.

The magnetite miner’s long-term plan is for a series of expansions to raise production of magnetite to more than 38 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). This is several leaps up from its current design production rate of 8 Mtpa of premium, high-grade (66-68% Fe) magnetite concentrate.

Tetra Tech Proteus provided the definitive feasibility study for stage 2A of Karara’s expansion by an additional 7.4 Mtpa module at its Karara mine in mid-west Western Australia.

The goals of Tetra Tech Proteus’ definitive feasibility study were to:

• Incorporate design, construction and commissioning experience gained from the base plant, and to leverage base plant engineering design where practical
• Deal with construction issues in the early design phase
• Evaluate and include engineering opportunities for adding value.

The expansion concept is for a design that can be expanded in four 7.4 Mpta mod-ules with minimal interruption to operations during construction, commissioning and start of each new module’s operations. In keeping with this concept, the Tetra Tech Proteus Stage 2A definitive feasibility study is a key step in the mine’s expansion.