Asiamet appoints Ausenco as process engineer for BKM feasibility study

By Romel S. Gurky

TSX-listed Asiamet Resources announced Wednesday the appointment of Ausenco Limited, an international engineering, construction and project management company as the primary process engineering consultant for the Beruang Kanan Main (BKM) feasibility study in Indonesia?s Central Kalimantan Province.

As previously announced, Asiamet conducted a very thorough vendor selection process to identify the preferred consultant for the BKM feasibility study process engineering. Proposals were submitted from seven international engineering consultancies and following a detailed review and assessment, Ausenco was chosen as the preferred service provider, the Asiamet statement said.

The scope of work to be covered by Ausenco includes the design, engineering and cost estimating activities for the process area facilities required at BKM. The process area facilities include: the ROM stockpile; crushing and conveyor transportation circuit; agglomeration and stacking circuit; heap- leach pads, solution ponds, neutralization plant and solution transportation systems; solvent extraction plant; electro-winning plant; and the related utilities (water and power) and waste stream requirements. Ausenco will also oversee the required geotechnical field investigations and laboratory testing programs to support design of the heap-leach facility.

The SX-EW plant design, equipment pricing, siteworks pricing, capital and operating cost estimating activities will be undertaken in Brisbane, Australia. The heap-leach pad design, including the coordination of the required geotechnical investigations will be completed at Ausenco's office in Lima, Peru, which has extensive experience relevant to the BKM copper project i.e. gold and copper heap-leach operations including valley-fill and heap-leach facilities operating in higher-rainfall environments.

Peter Bird, Asiamet's Chief Executive Officer commented: "We have brought together a world-class group of experienced professionals who will be responsible for the delivery of the BKM Feasibility Study. Adding the Ausenco personnel significantly enhances the capabilities of our wider team and we look forward to working with them to advance the BKM copper project through the process engineering phase of the BKM Feasibility Study.

The high-caliber talent that has been attracted to working with ARS on the BKM Copper Project speaks volumes to the quality of the asset and we look forward to providing further updates as the results of various Feasibility Study components come to hand."

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak