Wartsila, the leading global supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions and services, has signed a 3-year Service Agreement with Newcrest Mining Limited for their power plants in Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea. The agreement, signed in February 2015, ensures maximised lifetime, performance and reduced operational costs for Newcrest Mining’s power plants in a safe, reliable, and environmentally sustainable way.
The agreement covers the major engine services and spare parts for the three power plants – diesel power station, interim power station and oil cubes – located in Lihir gold mine. In total, these power plants have 22 Wartsila engines with a combined output of 172 MW.
Newcrest Mining is one of the world’s largest mining companies. Their gold deposit in Lihir, located within the Luise Caldera, is one of the largest known gold deposits in the world. Wartsila provided the first diesel power station to Lihir in 1996 and gold production commenced in 1997. Lihir has one deposit, one open pit and multiple ore zones.
“We are very happy to deepen our cooperation with Newcrest Mining in the Lihir gold mine. By working with the people in Newcrest Mining, we now have pre-negotiated rates for labour and parts for the major services on the engines. By drawing up the annual plans together and streamlining processes, we can ensure the timely completion of each major engine service, thereby increasing engine availability, improving operational efficiency and reducing costs,“ says John Sydney, Service Unit Director Australasia from Wartsila.
