Mobile Dewatering Solution for Mining

A Western Australian nickel mining operation had previously mothballed its ore processing plant during a downturn in commodity prices. As nickel demand and commodity pricing strengthened, the mine prepared to restart production and undertook a detailed audit of critical ore processing and water management equipment. During this assessment, the drive of one of the thickeners (concentrators) was identified as requiring major repair or complete replacement. Due to the age of the existing Dorr Oliver 109S2 drive, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts for the failed worm gear were no longer available, limiting the feasibility of a straightforward repair. The client considered two options, manufacturing a replacement worm gear to refurbish the existing drive (with the lift mechanism still in working order), or replacing the drive entirely, including the lift. This uncertainty introduced risk to the plant restart schedule, with potential impacts on downtime, maintenance costs, operational reliability and the long-term performance of the mine’s thickening processes.

A remote mining project required a wastewater treatment plant capable of producing high‑quality treated effluent. The client previously relied on basic pond systems, which could not achieve the effluent quality needed for reuse. Diminishing bore reserves also meant the site had no reliable water source for its gold elutions process. This created significant operational challenges including increased costs, schedule delays, and negative sustainability impacts due to ongoing reliance on water carting. The client designated the project as essential for achieving strategic objectives.

A contractor on behalf of a Queensland coal mine, required urgent support to ensure continued operation of the Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The client sought experienced operators who could be inducted and deployed within a short timeframe to prevent potential downtime and the risk of non-compliant water discharge. With a turnaround requirement of 30 days, MAK Water was engaged to provide the necessary workforce and expertise to maintain operations of the WTP.

A large mining company operating in a remote location with no existing sewage or wastewater infrastructure needed a fit for purpose treatment system. Due to the remoteness of the site and the challenges posed by seasonal heavy rainfall, constructing an in-situ plant was not feasible. Additionally, access roads in and out of the site are subject to flooding, so the plant required a robust, reliable design that minimised waste streams for off-site disposal.

One of the large global mining and processing companies was developing a new mine to extend the life of their Weipa bauxite operations by a planned four decades. MAK Water was engaged by the global Engineering, Construction, and Project Management Company (EPCM) contractor to design and construct the sewage treatment plant for the mine infrastructure area (MIA). The plant was constructed according to project engineering and design specifications, using project preferred electrical equipment, and supplied with site specific vendor drawing and data package. MAK Water provided site installation support and commissioning of the plant.

The Bozshakol Copper Project, owned and operated by KAZ Minerals (formerly Kazakhmys), is the largest single copper mine development in Kazakhstan, and one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world. A leading Australian engineering firm was engaged to provide detailed design and procurement services for the copper sulphide processing plant and associated facilities, which included process water and potable water treatment plants. MAK Water was selected thanks to our innovative containerised design, extensive experience in delivering high quality packaged water treatment plants for remote mining projects, and our ability to customise our solution to meet the project requirements.