OUR SERVICES:
OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVES
CHEMECH'S CREDENTIALS
Mining companies looking to develop a mineral resource project often have a need to supplement their team with competent technical resources. This is particularly the case with large and/or complex orebodies, where the metallurgical and processing risks often require a significant deviation from the “standard” processing plant designs on offer. Chemech have successfully supplemented a number of owners teams, including key roles in Newmont’s world-class Boddington Gold Project.
To be a successful Owner's Representative, you need to fully understand the consequences of each design decision, long after the design is finished. This understanding is only developed with a work history that not only includes design and project execution, but also includes a strong background in mineral processing plant operation and maintenance. Chemech’s early career in operations before moving into design and project execution has not only given them this strong backgound, but also a lifelong affinity and respect for operating teams. This guides their commitment to getting details right at every stage of the project.
Chemech can draw upon all of their operating and design experience to guide the plant design on the owner's behalf, as they did so successfully for Newmont's world-class Boddington Gold Project.
OUR EXPERTISE
AS OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVES WE CAN OFFER
Scopes of work for engagement of engineering consultants. Owners often issue scope documents copied from project to project, but Chemech understands that each project is unique with regard to its design, context and risk profile. Chemech ensures that these unique requirements are specified correctly, and that the engineering consultant is suitably accountable for achieving the required outcomes.
Review and approval of design documentation. Chemech understands that design details are key to a project’s success. Their career focus on important design details allows them to review project design documentation to a highly detailed level, de-risking construction and giving the operations team the best possible chance of achieving business plans.
Design criteria and specifications. Chemech ensures that Engineers have clear guidance for designing key areas of the plant, including operability, maintainability, safety, measurement and control. Criteria for good plant design is often not contained in codes or the Engineer’s standards and therefore having clear and enforceable guidelines prior to detailed engineering avoids re-work, delays, and unsatisfied operating teams.
Commissioning documentation and technical support. Significant roles in commissioning of large projects have given Chemech the understanding that successful commissioning starts in design. Systemisation and other commissioning documents need to be developed in parallel with detailed design. Good systemisation significantly reduces the commissioning schedule, and the electrical and piping design in particular need to reflect the commissioning approach. Chemech can generate high quality commissioning documentation and ensure that the design reflects these requirements.
SOME OF OUR SUCCESS AS OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVES
Successfully processing Boddington’s hard, low-grade and refractory ore at 35 Mt/a required an innovative new flowsheet (HPGRs) and there was little tolerance for design error. Newmont required strong design oversight from a highly qualified and experienced owners team and they entrusted Chemech with key roles in guiding and de-risking the process plant design. The Boddington design was successful, and the operation has produced over 10MOz of gold (in 2025), with annualised throughput and gold recovery significantly exceeding design. Chemech were proud to play key roles in Newmont's team and contribute to the success of one of the world’s top 10 gold producing mines.
Due to their success at Boddington, Newmont continued to engage Chemech as Owner's Representatives for numerous site projects and studies. These projects led to significant improvements in plant throughput and recovery. Newmont went on to engage Chemech to represent them for the Tanami Expansion Project, where they contributed positively to a successful outcome during three study stages, detailed design, construction and commissioning.
Chemech has also been appointed to owner's teams by other large mining companies such as Barrick and Goldfields. In these roles they have shown their full range of skills, from advising on the flowsheet, layout and equipment selection for a 58Mt/a concentrator (Cerro Casale), to reviewing the design details for a number of chute upgrades at Gruyere.
In 2006, Ian and Brendan joined Newmont’s owners team which was charged with guiding the design of the Boddington Gold Project based in Santiago, Chile. The design task and working environment was complex and challenging, but Brendan and Ian showed great commitment, competency and teamwork in guiding a successful outcome. Their particular commitment to getting the design details right paid off, and the Boddington process plant went on to exceed design throughput and recovery, despite the ore's extreme competency and low-grade.
- Simon Briggs, Newmont’s Engineering Manager – Boddington Gold Project¹
1: This statement reflects the personal views of Simon Briggs and does not constitute an official endorsement by Newmont Corporation.