Company Announcement - Kibo Mining has appointed Aurecon to conduct a prefeasibility study for a 300MW coal fired power plant in Rukwa, Tanzania. CEO of Kibo Mining Louis Coetzee said: “We are exceptionally pleased with the acceleration of this study and the appointment of Aurecon. Following their appointment Aurecon undertook a review of historically gathered information and the comprehensive nature of the data available enabled them to commit to delivery of the full prefeasibility study in early December 2014.”

Aurecon Power Generation Leader Ashley Grohn said that the decision by Kibo Mining to proceed with prefeasibility is another example of private sector enthusiasm for the establishment of power infrastructure in Africa, as we see a growing number of Independent Power Producers embarking on new developments in the continent. “The coal reserves are extensive to the point that alternate energy conversion technologies could be entertained by Kibo in the future,” Ashley said.

In undertaking the Rukwa power plant prefeasibility study, Aurecon will assess and test the various available power plant technologies for performance and feasibility, including boiler technology and cooling system design.  Power evacuation and environmental prefeasibility will also be investigated. Ashley said that the study provides Aurecon with another exciting opportunity to leverage its global strength and knowledge in power project development into Africa. “Aurecon is proud to be associated with this project as we perceive the socio-economic benefits for the south-west region and for Tanzania to be substantial both during construction and operation of the project,” Ashley said.

Aurecon’s capability to provide end-to-end ‘turnkey’ services including environmental, power plant technology appraisal and power evacuation modelling, combined with its track record with mining houses in Sub-Saharan Africa on similar projects, were key factors in the company’s appointment.