GR Engineering Services has won a $77.6 million contract to expand the Eloise copper mine’s processing facility to 1.1Mtpa throughput capacity.

Plant construction is expected to start in October, placing the expansion on track for tie-in and commissioning in the December 2026 quarter.

Eloise mine owner AIC Mines said the cost included about $11.4 million of oversized equipment to allow for a straightforward step up to 1.5Mtpa throughput capacity in future.

Eloise, 60km south-east of Cloncurry, produces about 12,500tpa of copper in concentrate.

The plant expansion and development of a sister mine at Jericho, 4km south of Eloise, is set to take production above 20,000tpa copper in concentrate from FY28.

Related: High-grade depth extension at Jericho copper project

AIC Mines today announced the execution of a $US40 million (about $61.6 million Australian) prepayment facility with Trafigura – linked to an offtake agreement for the Jericho mine – to fund the expansion of the Eloise processing facility.

AIC Mines managing director Aaron Colleran said GR Engineering put forward a competitive tender for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the expansion project.

The company had shown a commitment to working closely with AIC to deliver the expansion safely, efficiently and with minimal disruption to its current operations, Mr Colleran said.

“I look forward to working with them over the next 18 months as we transform Eloise into a
cornerstone asset,” he said.

The scope of the expansion comprises the design, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the expanded processing plant, including:

• new crushing and screening plant,
• new grinding and classification circuit,
• new rougher flotation cell, and
• new concentrate filtration circuit.

AIC Mines said engineering and setup works for the project had commenced, and earthworks were expected to get underway in August.

Construction of new plant items is due to begin in October, with an expected commissioning period in the December 2026 quarter.

This schedule should align with the ramp-up in production at the Jericho deposit, where first development ore is expected to be intersected in June 2026.

AIC Mines said the timing of a second stage expansion was yet to be determined and was dependent on ongoing resource extension drilling success.

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