Australia-based engineering and project management company Ausenco Limited has announced that it has been awarded a US$15 million operations and maintenance service contract for the Tonkolili iron ore project in Sierra Leone, West Africa of the mineral exploration and development company African Minerals Limited.
The contract, which involves the provision of operations and maintenance services to two onsite mobile crushing and screening modules for phase 1A of the iron ore project, commences immediately and runs until July 2012.
"We are pleased to be extending our relationship with African Minerals beyond the design work we are currently completing for the 12 million mt per year crushing and beneficiation plant for stage 1B of the Tonkolili iron ore project," reads Ausenco's statement.
The Tonkolili project is located approximately 200 kilometers north east of Freetown in Sierra Leone. Upon completion, the project has the potential to become one of the largest iron ore projects in the world.