Cobre Panama brochure - March 2016

PROJECT PARTNER

Quantum speed

Quantum speed Written by: John O’Hanlon Produced by: Kiron Chavda

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First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has been around since the 1980s since when the TSX and LSE listed miner has been steadily growing its portfolio: today it operates or is developing a dozen major projects in nine countries

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F

irst Quantum Materials Ltd. recently commissioned the Trident development in Zambia, which was featured in Mining Global last year; its focus is now the Cobre Panama Project in Panama.

FQM has adopted a self-performance model – it’s challenging, but it works for FQM. It’s unique to the company in that under one hard hat, it can manage geology, constructability studies, engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations. All of those energies create a powerful dynamic that reduces the initial capital expenditure for these projects.

Capex for the Cobre Panama project has just been revised down by nearly half a billion dollars from $6.4 billion to $5.95 billion. The way FQM executes construction self-performance is a game changer. Cobre Panama is some 27 kilometres

inland from a port area and power station currently under construction at Punta Rincon.

The power station, though coal-fuelled, uses excellent ‘Clean Coal’ technology. It has a single 125-metre twin-flue chimney, and the design incorporates flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), bag houses, and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) filtration to clean the flue gas.

The Punta Rincon port has been operational since the first ball mill was delivered on the 23rd of August. Its main function will be to receive coal for the power station and export copper concentrate. FQM is now working on the jetty construction which will house the conveying system to load and unload the ships.

Up at the mine things look rather different.

The topography is extremely hilly in an area and it gets a lot of rain. In 2014, 7.2 metres of

$1.3bn The cost of the the smelter at Kanshanshi, the largest copper mine in Africa

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www.imi.com.pa Tel: (507) 317-6670

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Intercoastal Marine, Inc. is the leading marine engineering and construction in Central America and the Caribbean. Established in Panama since the yar 1995 and carrying out a wide variety of engineering design works, new constructions, repair works, modernization and maintenance of structures and marine installations.

The permanent commitment of offering service and excellence in the work place has awarded us a professionalism and confidence without comparison in the marine construction market of the region

Our Vision The visi贸n of Intercoastal Marine is to be permanently recognized in the market as a construction and design company, leader and protagonist in the generation of integral solutions to our clients by always keeping a serious commitment with the development of the country, society and environment were the work is carried out.

Mission To become the national and international leaders in the field of design and construction of marine works; The addition of value and quality to all services provided; The goal of keeping every project as a priority; The technical quality; The technical innovation; The strict compliance with contractual periods and the withholding of our clients, providers and long term partners trust relationships; Assist our partners in generating new cooperation relationships with other professional companies that will allow the offering of competitive solutions at the benefits of our clients.

YOUR PARTNER IN CONSTRUCTION Over 20 years in the area of construction.

Experience in Mining works, Dams, Bridges and Buildings.

The partner chosen by FIRST QUANTUM for Cobre Panama Project.

Portugal Rua Raimundo de Carvalho nº238 4430-185 Vila Nova de Gaia Telf. (00351) 220 927 498 Email: comercial@nogway.com www.nogway.com

Panamá Avª Ricardo J. Alfaro, Edif. The Century Tower - Piso 19, Oficina 19 Telf. (0057)263-1510 Email: info@nogway.com www.nogway.com

Fernando Nogueira CEO – Group Nogway Portuguese, from Cinfães, age 41 Degree in civil engineering

Tel (+507) 997 4046 Fax (+507) 997 4049 Email info@bluefinrental.net Web www.Bluefinrental.net

What We Offer: - Civil Works & Engineering- Road Works & Construction - Heavy Equipment Rental

- Prefabricated Modular Systems - Prefabricated Buildings - Logistics/Transportation

rain fell at the port where the power stations are being built and 4.2 metres at the mine site itself.

The substrate is solid rock, but in places there is 11 or 12 metres of saprolite which is a very viscous soil type. Below that are good basalt structures that provide excellent foundations for the mills, crushers, and stockpile vaults.

Construction is proceeding well, with many milestones being passed this year. In the milling area, all seven mill foundations are in place, which will provide the foundations for the first processing train. The three stockpile vaults, each fed by six feeders, will be ready by the end of this year. The conveyor pylons are also being raised. There are only four of these but they are extraordinarily robust, to carry conveyor spans of 80 metres, with a cantilevered span that goes

Power plant overview

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“FQM adopted perform mode challeng it works

M has d a selfmance el – it’s ging, but for FQM”

The secondary crusher area

out to feed the third stockpile. The pylons contain the greatest amount of reinforcing steel – 365 kilogrammes per square metre or more than double that contained in most other industrial concrete. Chip sealing the road from the port to the plant should be complete soon too.

Cobre Panama is currently scheduled to start Train 1 of the process plant by December 2017. It’s an aggressive schedule, only achievable because of a mixture of forward thinking on the part of FQM’s leadership, using the best talent in the industry to deliver the project from top to bottom, and of course the company’s self-performance philosophy.

Live Works In 1968 , COBRA introduces live working in Spain.

Currently it has more than 600 highly skilled workers and our authorized training centers and is at the forefront world in this activity.

• Scheduled Maintenance • Network Availability • Integrated Security • Cutting Edge Technology

Networks Transport • Construction of lines 110kV / 800kV Setbacks and traps • Lines • Burying of lines and MAT • fiber optic cable • Increased Transportation Capacity • Change slings and mooring • Turnkey projects • International Awards 12 Tel 00 507 263 8722 PANAMA | www.grupocobra.com

‘Camp Cobre, one of five workers’ camps, houses 3,400 people. Yet all the structures are arranged at different angles and elevations with as many trees possible retained between them.’

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3,400

The number of workers house in Camp Cobre

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And this is never done at the expense of responsible mine development – quite the opposite. The environmental and communities teams are very dedicated, and aim to reduce the environmental and social impacts. The intention has been to minimise clearing and retain as much natural growth as possible while developing the mine. For example, Camp Cobre, one of five workers’ camps, houses 3,400 people. Yet all

the structures are arranged at different angles and elevations with as many trees possible retained between them. The result is very different to other mining projects, which tend to adopt a complete clearance philosophy.

Cobre Panama will employ a total of 2,800 people at the power station and the mine.

Cobre Panama has brought in a huge amount of expertise. Over its 40-year mine life, though a private project, it will generate a substantial percentage of Panama’s GDP going forward, more even than the Panama Canal.

‘Cobre Panama has brought in a huge amount of expertise’

Cranes on the construction site for the new mill

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