Metso Wins Order for Simberi Gold Project Expansion

Metso has been awarded a major contract to supply grinding, flotation, thickening, and filtration equipment for the New Simberi Gold Project Expansion in Papua New Guinea. The project is owned by Simberi Gold Company Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between St Barbara Limited and Lingbao Gold Group, with engineering delivery managed by Pitch Black Group. The expansion will transition the existing mining operation from processing oxide ore to treating fresh sulphide ore, a strategic shift that aims to double the mining rate and extend the life of the mine while targeting an annual production of approximately 200,000 ounces of gold.

Booked in the Minerals segment’s third quarter of 2026, the order is valued at approximately EUR 10 million. Metso’s comprehensive delivery scope features its Vertimill^® regrind milling technology, TankCell^® flotation circuits, and VPA Pressure filtration technology for concentrate dewatering. The package also integrates a High Rate Thickener (HRT) utilizing Reactorwell™ technology to optimize flocculation and mixing efficiency. David Tulloch, Vice President of Minerals, Asia Pacific at Metso, noted that supplying the complete comminution, flotation, and dewatering circuits demonstrates the strength of the company's integrated flowsheet approach. This equipment builds upon orders placed earlier in the year for a Nordberg HP200e cone crusher and apron feeders.




Additional Context
This section provides technological and market background not explicitly detailed in the original release.

In the lifecycle of many open-pit gold mines, operators initially exploit near-surface oxide ores, which are highly weathered and allow gold to be easily extracted using standard carbon-in-leach (CIL) or heap leaching methods. However, as these easily accessible oxide reserves deplete, mining must transition deeper into the primary, unweathered sulphide ore body. Processing sulphide ore is significantly more complex and energy-intensive because the gold particles are locked within sulfide minerals (such as pyrite or arsenopyrite). To recover the gold, the ore must undergo extensive comminution (crushing and grinding) followed by froth flotation to separate and concentrate the gold-bearing sulfides from the waste rock. By investing in advanced grinding and flotation flowsheets, operations like Simberi can successfully unlock these refractory reserves, significantly extending the life of the mine despite the increased metallurgical complexity.

Edited by Lekshman Ramdas, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

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