This project will be crucial for Namibia’s economy as it takes over from the Otjikoto mine, one of the country’s mainstays to date, which will soon begin to gradually reduce its output.
Twin Hill Gold Project is expected to have a 13-year open-cast production life, during which approximately 5 million tons of ore per year will be processed using the conventional carbon-in-pulp (CIL) leaching circuit.
Sarens will be involved in this project until November 2026, providing an XCMG XGC400-I crawler crane operating at a capacity of 300 tons.
Twin Hill Gold Project will have a decisive impact on Namibia’s economy once it comes on stream in early 2027. This project, set to take over from the Otjikoto mine – which will soon begin to gradually reduce its output – will produce over 162,000 ounces of gold per year, rising to as much as 176,000 ounces annually at peak production.
Furthermore, this project, which will have a mine life of more than 13 years of open-cast production, will be able to process more than 5 million tons of ore per year using a conventional carbon-in-pulp (CIL) leaching circuit. Twin Hill Gold Project will also provide a significant boost to local employment, creating around 1,000 direct and indirect jobs during its construction phase, of which around 800 permanent jobs will be retained throughout the mine’s operational life.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane renting services, will be directly involved in this project on behalf of its client Lycopodium Minerals Namibia (acting on behalf of Osino Gold), providing an XCMG XCG400-I crawler crane which will operate in a 300-ton configuration. As part of its package of solutions, Sarens will on this occasion provide operator and supervisor services, including mobilisation, assembly, maintenance, demobilisation and all associated rigging and lifting equipment up to the hook.
This crane will be the second crawler crane to be deployed simultaneously on a strategic project in Namibia, reinforcing Sarens’ leading position in the region. The competitiveness of the quoted price, the technical capability to provide the appropriate lattice crawler crane for this project and proven experience in similar mining projects were among the factors that led to Sarens being selected to participate in a project of strategic importance to Namibia’s economy.
According to Sharde Fisher, Project Manager at Sarens, “We are fully aware of the socio-economic importance that the Twin Hills project will have for Namibia. We would therefore like to thank Lycopodium Minerals Namibia for placing their trust in our expertise and technical capability to meet their needs. As well as helping to ensure this project is carried out in accordance with the highest safety standards – as required by the country’s mining HSE regulations – we hope to contribute our expertise to training and local employment development, as we have been doing across the African continent for many years.”
Over the past few decades, Sarens has consolidated its position as a strategic partner to the global mining sector – and the African mining sector in particular – thanks to its international expertise in the handling, transport and assembly of modular structures and heavy machinery. It has, for example, been involved in the Kamoa-Kakula copper mining project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has collaborated on various lifting and engineering works for the Ambatovy nickel project in Madagascar, as well as on the assembly of various mining infrastructure projects in Pilanesburg, South Africa. These projects are supported by the recent expansion of its logistics infrastructure through a new strategic four-hectare hub in Walvis Bay (Namibia) and the addition to its regional fleet of a new crawler crane, the 1,300-metric-ton XCMG XCL18000M, which the company will use to help optimise operations at gold, copper and diamond mining sites across the African continent.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/