Mubadala Development Company subsidiary Sociedad Minera de Santander (Minesa) has awarded a contract to Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin to undertake a pre-feasibility study for the Soto Norte project in Colombia.
Under the 15-month contract, SNC-Lavalin will undertake pre-feasibility study for the Soto Norte project, a gold mine and processing facility in Colombia.
Work will be carried out by SNC-Lavalin’s mining and metallurgy team in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with support from its local presence in Colombia and other regional offices in Latin and South America.
SNC-Lavalin Latin America mining & metallurgy senior vice-president Joaquin Cano said: "This project capitalizes on our substantial gold experience, our expertise in taking early phase studies through to project execution for our clients, as well as our considerable experience working in remote and environmentally sensitive areas."
The team will initially identify the optimal project concept to form the basis of the feasibility study, identify the risks to future development of the project, and achieve sufficient detail in engineering in order to complete an environmental and social impact assessment.
Additional work includes detail project facilities to support the intended level of accuracy required for the pre-feasibility capital and operating cost estimates and the project master schedule.
SNC-Lavalin mining and metallurgy president José Suárez said: "We are excited to be part of Colombia’s increasing focus on mining and resource extraction, and we look forward to working with Minesa, as this new project represents a continuation of our long-standing relationship in a new region."
Located within the municipalities of California and Suratá in the Santander province, the Soto Norte project is said to be the most significant undeveloped gold resources in South America.
Image: SNC-Lavalin headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Photo: courtesy of User:Gene.arboit/Wikipedia.