Project details
The Oyu Tolgoi mine, located 550km south of the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and 80km north of the Mongolia-China border, is one of the largest copper-gold projects in the world. CWA was responsible for the design of the structural steel for the concentrate storage building.
Challenges
The mine’s location in the south Gobi Desert required unique design considerations. CWA took into account high wind load considerations and drifting sand accumulation loads.
Solutions
The building, with an initial capacity of 25,000 tonnes and a length of 99 metres, was innovatively designed to accommodate a future expansion to 80,000 tonnes and a length of 250 metres while operations continue.
In addition to the building, CWA designed two transfer towers and the foundations for all of the main material handling conveyors.