Bulyanhulu Tanzania, East Africa

Location
55km S Lake Victoria, 150km SW Mwanza, Tanzania

Nearest Town
Kahama, Shinyanga Region

Client
Acacia Mining Plc

Commodity
Ore, doré, copper/gold concentrate

Contract Duration
2014 - 2017

Scope
Mechanised Lateral Development and Fleet Maintenance

Bulyanhulu is in north-west Tanzania, in the Kahama district of the Shinyanga region, approximately 55km south of Lake Victoria and 150km south-west of the city of Mwanza. Byrnecut was awarded the development contract at Bulyanhulu in February 2014, with a scope of works including decline and lateral development, and haulage.

Byrnecut managed all fleet maintenance. The Bulyanhulu process plant had the capacity to process an average of 3,300 tonnes of ore per day, and produced both doré and copper/gold concentrate. The mine was an underground trackless operation that used longhole stoping as its principal stoping method.

We improved development advance rates in strategic project areas by introducing proven mechanised mining and maintenance procedures, while ensuring smooth integration of expatriate and Tanzanian workforces.

In September 2017, owner Acacia moved to a reduced operational state at the mine due to the deterioration in the operating environment.