Veolia Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the French giant Veolia, has been awarded a 3-year contract for the treatment of wastewater from the Obuasi gold mine.
The wastewater and waste treatment firm, has been entrusted by AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining company and the world’s third largest gold producer, with the operation and maintenance of all the water treatment plants at the Obuasi mine in southern Ghana.
The contract will be fulfilled by Veolia Ghana Limited, 70% owned by Veolia Africa and 30% by West African Surface Solutions Ghana Limited.
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Water is essential for ore processing, dust removal, sludge transport, and for the needs of the employees. In Obuasi in southern Ghana, Veolia will manage all the water treatment plants for 3 years – 4 wastewater treatment plants and 2 drinking water treatment plants – which guarantee the quality of water treatment and discharges related to the operation of the gold mine by AngloGold Ashanti.
In a tropical climate where heavy seasonal rainfall often complicates water treatment, the Ghanaian gold mine manages its wastewater and process residue in order to comply with the local Environmental Protection Agency’s requirements for discharge into the ecosystem.
“This new contract is confirmation of Veolia’s operational expertise in water and discharge treatment that are so critical to the mining industry. By optimizing the process water treatment for the Obuasi gold mine, we have an opportunity to improve the productivity of this crucial operation,” explains Christophe Maquet, Director of Veolia’s Africa and Middle East Zone
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In 2014, Veolia Ghana was awarded a contract to operate and maintain the water treatment plant for the Iduapriem open-pit gold mine in the western part of the country. The mine is wholly owned by AngloGold Ashanti.
Veolia works with the mining industry players, major water users, to respond to the challenges they face in Africa and across the world.
