Weir, a UK-based mining technology company, is set to provide two ENDURON high pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) for Zijin Mining’s Golden Ridge operation at Ghana’s Akyem Mine.
The order was recorded in the third quarter of 2026.
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ENDURON HPGRs will be used as part of Zijin’s brownfield project to optimise existing operations at the open-pit gold mine.
The current processing circuit at Akyem incorporates a conventional semi-autogenous grinding and ball mill set-up, which is reported to be facing operational challenges due to more competent ore.
The new HPGRs are expected to process pebbles and help remove bottlenecks in the comminution circuit, leading to enhanced grinding efficiency and increased throughput and recovery rates.
According to the company, ENDURON HPGRs have low energy requirements, lower maintenance and high throughput capability, as well as high operational availability.
The technology uses dynamic skewing for size reduction and longer wear life, with the potential to generate more fines and therefore reduce energy consumption required for downstream milling.
Weir director HPGR and process engineering Bjorn Dierx said: “The benefits ENDURON HPGRs deliver in terms of reduced energy consumption, lower carbon emissions and improved grinding efficiency compared to traditional tumbling mills are well understood, but this project highlights that they also have a vital role to play in circuit debottlenecking and pebble crushing applications.
“As surface deposits deplete and miners encounter a higher proportion of competent ores, they are increasingly installing HPGRs to overcome their processing challenge.”
The Akyem Gold Mine, situated in the West African gold belt, has a throughput capacity of 8.6 million tonnes of ore per year and a projected mine life extending beyond 2040.
Zijin Mining completed its acquisition of an 85% interest in the mine through Zijin Gold International in April 2025, following a successful offer to Newmont for 100% of the mine in October 2024.
Last month, Weir introduced the WARMAN MCR² mill circuit pump, designed to help mineral processing operations handle more complex ore types and greater throughput demands.
