African Underground Mining Services (AUMS), via the Underground Mining Alliance (UMA) joint venture (JV), has secured a A$1.02bn ($655.3m) contract with AngloGold Ashanti for underground mining services at the Obuasi Gold Mine in Ghana.
The UMA JV, which is responsible for the Obuasi contract, is 60% owned by AUMS and 40% by Rocksure International, a local Ghanaian civil and mining contractor.
AUMS is the subsidiary of Australian mining services group Perenti.
The contract spans five years from 1 February 2025 and encompasses underground development, production and related mining services.
The agreement stipulates that no new growth capital is required as AngloGold Ashanti will provide major capital expenditure.
Perenti managing director and CEO Mark Norwell said: “We are pleased to sign the Obuasi contract with AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) for an additional five years. We highly value our relationship with AGA and look forward to continuing and deepening our positive working relationship.
“This agreement is a testament to the reliability and value provided by our Contract Mining division. Our extensive operational experience and the scale of our global underground business enables us to consistently deliver enduring value and certainty to our clients and shareholders.”
Obuasi, an underground mining operation to a depth of 1,500m, is situated in the Ashanti region of Ghana, around 60km south of Kumasi. AUMS has been operating at the Obuasi mine since February 2019.
Perenti Contract Mining president Gabrielle Iwanow said: “Our relationship with AngloGold Ashanti is of great importance to our Contract Mining division. As one of the world’s largest gold miners, we are proud to work alongside them in a collaborative manner.
“We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with them over the years ahead and supporting them to meet their business objectives.”
Earlier this month, Perenti underground mining subsidiary Barminco secured a A$500m contract to continue its underground operations at the Agnew gold mine in Australia, owned by Gold Fields.
Barminco will provide underground development, production and related mining services under the contract.
