Mining services provider Perenti’s underground mining division, Barminco, will end its operations at global resources company MMG’s Khoemacau Copper Mine in Botswana upon the completion of the current contract on 30 June 2025.

Barminco has been integral to the mine's operations since its inception in 2019.

The company will collaborate with Khoemacau Copper Mining, a subsidiary of MMG, to facilitate a smooth transition and handover by the contract's end date.

Perenti managing director and CEO Mark Norwell said: “We have appreciated the opportunity to work on the Khoemacau Copper Mine and wish MMG well with their expansion plans.

“As outlined during our half year results, the financial performance at Khoemacau has not met our internal performance hurdles and we must maintain our commercial discipline to enable consistent returns through economic cycles.”

As stipulated in the existing agreement, Barminco will sell all of its equipment at the mine to MMG.

The final valuation of this equipment will adhere to a predetermined formula outlined in the contract.

Perenti Contract Mining president Gabrielle Iwanow said: “I am extremely grateful and appreciative for the efforts of the Barminco team who have delivered results at Khoemacau. I trust that the high standard of training we initiated, including training some of the very first underground mine operators in country, will leave a legacy for the hundreds of Batswana citizens we have worked alongside for the past six years.

“To facilitate a safe and uninterrupted handover of underground operations, we will continue to support the client during the coming months.”

In February 2025, Barminco secured an A$120m ($73.85m) contract with Nevada Gold Mines for the Goldrush Project in Nevada, US.