Sibanye Stillwater (formerly New Century Resources) engaged MCA Engineering to deliver a comprehensive condition assessment and engineering upgrade study for the dormant Mt Lyell Copper Mine in Tasmania. The study assessed the viability of recommissioning the operation and quantified the investment required to modernise the site’s underground materials handling and hoisting systems ahead of any restart decision.
Mt Lyell’s underground materials handling and hoisting infrastructure had been dormant for an extended period, leaving its true condition and recommissioning cost unknown. Sibanye Stillwater needed an independent, engineering-led assessment to determine whether restarting the mine was commercially viable, and what capital investment would be required across shaft, hoisting, civil and mechanical systems.
MCA Engineering drew on its shaft, hoisting and underground materials handling expertise to deliver a multi-disciplinary study spanning 2023 to 2025. The team assessed materials handling infrastructure, shaft condition, hoisting systems, civil and SMP interfaces, and long-term asset replacement needs, combining site inspections with engineering analysis to build a clear, staged investment picture.
MCA delivered a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary condition and upgrade study covering every major system required to recommission Mt Lyell. Sibanye Stillwater now has a clear, engineering-backed view of the investment required to modernise the site’s materials handling and hoisting infrastructure, giving them the confidence and cost certainty needed to make an informed recommissioning decision.
