Aker Solutions has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management for Kennecott Utah Copper Corp.’s new Molybdenum Autoclave Process (MAP) Project facility. The facility is to be located near Kennecott’s refinery west of Salt Lake City, Utah USA. The value of Aker Solutions’ scope is over USD 33 million out of the project’s estimated capital investment of nearly USD 270 million. Aker Solutions previously completed a feasibility study for the MAP Project. The initial phase of the project consists of a hydrometallurgical plant to further process molybdenum concentrates at a rate of 30,000,000 lbs per year, producing refined ammonium dimolybdate and molybdenum trioxide. The MAP project is intended to enable lower-grade concentrate to be processed more efficiently than conventional roasters, allow improved molybdenum recovery and operating flexibility and enable production of chemical grade molybdenum products. Molybdenum is a by-product of copper production and is used in metal alloys, including steel, to enhance toughness, high temperature strength and corrosion resistance. It is also a key component in oil refining catalysts used to remove sulphur from fuel and improve air quality. The schedule considers a mechanical completion of this work in the third quarter of 2010.
