Case study · Mining

Kurmuk Gold Mine

Geodetic control, foundation set-out and steel alignment for a gold processing plant at a remote site in Ethiopia.

Place: Kurmuk, Ethiopia
Client: Mining contractor
Our role: Early works and structural assembly surveying

Surveyors among reinforcing steel and foundations at the Kurmuk plant site

Overview

The Kurmuk Gold Project is a major gold mining development in Ethiopia, with processing infrastructure, material handling systems and supporting civil works. Geovantage joined the early works team to establish the project's geodetic control, set out foundations and guide the assembly of large steel structures. Every conveyor, crusher and processing facility has to be aligned to exact tolerances before production starts, so the early survey work shapes how the plant performs.

Quick factMillimetre-level accuracy at a remote gold mine in Ethiopia, from foundation layouts to steel alignment.

Challenges

Ensuring clean hand-over between civil and mechanical construction teams
Maintaining millimetre-level tolerances over large structural footprints
Coordinating survey efforts across multiple work fronts in a busy early-works schedule
Remote location with limited existing survey control and logistical constraints

Scope of work

Volume and progress measurement for earthworks
Alignment checks during steel erection
As-built surveys for all early works
Foundation and bolt set-out for structural steel
Geodetic control setup and verification

Our approach

Geovantage deployed a dedicated field team equipped with advanced surveying technology to deliver full survey support for the gold processing facility's early stages:

Progress Monitoring: Carried out regular as-built and progress surveys to support reporting and contractor claims
Structural Alignment Support: Provided live survey data during assembly to ensure correct alignment of large steel modules
Quality Assurance Checks: Verified each foundation and bolt cluster prior to steel erection
Foundation & Anchor Bolt Layout: Precisely set out concrete foundations and bolt patterns for processing plant steelwork
Control Network Establishment: Created a primary and secondary control network spanning the site, tying all works to a unified reference frame

Technology and deliverables

Instrumentation

Robotic Total Stations: high-precision structural set-out and QA
GNSS RTK Systems: rapid positioning across the mine site
Digital Levels: exact elevation control for critical foundations

Deliverables

Progress reports with supporting survey data and images
As-built drawings and deviation reports
CAD files and coordinate registers for all set-out work

Outcome

Every structural and civil element in the early works was built from one verified control network. That cut the risk of rework and meant the mechanical equipment fitted when the plant was commissioned. The job also showed that we hold the same accuracy at a remote site with hard logistics.

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