Ora Banda Mining has awarded a A$233 million engineering, procurement and construction contract to GR Engineering Services  for a new 3.0 million tonne per annum processing plant at its Davyhurst Gold Project, situated approximately 120 kilometres northwest of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. The contract, formalised in June 2026, follows GR Engineering’s appointment as preferred contractor on 18 May 2026 and covers the full scope of design, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning of the facility. The new plant forms part of a total capital expenditure envelope of A$375 million, with the remaining A$142 million allocated to supporting infrastructure, owner’s costs, and contingency. The facility will sit adjacent to the existing 1.2 Mtpa Davyhurst mill, which has recently demonstrated throughput of up to 1.4 Mtpa, and on completion the combined site is targeted to reach total milling nameplate capacity of approximately 4.2 Mtpa by FY29. The process design adopts a conventional gravity and hybrid carbon in leach (CIL) flowsheet delivering designed recoveries of approximately 91 percent, with a single stage jaw crusher, a semi autogenous grinding and ball mill circuit equipped with a six megawatt drive, and a gravity recovery circuit. Construction is scheduled to commence in Q1 FY27, with commissioning targeted for Q3 FY28. Funding will draw on a mix of Ora Banda’s existing cash reserves, future operating cashflows, and debt financing.

Western Australia’s Processing Ambitions Are Moving at Scale

The Davyhurst contract reflects a gathering momentum in substantial gold processing investment across Western Australia’s Goldfields region, where producers are leveraging enlarged reserve bases to push production profiles significantly higher. Ora Banda’s own Mineral Resource Estimate now stands at 54.8 million tonnes at 2.0 grams per tonne for 3.57 million ounces, following dramatic growth at the Round Dam and Waihi deposits that has underwritten the long term feed requirements for the incoming plant. The expansion sits within a state that generated A$18.6 billion in gold output in FY23, accounting for roughly 70 percent of national production, and where capital appetite for processing infrastructure remains strong. A parallel example is the Karlawinda Gold Project expansion being advanced by Capricorn Metals in the Pilbara, which targets a lift in processing throughput to 6.5 Mtpa through a new crushing and ball mill circuit, illustrating the breadth of this investment cycle across the state. The Davyhurst expansion follows the logic that on site processing integration lowers sustaining costs and reduces exposure to third party toll milling arrangements. As demonstrated by the Western Australian resources sector more broadly, this trend extends beyond gold, as shown by Pilbara Minerals’ approval of a midstream demonstration plant at Pilgangoora, which illustrated how on site processing can cut carbon intensity, reduce transport volumes, and capture additional value at the mine gate. For Ora Banda, the A$233 million EPC award marks the most decisive step yet in a “DRIVE to 300” strategy that targets 300,000 ounces per annum over the longer term.

Project Fact Sheet

• Project Name: Davyhurst Expansion Project
• Location: Davyhurst, approximately 120km northwest of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
• Project Value: A$375 million total capital expenditure (A$233 million EPC contract; A$142 million supporting infrastructure, owner’s costs and contingency)
• Client/Owner: Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)
• EPC Contractor: GR Engineering Services Ltd (ASX: GNG)
• Processing Capacity: New 3.0 Mtpa standalone plant; combined site capacity of approximately 4.2 Mtpa on completion
• Processing Technology: Conventional gravity and hybrid carbon in leach (CIL) flowsheet; designed plant recovery of approximately 91 percent
• Key Equipment: Single stage jaw crusher (80% passing 140mm), semi autogenous grinding and ball mill circuit with six megawatt drive (80% passing 90 micrometres)
• Construction Start: Q1 FY27 (from approximately July 2026)
• Expected Commissioning: Q3 FY28
• Mineral Resource: 54.8 million tonnes at 2.0 g/t gold for 3.57 million ounces (updated 2026)
• Strategic Objective: Underpins Ora Banda’s “DRIVE to 300” aspiration targeting approximately 300,000 ounces per annum in long term annual production

Project Team

• Client/Owner: Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM)
• EPC Contractor: GR Engineering Services Ltd (ASX: GNG)
• Project Financing: Combination of internal cash, future operating cashflows, and debt facilities; expected to draw on Australian resource sector lenders such as ANZ Bank or Macquarie Group (specific debt partners not yet publicly confirmed)
• Regulatory Authority: Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS), Western Australia
• Exchange Regulator: Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), on which both Ora Banda Mining and GR Engineering Services are publicly listed