Greenfield mine electrical work is about as far from a suburban switchboard as electrical delivery gets. This case study covers the full electrical design and construct of a greenfield open-cut gold mine in central Africa, delivered by our director as the sole electrical contractor, from the first design line through to a documented maintenance handover.
The brief: build a mine electrical system from nothing
A greenfield site starts with no power, no infrastructure and no existing drawings to work from. We were engaged as the sole electrical contractor under a design and construct model, which meant responsibility for the entire job: designing the site electrical system, specifying and procuring every piece of equipment, and then installing, commissioning and handing it over. There was no one else to fall back on, so the design had to be right and the gear had to arrive on a remote site ready to work.
A year of design, engineering and procurement
Roughly a year of design, engineering and procurement went in before serious installation began. We developed the electrical design for the whole site, brought in specialist engineers and switchboard manufacturers where their input was needed, and specified and ordered all of the equipment. Because the site was remote and unforgiving, we travelled internationally to inspect key machines and switchgear before they shipped, rather than risk discovering a problem once it was on site.
The greenfield mine electrical scope
The delivered system was built around roughly 1.5MW of on-site power generation, two motor control centres and around twelve distribution boards. Those boards and MCCs fed the process and base-build infrastructure across the site, including wash plants, conveyors and the variable speed drives that run them, along with the accommodation village, workshops, offices and supporting services. Every part of it had to integrate and stay reliable in a location where a spare part is days away.
Logistics, installation and commissioning
With the design set and the gear ordered, the build and construct phase ran across roughly eighteen months. We organised the logistics of getting equipment and people to a remote site, established the site electrical infrastructure, and carried out the installation and commissioning of the generation, the MCCs, the distribution and the connected plant. Coordinating that on a live construction site, far from any supply chain, was as much a logistics exercise as an electrical one.
Handover and a maintenance plan
A mine cannot be handed over as a pile of switchgear. We created the preventative maintenance policy documents and the maintenance plan for the site, and set up the ongoing process so the operator could run and maintain the system safely after handover. That closed the loop from design, to build, to a documented operating and maintenance regime.
One contractor, end to end
What made this greenfield mine electrical project unusual was that a single contractor carried it from a blank sheet of paper to a running, maintained mine. The same person who set the design also ordered the gear, inspected it overseas, organised the logistics, installed and commissioned it on site, and then wrote the maintenance regime that kept it running. Nothing was handed across a gap between a separate designer, supplier and installer, which is where most large electrical projects lose time and accountability. That single line of responsibility, from design through to handover, is the same approach we bring to every commercial and industrial switchboard project, only here it was applied at the scale of an entire mine.
Why a mine build matters for commercial work
The depth that comes from designing, building and maintaining a mine electrical system from nothing is exactly what we bring to commercial and industrial switchboard projects in Queensland. The same skills in HV switchboards, motor control centres, generation and hazardous area work translate directly to mining and industrial sites closer to home. For the standards behind this work, see Standards Australia.
Greenfield and major electrical projects
A greenfield mine electrical design and construct ties together design, procurement, logistics, installation and a maintenance handover under one accountable contractor. Commercial Switchboards brings that same end-to-end approach to commercial and industrial switchboard projects across Queensland. To discuss a project, request an initial project review.
Mining and remote site switchboards: frequently asked questions
What makes a switchboard suitable for a remote mine site?
It must withstand dust, vibration, heat and corrosion, with high ingress protection, robust construction and a design that lets the on site team isolate faults safely, because support can be days away.
Do mine site switchboards include motor control?
Often yes. Mines run heavy plant such as pumps and conveyors, so boards frequently integrate motor control centres.
Can you build switchboards for greenfield and remote projects?
Yes. We design and build robust, fully documented boards and motor control centres for greenfield, remote and harsh sites to the current Australian and New Zealand standard.
Why use a switchboard specialist for a mine project?
Remote, high stakes sites need genuine switchboard engineering for reliability and serviceability, not a general electrical fit out.
Related guides
Standards and references
Anthony Nuich is the owner of Commercial Switchboards, the specialist switchboard division of SEQ Sparky Pty Ltd, holding QLD Electrical Contractor licence #90899. With 10+ years working on commercial and industrial switchboards across Brisbane and Queensland, Anthony reviews every project personally.
