Australian geothermal firm Greenearth Energy Ltd. (GER) said its unit has been awarded a contract by Newcrest Mining Ltd. (NCM) for geothermal brine testing services at its gold mining operations in Papua New Guinea.

The Pacific Heat and Power Pty unit will evaluate the low temperature brine that is currently under-utilized, using a specially designed test rig, Greenearth said in a statement. The project is part of Newcrest’s efforts to maximize the value from the geothermal heat resources that are available at the site in Niolam Island, according to the statement.