How We Built a Complete Container Kitchen for OK Tedi Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea

When OK Tedi Mining Limited needed a fully functional commercial kitchen for their gold mining operation in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea, they turned to Grace Kitchen Equipment — a leading container kitchen supplier from China with nearly 20 years of experience in turnkey kitchen solutions for extreme environments.

In this case study, we walk you through how we designed, manufactured, and delivered a complete containerized kitchen system that now feeds hundreds of workers daily at one of the world’s most challenging mining sites.

Project Overview: A Kitchen Built for the Jungle

The OK Tedi mine is located in the Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Western Province — a region characterized by heavy rainfall, tropical highland climate, and extremely limited infrastructure. Building a traditional brick-and-mortar kitchen was simply not an option. The solution? A modular, container-based commercial kitchen that could be shipped, assembled on-site, and fully operational within days.

Our team at Grace Kitchen Equipment designed a system using 2 x 20ft shipping containers joined together, creating a generous 12.2m x 6m footprint divided into 4 functional modules (A, B, C, and D) — covering hot cooking, baking, rice preparation, and cold storage respectively.

Equipment Configuration and Specifications

Every piece of equipment was selected for durability, energy efficiency, and high-volume output. Here is the complete equipment list installed in the container kitchen:

• Electric Tilting Frying Pans x2 — 12kW each, ideal for stir-frying, braising, and sautéing large batches
• Combi Oven x1 — 16kW, capable of steaming, baking, roasting, and grilling with precise digital controls
• Electric Ovens x2 — 20kW each, designed for continuous baking operations
• Electric Griddles x2 — 11kW each, perfect for breakfast service and flat-top cooking
• Intelligent Rice Cookers x3 — 6kW each, programmable for consistent results across large batches
• Double Door Upright Freezers x2 — commercial-grade, maintaining -18°C in tropical conditions
• Chiller Room + Freezer Room — walk-in cold storage built directly into the container structure
• VRF Air Conditioning — 2 x 14kW units to maintain comfortable working temperatures for kitchen staff

Electrical Power System

One of the most critical aspects of this project was the electrical engineering. The entire container kitchen runs on a 415V three-phase power supply with a 320A main breaker. The total installed power exceeds 150kW, requiring careful load balancing and industrial-grade wiring throughout.

All electrical components and wiring comply with international standards, and the complete system carries CE certification — a requirement for mining operations with strict safety compliance protocols.

Key Engineering Challenges We Solved

Designing a container kitchen for a remote tropical mining site is very different from equipping a hotel kitchen in a city. Here are the major challenges our engineering team addressed:

• Tropical Highland Climate Design: All materials were selected for corrosion resistance and humidity tolerance. Stainless steel grade 304 was used throughout, and all electrical enclosures are rated IP65 or higher.
• Remote Location Deployment: The entire kitchen was pre-assembled and tested at our Foshan factory before being disassembled into shipping container modules. This approach minimized on-site installation time to under 72 hours.
• Full 415V Three-Phase Power System: Our electrical engineers designed a custom power distribution system with individual circuit breakers for each piece of equipment, ensuring both safety and ease of maintenance.
• International CE Certification: Every component — from cooking equipment to refrigeration units to electrical panels — was certified to CE standards, meeting the strict compliance requirements of international mining operations.

Why Mining Companies Choose Container Kitchens

Container kitchens have become the preferred solution for mining camps, military bases, disaster relief operations, and remote construction sites worldwide. The advantages are clear:

• Rapid deployment — fully operational in days, not months
• Relocatable — can be moved to new sites as operations shift
• Consistent quality — factory-built to exact specifications under controlled conditions
• Cost-effective — significantly lower total cost compared to permanent construction in remote areas
• Scalable — additional modules can be added as workforce grows

About Grace Kitchen Equipment

Guangdong Grace Kitchen Equipment Co., Ltd., established in 2006 in Foshan, China, is a professional manufacturer and exporter of commercial kitchen equipment and turnkey kitchen solutions. Over the past two decades, we have served clients in more than 130 countries, including major organizations such as the United Nations, Huawei, Hilton Hotels, and numerous mining and energy companies.

Our capabilities include:

• Custom container kitchen design and manufacturing
• Full commercial kitchen equipment supply
• Turnkey kitchen project management
• 3D kitchen layout design services
• International certification (CE, SGS, Intertek)

We operate from our Foshan headquarters and factory, with additional presence through our Moscow showroom, Indonesia warehouse, and South Africa warehouse — ensuring fast delivery and local support across multiple continents.

Get in Touch

Are you planning a mining camp, remote construction site, or military base that needs a reliable kitchen solution? We would love to help you design and build your next container kitchen project.

• Website: gracekitchenequip.com
• WhatsApp: +86 158 1364 3427
• Canton Fair 2026: Hall 19.1, Booth J28-J29, April 15–19, 2026

Visit us at the upcoming Canton Fair to see our latest container kitchen solutions and commercial kitchen equipment in person. We look forward to meeting you!