Leighton Holdings subsidiaries Thiess and Leighton Contractors have announced three important new contracts. Thiess has secured a $166 million contract to provide bulk earth works and selected infrastructure for BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s Jimblebar mine near Newman in Western Australia. In precious metals, Leighton Holdings has also won two Australian gold contract orders via subsidiary Leighton Contractors totalling $317 million.Thiess managing director David Saxelby said of the iron ore deal: “The project maintains Thiess’ long standing presence in the Pilbara region delivering large scale civil projects to blue chip clients.” Under the new contract, Thiess will provide bulk earthworks, drainage and civil structures, road works and buried services. The new contract starts immediately, with the work scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2012. The first of the two gold mining deals is a $200 million contract awarded by Newcrest Mining for works at Telfer. Under a 27-month contract, Leighton Contractors will provide mining equipment, operators, maintenance and supervisory personnel, and infrastructure including workshops and offices to the project.

The second is a three-year, $117 million contract for Crocodile Gold Australia Operations at the Cosmo Deeps underground gold mine, located 140 km SSE of Darwin in the Northern Territory. This contract, commencing in April 2011, will see the provision of complete mining services, including short-term scheduling, diamond drilling, decline and level development, ground support installation and shotcreting, production drilling, blasting and haulage. There is also provision for a contract extension, with the mine life currently estimated at 10 years.