Tag Archives: Adani Australia

Martinus wins another Carmichael rail contract with Adani Australia

Coal technology, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Adani has awarded a plus-A$220 million ($139.3 million) civil construction contract to Martinus to build a critical section of the railway for the Carmichael coal project, in Queensland, Australia.

The contract for the Carmichael Rail Network will see the Australia rail company deliver 86 km of rail formation works, a road over rail bridge, nine waterway bridges, more than 200 culverts and 35 rail crossings.

Late last year, Martinus was awarded the track works component, worth more than A$100 million, to deliver around 210 km of narrow-gauge rail from the Carmichael mine to the existing rail infrastructure.

The transport network underpins the first stage of the 10 Mt/y coal project at Carmichael, which was given the thumbs up to start construction in 2019. It will see a narrow gauge rail network built that connects to existing rail infrastructure and goes from the mine to the Port of Abbot Point. The initial design capacity of this line is for 40 Mt/y, with the ability to further expand, according to Adani.

Martinus CEO and Managing Director, Treaven Martinus, said: “Our focus has been to be the best large-scale railway construction contractor in Australia and being a part of this project enables us to fulfil that vision.”

He added: “Our 600-strong project delivery workforce will be based in Townsville and Rockhampton and partnering with local and other regional Queensland businesses and people, while also upholding the highest standards of project delivery across environmental and safety conditions.”

Adani Mining CEO, Lucas Dow, said the contract with Martinus would deliver some 600 new jobs, which was more important than ever as the local community braces to withstand the economic shifts being brought about by the COVID-19 virus.

“We’re following all advice from Queensland Health and the Federal Government and doing all we can to keep our people and the community safe,” Dow said.

“We also understand how important it is to continue our operations where safe and practicable to provide certainty of employment for our staff and contractors. I want to make it clear that the health and safety of our staff is our first priority, however, where we are able to continue to operate safely and in line with advice, we will do so.”

Dow said the company had implemented measures including social distancing, health screening and increased hygiene in the hope more of its contractors, suppliers and the businesses that depend on the company can also “weather the storm, keeping their doors open, services running, and importantly provide certainty of employment”.

In addition to the Martinus announcement, Adani said assembly of its first mining trucks was now complete, with two heavy vehicles having left Mackay, in Queensland, to make the plus-300 km trip to the Carmichael mine site this week.

These are the first of more than 24 trucks being assembled in Mackay, which is thought to include electric drive Caterpillar 796 AC (327 t) models.

Adani signs up Martinus for Carmichael rail contract

Coal technology, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Adani has announced a more than A$100 million ($68 million) rail contract for the Carmichael thermal coal project has been awarded to Martinus Rail, with the contractor set to base itself out of Adani’s newly opened Rockhampton Business Centre (pictured).

The contract award and delivery out of the centre will ensure “Rockhampton businesses and people will be in prime position to participate in the contract delivery”, the company said.

The development of the first stage 10 Mt/y coal mine at Carmichael, which was given the thumbs up to start construction earlier this year, will lead to the building of a circa-200 km narrow gauge rail network that connects to existing rail infrastructure and goes from the mine to the Port of Abbot Point. The initial design capacity of this line is for 40 Mt/y, with the ability to further expand, according to Adani.

Adani Mining CEO, Lucas Dow, said more than A$450 million worth of contracts had already been awarded on the Carmichael project, the majority to regional Queensland areas.

“Since receiving our approvals we have not wasted a moment. Construction on the Carmichael mine and rail project is well and truly underway on site, and our big contracts are now also lined up as we ramp up activity.”

He added: “We now have our mining services contractor and one of our earthworks contractors for the rail project in place based in Rockhampton, Martinus Rail will be our rail laying construction contractor also in based in Rockhampton, initial rail camp provision will be based in Collinsville, earthworks and civil works is coming from Townsville, fuel supply is from Townsville, telecommunications is from Mackay, and many other regional businesses across regional Queensland also have a piece of the pie,” he said.

Managing Director for Martinus Rail, Treaven Martinus, said Martinus is a large-scale railway construction contractor with a focus on delivering regional railways for mining and government clients across Australia and New Zealand. “Our business delivers large-scale regional rail projects across Australia and we do it successfully by tapping into the local workforce, which is a commercially viable approach for us while also providing training, skills and benefits for local communities,” he said.

Dow, meanwhile, said the new Adani Rockhampton Business Centre would provide a local base for major procurement and recruitment programs for the Carmichael project during the construction phase and during operations.

“Our new Rockhampton Business Centre will help us ensure Rockhampton and Townsville, where we have an existing office, act as the primary employment hubs for the Carmichael project,” he said.

The business centre will be a base for recruitment and procurement activity and will be used for training sessions, meet the buyer sessions, recruitment interviews, staff induction programs, act as a base for some of our contractors and more.

Adani Mining finds funds for Carmichael thermal coal project in Queensland

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Adani Mining has managed to get together the financing needed to develop its massive Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland, Australia, after parent company, the Adani Group, said 100% of the funds would come through its own resources.

The announcement follows recent changes to simplify construction and reduce the initial capital requirements for Carmichael, which is expected to produce some 27.5 Mt/y of high-quality thermal coal once fully ramped up.

Adani Mining CEO Lucas Dow said construction and operation of the mine will now begin.

“Our work in recent months has culminated in Adani Group’s approval of the revised project plan that de-risks the initial stage of the Carmichael mine and rail project by adopting a narrow-gauge rail solution combined with a reduced ramp up volume for the mine,” Dow said.

“This means we’ve minimised our execution risk and initial capital outlay. The sharpening of the mine plan has kept operating costs to a minimum and ensures the project remains within the first quartile of the global cost curve. All coal produced in the initial ramp up phase will be consumed by the Adani Group’s captive requirements.

“We will now begin developing a smaller open-cut mine comparable to many other Queensland coal mines and will ramp up production over time to 27.5 Mt/y,” he said.

The construction for the shorter narrow-gauge rail line will also begin to match the production schedule, he added.

The company has already invested $3.3 billion in Adani’s Australian businesses, according to Dow. “[This] is a clear demonstration of our capacity to deliver a financing solution for the revised scope of the mine and rail project.

Carmichael is expected to deliver more than 1,500 direct jobs on the mine and rail projects during the initial ramp-up and construction phase, and will support thousands more indirect jobs, all of which will benefit regional Queensland communities, Adani said.

Preparatory works at the mine site are imminent and Adani Mining is working with regulators to finalise the remaining required management plans, ahead of coal production, some of which have been subject to two years of state and federal government review.

“This process is expected to be complete and provided by the governments in the next few weeks,” Adani said.

Today’s announcement follows eight years of planning, securing approvals and successfully contesting legal challenges from anti-mining activists, according to Dow.

“We have worked tirelessly to clear the required hurdles,” he said. “Given we meet the same environmental standards and operate under the same regulations as other miners, we expect that Adani Mining will be treated no differently than any other Queensland mining company.”

Located more than 300 km west of the Queensland coast, the Carmichael thermal coal mine and rail project will transport coal from the Galilee Basin to countries in Asia, including India, Vietnam and China.

In addition to the number of jobs and tax revenues Carmichael will create, the mine will also open the north Galilee Basin for further development, according to Tania Constable, Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Council of Australia.

“[This is] an exciting new phase in Australia’s rich history of mining exploration and development, which has made our nation a global mining powerhouse,” she said.