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Piacenti & Son wins mineral sands mining contract at Thunderbird project

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Kimberley Mineral Sands, the Sheffield Resources and Yansteel joint venture steering the Thunderbird mineral sands project in Western Australia, has awarded Piacentini & Son Pty Ltd a nine-year mining services contract the project.

The agreement, which could be extended by a further five years following the initial contracting period, builds on Piacenti’s work delivering three dozer mining units to the Coburn mineral sands project, also in Western Australia.

In accordance with the latest agreement, Piacentini shall provide a Mining Unit Plant (MUP) to support Thunderbird and undertake mining activities using all necessary heavy mobile equipment to excavate and deliver ore to the MUP in a dozer push ore mining operation, ahead of delivering processed materials to the Wet Concentrator Plant, Sheffield Resources said.

Piacentini, Sheffield says, is a very experienced mineral sands mining contractor and has supported a range of mining companies, in mineral sands and other commodities, in Australia and overseas for over 40 years.

Sheffield Resources Executive Chair, Bruce Griffin, said: “The award of the mining services contract to mining services operator Piacentini & Son Pty Ltd is one of the final remaining commercial steps to completing the project financing arrangements for Thunderbird and we look forward to Kimberley Mineral Sands and Piacentini establishing a long and successful partnership as we bring the world-class Thunderbird Mineral Sands Project into production in the near future.”

The Coburn definitive feasibility study, released in June 2020, outlined a mine life of 22.5 years at a mining rate of 23.4 Mt/y.

Woodside Energy and EDL to help power up Thunderbird mineral sands project

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Sheffield Resources says the joint venture that manages the Thunderbird mineral sands project in Western Australia has secured a supply of LNG for at least five years from subsidiaries of Woodside Energy Group Ltd and EDL.

Kimberley Mineral Sands, owned 50:50 by Sheffield Resources and Yansteel, has executed a binding five-year agreement, with the ability for the parties to extend for a further five years, with Woodside Energy (LNG Fuels & Power) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Woodside Energy Group Ltd (Woodside) and EDLLNG Fuel to Power Pty Ltd (EDL) for the supply and delivery of approximately 650 tj/y of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the project.

LNG will be supplied by the Woodside/EDL joint venture (WEJV) from Woodside’s Pluto LNG Truck Loading Facility, near Karratha in Western Australia, and transported to the KMS LNG storage facility by WEJV. WEJV will own and operate a purpose-built road tanker fleet to safely and reliably deliver the LNG to Thunderbird.

The agreement enables flexible, long-term gas supply to KMS for power generation, Sheffield said, adding that it was subject to a number of customary conditions precedent, including KMS making a final investment decision toward the development of Thunderbird, following the completion of project financing of Thunderbird.

Sheffield Resources Executive Chair, Bruce Griffin, said: “We are extremely pleased KMS have established a strong relationship with Woodside and EDL as they support KMS by delivering a low cost, efficient energy solution for Thunderbird. Thunderbird construction is continuing to advance at a significant pace and remains on track for first production in early 2024.”

A bankable feasibility study released earlier this year outlined a A$484 million ($314 million) Stage 1 project using a Single Mining Unit Plant that underpinned a 10.4 Mt/y mining operation and a processing plant design feed rate of 170 t/h. The Stage 2 project saw a duplication in year five of Stage 1 mining underpinning a 20.8 Mt/y mining operation and an increase in the processing plant feed rate to 290 t/h.

Earlier this month, Pacific Energy signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement with KMS, wherby Pacific Energy will design, build, own and operate a 16 MW high efficiency gas power station combined with 2 MW of battery storage and an on-site LNG storage and re-vaporisation facility with 10 days’ storage capacity for the Thunderbird project.

Pacific Energy secures hybrid power PPA for Thunderbird mineral sands project

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Pacific Energy says it has signed a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement with Kimberley Mineral Sands (KMS) for the Thunderbird mineral sands project in Western Australia.

Under the agreement, Pacific Energy will design, build, own and operate a 16 MW high efficiency gas power station combined with 2 MW of battery storage and an on-site LNG storage and re-vaporisation facility with 10 days’ storage capacity.

The agreement accommodates the future addition of solar energy and the parties will commence working on this augmentation as soon as possible to create a larger hybrid power facility, Pacific Energy says.

Pacific Energy CEO, Jamie Cullen, said: “We are extremely pleased to have been selected to deliver an efficient power generation and gas storage solution for KMS’ flagship Thunderbird project.”

Sheffield Resources Executive Chair, Bruce Griffin, added: “We look forward to KMS expanding their relationship with Pacific Energy, and for the support from Pacific Energy to deliver a stable and efficient energy solution for Thunderbird. We welcome this important milestone step in establishing Thunderbird as the next major mineral sands producer in the near future.”

Construction is due to commence in December 2022.

KMS is owned 50:50 by Sheffield Resources and Yansteel.

A bankable feasibility study released earlier this year outlined a A$484 million ($325 million) Stage 1 project using a Single Mining Unit Plant that underpinned a 10.4 Mt/y mining operation and a processing plant design feed rate of 170 t/h. The Stage 2 project saw a duplication in year five of Stage 1 mining underpinning a 20.8 Mt/y mining operation and an increase in the processing plant feed rate to 290 t/h.

Pictured above: the Thunderbird process plant layout (power generation & storage area inset)