Tag Archives: Douglas Thompson

Thiess signs ‘industry first’ dual-fuel agreement with Mine Energy Solutions

Thiess has signed an agreement with Australia-based Mine Energy Solutions that could see the use of locally-sourced gas to displace diesel in large mining trucks using MES’ “currently available and proven” dual-fuel technology.

The agreement to bring lower emission, dual-fuel technology to Thiess’ mining fleet represents a first for a mining services provider in the industry, the company said.

The partnership will commence with the conversion of a fleet of six mining trucks and seek to source gas on site to allow the removal of the equivalent B Double diesel deliveries from local highways, reducing congestion and making it safer for regional families, Thiess said. Longer term, Thiess and MES will seek to expand to full fleet conversion before exploring further opportunities both within Australia and Internationally.

Thiess CEO, Douglas Thompson, said: “Partnerships like this ensure Thiess is playing a role in reducing emissions on our operations and leading the path to decarbonisation of the industry.”

MES’ CEO, Adrian Abbott, added: “We’re proud to partner with Thiess and apply this technology in the Bowen Basin. Our focus is to use locally-sourced gas through the capture and use of fugitive methane contained in the coal resource to enable the average mine site to reduce their greenhouse gas footprint by more than 550,000 t of CO2-e per annum.”

MES’ High Density Compressed Natural Gas (HDCNG®) technology was previously trialled at the New Acland coal mine in Queensland, Australia, with help from New Hope Group and Hastings Deering. This saw a Cat 789C haul truck converted from diesel use to dual-fuel operation using natural gas as the dominant fuel through sequential gas injection.

Thiess to continue operations at BMA Caval Ridge coal mine

CIMIC Group’s global mining services provider, Thiess, has been awarded a contract extension by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) to provide mining services at the Caval Ridge coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

The 12-month contract extension will generate revenue of A$110 million ($79 million) to Thiess, CIMIC said.

Under the contract variation, Thiess will continue to operate and maintain three 600 t excavator fleets to move additional overburden for the Caval Ridge operation, an open-pit coal mine with a 10 Mt/y throughput capacity.

Back in 2018, Thiess and BMA signed a contract variation that saw the contract miner move additional overburden through 2020 as per the terms of the contract.

CIMIC Group Chief Executive Officer, Juan Santamaria, said: “This contract extension builds on our relationship with BMA and reinforces our commitment to work with our clients to safely position their operations for optimal efficiency, productivity and cost performance.”

CIMIC Group Executive Mining and Mineral Processing and Thiess Managing Director, Douglas Thompson, said: “We’re proud to continue our work at Caval Ridge where we have a proven track record of delivering innovative and low-cost mining solutions. It is a testament to the team’s continued focus on delivering a safe and productive operation for our client.”

The contract extension will commence in December 2020.

Last week, CIMIC confirmed that it was close to bringing in a new equity investor for its Thiess contract mining business.

Thiess extends stay at Glencore’s Mount Owen coal mine

CIMIC Group’s Thiess has been awarded a contract extension by Glencore to provide mining services at the Mount Owen coal operation in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia.

The 18-month contract extension, to commence in July 2021, will generate revenue of A$340 million ($240 million) to Thiess.

Thiess will continue to provide mine planning, design and execution, drill and blast, overburden removal and coal mining services at the mine, it said.

The global mining services provider has operated at Mount Owen since 1994, applying, it says, industry best practice mining operations, with uncompromising environmental and safety standards. It is Thiess’ largest coal mining operation in New South Wales, processing up to 15 Mt/y of run of mine, of which 7.8 Mt/y is mined by Thiess from the Mount Owen North Pit.

Thiess Managing Director, Douglas Thompson, said: “For more than 25 years we have delivered industry-leading, specialised mining techniques at Mount Owen, leading to higher resource recovery, increased plant efficiency and reliable material movement for our client.

“Our team looks forward to continuing our long association with Glencore and the Hunter Valley community.”

Thiess says it has a strong presence in the Hunter Valley where it provides mining services at three mines. It works to deliver social benefits through local employment and training, local procurement, community engagement and Indigenous affairs.

Thiess to carry out load and haul services at Mantos Blancos copper mine

CIMIC’s global mining services provider, Thiess, is to undertake load and haul services for Mantos Copper SA at the Mantos Blancos copper mine, in northern Chile, following a mining services contract award.

The contract will see the company carry out not only load and haul services, but also fleet maintenance. The contractor will move low-grade copper ore at the operation, which produces around 50,000 t/y of fine copper.

Thiess Managing Director, Douglas Thompson, said this latest contract demonstrates the company’s ability to apply global insight and experience into “furthering local value and deliver productivity and efficiencies for our clients”.

He added: “Mantos Copper SA is an important contributor to the mining industry in the Antofagasta region and we are proud to be of service.”

Thiess’ Executive General Manager Americas, Darrell White, said: “For the past five years we have delivered safe and efficient operations in Chile in line with our vision to be the world’s leading mining services provider. We value collaboration and engagement and look forward to growing our relationship with Mantos Copper SA.”

Thiess to bring autonomous drilling to Lake Vermont coal mine

Thiess has been awarded a contract extension by Jellinbah Group to continue to provide mining services at its Lake Vermont coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

The five-year extension will generate revenue of A$2.5 billion ($1.7 billion) for Thiess, CIMIC Group’s global mining services provider. It will also see the company provide a range of autonomous services at the mine, including the implementation of autonomous drilling and semi-autonomous dozer push, it said.

When it comes to autonomous drilling, Thiess will most likely leverage the learnings from a phased 12-month autonomous drilling pilot project it carried out at MACH Energy’s majority-owned Mount Pleasant coal operation in the Hunter Valley of Australia, in collaboration with Caterpillar and WesTrac.

Thiess said the contract continues its full-service mining operations at Lake Vermont, including mine planning, coal mining, topsoil and overburden removal, drill and blast, water management and rehabilitation of final landforms. This includes providing all mobile plant and equipment, being statutory operator for the project, and operating and maintaining the client’s coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP).

CIMIC Group Chief Executive Officer, Juan Santamaria, said: “For more than 13 years, Thiess has worked alongside Jellinbah Group to safely position the mine’s operations for optimal efficiency, productivity and cost performance. This contract demonstrates Thiess’ ability to turn insight and optimisation into greater certainty for its clients.”

CIMIC Group Executive Mining and Mineral Processing and Thiess Managing Director, Douglas Thompson, said: “We’ve developed a strong working relationship with Jellinbah Group since commencing work at Lake Vermont in 2007. We’re excited to bring fresh thinking and new solutions to support the mine’s continued, sustainable evolution over the next five years.”

The contract extension will commence from January 1, 2022.

CIMIC Group’s mineral processing company, Sedgman also provides CHPP operations support at the Lake Vermont mine, which, in 2012, went through an expansion to more than double production from 4.6 Mt/y to 10.7 Mt/y of coal.

Lake Vermont is held by the participants of the Lake Vermont Joint Venture (Jellinbah Group 70%, Marubeni Coal 10%, Sojitz Coal 10% and AMCI 10%).

Thiess to play major role in Debswana Jwaneng diamond mine Cut-9 project

Thiess, through Majwe Mining Joint Venture (Majwe), has secured a A$1.7 billion ($1.2 billion) contract at Debswana Diamond Co’s Jwaneng Mine Cut-9 project in Botswana.

Majwe, a JV between Thiess (70%) and long-term local partner Bothakga Burrow Botswana (30%), will provide full scope mining services over nine years, including drill and on-bench services, mine planning, equipment maintenance, load and haul, and mining operations, it said.

This new volume-based contract follows Majwe’s successful completion of the Cut 8 project at the diamond mine in November 2018.

Michael Wright, CEO of CIMIC Group, the owners of Thiess, said: “This new contract strengthens Thiess’ presence in Botswana and builds on our operational and technical teams’ solid performance at Jwaneng since 2011.

CIMIC Group Mining and Minerals Executive and Thiess Managing Director, Douglas Thompson, said: “I am pleased to be extending our long-term relationship with Debswana Diamond Company and Majwe, delivering scalable and innovative solutions that are tailored to our client’s production and expansion needs.”

Last month, Basil Read Mining Botswana, a wholly owned subsidiary of Basil Read Mining, entered into an agreement with Thiess Botswana and Bothakga Burrow Botswana to sell its 28% interest in the Majwe JV to the two firms.

Jwaneng, reportedly the richest diamond mine in the world by value, produces more than 10 Mct per year of diamonds.

The most recently completed Cut-8 project, which took the 2.5 km by 1.5 km mine from a depth of 400 m to 650 m, ensured continuous production until at least 2024.

Cut-9, meanwhile, is expected to extend the life of mine to 2035 and yield an estimated 53 Mct of rough diamonds from 44 Mt of treated material, Debswana said.

Debswana will invest approximately $2 billion over the life of the project, with the company’s shareholders approving the budget for 2019 so that the next phase of work can commence.

At its peak Cut-9 is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs, the majority of which will be held by Batswana citizens.

The high level CEEP key performance indicators for the Cut-9 project include, but are not limited to the establishment of an Apprentice and Artisan Training Centre, a Component Rebuild Centre, which is expected to mature into a self-sustaining business within three years from the launch of the project, and additional local business development initiatives.

Thiess builds on South America first with Antofagasta contract extension in Chile

CIMIC Group’s global mining services provider, Thiess, has been awarded a A$420 million ($303 million) contract extension by Antofagasta Minerals (AMSA) to continue operations at the Encuentro open pit in northern Chile.

Thiess will continue to provide mining services for another four years as part of the contract with a scope of works comprised of drilling, load and haul, mobile equipment maintenance and mine services.

The original 2015 contract with AMSA was Thiess’ first in South America.

Douglas Thompson, CIMIC Group Executive Mining and Mineral Processing and Thiess Managing Director, said: “Since commencing operations in 2015, we have moved over 70 million cubic metres, a first for Thiess in South America. This has been possible through the team’s focus on efficiency and productivity and working collaboratively with our client.”

Planned future improvements at the mine include investment in maintenance infrastructure, a fleet management system and transfer to Thiess of short-term mine planning responsibilities, CIMIC said.

Earlier this month, the Thiess Centinela operation was announced as winners of the ‘National Geology and Mining Service Award’ for safety performance by the Chilean government.

The Encuentro Oxides deposit came into production at AMSA’s Centinela mine in the last quarter of 2017. It is expected to produce an average of approximately 43,000 t/y of copper cathode over an eight-year period, using the existing capacity at Centinela’s SX-EW plant.