Tag Archives: Koodaideri

Clough JV to go over and above for Koodaideri iron ore project

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Clough, as part of Acciona Clough Joint Venture (ACJV), says it has been awarded by Main Roads WA the construction of Great Northern highway road over rail bridge and access road intersection for the Rio Tinto-owned Koodaideri iron ore mine in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The scope of works includes the construction of 3.6 km of road for the approaches to the bridge over rail, the construction of the bridge over rail, and construction of side road upgrades of the Great Northern Highway and Koodaideri Mine Access Road intersection, Clough said. This is the second transportation infrastructure project awarded to ACJV this year – the first being a civil works contract for the construction of the northern rail formation for Koodaideri.

Clough CEO and Managing Director, Peter Bennett, said: “Our history with Main Roads started in 1957 and we are proud to continue being part of the ongoing development of WA’s transport infrastructure.”

Koodaideri will deliver a new production hub for Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in the Pilbara, incorporating a processing plant and infrastructure including a 166 km rail line connecting the mine to the existing network.

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 started this year with first production expected in late 2021. Once complete, the mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the company’s flagship iron ore product, Pilbara Blend. The project will help sustain Rio Tinto’s existing production capacity by replacing depletion elsewhere in the system, the miner says.

Battle for greenfield mining autonomy

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The big two global giants in autonomous mining truck solutions continue to battle it out in chasing new contracts, especially for greenfield mines that offer a chance to supply more profitable “new” autonomous fleets as opposed to retrofitting autonomous capability onto existing fleets.

The main battle grounds remain Australian iron ore in Western Australia’s Pilbara region and Canadian oil sands in the Alberta production hub centred on Fort McMurray, though there are also surface haul truck autonomy trials ongoing in other mine types such as iron ore in other parts of the world, gold, coal and copper.

In iron ore the competition has turned traditional norms on their head.

Rio Tinto, traditionally a Komatsu truck user, announced earlier in 2019 that it had agreed to work together with Caterpillar to create an automated mine operation at the Koodaideri iron ore project, in Western Australia. The agreement will see Cat® and dealer WesTrac supply and support mining machines, automation and enterprise technology systems for the new mine. Rio, in a separate release, said this would see the supply of a fleet of 20 new autonomous 793F trucks.

Then in September, BHP, traditionally a Caterpillar truck user, turned the tables again by announcing that it will deploy 41 new Komatsu 930E-5 ultra-class autonomous haul trucks at its new South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, commencing in October 2019.

But OEM battles aside, autonomy comes with its own issues. This includes the mine having sufficient network capacity in place but also other practicalities like how it ties in with haul road design and how it affects OTR tyre performance.

This tyre angle is being delved into in some detail by Tony Cutler, Principal at specialist consultancy OTR Global, at the forthcoming inaugural Truck & Shovel Conference from International Mining Events, running 19-20 September in Singapore at the InterContinental, Middle Road.

His talk, “Factoring tyres into autonomous haulage”, will point out that since 2008, over 400 autonomous haul trucks have entered commercial operation on open-pit mines and, while autonomous haulage offers improved productivity, safety and operating cost, he argues that the main constraint to maximising these benefits is tyres. This presentation identifies the limitations associated with tyres – some inherent to the tyres, others to the autonomous systems and operating environments – and suggests solutions.

Cutler will be joined in an autonomy related session by Drew Larsen, Director of Business Development, ASI Mining, in a presentation titled: ‘Autonomous Mining – more feasible than you might think’.

The company, 34% owned by global mining OEM Epiroc, began work on a project with Barrick Gold to retrofit and automate a fleet of Komatsu 930-E Ultra Class haul trucks at the Arturo joint venture operation in Nevada, last year, and judging from Barrick’s commentary in its June quarter results, the gold miner is happy with how things are going.

Interestingly, Barrick said initially none of the OEMs wanted to engage in the project, “due to the mammoth task of retrofitting an autonomous system to a 20-year-old fleet of ultra-class trucks and the technological limitations that come with that age of machine”.

Barrick found another partner in ASI that specialises in autonomous solutions both inside and outside the mining industry and has now successfully completed a proof of concept (POC) utilising five haulage units “that have delivered over 5.5 Mt faster than any other similar POC in the industry”, it said.

These autonomous solutions require a lot of data to be effective and while there are no shortages of nodes on equipment nowadays, the haulage and loading industry is still coming to terms with how best to leverage this data.

Speakers from Komatsu will be confronting this issue head on at the event, with Jason Knuth, Senior Manager – Data Solutions, and Simon Van Wegen, Product Manager – Data Solutions, presenting a keynote titled, “Data-driven designs for dynamic mining environments”.

The two intend to reveal how OEMs are leveraging the plethora of data nodes on smart equipment to adapt equipment and design solutions for the modern mine environment.

To hear from more speakers like this, register for Truck & Shovel by clicking here.

Aboriginal businesses receive Rio Koodaideri iron ore contract wins

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Rio Tinto has awarded Pilbara Aboriginal businesses with more than A$60 million ($41 million) of work associated with the development of its 43 Mt/y Koodaideri iron ore development in Western Australia.

The most significant package of work awarded to date has been secured by White Springs, which will supply more than 600,000 t of ballast for the rail line for the Koodaideri mine, Rio said.

The contract will require the establishment of the Bea Bea Creek quarry, which will be the first Indigenous owned and operated quarry in Western Australia.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive, Chris Salisbury, said: “We’ve been operating in the Pilbara for more than 50 years and we couldn’t have built the world-class iron ore business we have today without the support of local and Pilbara Aboriginal businesses.

“These contract awards highlight the growing level of expertise that sit within these businesses and we are proud to be partnering with them to help develop our most technologically advanced mine.”

Other recent significant awards to Aboriginal businesses for work on the Koodaideri project include:

Kurtarra Cape USA JV
Kurtarra, as part of the Kurtarra Cape USA, will install 170 km of fibre optic cable as part of the new rail line after securing a contract. Kurtarra was established in 2012 and is a 100% Aboriginal family-owned company originating from the Palkyu area of the Pilbara.

Ngurrara
Ngurrara will undertake earthworks for construction of the Pelican Rail Camp. Ngurrara is a wholly-owned Pilbara Aboriginal business and has Indigenous engagement management plans in place to support local Aboriginal communities.

Yanagu Horizon
Yanagu Horizon will perform the bulk earthworks and drainage works for the Crossing Rail Camp. As well as being a Pilbara Aboriginal business, Yanagu’s JV partner, Yurala Contracting, is owned and operated by Banjima Traditional Owners, whose country is located in Central Pilbara.

Construction & Development Solutions (iCads)
iCads will undertake project surveying services to support the construction of the mine and rail scope for the project. iCads is a 51% Aboriginal-owned business that offers attractive employment and subcontracting opportunities for Pilbara Aboriginal businesses.

Karlka Fencewright WA
Karlka Fencewright will supply and install the fence along the northern rail alignment. Karlka Fencewright is a 100% Pilbara Aboriginal business owned by Karlka Developments, which is the commercial arm of the Pilbara-based Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation. It’s a wholly-owned Traditional Owner company registered in the Pilbara.

Yurala (trading as Yurala Aboriginal Contracting Services)
Yurala has secured a contract to undertake miscellaneous earthworks along the Koodaideri project’s rail alignment and the associated roads. Yurala is a 100% Pilbara Aboriginal-owned business, its owner representing the Banjima people who are recognised as the traditional owners of the Central Pilbara.

Lorrex Contracting
Lorrex Contracting is responsible for the construction of three access roads within the mine site. The works comprise clearing, bulk earthworks, drainage and pavement construction. Lorrex Contracting is an incorporated Aboriginal business with equal ownership between Lorrex Civil and Mining Pty Ltd and iContracting Pty Ltd. Lorrex Civil and Mining Pty Ltd is located in the Youngaleena Community, which is situated to the west of the Koodaideri mine site.

Koodaideri, 100%-owned by Rio Tinto, is located around 35 km northwest of Rio Tinto’s Yandicoogina mine site, and about 110 km from the town of Newman. The $2.6 billion mine was approved in November last year with construction commencing earlier this year. Production capacity of the mine will be 43 Mt annually and is expected to commence by the end of 2021.

Vossloh to keep Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri iron ore plans on track

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Vossloh Tie Technologies says it has won its first major order in Australia for the delivery of concrete ties for Rio Tinto’s in-development Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The production and supply of the ties will be performed by Vossloh’s Australian subsidiary, Austrak Pty Ltd, which was acquired in late-2018. The order encompasses approximately 280,000 concrete ties, expected to be delivered in 2020.

Koodaideri will include construction of an additional rail line to connect the new mine to Rio Tinto’s existing network. This is where Vossloh’s concrete crossties come in, providing improved track surface, alignment and gauge holding performance; strong, stable track structures to support high speed and heavy haul rail applications; smooth running surface to lower overall costs by increasing rail life and reducing locomotive fuel consumption; and longer lifecycles by providing exceptional durability and resistance to weathering and corrosion, according to the company.

Production at the $2.6 billion Phase 1 Koodaideri project is planned to start in late 2021, before ramping up to the nameplate 43 Mt/y capacity.

Austrak will perform the deliveries from a factory in Western Australia, which will also serve as a production site for further upcoming mining projects in the Pilbara region, Vossloh said. This will provide the potential to offer further growth opportunities for the company in Australia.

Andreas Busemann, Chief Executive Officer of Vossloh AG, said: “We are excited to see that our recent acquisition Austrak succeeded in this tender, contributing substantial value to Vossloh shortly after acquisition. This perfectly underlines the company’s strong position in Australia’s concrete tie market and once again confirms Vossloh’s outlook for the 2020 fiscal year, seeing an increase in sales and profitability.”

NRW wins second Koodaideri iron ore contract from Rio Tinto

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NRW Holdings says it has been awarded the Koodaideri Rail Formation South Earthworks contract by Rio Tinto.

The project scope includes the construction of about 73 km of new rail embankment, a new mine access road and associated road works along the Koodaideri rail alignment, NRW said.

The project value is in excess of A$137 million ($92.9 million) and is expected to have a duration of some 70 weeks with site works commencing in August. At its peak, there will be over 300 site-based personnel required for the project, according to NRW.

NRW’s Chief Executive Officer, Jules Pemberton, said: “NRW has a long history of civil construction expertise in the Pilbara and has been involved in the successful delivery of numerous greenfield and brownfield projects for Rio Tinto since 2002.

“Since then, NRW has also constructed more than 900 km of rail formation across the Pilbara providing work for thousands of Australians and supporting local industries, traditional landowners and suppliers.”

He added that the contract follows the recent award of the Koodaideri plant site earthworks agreement where construction has already commenced (pictured).

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 started this year with first production expected in late 2021. Once complete, the $2.6 billion mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the company’s flagship iron ore product, Pilbara Blend.

In addition to mine infrastructure and the accommodation camp, an airport and mine support facilities will be built. Throughout the construction period, Rio expects to employ over 2,000 people with 600 permanent roles created once the mine is operational.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive, Chris Salisbury, has previously said that the company wants to make Koodaideri the “most technology-enabled and innovative mine in our Pilbara iron ore network”.

Caterpillar, WesTrac to help automate Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri iron ore mine

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Rio Tinto and Caterpillar have agreed to work together to create an automated mine operation at the Koodaideri iron ore project, in Western Australia, that makes best use of data analytics and integration to enhance safety, optimise production, boost mining machine use and lower costs.

The recently signed agreement will see Cat® and dealer WesTrac supply and support mining machines, automation and enterprise technology systems for the new mine. Rio, in a separate release, said this would see the supply of a fleet of 20 autonomous 793F trucks (pictured) as well as four autonomous blast drills.

Beyond the autonomous fleet, Caterpillar will also provide loaders, dozers, graders, water carts and diggers for the operation, which will be Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara mine to be primarily operated using Caterpillar machinery, Rio said. “The two companies have also agreed to study the potential for increased levels of automation of heavy mining equipment at the mine in the future.”

The partnership with Caterpillar at Koodaideri will enhance Rio Tinto’s industry-leading Mine of the Future™ programme, which connects all components of the mining value chain for the first time, as well as making increased use of automation and digitisation, according to Rio. Caterpillar’s machinery will be integrated with Rio Tinto’s Mine Automation System (MAS), which collects and enhances data created by the company’s mining operations, to improve productivity across Rio Tinto’s entire iron ore network.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive, Chris Salisbury, said: “We’re pleased to be partnering with Caterpillar and WesTrac, the regional Cat dealer, to help make Koodaideri the most technology-enabled and innovative mine in our Pilbara iron ore network.

“Technology is rapidly changing our mining operations as we harness innovation to make our operations safer, smarter and more productive. This extension of our partnership with Caterpillar and WesTrac represents an exciting step for our business.”

Denise Johnson, Group President Resource Industries, Caterpillar Inc, said: “The Caterpillar team is looking forward to working with Rio Tinto to apply our proven mining equipment and technology and to implement additional MineStar™ autonomy solutions at Koodaideri—a new mine designed to capitalise on leading-edge technology.

“We are excited to work together to advance Rio Tinto’s mine automation and digitalisation program.”

Koodaideri will deliver a new production hub for Rio Tinto’s iron ore business in the Pilbara. Construction work has commenced, and first production is expected in late 2021. Once complete, the mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the Pilbara Blend, Rio’s flagship iron ore product.

As mine construction advances, WesTrac will manage logistics of mining machine delivery and commissioning and play a key role in implementing technology solutions.

Jarvas Croome, WesTrac CEO, said: “WesTrac is excited to be part of the Koodaideri project and to work with Caterpillar to deliver ground-breaking equipment solutions to support Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future vision.”

Last week, FLSmidth announced it would bring the latest smart 3D design to Koodaideri after announcing a contract win.

Clough to provide key infrastructure at Rio’s Koodaideri iron ore project

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Clough, as part as the Acciona Clough joint venture, has been awarded a civil works contract for the construction of the northern rail formation for the Rio Tinto Koodaideri iron ore project, in Western Australia.

Clough CEO and Managing Director, Peter Bennett, said: “We are excited with the opportunity to work with Rio Tinto Iron Ore to deliver its vision for the Koodaideri project as we continue to grow our presence in Western Australia’s iron ore developments.”

Bennett said the execution of the contract would create more than 200 new jobs, with the scope including 100 km of rail formation earthworks, culverts, bridge construction, access roads and level crossings.

“Clough is a proudly Western Australian engineering and construction company with a proven history of delivering world-class projects with outstanding safety and quality results in Australia and overseas,” he added.

The engineering and construction company is celebrating its 100th year of operation.

The Koodaideri project is a greenfield mine development for Rio Tinto Iron Ore, in the East Pilbara mining region. The mine will initially be developed with an annual capacity of 43 Mt. To allow the transportation of iron ore product to either Dampier or Cape Lambert, the project requires a 170 km rail spur to connect the Koodaideri mine to the existing Rio Tinto Iron Ore rail network, just south of Lyre Siding at Numbat.

WorleyParsons is carrying out the EPCM contract for the project, while FLSmidth said this week that it will bring the latest 3D smart design to the development.

The project has been designed to use an increased level of automation and digitisation, helping to deliver a safer and more productive mine, which is expected to be Rio Tinto’s lowest cost contributor to its industry benchmark Pilbara Blend product.

FLSmidth to bring the latest smart 3D design to Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri iron ore mine

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Rio Tinto has chosen FLSmidth to supply key minerals handling equipment for the company’s Koodaideri iron ore project in Western Australia, the mining OEM says.

The contract is a turnkey agreement for the design, supply, installation and commissioning for the new greenfield iron ore mine.

“FLSmidth will provide the products and know-how that will be instrumental in developing the Koodaideri mine to be Rio Tinto’s most technologically-advanced mine to date,” FLSmidth said. “Rio Tinto will for the first time apply smart technology to interconnect all components in the mining value chain. FLSmidth will design the equipment to the latest Australian standards and incorporate smart 3D design and a variety of advanced engineering solutions, such as BulkExpert™ (pictured).

Manfred Schaffer, President, FLSmidth Mining, said: “Koodaideri will set new benchmarks in digitalisation and will feature the most technologically-advanced solutions employed to date in the iron ore sector. This will enable Rio Tinto to run the most advanced mining operation featuring high productivity and high safety in a cost-efficient set-up and we are proud to be part of this.”

Construction at the Koodaideri mine will commence this year with the first ore expected to be fully functional by late 2021, with a production capacity of 43 Mt/y of iron ore.

The exact total contract value for the supply of the equipment won’t be disclosed but is exceeding A$80 million ($56 million) and will be booked in the June quarter, FLSmidth said.

NRW looks forward to further growth as iron ore focus pays off

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NRW Holdings has reported year-on-year increases in revenue and earnings in the six months to December 31, 2018, and says its focus on securing work in the iron ore sector has started to pay off.

Revenue came in at A$521.1 million ($370 million) for the six-month period, up 50.9% year-on-year, while earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation rose from A$40.3 million in the six months to December 31, 2017, to A$74.3 million in the most recent half year.

The company’s order intake in the six months totalled A$1 billion, increasing total work in hand to A$2.4 billion, it said.

Jules Pemberton, NRW’s CEO and MD, said “Not only have we delivered incremental earnings growth, but we have been able to maintain strong cash flows through the period to reduce net debt to A$12.8 million and gearing to 4.3% despite an increase in capital expenditure driven by the purchase of key mining assets.

“All businesses performed on or above plan and it is worth noting that the Golding business has now generated cash equal to its acquisition cost within the first 14 months of ownership.”

The company, in previous outlook commentaries, mentioned NRW was looking to secure work on iron ore sustaining projects in Western Australia; a target that the company is starting to deliver on. Pemberton said: “Progress to date has been extremely positive following the awards of South Flank for BHP, in July 2018, the Koodaideri Plant site for Rio Tinto, announced in January 2019, and the award of Fortescue Metals Group’s Stage 1 Eliwana rail package, in February 2019.”

On top of this, NRW Holdings also announced the acquisition of the RCR Mining Technologies (RCRMT) business last month. On this transaction, Pemberton said: “The RCRMT business has developed a wealth of intellectual property across a range of products and processes and are recognised as leaders by global resource clients The acquisition will allow the company to provide incremental services, in line with our strategic objectives, to a number of core clients common to both NRW and RCR MT and is a very strong foundation on which to build a broader maintenance services business.”

NRW Holdings to start work on Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri iron ore project in April

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NRW Holdings has been awarded a bulk earthworks contract at Rio Tinto’s new ‘Intelligent Mine’, Koodaideri, in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The A$65 million ($46 million) work of works included bulk earthworks and drainage, the ASX-listed contractor said, adding that it was expected to run for 11 months, commencing on site in April.

Koodaideri is set to deliver a new production hub for Rio’s iron ore business and is 35 km northwest of the Yandicoogina mine in the east Pilbara.

In December, it was announced that Perth-based Pindan will build a 780-room construction camp at Koodaideri as part of a A$45 million contract award.

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 will start this year with first production expected in late 2021. Once complete, the $2.6 billion mine will have an annual capacity of 43 Mt, underpinning production of the company’s flagship iron ore product, Pilbara Blend.

In addition to mine infrastructure and the accommodation camp, an airport and mine support facilities will be built. Throughout the construction period, Rio expects to employ over 2,000 people with 600 permanent roles created once the mine is operational.