Tag Archives: Kwinana

MRL and Metso Outotec NextGen II crushing plant installation on track

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mineral Resources and Metso Outotec’s plans to deliver their NextGen II modular crushing plant to BHP’s Mt Whaleback mine remain on course, with the fabricated steelwork having arrived in Western Australia.

In January 2020, the joint venture awarded a fabrication contract to three separate companies in Turkey: Birikim and Mass Makina, in Ankara, and Bilim Makina, in Bursa, around 100 km south of Istanbul.

The contract was to procure, fabricate, trial assemble, surface treat, and deliver to the port about 1,400 t of fabricated steel work. This effort was led by Mineral Resources Technical Director, David De Haas, and Fabrication Manager, Michael Killeen.

Mineral Resources’ wholly-owned subsidiary, CSI Mining Services, has now received this infrastructure, with all NextGen II works to be assembled at CSI’s Kwinana workshop during a six-week period, working 24/7.

The assembly of the 12 Mt/y plant will be completed on site at BHP’s Mt Whaleback mine, replacing the existing CSI crushing plant at the iron ore operation. This contract was announced last month.

“The manufacture of NextGen II has been completed in very difficult times internationally as the coronavirus pandemic swept the world and the whole team is to be congratulated for their efforts,” Mineral Resources said.

“We look forward to the successful construction, installation and commissioning of the new plant at Mt Whaleback, and are confident this will be the first of many opportunities for this ground-breaking approach to deliver safe, reliable production for the hard-rock crushing industry.”

The company concluded: “CSI is already the world’s largest crushing contractor and NextGen II will help us maintain our position as the partners of choice for the mining industry.”

The first 12 Mt/y portable and modular NextGen crushing plant was installed in 2018 at the Pilgangoora lithium project, owned by Pilbara Minerals, in Western Australia.

Chevron to supply gas to BHP Nickel West operations

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Power supply for mines, , , , ,

Chevron has announced the signing of a domestic gas sale agreement with BHP’s Nickel West division that will see a total of 22 Pj of equity domestic gas delivered to the operations in Western Australia over a 3.5-year period.

Chevron will supply the natural gas from its Wheatstone domestic gas facility from July.

Chevron Australia Managing Director, Al Williams, said the agreement highlighted the important role of natural gas in powering critical industries, such as mining, across the state.

“As a reliable and cost-effective way to generate electricity, natural gas is a vital energy source for current and future energy needs of Western Australian industry,” he said.

At full capacity, the Chevron-operated Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas facilities will produce 500 tj/d of domestic gas for the Western Australia market – enough to generate electricity for 4.3 million households, according to the company.

Nickel West is a fully integrated mine-to-market nickel business with over 3,500 employees and contractors, BHP says. All nickel operations (open pit and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery) are located in Western Australia. The integrated business adds value throughout the company’s nickel supply chain, with the majority of Nickel West’s current production sold as powder and briquettes, the company added.

The division is currently in the middle of construction of a nickel sulphate plant at the Kwinana nickel refinery. Stage 1 is expected to produce up to 100,000 t/y of nickel sulphate.

Mineral Resources adds crushing wear parts expertise with acquisition of MWP

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Mineral Resources Ltd says it has completed the acquisition of Mining Wear Parts (MWP), a privately-owned company that provides specialist parts to the mining, quarrying and recycling industries across Australia.

MWP, based in Brisbane and with operations in Western Australia, was established by David Macfarlane in 2016. Since then it has grown to become a leading and profitable national supplier of replacement parts used in crushing, milling, slurry pumps, mobile equipment and various consumable products such as castings, according to Mineral Resources.

As part of the transaction, Macfarlane will continue to lead MWP, which will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mineral Resources’ CSI Mining Services business (CSI). It is the company’s intention to retain the Mining Wear Parts trading name.

“Under its new ownership structure, MWP will have access to CSI’s financial, strategic and operational capabilities to execute the next step-up in its national growth plans,” Mineral Resources said. “In addition to accelerating MWP’s growth, MRL will incorporate the MWP business into the company’s Kwinana workshop as a first step towards establishing a fitting and services arm for the parts supplied by MWP.”

Mineral Resources Chief Operating Officer, Mike Grey, said: “As a leading provider in the mining services sector, with a significant footprint in crushing, in particular, the acquisition of Mining Wear Parts is a logical addition to the Mineral Resources Group of Companies and will allow us to further vertically integrate our supply chain.

“Mineral Resources, through CSI Mining Services, will be a significant client of Mining Wear Parts but we also look forward to introducing and expanding Mining Wear Parts and its quality service offering to our client base to deliver value-adding opportunities for all.”

Macfarlane, meanwhile, said: “With the support of Mineral Resources, Mining Wear Parts will be able to morph very quickly into a larger business with the ability to significantly increase our range of stocked parts and products and build a large technical and experienced base to better support and service our national client base.

“Importantly, Mineral Resources aligns with the culture we have established at Mining Wear Parts of being innovative and delivering value-adding solutions for our clients.

“Together, we will be able to grow Mining Wear Parts’ presence in the repairs and service markets by bringing the best service people, backed by premium wear and spare parts, the most advanced workshops such as Mineral Resources’ Kwinana facility and tooling for the best outcome for all of our clients.”

SRG Global seals Alcoa Kwinana alumina refinery contract

Equipment maintenance, Industrial minerals, Mining services, , , , , ,

SRG Global, having been awarded preferred tenderer status for a A$90 million ($61 million) asset services contract with Alcoa in December, has confirmed the contract has now been executed.

The services will be provided at Alcoa’s Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia with a contract duration of five years. In December, the company said it would provide heavy mechanical and electrical maintenance as well as access solutions including highly skilled rope access technicians and scaffold services.

Site mobilisation is well advanced with contract services to commence in February 2020, according to the company.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said: “This a very significant contract award for SRG Global in our Asset Services division and showcases our ability to deliver multi-disciplinary integrated solutions for tier one customers.

“We look forward to building a long-term partnership with Alcoa to deliver value-engineered maintenance and access services that drives value for their operations.”

EcoGraf and GR Engineering sign LOI for 20,000 t/y graphite facility

Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , ,

EcoGraf has signed a letter of intent with GR Engineering Services for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the development of a 20,000 t/y battery-grade graphite facility in Western Australia.

The two companies expect to enter into a formal contract for the new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

EcoGraf said the parties have been working to complete pre-development activities for the project and the company is finalising its arrangements with the Western Australian Government’s land development agency over a proposed 6.7 ha site in Kwinana.

The proposed development has a pre-tax net present value of $141 million, generating an internal rate of return of 36.6% and annual EBITDA of $35 million based on an upfront capital cost of $22.8 million for an initial 5,000 t/y of graphite, followed by a further $49.2 million to expand production to 20,000 t/y of battery graphite, according to EcoGraf.

EcoGraf says the development of the project is subject to a final investment decision, expected in the first half of the year.

SRG Global wins contract at Alcoa’s Kwinana alumina refinery

Base metals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining maintenance, Mining services, , , , ,

Australia-listed SRG Global has been awarded preferred tenderer status for up to a five-year multi-disciplinary asset services contract with Alcoa.

As part of this A$90 million ($61.4 million) agreement, SRG will provide heavy mechanical and electrical maintenance as well as access solutions including highly skilled rope access technicians and scaffold services, it said.

The services will be provided at Alcoa’s Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia with site mobilisation forecast to commence in early 2020.

The Kwinana refinery has an annual nameplate production capacity of 2.2 Mt and produces non-metallurgical alumina (15% of production) and smelter-grade alumina (85% of production), according to Alcoa.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said: “This is a very significant announcement for SRG Global in our Asset Services division and showcases our ability to deliver multi-disciplinary integrated solutions for Tier One customers.”

SIMPEC to help with plant handover at Tianqi Lithium’s Kwinana plant

Energy minerals, Industrial minerals, Mineral processing, Mining services, , , , , ,

SIMPEC has added to its existing scope of works at the Tianqi Lithium-owned lithium hydroxide process plant (LHPP1) in Kwinana, Western Australia, with a new A$5 million ($3.34 million) contract to carry out structural, mechanical, piping, and electrical and instrumentation work at the operation.

This work, which comes on top of the pyromet piping installation contract the WestStar Industrial subsidiary was awarded by lead contractor MSP Engineering in 2018, will assist Tianqi with the handover of the plant to the operations team.

SIMPEC Managing Director, Mark Dimasi, said: “This award is a true reflection of our team’s performance to date on the LHPP1 project. An outstanding effort by everyone involved. I personally would like to thank all the MSP Engineering personnel for supporting our team over the past 10 months and Tianqi Lithium Kwinana for backing the incumbent SIMPEC site team.”

This new contract builds on previously announced extensions during the company’s 2020 financial year and brings contract awards received during the first half of this period to circa-A$23 million.