Tag Archives: Murrin Murrin

SRG Global banks four mining contracts as part of A$700m in wins

Equipment maintenance, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

SRG Global Ltd says it has been awarded multiple contracts with existing clients across Asia Pacific, four of which are related to mining.

The value of the new works secured is A$700 million ($457 million), which includes:

  • A five-year term contract for maintenance services associated with the continuous enhancement of Bauxite Residue Disposal Area embankments as well as other civil services with South32 at the Worsley Alumina bauxite and alumina refinery operations in the south-
    west region of Western Australia (WA). The contract will commence immediately;
  • A five-year term contract for asset integrity services with Glencore at its Murrin Murrin mining operations in the Goldfields region of WA. The contract has now commenced;
  • Mine site infrastructure contract for earthworks and civil construction at the Roy Hill mining operations with HanRoy in Western Australia. The contract commences in November 2024 and is expected to be completed mid-2025; and
  • Infrastructure contract for the construction of a tailings dam at the Pilgangoora mining operation with Pilbara Minerals in Western Australia. The contract commences in November 2024 and is expected to be completed mid-2025.

David Macgeorge, SRG Global Managing Director, commented: “We are pleased to continue to secure a diverse range of contract awards across Australia and New Zealand in a broad range of sectors with key repeat clients. These contract awards are a further demonstration of our transformation to a truly diversified infrastructure services company.”

Wallis Drilling wins three-year contract extension at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin op

Base metals, Energy minerals, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Glencore has signed a three-year contract extension with Wallis Drilling to retain the drilling company’s services at Murrin Murrin in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, which will extend Wallis’ long-standing relationship at the Glencore-owned operation to over a quarter of a century, the service provider says.

Wallis Drilling is a local Western Australian business, founded in 1965 by Marty and Jamie Wallis, which has grown to over 300 employees, but remains a family run business today.

Wallis has provided services to Glencore’s Murrin Murrin operation for 24 years and the contract extension, running through to September 2025, will see Wallis Drilling continue to provide RC grade control and blasthole drilling at Murrin Murrin.

Murrin Murrin is a nickel-cobalt mining and processing operation between Leonora and Laverton in the north-eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia and currently provides work for over 1,000 employees and contractors.

Wallis Drilling Manager, Wayne Waters, oversees the Murrin Murrin contract, with his role previously being occupied by Grant Wallis who is now the Chief Operating Officer of the business.

Waters said: “Murrin Murrin, like Wallis, understands the importance of establishing and nurturing long-term relationships to create stability, which has been exemplified by the latest contract extension.

“This business certainty is beneficial to Wallis, but it also gives us the capacity to plan for the long-term on site at Murrin Murrin and deliver the best operational outcomes.”

Grant Wallis said: “Our work at Murrin Murrin has helped us grow from a small family business to one of Australia’s largest privately-owned minerals drilling companies, while still remaining true to our local WA roots.”

Nic Fenner, Head of Mining Technical Services at Murrin Murrin, said: “We are very proud to help grow local Western Australia businesses, like Wallis Drilling, and help be a part in their success stories.

“The strong relationship between Murrin Murrin Operations and Wallis has been underpinned by our shared values and culture. Murrin Murrin and Wallis both have many long serving employees with some even being the second generation in their family to work at Murrin Murrin.”

Cobham confirms seven-year FIFO extension for Murrin Murrin mine site

Base metals, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Cobham Regional Services has been awarded a new seven-year contract with Minara Resources (wholly owned by Glencore), to provide fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) services to its Murrin Murrin site in the eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.

Minara Resources is Australia’s largest cobalt producer and a major producer of nickel, and a foundation FIFO client of Cobham.

Cobham Regional Services Managing Director, Claude Alviani, said that Cobham had been providing FIFO services to Murrin Murrin since the mine commenced operations in 1996.

“We are absolutely delighted to continue the relationship we have with Minara as their aviation partner of choice,” Alviani said. “The operators of Murrin Murrin were pioneers of FIFO in Western Australia, using an airbridge to connect workers to site well before it became common practice.

“Over the past six months, Minara has transitioned to our modern, lower carbon emission aircraft with the E190 and Q400 now servicing the site.”

Brett Fowler, General Manager, Minara Resources, said: “We are pleased to continue our relationship with Cobham, a long-term partner of the Murrin Murrin operations. We welcome the addition of the lower carbon emission aircraft to Murrin Murrin as we continue to produce the nickel and cobalt that are critical commodities for the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

The new contract comes at a pivotal time for the industry in Western Australia as the State prepares to open its borders.

Cobham’s Business Development Director, Tim Pirga, said that Cobham was well positioned for transitioning to the next phase of living with COVID.

“We have a private terminal which allows us to offer bespoke solutions for COVID screening, health checks and passenger separation,” he said. “Minara will take advantage of our facility and of our experiences operating in other states where borders have been open for some time.”

Civmec to construct Mount Holland lithium concentrate refinery

Comminution of minerals, Energy minerals, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , ,

Civmec Ltd has been issued with a notice of award for a major construction contract in the resources sector at the Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd joint venture in Western Australia, as well as several infrastructure and maintenance projects, raising its order book to more than A$1.15 billion ($823 million).

The major construction contract is for the Mount Holland lithium project in Western Australia being undertaken by subsidiaries of Wesfarmers and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA through the 50:50 joint venture manager Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd.

The Mount Holland mine site will produce lithium concentrate, which will be transported to a refinery that Civmec has been tasked to construct. The refinery, to be located at Kwinana in Western Australia and within 10 km of Civmec’s flagship heavy engineering facilities in Henderson, will convert the lithium concentrate into high-purity lithium hydroxide monohydrate. Covalent says the refinery operations are expected to have an 85% recovery of the lithium contained in the spodumene concentrate, with the capacity to produce around 45,000 t/y of battery-quality lithium hydroxide.

The scope of work being undertaken by Civmec covers most disciplines performed by Civmec including structural and piping fabrication, SMP erection, refractory lining, insulation and E&I installation works.

Civmec expects to commence work on this project in 2022, with completion expected in 2024.

On top of this, the company says it has also continued to make traction in our efforts to secure more market share in the maintenance area on both the East and West coast of Australia with a new contract award for maintenance services for Glencore’s Murrin Murrin operations. It is also getting more work for maintenance and shutdowns from long-term client Roy Hill, and has recently completed work for a nickel producer in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.

Civmec’s Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Tallon, said: “Demand for heavy engineering and construction services in the private and public sectors in Australia remains strong and these new contracts underscore, yet again, our strength as a top-tier contractor. Our efforts to generate more recurring income are also paying off as we are getting more work involving maintenance and capital works from both existing and new clients.”

Orica to deliver tech and blasting services to Glencore’s Australia copper, zinc ops

Base metals, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining consumables, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Orica says it has been awarded a five-year explosives technology and services contract for Glencore’s Australia copper and zinc operations, effective January 2021.

Glencore, one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies, produces and markets a diverse range of metals and minerals, with its Australia copper and zinc operations including McArthur River Mine (Northern Territory), Lady Loretta Mine (Queensland), Mount Isa Mines (Queensland), Ernest Henry Mine (Queensland) and CSA Mine (New South Wales). Orica has an existing supply agreement with Glencore’s nickel and cobalt operations at Murrin Murrin, in Western Australia.

As part of the contract, Orica will deliver the full suite of explosives technology and blasting services across the Glencore copper and zinc operations in Australia, including supply of the fully wireless initiating system, WebGen™, BlastIQ™ digital blast optimisation suite of products and smart explosives delivery system, Bulkmaster™ 7.

This partnership further strengthens and expands Orica’s longstanding relationship with Glencore, the manufacturer of commercial explosives and innovative blasting systems said.

Orica Chief Executive, Alberto Calderon, said: “Glencore is a key global diversified customer, and we are delighted to be partnering with them across their Australian copper and zinc operations, integrating our most advanced technologies and solutions to solve their more complex operational needs.

“Glencore’s Ernest Henry mine in northwest Queensland was the first site in the world to trial and adopt our wireless explosives technology, WebGen. This deal shows Glencore’s confidence in our technology roadmap as well as aligning with their strategic vision for technology to deliver added value to their operations.”

Orica will work closely with Glencore to ensure uninterrupted supply to each operation, during the rapid mobilisation and transition period, it said.

Murrin Murrin nickel mine to benefit from new Bis road trains

Base metals, Bulk handling, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

As part of a major upgrade to its off-road haulage fleet at Minara Resources’ Murrin Murrin nickel mine in Western Australia’s north-eastern Goldfields, Bis’ operational teams have welcomed new 350 t Dual Powered Road Trains (DPRTs) to site.

Bis’ high-payload proprietary road trains deliver customers reduced haul cycles and vehicle movements – leading to higher productivity at reduced costs, the company says.

Bis has been providing a range of services at Murrin Murrin (wholly owned by Glencore), including haulage and haul and road maintenance services, calcrete services, and bulk logistics services, since the operation began in 1998. Last year, it extended its haulage and site services contract for a further four years.

Bis’ Rexx 20-wheel dump truck impresses at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin mine

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Bis Industries says its “revolutionary” new mining haul truck has delivered outstanding results in trials at Glencore’s Murrin Murrin nickel mine in the north-eastern Goldfields of Western Australia.

Known as Rexx, the dual powered 20-wheel dump truck has been designed with a range of features specifically incorporated to deliver savings to Bis customers, the company said. Rexx has more than four times the range of conventional dump trucks, outstanding manoeuvrability, operator comfort and maintainability plus on demand power that lowers fuel consumption, according to Bis.

Bis CEO Brad Rogers said the testing at Murrin Murrin mine has been carried out in `real-life’ operating conditions and the results to date indicated Rexx had the capacity to deliver up to a 30% reduction in operating costs compared with conventional dump trucks. These savings will be delivered to miners as part of Bis’ integrated haulage solution, it added.

Rogers said one area of the savings that could be passed on to Bis customers in haulage costs was average fuel use by Rexx, which was around half the fuel consumed by equivalent competing dump trucks.

“The fuel savings are a direct consequence of Rexx being designed with patented on-demand power that lowers fuel consumption,” the company said. “The vehicle has the capacity to carry enough fuel for at least two 12-h shifts, eliminating downtime needed for refuelling.”

Rogers said Rexx had been designed in-house by the Bis engineering team while the construction had used the talent of Western Australian tradespeople.“In Rexx we have a game changing work horse that showcases Australian innovation,” he said.

For example, the steering system enables an industry leading turning circle of just 13.5 m, allowing Rexx to manoeuvre easily in smaller spaces, the company said.

With an eye to industry trends, Rexx had also been designed and built to be easily retrofitted for autonomous operations with features including steering sensors, stability control sensors and a futuristic in-cab console, Rogers said. The console provides the operator with real-time data including pressure monitoring on all tyres and sensors for detecting bin tipping, engineering operation and payload.

Mining Manager at Murrin Murrin, David Ayres, said: “We were thrilled to be involved with Bis on this exciting project. Outside of autonomous systems, there haven’t been many major fundamental design changes in the rigid-frame off-highway game in a long time.

“The Bis design offers the ability to haul directly from pit-to-plant from a much longer distance, without the need for the re-handle step, which should save costs and reduce ore loss/dilution. Rexx solves a niche haul-distance equation,” he said.

Rexx has sparked significant interest from major miners both internationally and within Australia and a series of demonstrations are now being staged with interested customers, Bis said.