Tag Archives: Pilbara

BHP Pilbara villages safety and accessibility upgrade complete

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BHP says work is complete on its A$300 million ($200 million) investment to improve safety and accessibility for residents and guests at its Pilbara villages in Western Australia.

The accommodation safety and security upgrade project began in 2020 and was completed earlier this year by the WA Iron Ore Non-Process Infrastructure (NPI), Engineering and Asset Projects teams.

Kate Holling, WA Iron Ore NPI General Manager, said the initiative involved a significant amount of work by a big number of people, however the results were outstanding.

“In total, 10,756 rooms were upgraded across our 13 WAIO villages with more than 10,000 doors, 8,000 lights, 1,500 CCTV cameras and 4.75 km of fencing installed,” she said.

“The work was delivered using 100% Australian manufacturers and local contractors, including many Traditional Owner businesses.

“Safety continues to be our number one priority and I’m happy to see this work complete to make our villages feel safer and more accessible for everyone who visits them.”

K2fly and BHP extend Ground Disturbance solution agreement

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K2fly Limited says BHP has extended its existing one-year contract related to K2fly’s Ground Disturbance solution covering its Western Australian Iron Ore (WAIO) operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The new three-year agreement comes with a total contract value of A$1.99 million ($1.35 million), according to the ASX-listed company, and follows an initial one-year engagement signed in May 2022.

BHP’s WAIO is an integrated system of four processing hubs and five mines, connected by more than 1,000 km of rail infrastructure and port facilities in the Pilbara region of northern Western Australia. It produces over 245 Mt/y of iron ore, making it one of the top five producers of iron ore globally.

Sitting within K2fly’s Natural Resource Governance area, K2fly Ground Disturbance solution is a cloud-based Software as a Service platform for applying, approving, tracking, reporting and submitting closure of permits and rehabilitation commitments surrounding ground disturbance activities, K2fly explained.

Nic Pollock, CEO of K2fly, said: “Our Ground Disturbance solution is the only commercial off-the-shelf solution available in the market globally and speaks to how our customers are increasingly attributing value to the importance of proper resource governance on land and protecting their license to operate. We are delighted to extend our contract into a three-year term with another global Tier 1 client.”

WSP grows presence in Western Australia with Calibre acquisition

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WSP says it is strengthening its position as a leading provider of services across the full mining asset life cycle with the addition of Calibre Professional Services and its 800 professionals in Australia.

The company’s mining team now represents over 5,200 professionals globally, including 1,400 experts in Australia, and benefits from an enhanced ability to support blue-chip mining clients in Western Australia, WSP says.

“We are eager to leverage the full potential of our combined teams and work together to support mining clients with strong ESG commitments,” Alexandre L’Heureux, President and CEO of WSP, said. “We have the opportunity to play a pivotal role at a time when mining companies are making bold commitments towards decarbonising their operations and infrastructure, while providing the critical minerals required for the green transition.”

Guy Templeton, WSP’s President and CEO, Asia Pacific, said: “With the acquisition of Calibre, we are significantly growing our presence in Western Australia, and in the mining sector, while further building on our Earth and Environment capabilities. We also look forward to creating significant value for our clients in the Pilbara Region and across the country.”

Adrian Chapman, Executive General Manager at Calibre, said: “Over the past two decades, we have focused on building Calibre as a consultant of choice for major mining projects. Joining WSP enables our talent to leverage the scale, capabilities, and expertise of a global company with 67,000 professionals.”

First wet concentrate produced at Iron Bridge Magnetite Project

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Fortescue Metals Group has reported that the first wet concentrate has been produced from the ore processing facility at the Iron Bridge Magnetite Project, ahead of being pumped to Port Hedland in Western Australia.

The company, which is the majority owner of Iron Bridge through its ownership in an unincorporated joint venture between FMG Magnetite Pty Ltd (69%) and Formosa Steel IB Pty Ltd (31%), fed first ore into the processing plant back in October.

After managing weather impacts on activity and infrastructure at the site, the company has now reached the wet concentrate milestone, Fortescue confirmed in its March quarter results, released today.

The concentrate was produced on April 22, 2023, ahead of being pumped to Port Hedland. Iron Bridge is set to deliver 22 Mt/y of high grade 67% Fe magnetite concentrate, with the total project capital estimated at $3.9 billion, with Fortescue’s share approximately $3 billion.

During the quarter, the project achieved key milestones, including:

  • Load commissioning of Crushing Circuit A, including the commissioning of the Coarse Ore Stockpile Stacker;
  • Completion of Dry Plant Circuit A and continued construction on Dry Plant Circuit B, together with continued commissioning activities in the Wet Plant;
  • Continued progress on the installation and testing of the concentrate and return water pipelines, with welding completed and pipelines buried;
  • Water testing was conducted on the Concentrate Handling Facility at Port Hedland ahead of first production.

Fortescue Metals Chief Executive Officer, Fiona Hick, said: “This is a significant milestone for Fortescue as Iron Bridge represents our entry into the highest grade segment of the iron ore market, providing an enhanced product range while also increasing production and shipping capacity. It demonstrates our strong track record of successfully delivering complex projects safely.”

Austin Engineering delivers Indonesia-made truck trays into Pilbara region

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Austin Engineering Limited has completed the first shipment of fully built and assembled truck trays from its Indonesia facility in Batam, which have been delivered directly into Western Australia’s Pilbara mining region.

The delivery comprised four truck trays that were shipped from Indonesia via Singapore into Port Hedland and then onto the customer site.

Austin recently completed a major expansion and upgrade of its Indonesian facility, which has doubled its manufacturing capacity to address increased demand.

The larger Indonesian facility is allowing Austin, it says, to mitigate the impact of ongoing supply constraints in Western Australia, particularly for skilled fabrication labour, which has been a limiting factor for production.

Alleviating these supply constraints has enabled the company’s local Western Australian facility to maintain more even operational output in line with local labour availability while ensuring Austin’s customers continue to have access to products, it said.

A return of freight costs to pre-pandemic levels has also enabled Austin to augment the shipping of sub-assemblies into Perth for final build (which has been standard practice for some time) with the delivery of full truck trays direct to the Pilbara.

Austin said: “The ability to ship directly from Indonesia to Port Hedland has the added benefit of removing the need for road haulage from Perth to client mine sites in the Pilbara. A reduction in overall transport and logistic requirements has safety, environmental and cost benefits. Specifically, a reduction in road haulage is favourable from a road safety and emissions reduction perspective.”

Further direct deliveries into the Pilbara are being planned with customers to augment Austin’s Australia-based supply, it said.

Austin CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton, said: “We are extremely pleased to see our design and manufacturing strategy starting to work in sync in the Asia Pacific region. The expanded facilities in Perth and Indonesia are allowing more flexibility from a manufacturing and delivery point of view. We have previously shipped truck trays, buckets and other mining equipment directly into Queensland, but it is the first shipment we’ve completed direct to the major mining centre of the Pilbara, and we expect this supply route to become a regular feature of our integrated supply chain.

“We remain committed to Australia as a manufacturing location, exemplified by our two factory units in Kewdale, Perth along with our two operating sites in Queensland. In addition, the majority of the steel we used in Australia and Indonesia is sourced from Australia.“

Foraco to help Rio Tinto manage groundwater activities in the Pilbara

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Foraco International SA, a global provider of mineral and water drilling services, says it has been awarded a major contract with Rio Tinto Iron Ore.

This contract is for water-related drilling services in the Pilbara region, involving both monitoring wells, dewatering wells and vibrating wire piezometers digital networks installation, mostly with flooded reverse circulation rigs. The length of the contract is two years, with an option for a further three years. It will see a total of four rigs deployed and a VWP grout unit, including Foraco’s new proprietary generation of BF800, the NGBF. This 60 t pull, remotely-operated rig brings Foraco’s diameter drilling capacity to the next step in term of intrinsic safety and capabilities, according to the company.

The contract has a total value of A$111 million ($74 million), including options.

Daniel Simoncini, CEO of Foraco, said: “Our remarkable partnership with Rio Tinto Iron Ore in the Pilbara has gone one step further with this additional contract on top of our long-term exploration contract and we’re very excited to extend our collaboration with Rio Tinto to help them to manage their mines’ groundwater, which is now seen as a critical and vital natural resource to be preserved and well managed.

“We are very proud that Rio Tinto management and their field operators appreciate Foraco technical expertise, safe execution and reliable services. This is a great reward for all our employees, field crews and support teams in Australia.”

BHP and Hatch commence design study for an electric smelting furnace pilot

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BHP and global engineering, project management and professional services firm, Hatch, have signed an agreement to design an electric smelting furnace pilot (ESF) plant in support of a decision to construct this facility in Australia.

The facility will aim to demonstrate a pathway to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity in steel production using iron ore from BHP’s Pilbara mines for BHP’s steelmaking customer, BHP says.

The small-scale demonstration plant would be used to collaborate with steel producers and technology providers to generate and share learnings with the aim of accelerating scale up of ESF plant designs.

The pilot facility would be intended to test and optimise production of iron from the ESF, a new type of furnace that is being developed by leading steel producers and technology companies targeting low CO2 emission-intensity steel. The ESF is capable of producing steel from iron ore using renewable electricity and hydrogen replacing coking coal, when combined with a direct reduced iron (DRI) step. Estimates show that reductions of more than 80% in CO2 emission intensity are potentially achievable processing Pilbara iron ores through a DRI-ESF pathway, compared with the current industry average for the conventional blast furnace steel route, BHP says.

The ESF allows for greater flexibility in input raw materials, addressing a key barrier to wider adoption of other lower CO2 emissions production routes, such as use of electric arc furnaces which are designed for scrap steel and high grade DRI only. The ESF also has the potential to be integrated into a steel plant’s existing downstream production units.

The pilot facility will enable deeper and more accurate insights into the performance of this technology for converting iron ores into molten iron and steel. Planned test programs will help de-risk further investment in commercial scale projects, thereby complementing development plans of BHP’s steel customers. This scale-up approach has been utilised by other industry demonstrations such as Sweden’s HYBRIT project, BHP added.

BHP and Hatch will assess several locations in Australia for the proposed facility based on supporting infrastructure, technology skills and the availability of local partnerships to build and operate the facility.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “We see the ESF process as a critical breakthrough in significantly reducing the carbon emissions intensity of steel production and one that provides an opportunity for iron ore from our Pilbara mines. The steel industry has identified the ESF as a viable option to use a wider range of raw materials and steel companies globally are looking to build commercial-scale ESF plants as part of their CO2 emission reduction roadmaps.”

BHP’s Group Sales and Marketing Officer, Michiel Hovers, said: “Hatch is a key partner in carbon emissions reduction initiatives across the world. We are pleased that we can collaborate with Hatch, alongside BHP’s existing customer and research partnerships, to further progress the development of pathways towards a lower GHG emission footprint for the steelmaking industry. The ESF technology is very exciting and potentially very relevant for reducing the carbon emissions intensity of steel production and provides new and exciting opportunities for our Pilbara iron ore and our customers.

“BHP and Hatch have collaborated on steel technology and design for reducing GHG emissions from over several years, including the ESF and in collaboration with steel producers, and this project is a natural progression in our partnership.”

Hatch’s Managing Director for Bulk Metals, Joe Petrolito, said: “Hatch is excited to collaborate with BHP on this forward-looking initiative and is honored to contribute to the efforts of an industry leader who is dedicated to driving tangible progress. This project marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of decarbonisation within a challenging sector that underpins global infrastructure and progress.”

Duratec to carry out structural works at Rio Tinto Pilbara ops

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Australian engineering, construction and remediation contractor Duratec Limited says it has been awarded A$34 million ($24 million) in Master Service Agreement (MSA) projects with Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a Rio Tinto subsidiary.

These projects consist of the structural integrity remediation at the Tom Price operation (A$18 million) and the structural integrity remediation at East Intercourse Island (A$16 million), both of which are projects that require Duratec’s specialist service offering, it says.

These contracts also demonstrate the company’s strategic growth into annuity contracts within the resources sector.

These notable project awards, coupled with a record high level of enquiry into Duratec’s service offering through its Pilbara, Goldfields, Northern Territory and Queensland Mining & Industrial operations, have contributed to Duratec’s Mining & Industrial (M&I) orderbook strengthening to A$124 million, it said.

Duratec’s Managing Director, Phil Harcourt, said: “It is pleasing to see the company’s efforts to strengthen its orderbook by targeting opportunities with key repeat clients in the M&I segment being rewarded. M&I now represents 23% of the company’s overall orderbook, which will ensure it is positioned strongly for the current financial year and beyond – in line with the business strategy.”

Fortescue signs Mining Convention for Belinga, paving way for first mining in H2 2023

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Fortescue Metals Group, through its incorporated JV company Ivindo Iron SA, has signed the Mining Convention for the Belinga iron ore project in Gabon with the Gabonese Republic, paving the way for first mining to begin in the second half of 2023.

This will open growth opportunities for Fortescue Metals and Fortescue Future Industries throughout Africa, according to the ASX-listed company.

The Mining Convention governs all the legal, fiscal and regulatory regimes for the 4,500 sq.km, which comprises the Belinga project, including early development for production of up to 2 Mt/y, while studies advance potential designs of a large-scale development.

Fortescue Founder and Executive Chairman, Dr Andrew Forrest, said: “The Gabonese Republic chose Fortescue to develop Belinga not only due to our strong track record of delivering major projects, but due also to our company-wide commitment to use our major industrial scale and expertise to assist heavy industry combat climate change.

“Geological mapping and sampling programs have confirmed our initial thoughts that this new West African iron ore hub may well one day prove to be among the largest in the world. The key aspect of this particular geology is its potential to dovetail with Fortescue Pilbara ore
blends. In doing so it will preserve and enhance the iron ore industry of both Australia and Gabon.

“We have enjoyed strong support and positive feedback from local communities. We will continue to work together to maintain Fortescue’s highest standards of environmental and community consultation.”

The capital estimate for the early stage mining development is approximately $200 million (100% basis) with investment over 2023-24. The development involves conventional open-pit mining methods to produce the ore which will be trucked and railed over existing roads and rail infrastructure, and will be shipped from the Owendo Mineral Port, near Libreville.

Ivindo Iron is the operating entity for Belinga. It is held 90% by the Belinga JV company, established by Fortescue (80% interest) and its joint venture partner, the Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund (20%). In accordance with the Gabon Mining Code, the Gabon Government will have a free carry interest of 10% in Ivindo Iron.

The Belinga deposit was initially discovered in 1955, and subsequent exploration in the 1970s identified high iron and low contaminant mineralisation. The deposit sits in Archean aged rocks of the Congo Craton. The lithology and structure are typical of other greenstone belts that commonly host banded iron formations and itabirites found in other parts of West Africa such as the Simandou project, Fortescue says. The Belinga geology and iron ore potential is similar in scale as Simandou in its early stages of exploration, with its multi-billion tonne potential and high grades, the company added.

Belinga has been progressively assessed by Fortescue since 2018.

BHP engages Nyiyaparli-owned ROMS for mine rehab work at Newman

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Nyiyaparli Traditional Owner Business, Resource Operations and Maintenance Services (ROMS) has been awarded a A$2.8 million ($2 million) contract to help with mine rehabilitation at BHP’s Newman Operations, on Nyiyaparli Country, in Western Australia.

Work is underway on the eight-month contract for bulk earthworks and mine rehabilitation of two of the overburden stockpile areas at Newman West.

The works involve a fleet of Cat dozers to undertake the bulk regrade work, in conjunction with a fleet of ancillary equipment to undertake topsoil spreading, scarification and fauna habitat construction.

This is ROMS’ first mine rehabilitation contract with Newman Operations, however the company has worked across BHP since joining the South Flank project, also in Western Australia, in 2018.

ROMS Managing Director, Jason Bull, said: “BHP has continued to support our growth and we’re now onsite at South Flank, Whaleback, Jimblebar and Mining Area C delivering our services to operations, sustaining capital and engineering works.

“We have two fully trained and developed Indigenous supervisors at BHP sites, as well as nine young Indigenous people completing a Certificate II in civil construction. This has helped build a solid portfolio of tickets, with strong on-site learning and positive mentoring through our group’s strong culture.”

Newman Operations General Manager, Dan Heal, said the partnership with ROMS was just one of the many partnerships Newman Operations hopes to build upon into the future with Pilbara Aboriginal businesses.

“Supporting our community and working with Traditional Owners towards a common purpose is something I’m particularly excited about growing here in Newman,” he said. “Contracts like this encourage the growth of Indigenous business and create new opportunities for our Traditional Owners to support their own communities.”

Bull added: “We’re extremely appreciative of BHP’s support and look forward to making a positive impact on the local community through our continued partnership with BHP.”