Tag Archives: Robe River

Duratec banks Rio Tinto Western Australia work at Robe River and Dampier Salt

Australian engineering, construction, and remediation contractor, Duratec Limited, has recently been awarded A$30 million ($20.4 million) in mining and industrial (M&I) segment work with Rio Tinto across the major miner’s iron ore and salt operations.

Key project awards within this total consist of the structural integrity remediation and Bins 3-5 life expansion works at Robe River’s West Angelas mine (A$19 million), which will commence
immediately and is due for completion by the end of the June quarter of 2025, and Dampier Salt’s Lake Macleod jetty structural integrity works bays 10 to 11 (A$6.8 million), which will commence immediately and is due for completion by the end of the calendar year.

Structural integrity projects consist of blast, protective coating and the structural remediation (including welding and steel strengthening) of a client’s assets. This, Duratec says, strongly aligns with the company’s remediation expertise and proven track record in delivery of similar packages through the company’s M&I segment. The A$30 million in M&I segment work since mid-May 2023, including these two key project awards, demonstrates Duratec’s ability to strengthen its annuity style contract awards with key strategic clients, which remains a key focus and growth area of the company.

Duratec’s Managing Director, Phil Harcourt, said: “I am elated with the company’s efforts in converting tangible opportunities to our orderbook and with the ability of our company to present itself as the contractor of choice with our key clients. The M&I segment currently represents 25% of our overall orderbook, and the outlook for this segment remains very strong, which Duratec is well positioned to capitalise on – in line with the business strategy.”

Rio increases scope of Primero work at Koodaideri, Robe Valley

Primero says it has been awarded variation extensions to contracts it already has in place with Rio Tinto at the in-development Koodaideri iron ore project and the Robe Valley iron ore operations, both in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The multi-disciplinary engineering and contracting firm said the extensions have a combined value of around A$20 million ($12.3 million).

The variations awarded under the Mesa K (Robe Valley) contract reflect additional civil works at the Mesa J PP2 (process plant 2) wet processing facility, currently being developed as part of Rio Tinto’s Robe Valley sustaining projects, Primero said.

Back in October 2018, Rio, together with joint venture partners Mitsui and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, approved an investment of $1.55 billion to sustain production capacity at two projects forming part of the Robe River joint venture, which also includes Robe Valley.

The additions to the Koodaideri contract, meanwhile, reflect additional “options selections” that have now been confirmed and included for implementation, according to Primero.

Construction on Koodaideri Phase 1 started in 2019 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.

Primero Group secured a A$115 million contract with Rio Tinto’s iron ore division to design, fabricate, supply, deliver, construct, install, test and commission the Mine Infrastructure Area and associated facilities at Koodaideri back in late 2019.

The Mesa J works (under the Mesa K contract) are expected to be completed in 2020, Primero said. The additional Koodaideri works are planned to be completed in-line with the original contracted time frame of mid 2021.

CIMIC’s CPB Contractors seals A$150 million contract for Rio Tinto in Pilbara

CIMIC’s CPB Contractors has been selected by Rio Tinto to deliver three separate packages of work at the miner’s Robe Valley iron ore operations, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The projects, worth approximately A$150 million ($103 million), include earthworks; construction of roads, bridges and pits; water supply infrastructure and drainage; fencing; and site establishment and demobilisation. The projects will be completed by the end of 2021, according to CIMIC.

Back in October 2018, Rio, together with joint venture partners Mitsui and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, approved an investment of $1.55 billion to sustain production capacity at two projects forming part of the Robe River joint venture in the Pilbara. Around $967 million was set to go towards developing the Mesa B, C and H deposits at Robe Valley, with $579 million for developing Deposits C and D at West Angelas operation.

The investments were to enable Rio Tinto to sustain production of the Pilbara Blend and its Robe Valley lump and fines products.

CIMIC Group Chief Executive Officer, Michael Wright, said: “CIMIC Group companies have a strong track record of delivering significant projects to the iron ore industry. With our decades of experience in the Pilbara we offer major mining clients certainty and confidence in construction, mining and industrial services.”

Monadelphous, BGC win West Angelas iron ore work off Rio Tinto

Engineering firms Monadelphous Group and BGC Contracting will help construct new facilities for Rio Tinto’s West Angelas iron ore mine, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, after the major miner awarded the two companies contracts.

Monaldelphous said its contract at West Angelas Deposits C and D, valued in excess of A$100 million ($68 million), includes the supply and installation of structural, mechanical, piping and electrical and instrumentation works associated with the construction of new iron ore facilities, as well as modifications to existing plant.

The work will commence immediately and is expected to be completed in April 2021.

BGC Contracting, meanwhile, will deliver civil infrastructure work as part of the same project. This includes carrying out bulk earthworks and civil works necessary to construct the heavy and light vehicle road networks that will connect the existing processing plant with the new C and D deposits.

In addition, BGC Contracting will construct the concrete foundations for the planned facility, as well as a HDPE water pipeline and install 17.5km of PVC conduit. BGC said work was due to commence on site in early October, with completion in less than a year. Detailed planning and mobilisation are already underway, it added.

Back in October, Rio, together with joint venture partners Mitsui and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, approved an investment of $1.55 billion to sustain production capacity at two projects forming part of the Robe River joint venture in the Pilbara. Around $967 million was set to go towards developing the Mesa B, C and H deposits at Robe Valley, with $579 million for developing Deposits C and D at West Angelas operation.

The investments were to enable Rio to sustain production of its Pilbara Blend products, with first ore anticipated from 2021.

Once operational, both projects will feature the latest technology with 34 existing haul trucks to be retrofitted with autonomous haulage system technology, it said.

Monadelphous Managing Director, Rob Velletri, said his company’s contract award highlighted Monadelphous’ strong reputation and proven capability in delivering large-scale construction projects.

BGC Contracting CEO, Greg Heylen, said: “The West Angelas project will display the multidisciplinary capability of our construction team to deliver this large earthworks and civil works project.

“This latest contract award is a further step in the company’s diversification strategy. We look forward to working with Rio Tinto and all stakeholders to deliver this large-scale project.”