Tag Archives: Roy Hill

Australian government backs mining and metal sector decarbonising initiative

Environmental, Mining finance, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new Cooperative Research Centre focused on integrating green energy sources such as hydrogen, ammonia and solar into high-heat and high-emission manufacturing processes for products like steel, aluminium and cement has won Australia government backing.

The Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC), to be led by the University of Adelaide, has been provided with A$39 million ($29 million) of funding through the CRC Grants program. It is also backed by an additional A$175.7 million in funding and in-kind support from research and industry partners such as Alcoa, Rio Tinto Aluminium, South32, Roy Hill, Fortescue Metals Group, the Australian National University and the CSIRO.

South Australia Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Christian Porter, said the CRC would help to secure the future of heavy industries right across the country by helping them to lower costs and establish a reputation as exporters of high-quality, low-carbon, value-added products.

“In order to remain internationally competitive, it is crucial that our heavy industries begin the transition to lower cost and cleaner energy technology to secure the long-term future of their operations,” Minister Porter said. “By connecting those industries with our best and brightest minds from within our major research institutions – coupled with the significant funding that’s now available to fast-track this work – we expect real-world solutions can be delivered within the 10-year life of the CRC.”

Dr David Cochrane, who is Technology Lead at core CRC partner South32 and also an industry leader of the HILT CRC, said: “The HILT CRC will play an important role in transitioning to a low-carbon future by creating a framework for industry to collaborate, sharing knowledge and experience while lowering the risk of trialling technology.

“For South32, we have recently set medium-term targets to halve our operational emissions by 2035 as we transition to net zero by 2050 and initiatives like the HILT CRC are part of our plan to achieve these targets.”

Susan Jeanes, who is Chair-elect of the HILT CRC, said: “Decarbonising Australia’s heavy industry will position it to be competitive in the rapidly developing, global low carbon markets for green iron and aluminium products that have higher value than our current exports. These new markets are being driven by our trading partners in countries like China, Japan and Europe, which are introducing a range of financial measures to meet their carbon targets, such as EU’s Carbon Border Tax.

“Our mineral resources geographically co-exist around the continent with our first-class renewable energy resources making decarbonising more competitive here than in other parts of the world.”

Civmec extends Pilbara stay with more iron ore agreements

Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

Civmec Ltd has won multiple new contracts for its maintenance, manufacturing and construction divisions with a combined value of over A$100 million ($77 million).

Among these awards is a three-year contract for the maintenance division with Alcoa of Australia Ltd to provide calciner maintenance, major overhaul and repair services, including scaffolding, mechanical, refractory and electrical services at its Kwinana, Pinjarra, and Wagerup refineries. These plants contain 17 calciner units, two liquor burners and five regenerative thermal oxidisers.

The manufacturing division is celebrating minerals and metals sectors contracts in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

Among these is an agreement for Civmec to supply, manufacture, trial assemble and deliver four main train load-out bin modules for the BHP-owned Jimblebar iron project. The company will also supply, fabricate, surface treat and modularise shuttle trusses, conveyor trusses, platework and stick steel for the Rio Tinto-owned Gudai-Darri iron ore project, also in the Pilbara.

Still in the Australia iron ore hub, Civmec’s construction division is set to complete a civil package, including detailed earthworks, concrete placement, cabling and pipework for a Roy Hill de-bottlenecking project, as well as the delivery of a fixed plant workshop for Rio Tinto’s Mesa A project, where the group is already undertaking other structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation work.

Roy Hill contracts Pentium Hydro for more bores at iron ore mine site

Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Pentium Hydro’s specialised drill rigs will extend their stay at Roy Hill’s iron ore mine in the Pilbara of Western Australia after the Vysarn Ltd subsidiary received a notice of contract award for hydrogeological drilling from the miner.

The new contract, which follows on from a general works contract Roy Hill and Pentium signed back in 2019, comes with an estimated revenue based on the initial scope of work of around A$12 million ($9 million).

It also stipulates for the issue of individual work requests for the supply of one or more drill rigs and comes with a three-year and five-month contract term starting from January 1, 2021, with a one-year extension option by Roy Hill.

The scope of work as defined under the contract is to provide the drilling and installation of production, injection and monitoring bores to support mining and exploration activities across Roy Hill mine site locations within the Pilbara, Pentium said, with revenue from these works based on a schedule of rates.

Pentium currently has one dual rotary drill rig and associated ancillary equipment on a Roy Hill mine site working under the terms of the previous contract announced on November 1, 2019. This drill rig and/or similar drill rigs in the Pentium fleet will start the execution of the scope of work defined within the new contract from January 1, 2021.

Roy Hill backs interoperability developments with ERDi TestLab membership

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Iron ore miner Roy Hill has become the latest member of the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Energy & Resources Digital Interoperability Industry 4.0 (ERDi i4.0) TestLab.

Roy Hill is committed to the development of interoperability within the resources industry and recently appointed Michael Waller to a new role – Interoperability Manager – to lead the company’s strategy and engagement, according to the TestLab.

In the few short weeks since Michael’s appointment, Roy Hill’s interoperability approach has progressed at a rapid rate, with Waller spearheading the establishment of a collaborative interoperability project within the TestLab, it added.

This new project will be sponsored by ERDi TestLab founding partner METS Ignited, and centres around interoperability in the mobile equipment execution management and control technology space across both manual and automated equipment, it said.

“We are thrilled to be working with Roy Hill and the other participants on this exciting project, more details of which will be announced soon,” it added.

Roy Hill’s interoperability streak was made clear earlier this year when it signed an agreement with Epiroc and ASI Mining to deliver a fully automated solution for the iron ore mining operation’s mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks.

Other companies to recently sign up to the TestLab include Trevali, RPMGlobal and ABB.

UGL banks A$200 million of work from Rio Tinto, Roy Hill and BHP

Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

UGL says it has secured several construction and maintenance contracts with Rio Tinto, Roy Hill and BHP with a combined value of more than A$200 million ($143 million).

The contracts will be executed over a multi-year period, providing mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and access services for maintenance, shutdowns and sustaining capital projects, the CIMIC Group subsidiary said.

The contracts include civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, communications and instrumentation work for Rio Tinto at the Mesa J PP2 Rescreening Plant in Western Australia. The project, part of Rio’s Robe Valley Sustaining iron ore project, will see around 160 people employed. Works will commence immediately and continue until September 2021, UGL says.

Also with Rio Tinto, UGL has secured a contract extension for scheduled major shutdown services at Rio Tinto’s Gove alumina refinery, in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Back in the Pilbara, UGL will install a run of mine crusher and materials handling circuit for Roy Hill’s iron ore operation. Comprising supply, structural, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works, the project will employ some 100 people, it said.

Lastly, the company was appointed to BHP’s engineering services panel to provide civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, instrumentation and rail services for shutdowns and sustaining capital projects across BHP’s Western Australian iron ore mine site and port operations, and rail facilities in the Pilbara.

CIMIC Group Chief Executive Officer, Juan Santamaria, said: “These contracts are demonstration of UGL’s 30 years of experience in building partnerships with leading mining companies and delivering solid performance of maintenance and shutdown services.”

UGL Managing Director, Jason Spears, added: “These new contracts and contract extensions highlight UGL’s capabilities in the mining sector and expand on our strong relationships with our clients. We look forward to carrying out these contracts in a safe and reliable manner.”

John Holland keeps Rio Tinto and Fortescue iron ore projects on track

Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Infrastructure and rail specialist, John Holland, is currently mobilising advanced specialist railway fleet to carry out maintenance and service support across the Western Australia rail network.

The mass assembly of equipment involves the refurbishment and service of multi-million dollar machinery at John Holland’s Welshpool Plant Operations Centre including Tampers, Regulators, Mobile Flashbutt welders and the New Track Construction Machine (NTC, pictured).

In August, this specialised rail construction equipment will be shipped to the Pilbara for projects owned by Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group. John Holland still maintains a significant rail specialised plant presence at its South West based operations, including a maintenance contract with the Public Transport Authority and project works with Arc Infrastructure, the company said.

“As it’s only used every few years, there’s always a buzz with rail enthusiasts when the NTC is unpacked from storage,” John Holland Plant Operations Manager, Anne Williams (also pictured), said. “It was most recently used to lay 350 km of railway at Roy Hill and, prior to that, it was used in the construction of the Perth to Mandurah Rail Line.”

John Holland Plant Services has been in operating in Western Australia for 22 years and at the current Welshpool location for six years. According to Williams, her local team of 26 are proud to do their bit in supporting the Australian economy.

“John Holland own the largest privately owned specialist railways maintenance fleet in Australia, which includes fully equipped service vehicles. We also manufacture and carry out modification of specialised rail track machines,” she said.

“It’s well known that Western Australia’s mining industry is playing a significant role in the economy and our role is to provide this industry with much-needed infrastructure to keep it moving forward.”

Bis to deliver off-road bulk load and haul services to Roy Hill

Bulk handling, Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Bis and its innovative haulage solutions have been selected for a major contract from Roy Hill at its iron ore mine in the east Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The new contract follows a competitive tender process and includes off-road bulk load and haul and site services, the resources logistics company said.

Bis CEO, Brad Rogers, said: “Bis has more than a century of experience in mine site haulage, and we are thrilled to welcome Roy Hill as an important new customer.”

Bis’ industry-leading safety record and Zero Harm approach to people, community and environment, in addition to the company’s culture of innovation, was integral in the company being awarded the contract, it said.

Rogers added: “This award highlights Bis’ strong reputation and capability across mining projects in Australia and Indonesia. We look forward to building strong relationships with the Roy Hill team and supporting their iron ore operation and delivering the contract efficiently and safely.”

Mobilisation to site will commence shortly, with a contract start date in September 2020, Bis said.

Roy Hill has an integrated mine, rail and port facilities and produces 55 Mt/y of iron ore, with approval to increase to 60 Mt/y.

Verton’s Everest 6 does the heavy lifting at Roy Hill

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Verton Australia says iron ore miner Roy Hill has purchased its remote-controlled load orientation system, the Everest 6.

Designed to dramatically improve safety in crane operations, the Everest is a load management system designed to control and rotate a load to its target destination.

Everest eliminates the need for human held taglines to control suspended loads, thereby improving safety and productivity for crane operations, Verton says.

The Everest 6 and R5 models that are being employed at Roy Hill’s iron ore operations, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, can manage loads of up to 20 t and 5 t, respectively, while significantly improving workplace safety and efficiency, according to Verton.

Verton CEO, Trevor Bourne, said: “The Everest series is a great example of how mining companies are committed to reducing the risk of crane incidents by ensuring no human contact is required for managing suspended loads, with tag line use and associated workloads removed.”

Roy Hill has provided positive feedback on how the Everest performed during a recent mine shutdown when they replaced an 18 t transformer, according to Bourne.

“The Everest responded perfectly in smooth rotation with the load on the hook without causing the crane rope to twist and there was no need for taglines during the lift so Roy Hill was able to keep the riggers out of the line of fire during lifting operations,” he said.

Located 340 km southeast of Port Hedland, Roy Hill has an integrated mine, rail and port facilities and produces 55 Mt/y of iron ore, with approval to increase to 60 Mt/y.

Epiroc and ASI Mining to automate Roy Hill haul truck fleet

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Epiroc has signed a contract with Roy Hill to deliver a fully automated haul truck solution for the iron ore mining operation in Western Australia.

In partnership with automation specialist ASI Mining – which Epiroc owns 34% of – Epiroc is to convert Roy Hill’s haul trucks from manned to autonomous use. The two will deliver a safe and interoperable solution for Roy Hill’s mixed truck fleet, with an ability to expand to other mining vehicle types and manufacturers, and capability to integrate with existing Roy Hill systems, Epiroc said.

Epiroc and ASI Mining will also be working closely with Roy Hill and its partners Hitachi and Wenco on truck conversion and integration of the Wenco fleet management system.

The project will see a phased implementation, with testing and production verification of up to eight trucks undertaken in the initial phase prior to the second phase of full fleet expansion from mid-2021.

Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s Senior Executive Vice President Mining and Infrastructure, said: “Epiroc is proud to collaborate with Roy Hill, ASI Mining and other partners to automate Roy Hill’s haul truck fleet, boosting safety and productivity for a crucial aspect of its mining operation. This is a very strong example of how automation will take a mining company’s operation to the next level.”

Roy Hill CEO, Barry Fitzgerald, said the mining company was well positioned to transition to automation. “Our teams on site and in our Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in Perth have demonstrated a clear capacity to deliver complex projects, sustainable change and operational excellence with the recent success of our autonomous drill program and fleet optimisation initiatives. Now is the right time to bring the combined expertise of Roy Hill, Epiroc, ASI Mining and Wenco together to convert our haul truck fleet.”

Fitzgerald added: “Care is one of our core values, with safety at the heart of everything we do. Roy Hill’s Smart Mine program is driving innovation across our business, and the automation of our haulage fleet is central to delivering safety and production improvements.”

Roy Hill is an iron ore mining project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Located 340 km southeast of Port Hedland, it has an integrated mine, rail and port facilities and produces 55 Mt/y of iron ore, with approval to increase to 60 Mt/y. Its ROC in Perth provides end-to-end integration of operations, according to Epiroc.

thyssenkrupp to deliver jaw gyratory crusher to Roy Hill iron ore mine

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

thyssenkrupp is to install the first above ground jaw gyratory crusher in Australia at the Roy Hill iron ore mine, in the Pilbara of Western Australia, following an agreement signed with the mining company.

Located 340 km southeast of Port Hedland, Roy Hill has integrated mine, rail and port facilities and produces 55 Mt/y of iron ore, with approval to increase to 60 Mt/y.

The new crusher will be designed for high performance and cost-effective operation, ie low servicing and maintenance costs, according to thyssenkrupp.

Ben Suda, Head of Sales at thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Australia), said: “We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to be supplying Roy Hill with a new primary jaw gyratory crusher. This is the third order for such machine within a short time in Australia. It shows once again the confidence our customers in the country place in crushing equipment from thyssenkrupp.”

The jaw gyratory crusher is characterised by an especially enlarged feed opening, according to thyssenkrupp. It is normally serrated and, together with the upper part of the mantle, forms the initial crushing zone. The coarsely crushed material is then reduced to the desired product size in the crushing chamber below.

Jaw gyratory crushers can handle much bigger chunks of material than comparable gyratory crushers of the same mantle diameter and feature a higher crushing ratio, with less tendency to become clogged in the feed zone as a result of bridging, the company concluded.