Tag Archives: Thiess

Thiess extends mining services at BMA’s Caval Ridge coal operation

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

Thiess has secured a A$150 million ($108 million) contract extension with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Caval Ridge coal mine in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia.

The variation will see Thiess mine additional overburden through 2020 as per the terms of the contract, after commencing work at Caval Ridge in November 2017.

Thiess will continue to provide mining services for specific components of work including the services required for Caval Ridge Southern Circuit (CRSC).

CRSC is an 11 km overland conveyor system which will transport coal from the Peak Downs mine to the coal handling preparation plant (CHPP) at Caval Ridge. It will result in the CHPP increasing its throughput to reach its 10 Mt/y capacity.

Construction of the project was scheduled to commence in mid-2017 and take 18 months to complete. In addition to the new conveyor and associated tie-ins, the project will also mean a new stockpile pad and run-of-mine station at Peak Downs and, at Caval Ridge, the existing CHPP and stockyard will be upgraded. BMA will also invest in a new mining fleet, including excavators and trucks.

BMA is Australia’s largest coal producer and supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal. It is owned 50:50 by BHP and Mitsubishi Development, operates seven Bowen Basin mines (Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Daunia, Peak Downs, Saraji, Blackwater and Caval Ridge) and owns and operates the Hay Point Coal Terminal, near Mackay.

Thiess builds on South America first with Antofagasta contract extension in Chile

Base metals, Energy minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

CIMIC Group’s global mining services provider, Thiess, has been awarded a A$420 million ($303 million) contract extension by Antofagasta Minerals (AMSA) to continue operations at the Encuentro open pit in northern Chile.

Thiess will continue to provide mining services for another four years as part of the contract with a scope of works comprised of drilling, load and haul, mobile equipment maintenance and mine services.

The original 2015 contract with AMSA was Thiess’ first in South America.

Douglas Thompson, CIMIC Group Executive Mining and Mineral Processing and Thiess Managing Director, said: “Since commencing operations in 2015, we have moved over 70 million cubic metres, a first for Thiess in South America. This has been possible through the team’s focus on efficiency and productivity and working collaboratively with our client.”

Planned future improvements at the mine include investment in maintenance infrastructure, a fleet management system and transfer to Thiess of short-term mine planning responsibilities, CIMIC said.

Earlier this month, the Thiess Centinela operation was announced as winners of the ‘National Geology and Mining Service Award’ for safety performance by the Chilean government.

The Encuentro Oxides deposit came into production at AMSA’s Centinela mine in the last quarter of 2017. It is expected to produce an average of approximately 43,000 t/y of copper cathode over an eight-year period, using the existing capacity at Centinela’s SX-EW plant.

Thiess receives A$190 million contract mining extension from BHP Nickel West

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

Thiess, part of the CIMIC Group, is to continue providing mining services at the Leinster underground mine in Western Australia after agreeing a new deal with BHP’s Nickel West division.

The contract, for a minimum of 24 months, is expected to generate some A$190 million ($135 million) in revenue. It will see Thiess provide a full range of underground mining services and equipment to support the mine’s lateral development and associated ore production including load and haul, shotcreting, cable bolting and full fleet maintenance services.

CIMIC Group Chief Executive Officer Michael Wright said the contract extension acknowledges the company’s ability to work “flexibly with BHP Nickel West to meet the mine’s growing development and production needs”.

The Leinster underground nickel mine is part of BHP Nickel West’s Leinster nickel operation, located in the northern goldfields of Western Australia.

Thiess began work at Leinster in 2016, when the team excavated around 610 m of horizontal development to access nearly 230,000 t of ore using sub-level open stoping mining methods.

Last month, BHP said at the Diggers & Dealers conference in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, that it was likely to become a nickel sulphate producer within the next year.