Tag Archives: Worsley Alumina

South32 embarking on battery-electric vehicle trials at Cannington

9th November 2023Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining3ME, Agrale Marruá, Batt Mobile Equipment, battery-electric vehicles, BIT120, BluVein1, BORTANA EV, Cannington, Cat R2900 XE, CSIRO, Electric Mine Consortium, EnPot, Hillside Aluminium, Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, Integrated Tool Carrier, mine electrification, Safescape, South32, Worsley AluminaDaniel Gleeson

South32’s greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction plans were established early on in the company’s life, with a long-term goal of achieving net zero operational GHG emissions by 2050 set in motion within a year of it coming into being.

It has since established a medium-term target to halve its operational GHG emissions by 2035, from its 2021 financial year baseline, with several initiatives already in play to achieve this aim.

The company’s approach to climate change is focused on:

Reshaping its portfolio to the base metals deemed critical in the transition to a low-carbon world;
Decarbonising its operations, with a focus on the four operations within its portfolio which account for the majority (93%) of its emissions profile (Hillside Aluminium, Mozal Aluminium, Worsley Alumina and Illawarra Metallurgical Coal (IMC));
Understanding and responding to the potential physical impacts of climate change on its business to build operational resilience; and
Working with others to innovate and address shared challenges across industry, and to decarbonise the value chain.

The company has made headway on all four of these objectives since settling on this focus.

The portfolio reshaping is coming good with advancements in base metal projects and an acquisition of a significant stake in the Sierra Gorda operating mine in Chile.

In its 2023 financial year, the company commenced conversion of its first coal-fired boiler to natural gas as a transitional step at Worsley Alumina, with an estimated abatement of up to 205,000 t/y of CO2-e; converted 18% of pots at Hillside Aluminium to AP3XLE energy efficient technology and completed four of five EnPot trials; and commenced detailed design and execution planning for a commercial scale trial of CSIRO ventilation air methane mitigator technology at IMC.

And, when it comes to working with others to innovate and address shared challenges across industry, South32 can point to work it is carrying out under the auspices of the Electric Mine Consortium (EMC) – a group of companies aiming to accelerate progress towards a fully electrified, zero carbon, zero particulates mine.

As the lead in both the electrical infrastructure workstream, and energy supply and storage workstream within the consortium, South32 has agreed to take significant steps on behalf of the industry.

On the latter workstream, it recently scanned the market for long duration energy storage through an expression of interest, which received submissions from over 20 vendors, targeting seven members’ use cases.

“The knowledge gained informed a pre-concept study of thermal energy storage at Worsley Alumina and a related steam electrification study,” South32 said in its most recent Sustainable Development Report.

And, when it comes to the former, the company intends to build on its experience trialling the Cat R2900 XE diesel-electric loader at the Cannington operation in Queensland, with plans to trial three battery-electric light utility vehicles and a battery-electric integrated tool carrier, also at Cannington.

These trials, expected to run for at least 12 months and to prove the use case of electric vehicles for underground mining – including safety, reliability, range and capability requirements – will see three Bortana light utility vehicles deployed, two of which have been configured for heavy duties and one configured as a supervisory vehicle; with a Batt Mobile Equipment (BME) BIT120 integrated tool carrier also being put through its paces.

The Bortana EV is a battery-electric vehicle designed to handle the dynamic operating environment of underground mines. Designed and developed in Australia, it uses the chassis of a diesel-powered Agrale Marruá, electric technology from 3ME and Safescape’s design and engineering expertise. It is designed to tackle safety and health concerns by reducing emissions, heat and maintenance.

The BIT120, meanwhile, is BME’s second generation 20-t Integrated Tool Carrier, which combines an optimal production loader based on a Volvo L120F platform that has been converted to operate with zero diesel emissions, minimal noise, reduced vibrations and low heat output.

Charging infrastructure for all four pieces of equipment has already been installed at Cannington, and there are expectations the learnings from these trials will be factored into the plans at the Hermosa project in Arizona, USA – a project the company has already mooted could use battery-electric underground equipment.

Alongside this work, South32 continues to fund ongoing developments with BluVein1, a system that allows concurrent dynamic powering and charging of electric vehicles suited to the small-scale underground truck configurations, providing an alternative to static charging or fast charging technology.

SRG Global banks contract extensions with South32 at Worsley and BCI at Mardie

19th July 2022Energy minerals, Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron orealumina, bauxite, BCI Minerals, David Macgeorge, Mardie, South32, SRG Global, Worsley AluminaDaniel Gleeson

SRG Global Ltd says it has secured significant new contract awards with existing Tier 1 clients, including South32 and BCI Minerals, valued at circa-A$80 million ($55 million).

The South32 term contract is an extension to the existing contract and has a duration of two years for works at the Worsley Alumina bauxite and alumina refinery operations in Western Australia. The scope of works is to provide civil services for the continuous enhancement of BRDA embankments as well as other civil and road maintenance services. The contract will commence immediately and is expected to complete in 2024.

The BCI Minerals contract will see SRG Global continue to provide earthworks and civil services for the construction of evaporation pond embankment walls as well as other civil infrastructure for gas pipeline corridors and drainage at the Mardie salt and potash project in Western Australia. The contract extension applies to existing works that will start immediately and will be complete in 2022.

David Macgeorge, Managing Director, said: “The South32 contract builds on our six-year relationship at the Worsley Alumina site and is evidence of our ability to add value for key clients through our diverse capability.”

Back in October 2020, SRG Global secured a long-term circa-A$100 million contract with Worsley Alumina to provide specialist refractory services, including gunning and casting and installation of refractory products and anchors.

At Worsley Alumina, South32 mines bauxite (pictured) and transports it on an overland conveyor belt to a refinery where the bauxite is turned into white alumina powder. The alumina is then exported to smelters around the world.

He added: “The contract extension at the globally significant Mardie salt and potash project demonstrates our ability to provide value-engineered services to our clients from project inception, and the capability to deliver critical infrastructure for the burgeoning salt and potash sector.”

SRG Global bolsters South32 relationship with more Worsley Alumina work

1st October 2020Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining servicesalumina, bauxite, David Macgeorge, engineering, South32, SRG Global, Western Australia, Worsley AluminaDaniel Gleeson

SRG Global says it has secured a long-term circa-A$100 million ($72 million) contract with South32’s Worsley Alumina operations to provide specialist refractory services, including gunning and casting and installation of refractory products and anchors.

Works under the contract will commence in October 2020 with a duration of eight years.

South32 has also extended SRG Global’s existing engineered access services contract for a further two years, pocketing the ASX-listed engineering firm another circa-A$25 million. This will see SRG Global continue to provide access services at South32’s Worsley Alumina operations until mid-2027, it said.

David Macgeorge, Managing Director of SRG Global, said: “These contracts are a terrific achievement for SRG Global and we are excited to be expanding our partnership with South32 to continue to deliver long-term value for their Worsley operations.”

As part of the Worsley Alumina operations, bauxite is mined near the town of Boddington, 130 km southeast of Perth, Western Australia. It is then transported on the largest overland conveyor belt in the southern hemisphere, for more than 50 km, to a refinery near the town of Collie, where bauxite is turned into alumina.

Woodside Energy to supply Worsley Alumina with gas

26th July 2019Base metals, Mining services, Power supply for minesalumina, Australia, bauxite, Woodside Energy, Worsley AluminaDaniel Gleeson

Woodside Energy says it has entered into a long-term gas sale and purchase agreement with the Worsley Alumina joint venture (JV) for the supply of around 40 PJ of pipeline gas to the integrated mining and refining complex in Western Australia.

The gas is being supplied to the JV from Woodside’s portfolio of domestic gas facilities, including the North West Shelf, Pluto and Wheatstone, Woodside said.

The Worsley Alumina JV is held by South32 (86%), Japan Alumina Associates (10%) and Sojitz (4%), and includes bauxite mining operations, near the town of Boddington, 130 km southeast of Perth, and a refinery near the town of Collie. The alumina is then transported by rail to Bunbury Port, where it is shipped to smelters around the world, including our Hillside and Mozal aluminium smelters in Africa.

Woodside Executive Vice President Marketing Trading & Shipping, Reinhardt Matisons, said: “Over recent months, we’ve commissioned the Pluto pipeline gas and LNG truck loading facilities and started domestic gas production at Wheatstone, building on our foundation domestic gas business at the North West Shelf.

“Our agreement with Worsley Alumina, which makes a significant contribution to jobs and prosperity in its local community, is a further demonstration of Woodside’s commitment to supplying domestic gas to consumers in Western Australia from our diverse supply portfolio.”

SRG Global wins service contract at South32’s Worsley alumina operation

27th May 2019Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining maintenance, Mining servicesalumina, Boddington, David Macgeorge, METS, South32, SRG Global, Western Australia, Worsley AluminaDaniel Gleeson

Construction, maintenance and mining service group, SRG Global says it has secured a long-term contract with South32’s Worsley Alumina subsidiary in Australia.

The ASX-listed service provider will deliver a “complete suite” of engineered access solutions for the Worsley alumina operation, including scaffold services and highly skilled rope access technicians, it said.

The contract is for an initial three-year term with extension options for a further three years, SRG said, explaining that, if Worsley Alumina exercises the extension options, the total contract duration will be six years.

Works under this contract commence in June and are expected to generate revenues of circa-A$60 million ($41 million) over the six-year term or around $32 million over the initial three-year term, according to SRG.

“The contract requires minimal capital outlay and will increase SRG Global’s workforce by circa-100 full-time positions,” SRG said.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said, “The opportunity to work with a world-renowned mining company like South32 at its long-established Worsley Alumina project in South West WA is a great achievement for SRG Global. The effort our team put in during the competitive tendering process is admirable and I commend them on a fantastic result.

“This contract also represents a significant advancement in the group’s long-term strategy to deliver recurring term revenue within the asset services sector.”