Contracting briefs: Redpath, Thiess, Decmil
Staff reporter, 15 December 2011
REDPATH plans to adapt metalliferous, raiseboring and civil mining experience to apply “new concepts and innovations” to its coal service offering, with the aim of making serious inroads into the sector, the head of the company’s Australian business has said.
Speaking at the launch of Redpath Australia’s new dedicated coal division and announcement of its first significant contract in the sector, CEO Rob Nichols said coal would be a key to positioning Redpath as one of Australia’s leading mining contractors. The company had won a two-year contract to complete 12.5km of mine development at Kestrel in central Queensland, and would have about 80 people at the site aiming to average about 180m of coal drivage a week.
Nichols said the contract was won on the back of Redpath’s innovative work on the Kestrel mine extension (KME) project, where it applied a sliding-floor concept, using hydraulic rams, to move bridge conveyor and ventilation duct installations, and extension systems, without incident.
“We developed the sliding floor specifically for the KME project and it is just one example of the innovative new direction we are looking to take the company,” Nichols said. “We took an innovative approach to the KME project, which was the key to us securing our first contract in coal, which we expect to be part of even further growth for Redpath over the coming months.”
Redpath Australia coal division general manager Gavin Ramage said the planned mine drivage rate at Kestrel was “ambitious” and would raise the bar for Australian contract mining performance and safety, “we are more than confident that we can deliver as promised within two years thanks to our strong internal structure and safety management systems”.
“This is the first of a number of new projects that we are looking to secure and despite only just launching, our coal division is already looking to drive some serious growth for the company in 2012 and beyond,” he said.
Nichols said developing a dedicated coal mining operation had been a long term goal for Redpath. The Canadian-based company was aiming to establish itself as a full turnkey service mining contractor.
THIESS has continued the build-up in its mining contract order book with a $A185 million one-year extension to its contract to operate the Meandu coal mine in Queensland. Thiess managing director Bruce Munro said the contract extension until December 2012 reaffirmed the strong relationship between Stanwell Corporation (formerly Tarong Energy Corporation) and Thiess.
Since starting work as Meandu mine operator in 2008, Thiess had worked closely with Stanwell to extend the life of the mine, which supplied up to 5.5 million tonnes of coal per year to the nearby Tarong and Tarong North power stations.
These thermal units provide about 20% of Queensland’s electricity needs and the base load power was under threat as a result of last summer’s catastrophic floods in the state.
“The floods presented enormous challenges at Meandu, but innovative mine management minimised the impact on coal delivery,” said Thiess’ Australian mining executive general manager Michael Wright.
A $A30 million contract with Fortescue Metals Group to complete the iron ore miner’s Christmas Creek airstrip earthworks, runway and facilities as part of the T155 Chichester Expansion Project aligned with Decmil Group’s strategic growth plan to expand its civil contracting offering into the infrastructure sector, Decmil CEO Scott Criddle said.
The ASX-listed company was expanding into the infrastructure sector and, via Decmil Australia, targeting the pipeline of civil works contract opportunities for airport, road construction and water projects associated with the resources sector, Criddle said.
Decmil had recently completed the two-phase 1600-person Karntama Village for FMG ahead of schedule at Christmas Creek in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.
Also in the December 15 - 21, 2011 edition
- AFRICA
- Eritrea risk narrows Zara field
- ASIA DESK
- Not all good as gold in China
- AUSTMINE
- MST buys Nixon Communications
- BREAKING NEWS
- Abenab progress for Avonlea
- Alara advances
- Alcoa declares divi
- Alcyone search boost
- Better news for St Barb
- Black Fire complies
- Bu Dun Hua copper
- Chief sees higher rating for Endeavour
- Cockatoo extension
- Impala sacks drillers
- Industrea win
- Kingston shines
- Maiden Rosie resource
- More Bass trouble
- More concerns on uranium supply
- Nany option exercised
- Newcrest output up
- Palito reassessment
- Pegasus finds copper
- PGM output up
- Radar on track
- Redhill expands holding
- Rio in control
- River attraction for Silver Lake
- Southern Cross ready to move forward
- Stonehenge sets sights high
- Straits gain
- Strategic permit
- Tanoyan update for Reliance
- Trafford's exploration boost
- Two Rivers death
- Ventnor copper hits
- WA uranium policy
- West Rand mines to merge
- Windfall at lake
- Winmar attracts investor
- Yellowhead on track
- CENTRAL ASIA
- Can miners really side-step a war?
- COAL
- Mardon's new year wish
- CONSULTING
- Consultants see room to grow in 2012
- Lory leads SKM mining into new growth phase
- FINANCE
- A golden path to Dubbo development
- Copper deficit a fixture for the future
- Kagara opts for safety first
- Money’s almost too tight to mention
- Terramin view expected to become clearer
- FORUM
- How the JORC and Valmin codes work
- More must buy into JORC discussion
- FROM THE CAPITAL
- Capital management will be key 2012 theme
- GOLD
- Loyal to the cause
- Upside seen despite Teranga downslide
- HEAVY METAL
- Atlas Copco expands mining range
- ISSUES
- State-run miners: best of a bad bunch
- MINING
- Independence gloom unwarranted
- MINING INTELLIGENCE
- 'tis the season (still) to be wary
- MINING IT
- Auto-money changes everything
- Innovation is the new black
- IT notebook: ARANZ Geo, Immersive Technologies
- IT notebook: Devex receives certification
- IT optimists
- Mining IT: 2011 rebooted
- Mining IT: product releases to fill 2012 calendar
- XPAC to lead dynamic software revival
- PEOPLE
- People on the move: Gindalbie Metals, Abcourt Mines, Carbon Energy
- SOUTH AMERICA
- Chili backers like its prospects
- VIEW FROM THE WEST END
- Bitten on the bum by a Black Swan