Civmec wins $160m in Amrun project work

Civmec has been awarded two contracts totalling $160 million to build facilities and equipment for Rio Tinto’s Amrun bauxite project in far north Queensland. The contracts are for the construction of a processing plant and for the part-supply of a stacker, reclaimer and ship loader. About 6200 tonnes of steel will be needed for both projects, which will be sourced from the Whyalla and Port Kembla steel mills, and fabricated at Civmec’s facilities in Perth and Newcastle. The $2.6 billion Amrun project includes a greenfield bauxite mine, processing and port facilities on the Cape York Peninsula, with first bauxite to be shipped in the first half of 2019. The processing facility includes a bauxite beneficiation plant and associated water, electrical and lighting systems to be constructed as modules and progressively transported to site for installation from mid-2017 until the end of 2018. Civmec said works on the Amrun processing facilities contract would commence immediately and at peak, along with the onsite works, would provide employment for more than 500 personnel across its Henderson and Newcastle facilities. The second contract, awarded by Sandvik, includes the part supply, fabrication, surface treatment, mechanical and electrical install and the modularisation of a stacker, reclaimer and shiploader for bauxite material handling. This contract involves the fabrication of 2,200 tonnes of steel, and the works will be completed at the Civmec’s Henderson facility. Rio Tinto Growth and Innovation group executive Stephen McIntosh said the company was pleased to be working with Australian suppliers to make sure they had the best chance of competing for contracts to deliver jobs, locally-made goods and value for money for the Amrun project. "More than 550 Australian businesses have been engaged to date on Amrun, both directly and indirectly via contractors, and more than 50 Indigenous men and women are employed to work on the project,” he said. Well-connected workforce Digital entertainment and communications service provider Swift Networks Group is among those Australian businesses, winning the contract to design, construct and deploy elements of its entertainment system to the Amrun Village facility, which will accommodate up to 528 Rio Tinto workers who mine and process bauxite nearby. The package includes a digital entertainment system, Wi-Fi and data networking, Internet user management, video information channels and alerting, and CCTV and access control for common areas. Swift Networks chief executive officer Xavier Kris said the company had commenced the design phase of the project and expected to have “first feet on the ground” in mid-January 2017, and to deliver a completed project for handover in June 2017. The company is currently providing similar services at MMG Dugald River and has previously installed systems at Curtis Island for the APLNG project, at BMA mine accommodation, several Village National sites and at Delamere Range in the remote Northern Territory. "The increased usage of social media platforms to keep onsite workers connected to their loved ones has driven substantial re-planning in onsite infrastructure," Mr Kris said. "It now goes well beyond historical Wi-Fi and onsite digital entertainment solutions. Workforce wellness is a priority for Rio, and allowing end users to connect to the outside world is key. "We do this by including lifestyle channels delivered through our partnerships with beyondblue and Lifeline."

Civmec wins $160m in Amrun project work

Industry Queensland

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