EPCM contract awarded for $350m WA Geraldton Port expansion

Perth-based BG&E Resources – a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy company – has been awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) tender for Mid West Port Authority’s Port Maximisation Project (PMaxP). 

Earlier this year, the Western Australian Government announced a funding commitment of $350 million for the project that will deliver major infrastructure at the Geraldton Port to support a projected throughput increase from 15MT to about 25MT per annum over the next decade. 

“This is an exciting milestone for PMaxP, a project which will ensure the Mid-West economy remains strong and continues to grow well into the future. 

“We want to see the Mid-West thrive, and investing in the growth of the Geraldton Port is going to be absolutely critical to achieving that. 

“We have allocated $350 million to deliver this critical expansion to the Geraldton Port, which will deliver continued economic growth, trade diversification and export competitiveness,” Ports Minister Rita Saffioti said. 

The awarding of the EPCM tender will get BG&E Resources to be responsible for supervising, managing and coordinating construction throughout project delivery. 

PMaxP is going to be delivered over the next four years and it will expand the capacity of Geraldton Port, which is already at full storage capacity. 

This expansion project will involve a combination of debottlenecking works and new infrastructure, including: 

• Demolition and reconstruction of the berth ½ with associated ship loading and material handling infrastructure, to facilitate the sand, urea and spodumene products, that are incompatible with iron ore and requires dedicated facilities 
• The removal of unused legacy assets which currently inhibit port expansion opportunities 
• Two truck unloaders (one with an associated storage shed to enable the assembly of cargoes) 
• The relocation of the tug boat harbour (current tug boat harbour can only accommodate the current 3 tugs) 
• The relocation of pilot boats and associated land-based workshop/offices 
• Rationalisation of port infrastructure to reduce operational maintenance costs 
• Road works (to facilitate the significant increase in truck movements) 
• Other associated infrastructure, such as additional vessels, operations precinct, maintenance facilities and shore tension units 

“Geraldton Port plays such a critical role in sustaining the economy of the Mid-West region, and this major investment by our Government ensures the port will remain strong and meet our future needs. 

“The projections show we will see significant increase in throughput at Geraldton Port over the next decade, so the expansion project and investment by our Government comes at a critical time,” Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton said. 

PMaxP is anticipated to bring in regional benefits such as continued economic growth as well as trade diversification. 

Design works for the project along with a range of forward works are now underway on site at the Port of Geraldton. 

This project is estimated to support up to 2,700 jobs during its construction phase as well as hundreds of indirect jobs, including opportunities for local subcontractors.

Source: Government of Western Australia – Media Statements; Mid West Ports; Roads & Infrastructure Australia; Infrastructure Magazine