Rio Tinto has awarded McConnell Dowell the contract for the construction of the Amrun Export Facility in Weipa in Far North QLD. The export facility is part of the $2.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) Amrun bauxite mining project.

Construction works for this project will include:

• A 642 metre jetty: consisting of 26 spans that are 24 metres in length
• A 306 metre wharf: featuring a jacket and topside module construction which will reduce safety risks working over water.

There will be seven 850 tonne jacket structures for the wharf and the six 1295 tonne topside modules. These heavy loads will be installed with the help of a heavy lift vessel.

Project map (source: Rio Tinto)

Provisions for all offshore mechanical and electrical works are also included in the contract awarded to McConnell Dowell.

The entire Amrun project also aims to construct a range of infrastructure that will support mining operations in the area. This will include a processing plant and a port near Boyd Bay as well as a tailing storage facility, a dam, new roads, and a ferry terminal on Hey River which will be used to transport workers from Weipa to the mine.

At least 1,100 people will be employed for this project by the peak of construction. Works are expected to begin in 2019 and will be completed within a 3-year span.

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