Pembroke Resources has appointed Thiess as the preferred contractor to provide mining services at the Olive Downs Coking Coal Complex in Queensland.
The CIMIC Group company has been awarded an eight-year contract valued at approximately $1.5 billion.
Thiess’ full-service mining operations at Olive Downs will include mine planning, overburden removal, drill and blast, load and haul as well as water management and rehabilitation of final landforms. The contractor will also undertake the construction of mine infrastructure, provide all mobile plant and equipment, and be the statutory operator for the mining project.
“We’re pleased to be working in partnership with Pembroke, tailoring our mine development capability, technology focus and ESG credentials to optimise the outcomes for the production of steelmaking coal from Olive Downs. Pembroke and Thiess share a view of Olive Downs being a world class mine that sets global benchmarks in suitable mining, using technology to drive exceptional outcomes,” Thiess Executive Chairman and CEO Michael Wright said.
“We have a long history operating in the Bowen Basin, applying our technical knowledge and operational experience to minimise environmental impacts and maximise benefits for our client and the community. We look forward to working with Pembroke and surrounding communities to achieve long-term social, environmental and economic outcomes,” Thiess Executive General Manager Australia Shaun Newberry said.
Subject to the finalisation of contracts, Thiess will commence works at Olive Downs in the first half of 2023.
The Olive Downs Coking Coal Complex is located in the Bowen Basin, which is known as the world’s best metallurgical coal basin.
The mine development includes infrastructure such as a central coal handling and processing plant (CHPP), an automated train loading facility, a new rail spur that connects to the existing Norwich Park Branch Railway system for the transport of product coal to port facilities as well as linear infrastructure corridors for power, road, water and rail services linking to the project site.
Coal from the mine will be transported to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal where capacity has been secured in the first stage of the Olive Downs project.
The project is anticipated to generate about 500-700 jobs during mine construction with an additional 300-500 construction jobs around 2027. Once operational, the Olive Downs project is estimated to create up to 960 new jobs and potentially increase to 1,300 by 2033 onwards.
Source: Thiess; CIMIC Group; Australian Mining; Pembroke Resources; International Mining