Gindalbie Metals has awarded the electrical and instrumentation (E&I) contract for the Karara Iron Ore Project to Downer Australia.
The contract, valued at $64 million, encompasses the E&I works for the 8 million tonnes per annum magnetite concentrator.
Together with the main structural, mechanical and piping (SMP) contract awarded in August, This represents the final major construction contract packages to be awarded for the Karara Project.
The E&I work requires a workforce of more than 260 people plus 36 supervisors, boosting the peak number of personnel on site at Karara to close to 2,000.
Procurement of long-lead items required for the E&I contract is already underway and mobilisation to site has commenced.
Downer EDI will be working alongside the SMP contractors AGC Industries and Programmed Construction and Maintenance.
The SMP and E&I work involves construction of the main concentrator buildings, mechanical installations, installation of the structural steel, and installation of piping and conveyors.
It provides power and instrumentation to the equipment that will enable the stage wise commissioning of various components of the main concentrator to start in June, ahead of the scheduled first shipment of magnetite concentrate in September.
“The SMP activities have already seen a rapid transformation of the landscape at Karara as the key parts of the concentrator come together,” Gindalbie managing director, Tim Netscher said.
“The E&I contract represents the final step in constructing the processing plant, prior to commissioning this world-class iron ore processing facility.
“With both the E&I and SMP teams working at full capacity by early next year, the Karara Project will ramp up to its peak construction activity levels with well over 1,500 personnel on site,” added Netsher.
[Image courtesy: Gindalbie Metals.]