Mining

Client: Arrium Mining

Contract value: AU$20m

Contract type: Design and Construction

Completion date: April 2014

Maintaining the solution

At Arrium’s Southern Iron Operation at Peculiar Knob, 800km north of Adelaide, high-grade iron ore is mined and then transported by rail to the smelting plant and seaport of Whyalla.

Arrium approached Fulton Hogan for a solution to maintain their 100km-long unsealed haul road that connects them to the railway line in this extreme tough landscape. The road was only one year old but its regular load – bearing the weight of 3.8 tonnes of iron ore – had made it well-worn and impassable in wet conditions.

Through careful engineering and planning, with our full capabilities maximised, Fulton Hogan delivered an innovative and cost-effective solution for the Arrium mine.

Utilising resources

The plan utilised mining by-products and our crushing, construction and paving businesses to build an all-weather road that was capable of withstanding extreme loads over the remaining four-year life of the mine.

Fulton Hogan crushed around 170,000 tonnes of road base and 30,000 tonnes of sealing aggregates to use on the road. The road was sealed with more than 2,000,000 litres of binder that was transported to the site by tankers.

The end result for the mine was reduced maintenance cost, improved business continuity and, importantly, increased safety of the truck drivers.

Our team at Fulton Hogan was proud to deliver an innovative solution for the mining industry that enabled Arrium’s Southern Iron operation an accessible connection to the world.