Tag: Christmas Creek

Solar power for FMG mines

Solar power for FMG mines

IN a landmark agreement with Alinta Energy, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has announced that up to 100pc of daytime stationary energy requirements at Chichester Hub iron ore operations will be powered by renewable energy. Remaining power requirements will be met through integrated battery storage and gas power station facilities. The Chichester Solar Gas Hybrid project will see the construction of a 60MW solar photovoltaic generation facility at the Chichester Hub (comprising FMG’s Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mining operations), along with a 60km transmission line linking the mining operations with Alinta Energy’s Newman gas-fired power station plus a 35MW battery facility. Fortescue chief executive officer Elizabeth Gaines said that reliable and competitive energy generation remained an important consideration for the mining...

Thiess: a proud history

Thiess: a proud history

THIS year marks 85-years of business for CIMIC mining services contractor, Thiess. With an order book brimming with new contracts and extensions, 2019 looks set to be another successful year. Thiess’ history dates back to 1934 – when five Thiess brothers began work as road contractors in Darling Downs, and forged a reputation for excellence in construction. In the 1940s the brothers pioneered large-scale open cut coal mining activities in QLD and NSW in response to an energy crisis, and in 1958 nabbed one of the most sought after Australian construction contracts at the time – the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. Flash forward to 1961; the company went global, winning its first civil engineering contract outside of Australia for the...

FMG: The road ahead

FMG: The road ahead

All images: FMG. BY ELIZABETH FABRI IT’S all systems go for Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). After launching its higher grade West Pilbara Fines iron ore in December, the miner is now gearing up to begin construction at Eliwana – the third new iron ore project green lit for WA’s Pilbara region. The shipment of a higher grade West Pilbara Fines (WPF) product in December was the beginning of a new chapter for iron ore giant FMG. Up until now, FMG was best known for its 58 per cent iron ore mined from its Chichester and Solomon Hubs. But, over the last 12 months FMG grappled with wide discounts for this lower grade product, as Chinese steel mills appetite...