CLONCURRY is certainly where the action in the North West at the moment.
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I attended Tuesday’s Major Project series update in the Curry, a breakfast event organised by the Queensland Department of State Development.
I wasn’t the only one to get out of bed early, parking spots were at a premium near the Community Precinct and there was even a bus load down from Mount Isa, among the 200 or so people that attended.
Once inside, it was easy to see why so many people were interested.
The main focus was MMG’s upcoming Dugald River mining project, which is slated to begin delivery in 2018 and has already attracted over half a billion dollars in Chinese investment.
There are over 300 people – 50 MMG staff and 250 contractors – on site (north-west of Cloncurry) and that number is set to grow as construction ramps up in the next 18 months.
Major project scope areas include a 1.75 million tonnes per annum processing plant, plant infrastructure buildings, mining infrastructure, permanent village installation, on site services, high-voltage transmission lines and substation and other equipment.
All these scope areas will need local project expertise and equipment.
Already major contracts have been assigned: mine development to Barminco, underground drilling to Swick, raise boring to Raising Australia, mine vent fans to Zitron, earthworks to Whittons, structural work to RCR Tomlinson.
But there are other contracts to come and the major contractors will also require sub-contractors.
MMG are hoping that the big investment in dollars at the bottom of the cycle will reap rewards when, they hope, mineral prices will pick up in the coming years.
Over the next 12-18 months MMG will stockpile 500,000 tonnes of ore to be ready for the start and it will either end up being used by Townsville’s Sun Metals or else exported from the Port of Townsville to China and Korea.
MMG says it is promoting local suppliers.
It invites suppliers and contractors from Cloncurry or Mount Isa who would like to submit expressions of interest to do so via email at audrm.supreg@mmg.com DB