Thiess News, Volume 1, 2000

Building on PT
The hydro-power station associated with
Balambano Dam started generating electricity
on 22 November last year. This was the final
critical phase of PT Inco’s major expansion
program at its Soroako nickel plant.
The Astaldi Thiess Joint Operation (ATJO) team
is in the final stages of completing the diversion
tunnel plug (450m 3 concrete, 350m along a tunnel
12m below water) and then demobilising,
with overall completion programmed for
mid-March 2000.
Thiess Indonesia has been a major contractor on
various elements of the Inco expansion project,
commencing on site in July 1997. Since then,
Thiess has completed nine separate contracts with
a combined value of approximately $130M.
These include:
• civil works;
• piping;
• major structural steel;
• workshop construction;
• sulphur filter station;
• miscellaneous services; and
• Balambano Dam.
The Thiess presence on site is expected to continue
for at least a further three years with the signing in
Inco
relationship
February of an Memorandum of Understanding
between Inco and Thiess aimed at Inco
outsourcing various support services to Thiess.
These services include silica mining; road
maintenance; quarry, crusher and batch plant
operations; logistics between the port and the
plant; miscellaneous plant maintenance and minor
construction activities. The contract includes
management and operational responsibility for
current Inco employees and plant in addition to
the introduction of some additional Thiess plant
and staff. The HR factors of such a change are
perceived by all as one of the major challenges,
however, with Thiess’ excellent track record in
Indonesia, the resources are on hand to ensure a
smooth transition.
PT Thiess Contractors Indonesia
Mining
The transition to the new millennium sees
Thiess Indonesia as a continuing major
player in Contract Mining and associated
works in Kalimantan.
Thiess continues to move overburden and haul
coal at PT Kideco Jaya Agung’s Coal Mine, a
contract relationship which began in 1993.
On this site further significant additions to the
mining fleet now give Thiess the capability to
move more than 30 million BCM per annum,
and the introduction of drilling and blasting
early in the year, using Quantum Explosives,
will result in better excavator productivity
and utilisation.
Thiess also continues to carry out overburden
and coal mining activities at PT Kaltim Prima
Coal’s Sangatta Operation, where we are currently
contracted to win and deliver over 1.5 million
tonnes of quality coal. Additional development
Prospers
in Kalimantan
work, including construction of a major access
road into a new pit, has recently been awarded.
Thiess also has an ongoing coal augering
operation at KPC.
Operations at BHP’s PT Arutmin Satui Mine
began in 1998 and Thiess continues to assist in
the development and expansion of the mine
operations by supplying a 12 million BCM
per annum overburden removal and associated
coal haulage service.
In January Thiess completed a 12-month
contract at PT Arutmin’s Senakin mine site to
develop a new pit known as Sepapah. The
development included the initial overburden
removal, mining and coal haulage for 1,250,000
tonnes of coal. Having exhausted the original
mine area at Senakin (where Thiess commenced
operations in 1989), PT Arutmin has now
moved its own equipment into the Sepapah pit.
Thiess News Volume 1 2000 17