Australia businessreview

ENERGY
We have already built a precast
concrete workshop which allows us to do
prestressed items like bridge beams so we can
target major infrastructure project in New
South Wales and Queensland
– Pat Tallon, CEO
Pilgangoora opencast lithium mine
in the Pilbara. Civmec has secured
a package of civil works there, and
Tallon is hopeful that more packages
will follow. Lithium, he says, is an up
and coming mineral much in demand
from the technology industries,
especially for use in batteries.
All in all, Australian mining is
looking up at last, with newer
minerals like lithium coming along,
and traditional gold mining coming
back as world gold prices rise – in
June, a joint venture with Amec
Foster Wheeler and Civmec won a
$298mn contract to build out the
Gruyere Gold Project 200km east
of Laverton in Western Australia.
The scope of work includes the
engineering, procurement and
construction of the process plant
and associated infrastructure. “All of
these contracts,” says Tallon, “apart
from Amrun which is on a prime subcontract
basis, are EPC jobs, and
that alone puts us in a different space
from where we were last time we
talked.” Lithium, gold, even iron ore,
is making a comeback, he adds. “Our
regular clients in the iron ore space,
like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, are
doing feasibility studies and looking
at large packages of work that will
come on in the outlook period. We
have a strong relationship with both
clients so are hopeful we will be in the
running for some of those packages.”
Setting sail
As we reported last year, Civmec
acquired the Forgacs property and
facilities at Tomago, Newcastle and
the name of Forgacs, Australia’s
largest privately owned shipbuilder.
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