The Curragh coal mine, which is located in the Bowen Basin in central Queensland, has been in operations since 1983

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Image: The new contract adds to Thiess’ existing scope of work at the mine. Photo courtesy of Ben Scherjon from Pixabay.

Coronado Global Resources has awarded an A$1.3bn (£720m) mining services contract to Thiess for the northern operations of its Curragh coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

The award, which is for six years, is an extension of previously won contracts under which Thiess had been operating at the coal mine since 2004. The latest contract was won by Thiess following a competitive tender process.

The company, which is CIMIC Group’s global mining services subsidiary, will continue to be responsible for overburden removal and haulage, mining and run of mine rehandling services, maintenance of equipment and pit dewatering.

Coronado managing director and CEO Gerry Spindler said: “This is the sixth successive contract Thiess has been awarded in a competitive process and is a testament to their focus on safety and ability to achieve production objectives through operational excellence.

“It also provides continuity and stability to Curragh’s northern operations while we deliver on our expansion plans.”

The new contract adds to Thiess’ existing scope of work that includes provisioning and maintenance of Coronado’s 1,400 tonne Bucyrus 495HR2 electric rope shovel and supply of an ultra-class trucking fleet.

CIMIC Group’s other companies Sedgman and UGL are also involved with the Curragh coal mine through multiple operations and maintenance contracts.

CIMIC Group CEO Michael Wright said: “Thiess has a consistent record of exceeding our client’s expectations at the mine, through a focus on operational excellence and innovation, and an unrelenting commitment to safety culture and outcomes at Curragh. This contract extension reflects Thiess’ ongoing ability of creating lasting value for its clients.”

Details of the Curragh coal mine

The Curragh coal mine is located in the Bowen Basin, nearly 10km north of Blackwater in central Queensland. A range of low-ash met coal products such as HCC, SCC, and PCI coal are produced from the coal mine in Queensland, which are exported to overseas markets to a diverse customer base of major steelmakers.

The mine, which began operations in 1983, also produces thermal coal for the domestic market. Curragh is an opencast bituminous coal mining and processing operation, which is made up of two distinct areas – Curragh North and Curragh East.