KBR has been awarded a contract to upgrade Rio Tinto’s fuel assets as part of the mining company’s investment in power and fuel supply projects to underpin existing and future expansion of iron ore production capacity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
KBR’s minerals division will provide engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) services to install fuel assets and storage in five locations: port facilities at Cape Lambert and Dampier, mines at Brockman and West Angelas and a maintenance yard located near Dampier. The project will begin immediately and is due to be completed in July 2013.
Once the project is complete, Rio Tinto’s fuel network in the Pilbara region will use the company’s rail network to transport diesel to hubs for storage and further distribution to mines and power generation facilities. This will reduce the requirement for road trains to transport fuel on public roads from Port Hedland, 249 miles (400 kilometers) to the north.