McConnell Dowell has won the contract to design and build the marine structures for BCI Minerals’ Mardie Salt & Potash Project in Western Australia.
The Mardie Project aims to develop a large-scale, solar evaporation operation on the Pilbara coast.
The facility will have an estimated capacity of 5.35 million tonnes per year of high purity salt and 140 thousand tonnes per year of sulphate of potash, over an operating life of at least 60 years.
The marine structures package is the largest capital works contract for the project.
McConnell Dowell’s scope of work includes the design, supply, fabrication, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of a piled 2.4 km jetty structure with head-end platform, berthing and mooring dolphins. Construction will involve anchoring to the ocean floor more than 200 steel piles, each up to 30 metres long and weighing a combined 3800 tonnes.
McConnell Dowell will also deliver a materials handling conveying system including shiploader, non-process infrastructure comprising fire suppression equipment, employee amenities, fixed crane, channel markers and other navigation aids.
The contract also includes ancillary equipment, including security gates, CCTV, lighting, outfall pipe on jetty, diffuser, and emergency boat launcher.
“McConnell Dowell has significant experience designing and constructing similar structures and systems and has demonstrated exceptional safety standards, environmental controls, quality assurance frameworks and local community engagement,” Mardie Project Director, Sam Bennett said.
The contract follows a four-month Early Contractor Involvement process and final design has commenced.
Construction is scheduled to begin in Q4 2022, subject to associated approvals, and will take around 24 months to complete.