CAPE wins contract from Rio Tinto for Robe Valley sustaining project

Australian mining and utilities services provider CAPE has won a contract from metals and mining company Rio Tinto.

The contract, which is valued at A$12 ($8m), is for the Robe Valley sustaining project situated nearly 140km south west of Karratha in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Under the contract, CAPE will relocate and modify the current electrical services, as well as install overhead and underground 33kV powerlines.

It will also install pole, pad mounted transformers and communication infrastructure on the project site.

In addition, the company will build waste fines pipelines and rearrange the existing raw water services.

Furthermore, the contract scope will include underground services’ elimination and decommissioning, as well as perform horizontal drilling below live rail lines.

Work under the contract is expected to be completed within six months with 36 workers.

CAPE CEO Greg Hutchinson said: “It is very pleasing to be awarded this contract which is highly technical and will require significant interface management as we will be working in a live brownfields environment.

“This contract will draw on CAPE’s extensive underground services pedigree encompassing power, water and communications infrastructure as well as civil and HDD. We look forward to working in partnership with Rio Tinto on the project.”

In August, Kurtarra Cape Joint Venture was awarded a contract for Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri rail optical fibre project.