The contract, which was awarded to Piacentini & Son, includes the design and construction of three mobile dozer mining, and forms part of Coburn’s efficient dry mining methodology.

Strandline said on Monday that the contract was a key long-lead procurement package and was one of the conditions precedent to finalise project funding and prepare for production.

Strandline recently awarded a A$23-million contract to civil and mining contractor Macmahon for the construction of road access and bulk earthworks at the Coburn.

Located 240 km north of Geraldton, the Coburn project has ore reserves of 523-million tonnes and an initial mine life of 22.5 years at a planned average mining rate of 23.4-million tonnes a year.

Products from the development will be used globally in items including ceramic tiles, refractory, paint, titanium metal and welding rod applications. First production is expected within 18 months of the start of project construction.