BHP Nickel West awards $190m mine contract to Thiess

According to Mining News Pro - BHP Nickel West has awarded a $190 million contract to Thiess for its mining services at the Leinster underground nickel mine in Western Australia.

Thiess will provide complete underground mining service and equipment to support Leinster’s development and production for a minimum of 24 months.

Thiess began work at Leinster in 2016, when the team used sub-level open stoping mining methods to gain access to nearly 230,000 tonnes (t) of ore.

Thiess managing director Douglas Thompson said, “We have a deep understanding of the mine and our team is well placed to help support its next phase of development and production.”

During the 2018 Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum, Nickel West asset president Eduard Haegel said its Leinster concentrator was rebuilding production toward achieving 40,000t/y production in the coming years.

BHP also revealed its plans in developing the Leinster B11 deposit, which was described as a low-capital, low-operating-cost development.

Of the Leinster B11 deposit, Haegel said, “It would be the lowest cost underground ore source in the Nickel West portfolio.”

The Leinster nickel operation is in the northern goldfields of Western Australia.