QER – Demonstration Oil Extraction Facility

As part of exploring the potential for commercial development of their shale oil deposits, QER sought to build a small scale Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) at its Stuart site, north of Gladstone. The design was based on another pilot plant located at Rifle, Colorado in the United States, which uses Paraho II above ground retorting technology.

The overall intent was to replicate and modify aspects of the Rifle, Colorado plant design. Once of the main differences was to include additional process units to form a complete end-to-end plant. This was primarily to ensure that the TDP would meet Australian standards in design and safety.

Our scope comprised onsite construction of all structural, mechanical, piping and electrical work, including:

Structural Steel – supply and installation (structural steel, conveyors)
Mechanical Equipment – installation (pumps, chutes, bins, vessels, conveyor mechanical)
Piping – fabrication and installation
Electrical – supply and installation

Bechtel – SMP Installation Works on Train 2, QCLNG Curtis Island

We were proud to support our client, Bechtel, to deliver one of six LNG trains on Curtis Island as part of the largest concentration of private capital investment in Australian history. This historical program of work resulted in three plants that yield roughly 8% of the world’s total LNG production.

Walz was engaged to provide specialist teams to perform pipe installation, pipe welding, structural steel installation, structural steel removal, structural steel welding, and associated activities on the Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) Project. The completed works included 250t of structural steel and 6km of class 1 piping. Our scope also included line blowing and commissioning activities.

Off the back of our successful delivery of the SMP works for Train 2, Bechtel awarded Walz Group the ongoing maintenance and warranty works for all three plants on Curtis Island.

Larpro – Mt Carlton Gold Processing Plant

The Mount Carlton Gold Mine is located 150km south of Townsville and 54km southwest of Bowen. It is one of the highest-grade open pit gold mines in the world. Larpro was engaged by the mine owner, Conquest Mining, to undertake the construction and pre-commissioning of an 800,000tpa greenfield silver/gold mine and associated infrastructure. Walz was subsequently appointed by Larpro to support them on the project.

Our scope was to provide specialist structural, mechanical and piping installation, as well as piping fabrication and blasting and painting services. We also participated in pre-commissioning activities to ensure the plant achieved the required throughput before it was fully commissioned. These were critical elements for success as Conquest Mining was on a tight deadline to deliver first gold. Our work was instrumental in the achievement of all timelines and plant performance KPIs.

At project completion, we had installed 550t of structural steel, 670t of mechanical equipment, 6.3km of pipework — which we also fabricated — and a vast array of platework, including bins, chutes, hoppers and tanks.

WICET – MP2 Marine Works

With stage 1 of the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) completed, commissioned and fully operational in 2015, the construction barge wharf at the site was rendered redundant. After considering removal of the wharf, WICET decided it would be more beneficial to decommission and preserve the facility. This would keep the option of using it again for any further expansion works in the future. Walz Group was engaged by WICET to decommission and preserve the construction barge wharf at the facility. The project scope also included removing hazards to the general public that may access the area.

This project showcases our marine infrastructure capability. It highlights the benefit of owning our own specialist marine equipment and expert operators. The scope included:

Decommissioning and preservation of the construction barge wharf
- Removal, preservation and storage of pontoons, gangways and landings
- Removal of attachments on piles / sheet piles then cleaning and restoration of surface protection
- Design, supply and installation of a sacrificial anode system for the piles / sheet piling
- Maintenance of existing navigational lights and installing one new light on the mooring dolphin
- Installation of a security fence and safety signage
Ancillary make-safe works
- Modification to the berthing dolphin emergency ladders x 10
- Surface protection repairs to emergency ladder piles
- Surface protection repairs to piles W11-C and W15-C
Marine equipment and personnel
- Self-elevating platform
- 250t crawler crane
- Flat top barge
- Tug boat
- Work boat
- Crew boat

BMA Hay Point – Footbridge 3 Replacement

This work involved the urgent replacement of a heavily corroded footbridge at the Hay Point Coal Terminal. The new bridge had been fabricated, but was yet to be installed, and the existing structure was quickly deteriorating after the impact of Cyclone Ului. With high structural corrosion throughout the chords and stringers, the old bridge was not capable of withstanding a significant wind or wave event.

BMA sought to greatly reduce the risk of failure of the existing bridge by installing the new, prefabricated replacement which was capable of withstanding greater wind and wave events. The new bridge also reduced the chance of downtime to the adjacent berth, as mooring operations would be rendered disabled if the bridge were to fail.

Our primary scope was to install a pre-fabricated replacement bridge in accordance with the approved design drawings. This included removing the existing footbridge, relocating it to Mackay Harbour, and fabricating and fitting the missing connection pieces required for the installation of the bridge.

The works required the mobilisation of a range of our equipment and crew from our marine fleet to enable the installation. This included:

Jack up barge with crane to remove and replace the footbridge
Landing barge with capacity to accommodate the new and existing footbridge
Tug boat to manoeuvre equipment

BMA Hay Point — HPX 3 Expansion Works

Hay Point Coal Terminal is one of the largest coal export ports in the world. Walz Group had previously worked directly for the owner-operator, BMA, to urgently replace a footbridge . We were subsequently engaged to support BMA to deliver the third major expansion of the facility.

As part of this contract, Walz Group provided marine equipment and specialist personnel to support the shutdown scheduled as part of the project, and remove associated temporary works. Throughout the project, we continually adapted to the ever-changing weather conditions and modifications to schedule. By working closely with our client and taking an agile approach to resourcing requirements, we were able to meet all project milestones.

In its entirety, the expansion increased capacity at the terminal from 44 million tonnes to 55 million tonnes. The work included construction of a new berth and land reclamation, as well as building and fitting out new trestles, conveyers, and ship loaders.

Specifically, our scope included the provision of the following specialist equipment together with expert operators.

1 x self-elevating platform with Favco M2480D tower crane
1 x self-elevating platform with 250t crawler crane
1 x self-elevating platform with 100t crawler crane
2 x flat top barges
2 x tugs
1 x work boat
1 x crew boat

Dedert – Wet Distillers Grain Dryer Installation

The Dalby Ethanol Plant is Australia’s first grain-to-ethanol facility. Each year the plant converts nearly 200,000 tonnes of sorghum into 76 million litres of ethanol. The product remaining after ethanol distillation — known as sillage — is separated and concentrated using centrifuge and evaporation technology to form a high energy, high protein animal feed known as wet distiller’s grain. The soluble dry matter, known as syrup, is blended with the Wet Distiller’s Grain (WDG) and sold to the local animal feed market as Wet Distiller’s Grain with Solubles (WDGS).

As part of a plant upgrade, the Dedert Corporation engaged Walz Group to construct and install a drying facility for the wet WDGS. The closed loop drying system with integrated thermal oxidizer was installed adjacent to the existing wet grain system.

Our scope incorporated all civil works, including concreting, plus the structural, mechanical and electrical installation, as well as commissioning of the drying plant. We managed specialist civil and electrical contractors who worked alongside the Walz project team to ensure a seamless delivery. The structural work included offsite fabrication in our facility in Gladstone.

After the installation of the dryer, the plant has the capacity to produce around 180,000 tonnes of WDGS a year.

Connell Hatch – Dalrymple Bay Outloading Conveyor System

We performed the onshore works for the outloading conveyor system in the second phase of the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal 7X project. This expansion saw the terminal increase its capacity by around 50% to 85+Mtpa, making it the third largest terminal in the world. As the terminal operates 24×7 all work was completed in a live operating environment. It was essential to minimise disruption of operations and ensure the site remained safe and accessible for staff to continue operations in a business-as-usual manner.

Walz Group supplied all equipment and materials for the onshore construction of the new outloading system. These works delivered a third reclaiming stream and associated conveyor systems for the transfer of coal from the stockyard to a new surge bin and sample plant facility. Our scope included all mechanical, structural, civil and electrical work, as well as commissioning of new systems. The works included:

Modifications to existing conveyors including addition of new chutework
Installation of 3 x new conveyors
Installation of a new surge bin
Installation of a new sample plant
Installation of new belt feeders

Curragh – ROM Upgrade

Formerly owned by Wesfarmers Resources, the Curragh Coal Mine (now operated by Coronado Curragh Pty Ltd) is located in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, 30km north of Blackwater. The main product from the mine is metallurgical (coking) coal for export.

Wesfarmers identified a need to refurbish the run of mine (ROM) coal handling facility at Curragh, in order to accommodate increased production and potential future expansion requirements. They subsequently embarked upon a major upgrade of this essential infrastructure, to enable increased reliability and capacity, and extend the life of the facility.

Walz Group was engaged to supply and install structural, mechanical, piping and electrical works, including the onsite civil package and multiple tie-ins to existing plant. We provided an end-to-end solution, performing procurement, demolition and decommissioning of redundant infrastructure before delivering construction and erection/installation services for the material handling facility and associated infrastructure works. Our scope also included verification, and pre-commissioning as well as commissioning support. The works included:

Structural steel supply and installation – 650t (Structural steel, guards, pulley frames)s
Mechanical supply and installation – 200t (idlers, pulleys, drives, scrapers, belts)
Piping supply and installation – 2,000m (25NB-150NB (carbon steel / galvanised / HDPE))
Platework supply and installation – 160t (Chutes, liners)
Electrical and instrumentation (supply and installation) — managed by Walz, performed by subcontractors
Civil (support and installation) — managed by Walz, performed by subcontractors
Tie-ins to existing plant

Curragh – CPP1 Tailings Retreat Circuit

After working together successfully on previous projects, Wesfarmers Curragh Pty Ltd (WCPL) engaged Walz Group to support the installation of a new tailings retreat circuit to the Coal Preparation Plant 1 (CPP1) at its Blackwater mine in Queensland. We’ve worked at Curragh before and have gained a solid understanding of the mine’s operational requirements. For this upgrade project, we performed all structural, mechanical and piping, and electrical installation components. We outsourced the electrical works component to a trusted subcontractor. Our fabrication workshop in Gladstone produced the custom pipework, handrails, and platework for the project. Blasting and painting was also performed by Walz in our purpose built facility.

After commissioning, the upgrade increased the plant’s yield by around two percent, delivering approximately 30 tonnes per hour of additional secondary product.

The works incorporated three main areas of the tailings retreat circuit — the Eastern building, the Western building and the secondary product conveyor. A new clarified water pump was also installed to supply the additional demand from the new circuit.

Connecting to the eastern side of CPP1, the Eastern building houses the tailings cyclones, sieve bends, spirals feed sump, and the relocated spirals feed pump.

The Western building connects to a previously existing structure and incorporates the spiral banks, spirals product sump and pump, spirals product cyclone cluster, fine coal centrifuge, and the reject sump and pump.

The secondary product conveyor is fed by the centrifuge, running from the new Western building to transfer product onto the existing steaming coal conveyor.