Rio Tinto to start operations at its new bauxite project

<p>Rio Tinto has awarded a $70 million bulk earthworks contract for infrastructure development to QBrit, a civil engineering firm, at its Amrun bauxite project in northern Queensland.<br /><br />As per company, the contract will create 150 employment opportunities in addition to supporting&nbsp;&nbsp; 1400 continued workforce based in Weipa&rsquo;s bauxite mine. The Amrun bauxite project will also support 2000 employees at the Yarwun and Queensland Aluminium refineries in Gladstone that are fed with the bauxite.<br /><br /><img style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.alcircle.com/uploads/images/BauxiteJan20.jpg" alt="News" width="517" height="226" /><br />Stephen McIntosh, Rio Tinto&rsquo;s growth and innovation group executive said QBirt&rsquo;s work on roads and infrastructures was important for future Amrun operations. <br /><br />QBirt will construct about 40 kilometres of sealed access roads and a haul road network and will develop the mine stockpile zone, tailings and separation ponds and other site infrastructure.<br /><br />Managing director of QBirt, Quentin Birt said, &ldquo;After the success of our accelerated construction mine haul road network at Weipa, this new Amrun contract only strengthens our long-term relationship with Rio Tinto.&rdquo;<br /><br />Acting State Development Minister Bill Byrne commented: &ldquo;This project builds on Rio Tinto&rsquo;s long-standing existing operations in Gladstone and Weipa which have supplied the raw product used to produce 10 per cent of the world&rsquo;s aluminium.&rdquo;<br /><br />{googleAdsense}<br /><br />The construction of Amrun bauxite project is likely to commence in the current quarter and will be completed by the end of 2018. <br /><br />QBirt has constructed 300,000 cubed metres of embankment and seven kilometres of mine haul roads at the Weipa bauxite mine and is presently undertaking construction of a tailings facility at Rio Tinto&rsquo;s Yarwun alumina refinery. This Amrun contract will further extend their relation with Rio Tinto.</p>