The first batch of new Amrun Village rooms headed to Weipa. Photo: Supplied.
The first batch of 252 new rooms is headed to Amrun as studies progress into the possible expansion of Rio Tinto’s southern operations at Weipa.
Assigned to the Kangwinan Project, the rooms will house construction personnel and provide additional accommodation for Amrun workers.
The job of unloading the new rooms is expected to take about three days (weather permitting), with modules arriving via barge from Cairns.
The modules will arrive along with a 250-tonne crane on a second barge to help place them onto trailers.
The remainder of the rooms are expected to arrive in late February.
Meanwhile, following consultation with the region’s Traditional Owners, the southern operations expansion known as the Kangwinan Project hasn’t yet been given final approval, but a spokesperson said Rio Tinto was working hard on its feasibility.
A decision about whether the project will proceed is expected later this year.
In the meantime, in consultation with Traditional Owners, the teams are getting on with important work such as underground water studies, increasing the size of the camp and upgrading the port to allow loading of larger capesize vessels.
If approved, the Kangwinan Project will mean 800 new jobs during construction, as well as continuity for Rio’s current employees following the end of production at Andoom later this decade.
A spokesperson said, while the southern operations workforce would grow with the new project, Weipa would remain the hub for Rio’s operations on the Western Cape Peninsula.
The new mine centre is planned to operate similarly to Amrun, where employees reside in Weipa and commute to work at the start of their roster.
