| Project Detail |
Challenging project helps meet increased energy demand
The third expansion of the Hay Point Coal Terminal dramatically increased throughput capacity at one of the worlds largest coal export facilities. Built by Bechtel for the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), this challenging commission entailed constructing a new berth at the terminal, offshore and onshore construction, and land reclamation, as well as building and fitting out new trestles, conveyers, and ship loaders.
Hay Point ships coal mined from Queensland’s Bowen Basin, which contains one of the world’s largest reserves of metallurgical coal. Bowen Basin coal is used mainly as a fuel for steel production and as a reducing agent in blast furnaces.
The project increased annual throughput capacity from 44 million metric tons to some 55 million metric tons, thus helping BMA keep pace with increased mining production in the region and intensified international demand.
INSIDE THE PROJECT
The Hay Point terminal serves eight coal mines in central Queensland with an integrated rail-port network. The terminal has rail facilities for unloading coal from the mines, onshore stockpile yards, and offshore wharves.
The offshore wharves are served by a conveyer system, supported on jetties that run out to sea and enable ship loading in deep water. The $2.45 billion expansion presented a number of construction challenges:
Working under difficult conditions 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) offshore
Reclaiming some 25 acres (more than 10 hectares) of land adjacent to the existing stockyard area
Assembling offsite (due to limited space) new transfer towers, surge bins, and a ship loader
Dredging in an environmentally sensitive manner to remove silt, clay, and hard rock to make way for the new berth |
