Bravus Mining and Resources has awarded a new $20 million contract for civil engineering and road upgrade works at the Carmichael Mine to a family-owned Townsville business.
The Queensland business is Mendi Group.
Bravus Chief Operating Officer, Mick Crowe, said the contract was yet another example of how Bravus was delivering on its promise to create jobs and opportunities for regional Queenslanders.
“Under this new contract, Mendi Group will upgrade, resurface and improve more than 20km of what we call the Mine Access Road (MAR), known to locals as the Moray-Carmichael Boundary Road,” Mr Crowe said.
“Mendi Group is a family-owned business with a regional Queensland workforce that has a 60-year track-record of building mining and road infrastructure to the highest Australian and international standards.
“Mendi has been with us from day one and it’s exciting to build on our relationship which started with more than $15 million worth of civil construction works back in 2019.”
The new contract will see both Elgin Road and Moray-Carmichael Boundary Road upgraded from unsealed to sealed asphalt. New stormwater drainage culverts, road furniture and cattle grids will also be installed to ensure that the road is better suited to heavy vehicles and wet weather.
“Bravus has already spent more than $58 million upgrading and maintaining public roads and there’s still more upgrades to come,” Mr Crowe said.
“Importantly, we’re meeting all of our environmental and Cultural Heritage conditions for these works, including more than 40 different environmental approvals for the upgrade of the MAR alone.
“We are paying our own way, and at the same time, we are making the roads better for our neighbours, graziers and other Isaac Regional Council residents who use them.
“Sealing the road provides more protection against flooding during the wet season, meaning the area won’t be cut off as regularly, which is great for our people and our neighbours.”
Mendi Group Managing Director, Jeff Doyle, said the contract will support more than 50 regional Queensland jobs for the six-month construction program.
“We’ll be offering employment for regional Queenslanders throughout the construction period,” Mr Doyle said.
“Our workforce will be drawn from Townsville, Charters Towers, Clermont, and surrounding towns, and our team will join the already predominantly regional Queensland-based workforce out on site at the Carmichael Mine.
“So you can see how the Carmichael Mine is important not just for our business and our employees, but for the whole of north and central Queensland – and we’re very proud to be a part of it.”
Throughout construction of the Carmichael Mine and Rail Project, Bravus paid more than $1 billion to regional Queensland contractors and provided jobs for more than 2,600 people.
