Macmahon Holdings have secured two new contracts for drilling at Olympic Dam, and mobilised the world’s most powerful raise drilling rig to do the job.
The RBR 900VF is a state of the art raise drill, designed by MacMahon in conjunction with German-based manufacturer Herrenknecht, and is capable of boring vertical shafts between 3 and 8 metres in diameter, reaching depths of up to 2000 metres.
The two contracts are for installation and drilling of RB40, which is the first time the rig has ever been used, worth $5 million.
On top of that, MacMahon has been contracted for a four year raise bore drilling contract worth $36.5 million.
Macmahon chief executive Ross Carroll said he was thrilled to be deploying the RBR900VF at Olympic Dam, and said the increased level of automation on this machine significantly enhanced safety and generated greater efficiencies.
“The design of the new raise drill has eliminated most of the manual lifting, pushing and manoeuvring efforts required by operators,” he said.
“This is a major step forward that will not only boost safety but also increase productivity.”
The contract will see Macmahon raise bore approximately 5000 metres of shafts per year in various sizes, from half a metre to three metres in diameter, using five different raise drilling machines.
Macmahon has been providing a range of underground services at Olympic Dam for the last ten years.