Roy Hill Iron Ore Train Unloader

The Roy Hill project includes the construction of a new iron ore mine at Roy Hill deposit, a mine processing plant and a heavy haul railway system from the mine to the port in the south west region of Port Hedland. NPE was contracted to design and install a dewatering system inclusive of drilling boreholes that was capable of extracting water at 15000 m3 daily.

The designated location required the installation of 650 m of pipework to a turkey’s nest which held extracted water required for re-use on site and further pipework leading to a dredging pond approx. 3.5km away from the proposed car dumper. A chemical dosing system was installed for the treatment of the extracted water which ensured that the pH is adjusted to an environmentally acceptable level before water is discharged. Prior to NPE commencing dewatering onsite, this entire work zone was under water from the ocean. 

24/7 maintenance of the pumping system was one of the project deliverables on this project and as such was a major consideration when determining the plant, equipment and installation requirements due to the inclement and unpredictable cyclonic weather conditions in this region. We successfully lowered the water table by 16m below sea level for a period of 12 months. Not one day was lost onsite due to the dewatering.