Leighton Contractors has announced it has been awarded a $1.5 billion full service, five-year contract to produce 20 million tonnes per annum of iron ore at Fortescue’s Firetail mine in the Pilbara.

 

The contract will see Leighton deliver whole-of-mine management at the mine, including operating and maintaining the open cut mining fleet, ore handling plants and associated infrastructure.

 

Leighton Holdings CEO, Hamish Tyrwhitt, said the Fortescue contract was clear evidence of the Group’s approach to allocating capital strategically and building a platform to deliver long-term sustainable growth.

 

“Leighton Contractors has worked with Fortescue to negotiate a win-win outcome whereby they provide the bulk of the capital to purchase the mining plant and equipment, and we bring our core competency of contract mining to add value for the client,” said Mr Tyrwhitt.

 

The Managing Director of Leighton Contractors, Craig Laslett, said the project aligned with the company’s long-term growth strategy.

 

“It is underpinned by our expertise in iron ore, in which we have mined and processed approximately 500 million tonnes over the last five years,” he said.