Rio Tinto's West Angelas Power Project Nears Completion in Western Australia

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--The West Angelas Power Project in Eastern Pilbara, Western Australia, is nearing completion. Construction on the 80-megawatt (MW) power plant commenced in August 2012, and it is on track to be completed by the end of the year. It is part of Rio Tinto's (NYSE:RIO) Power System Upgrade 330 Project, which will support the expansion of its iron ore mining operations.

In its initial phase, the power plant will have two identical Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) gas turbines to supply electricity to the West Angelas mine site. Rio Tinto will double the plant capacity later in two similar stages.

The West Angelas iron ore mine is 110 kilometres from Newman, Western Australia, with a production capacity of 29.5 million tonnes total rail-out per annum. Rio Tinto has a 53% operating interest in the iron ore mine, which is fully owned by Robe River Iron Associates, an unincorporated joint venture in which Mitsui (33%), Nippon Steel (10.5%) and Sumitomo Metal Industries (3.5%) retain interests.

The diesel fuel for the power plant will be transported from the West Angelas fuel hub via 5-kilometer pipeline. Power plant construction will include a 600-kilolitre storage tank, which will supply storage fuel on site as a back-up, so the units can run on base load for 24 hours.

Under a contract agreement made by Rio Tinto with Forge Group Limited (Perth, Australia) in 2012, Forge is providing full-length engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the project, including power plant commissioning and testing. The West Angelas EPC contract was initially awarded to CTEC Pty Limited, which later became part of Forge Group.

Currently, Forge Group is focused on ramping up construction and beginning final commissioning. With work on the power plant now nearly complete, Forge Group is focussing on constructing Cape Lambert Power Station in Wickham, Western Australia.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.